In 2008 our oldest son and I traveled to Zimbabwe to hunt with Chifuti Safaris in the Zambezi Valley. I was hunting Buffalo and Leopard and was having my hunt filmed. My cameraman was Doug King. Towards the end of the hunt Doug asked me if I would do him a favor. I replied sure. He said he had a couple of dvd's he needed shipped to a woman in the States. Doug went on to tell me the story behind the dvd's.

In 2006 he was filming a Buffalo hunt for a couple. During the hunt, it was made known that their 25th wedding anniversary would occur during their hunt. The PH arranged for an evening dinner on a scenic bluff on their anniversary which the PH and Doug also attended. After dinner as they sat around table discussing life, the husband got up to 'relieve' himself. He approached the edge of the bluff and slipped and fell to his death. The widow stayed and took her husband home. At first she did not want the film copy of their safari. As time passed she changed her mind and asked Doug to send her the copies.

I gladly accepted the task and mailed them to her when I arrived back in the States. She sent me a very nice thank you card.

My point is we all should live life to the fullest. As we do not know when it will end. I face this on every hunt I take. My wife and I have a handicapped daughter that will probably not live to see adulthood. On each and every hunt there is always a moment when I pause, tear up and think of my daughter. Make sure you affairs are in order and live life to the fullest!

quote:

Make sure you affairs are in order and live life to the fullest!

Great reminder!!!

I think hunters, better than non-hunters, appreciate the value of life and death.

Best regards, D. Nelson

So true...Thank you I needed that reminder today

Thank you for the story and reminder.

Brett

I can think of many worse ways to die. What a bittersweet story. It would be hard on my wife, but I think she would appreciate the fact that I died doing the thing I loved most with the person I loved most with me. The most basic lesson I learned in the Army; there are no guarantees in this world, only that we all die.

We have an autistic child in the family. Every day with her is precious to all of us.

God Bless her, and her family...

Rich

I remember this sad incident. It happened at a range of hills known as Chivhima ne mesu (hunt with your eyes) in Chewore. Good message vandyboy.

Dave

Now, for all of those who may be tempted to shed tears at the undoubted sadness of this incident, and its truly unfortunate aftermath -- please be advised that I say what I am about to say only after due deliberation, and with the benefit of a certainty that the widow of the late and lamented fellow in question is not likely to be an AR member.

Furthermore, please be assured that I say what I am about to say only after having spent the past few minutes pondering the fate of my own dear wife, whose burdens are many, whose rewards in this life spent with the likes of me have been few, and whose ultimate task, should she stay the course, will be to see my mortal remains to their final resting place, wherever the wind may blow them.

But . . . with that preface, I must declare, that if I were ever to be so unfortunate as to die as this poor fellow has done -- after wandering off into the bush, after having devoured a big dinner, and after having drunk too many drinks, in order to drain off the excess hydration -- and if my final act were to be so doubly unfortunate as to involve stumbling off a bluff into the who knows where with my business undone and possibly still doing -- well then, I do sincerely hope that my widow wouldn't feel the need to see the video of the posthumous, preceding and piss-off-the-bluff proceedings.

I would hope that, instead, she would have to laugh, and laugh long and heartily, that the old bastard she had loved had died as he had lived, pissing into the same void that finally swallowed him up.

Life is indeed short, and ultimately, in a physical sense, rather undignified.

This tale is surely a reminder of that.

vandyboy, all the best to you and your family, and especially your daughter. There are burdens that no human should be forced to bear.

quote:

I would hope that, instead, she would have to laugh, and laugh long and heartily, that the old bastard she had loved had died as he had lived, pissing into the same void that finally swallowed him up.

Life is indeed short, and ultimately, in a physical sense, rather undignified.

I am with you. Were it me, I would hope my wife and pall bearers would have a bit of a chuckle at my expense after the fact.

On my very first safari, in 1982, I shared the camp with a gentleman and his wife.

He apparently wasn't in good health, and thought of going on safari before it got too late.

I think he had liver problems, probably caused by too much drink.

Anyway, half way through his safari, he passed away.

I was 32 at the time, and made up my mind that I will try to have as much fun as I possibly can.

One never knows how long he has left.

I have lost several friends and family members over the last few years. Ages have been all over the board from young to old. Some have been expected others not at all. I see people die all the time in my job and so become somewhat hardened to it. As such I at times become complacent about the things and people in my life that I should value every day. Just before Christmas my 9 year old niece died suddenly while ice skating from a cardiac event. I raved at God for awhile but in the end I got the wake up call. Dont put off the things or people that are important in your life for any reason. You never know what tomorrow will bring.

I didn't read the part where it said he had been drinking...

Rich

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
I didn't read the part where it said he had been drinking...

Rich

Absolutely was, no question. At least that's the only way I'd tell the story, were it someone I liked or considered a friend. Similarly, were it *my* obit instead, it BETTER say I was half cocked, even if I was as sober as a judge! To leave a lasