Just received sms from friend in touch with Luke Samaras Safaris and their PH's. Seems hunting client hammered by buff this morning. He was hunting with PH Simon Evans. Kitiangare has a history of Ph's and clients being mishandled by buffalo. I'm sure more details will emerge soon.

Whatever happened to the scenario "the PH will save me!??"

Hope he is okay.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
Whatever happened to the scenario "the PH will save me!??"

quote:

Originally posted by Sevenxbjt:
Hope he is okay.

+1

Brett

quote:

Originally posted by Sevenxbjt:
Hope he is okay.

I hope so as well, but that is not the average outcome when a buff get to you! I just hope he survives with no perminant crippling effects!

quote:

by Will
Whatever happened to the scenario "the PH will save me!??"

Folks PHs are just as human as the client, and as such not immune to being hurt by dangerous game! Clients have had to pull the PH's nuts out of the fire more times than one!

I would like to know the details of this incident.

I do hope the hunter recovers.

I'll bet there is a .45-70 at the bottom of this!

Having had a buffalo decide that he needed to hook me or someone in my party just 60 days ago, I realize that the client above referenced could have been me. No matter who the P.H. is, or what caliber of "stopper" you carry, DG hunting is so called for a reason.

I think that is why we go.

As I understand it, Luke hires no "weak sisters" for his P.H.'s. Still, no one can anticipate every eventuality... Bad stuff is going to happen in Africa, like it or not.

Let's just hope whatever the heck happened is recoverable on the client's part, if not, God give his family peace.

We have a bunch of fun here poking fun at each other, but elephants, buffalo, lions, etc. sometimes give credibility to the old (North American pioneer) phrase, "Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes it gets you."

The bear (or the leopard or the buffalo, etc.) hasn't got me yet, but if it does... you folks just write my daughters and tell them that I died doing what I loved...... and that I left them enough life insurance money to plant my body in the ground, buy a good Islay to sip and a couple of tickets to East African and a full-bag safari for them. And if they don't want to go, my damn cat can get the money.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I do hope he hasn's suffered too much, and that he recovers quickly quickly and completely.

Having been hunting for quite some time, and coming across all the unforseen dangers one does come across in the bush, it is a wonder to me that not many more hunters or PH have been hurt in the bush!

Things don't always work out as planned on a hunt - even for the relatively more experienced hunters amongst us.

Best wishes to the client for a quick recovery, and calm for all involved.

As JudgeG points out ... $hit happens when you're hunting dangerous game. The near misses could keep some of us up in the dark hours I'm sure. Be thankful they were only near misses.

This reminds me of so many posts of guys asking 'is this enough gun?'. I don't ever recall anyone asking if their gun is too much.

Best wishes to the hunter and PH.

Simon Evans is an extremely competent and experienced PH. Sometimes s--t happens gentlemen.

That block has probably accounted for more buffalo incidents than any 20 others put together.

I hope the hunter recovers fully and that it was nothing too serious.

I think this is the same area where Bloodnut's client was killed by a buff. Bloodnut also works for Luke. In Bloodnut's case, they were not even following the buff that ambushed them.

Sure hope someone eventually provides details.

Ledvm, all,

Yes, that is the same concession where Canadian Bob Fontana was killed by a buffalo in 2004. He was hunting lesser kudu at the time. I hunted the concession in 2005,and had to sort out a crippled buffalo for the Game Department.

The buffalo in that area are notorious for being "cheeky" about all the time. In fact,the local guys call them the Ninja bulls of Kitangare.

I don't know Simon Evans except by reputation, and that is very good. Hopefully, someone will provide the details.

Hope the hunter is OK.

Tom

My prayers go out to the hunter and all involved, including his family...

Too bad this happened. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. This is why it is called dangerous game hunting. I hope everyone is OK.

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
I think this is the same area where Bloodnut's client was killed by a buff. Bloodnut also works for Luke. In Bloodnut's case, they were not even following the buff that ambushed them.

True. Bloodnut got the buf, but too late to save the client

I just hunted that area a few months ago. We were on edge and nobody had their rifles over their shoulders. Like one experienced PH who worked for Samaras for years told me, the buffalo in Kitiangare have a bug up their asses and will charge unprovoked. You have to be on your toes when hunting those thorn thickets.

The two PH's in camp when we were there were top notch. Bloodnut and Franco Loubser. I would hunt anything anytime anywhere with either of them.

I love hunting that area. Would love to return.

I hope the client recovers, and I would really like to hear the details.

According to Gerard Miller, who has been in contact with Luke and his PH's, the gentleman who was injured sustained fractured skull, leg, and arm. He is a German Baron who has hunted many times with Simon throughout the years. He was medivaced out from a bush airstrip. I would assume to Nairobi, though not sure about this. Other "details" are circulating through the bush telegraph but not substantiated.

Thanks for the update. Sounds very serious. I fervently hope he recovers.

quote:

Originally posted by jangili:
sustained fractured skull

...and thereby forever ended the debate on weather head butting has enough force to stop a buffalo charge!!! Seriously though I hope the client recovers without ill affects.

Brett

quote:

In fact,the local guys call them the Ninja bulls of Kitangare.

Tom,
Didn't you write and article in Safari about hunting Buff in Kitangare called "The ninja bulls of Kitangare"?

At least if this is the same Tom that hunts with my buddy Nigel Theisen.

I'd love to read that. Ninjas they are.

I will be hunting Lukes Kitiangare concession with Gerard Miller in December. I've hunted the thick stuff with Gerard before and consider myself lucky to have not been charged. Gerard told me last night that the Kitiangare area is still dry as hell so if it doesnt rain soon we will be going back in to thick stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by bwanajay:
I will be hunting Lukes Kitiangare concession with Gerard Miller in December. I've hunted the thick stuff with Gerard before and consider myself lucky to have not been charged. Gerard told me last night that the Kitiangare area is still dry as hell so if it doesnt rain soon we will be going back in to thick stuff.

Yeah, with the drought, that's the only place to find buff. Good luck. Wish I was going with you. That's up close and personal buff hunting.

I hunted a .375 there in July. That hunt convinced me to buy a .458.

What makes this area's buff so tempremental? Is it just the terrain which means you have to get particularly close, or are they harrased by poachers etc to the point they associate humans with the need to get feisty?

Rgds,
FB

The area has a lot of Maasai, Mangati, WaArusha ,etc tribesmen with their livestock and farms. Buff are constantly "harrassed" whenever they get close to the farms and settlements. Even more so at waterholes. All this "cat & mouse" game makes them pi$$ed off

I've been told it's in their genes. They have always had a reputation for unpredictibility and negative attitudes.

quote:

Originally posted by jetdrvr:
I've been told it's in their genes. They have always had a reputation for unpredictibility and negative attitudes.

Racism rears its ugly head!

quote:

Originally posted by Kamo Gari:

quote:

Originally posted by jetdrvr:
I've been told it's in their genes. They have always had a reputation for unpredictibility and negative attitudes.

Racism rears its ugly head!

Now, now!! Let's be politicaly correct! It's "Speciesism"!!!!

Brett

It also shows we should never, under any circumstances, under-estimate the predicatbility of a buffalo, or any wild animal for that matter.

Whatever the cause, be it genetic or just plain ill-tempered, stay alert and be aware,it could happen at any time. That said, there are times when it all happens so quickly and from nowhere, your reactions are hampered somehow, and "thump"....he gets you.

I believe I hunted with the said client in the early 90', and wish him a speedy recovery. Knowing his passion for buff hunting, he will be back !!

quote:

Originally posted by Brett Adam Barringer:

quote:

Originally posted by Kamo Gari:

quote:

Originally posted by jetdrvr:
I've been told it's in their genes. They have always had a reputation for unpredictibility and negative attitudes.

Racism rears its ugly head!

Now, now!! Let's be politicaly correct! It's "Speciesism"!!!!

Brett

Naw. It's bodacious badass!

quote:

Originally posted by bwanajay:
I will be hunting Lukes Kitiangare concession with Gerard Miller in December. I've hunted the thick stuff with Gerard before and consider myself lucky to have not been charged. Gerard told me last night that the Kitiangare area is still dry as hell so if it doesnt rain soon we will be going back in to thick stuff.

Last year at this time, while on a Luke Samaras safari, Bloodnut & I stopped for lunch with Gerard Miller and his family at their farm, which is adjacent to this concession. What fine company I was keeping! I had killed my first buff that morning, and was pretty darn excited, and quite beside myself because of what an unbelieveable day I was having. Long term dreams coming true!

If you haven't already, be sure to get Gerard's book, Lives of a Professional Hunting Family (from Trophy Room Books). His family's hunting heritage is an awesome story.

That same day, my son Nick was buff hunting out of the same Masailand Samaras camp with PH Tom Dames, who most of the time works for Danny McCallum Safaris in Arusha. Tom is a fantastic PH, and Nick had a real hoot hunting with him. Neither Nick or I had any prior actual DG hunting experience, just reading the books since childhood.

Nick shot a buff, which quickly jumped into the thick brush, ninja style. This is why the buff are called ninja here, whether you are talking in English or kiswahili: They duck into the thick stuff, so you will follow closely in after them, so the buff will be in position to offenseably ambush its pursuer. The buff here have a generally pissy attitude, and the desire to sneak attack from the brush is where they get their ninja name.

Nick's Masai trackers who usually see everything in the bush, and beyond it seems, were about to walk past a bush that Nick suddenly noticed the head of the buff he had just shot, looking at them and close enough to notice blood coming from it's nostrils. It had backed into the thick stuff, which was sorta like the beebrush here at home, and all ready to surprise them. Tom Dames told Nick to take a frontal brain shot, which Nick quickly did, dropping the buff with a precision shot to the brain with his Ruger M77 in 416 Rigby using 400gr TSX. It dropped to the ground hindquarters first, like the classic brain shot.

When the story was recounted to me fireside that night, I was nervously scared for the danger all in their hunting party had experienced that day, not the least bit as a father -- Nick being by son. I knew how much I had practiced with my 458 Lott for this possibility, and always wondered if it was enough. I hoped the same for Nick.

Tom set me at ease. He said in his proper British accent that he wasn't worried about Nick making the quick and accurate shot to knock down the ninja- he knew the lad was from Texas!

I think they're known as ninjas because they are warriors, stone killers dressed in black.

I once shared a charter plane with Gerard. He told many hair raising tales of those buff including the one where he thought he was done. Only a lucky shot from the hip with his 460 Weatherby saved his life.

The other thing is that is where there are some damn big buff.

There may be some genetic component to their attitude but the harrassment they receive shouldn't be discounted. We hunted the concession in July of 2007 and again in July of this year. On day 1 of 2007, Dad and his PH were following a herd when they were suddenly charged by a cow which had had its jaw shot off by a poacher. Franco solved the problem with a brain shot at 10 yards. This past year, Paddy and I were following a herd which included a wounded buffalo as evidenced by several trees smeared with blood. We bumped the herd in the thick stuff, waited for a few minutes and had begun following up when a buffalo bull stood up in the brush off to the right and behind us about 30 - 40 yards away. It was obvious that this was the wounded one from the blood on his shoulder and the game scout gave us the go ahead to shoot immediately. Fortunately, I was able to get a good shot off before the bull quite figured out what we were. He ran 50-75 yards into the densest thicket imaginable before dying but didn't have the good manners to give us a death bellow. Forty five tense minutes later we crawled up to where he had fallen. He had two festering wounds, a big one right behind his shoulder and another in his hind leg, both made by Masai spears. We later determined that he had been wounded several days previously by a group protecting their waterhole (which as jetdrvr earlier pointed out, were in awfully short supply this year).

That being said, even unwounded these buffalo seem to have chips on their shoulders. Paddy and I nearly had a head on collision with a buff which charged the cruiser from 50 yards after we apparently surprised it. But for Paddy's incredible ability to drive backwards while weaving between trees, there would have been a major wreck. He got as close as 5 yards before turning off. The same buffalo charged my father's cruiser a couple of days later and Dad put the bull out of his misery (with a .375, not the truck). The buffalo was not wounded, just really old and cranky.

Regardless of the the reason for the buffs' attitude, Simanjiro is a great place for lots of close-quarters excitement.

Best wishes to the injured hunter.

Richard,

You guys had a lot more fun than we did. That must have been a very interesting hunt. If we ever book there again, it'll be July 1. I would really like to hunt there again. Have a good weekend.

F.

Harrassment, genetics, Ninjas, whatever, I want to go....Who books these hunts with "Bloodnut" et co???

No BS!

JW

quote:

Harrassment, genetics, Ninjas, whatever, I want to go....Who books these hunts with "Bloodnut" et co???

Jeff,
Just book straight with Luke Samaras Safaris. Ask to hunt with Paddy Curtis (Bloodnut - for his used to be red-hair). Paddy is about as an "Old-African-Hand" as one can get!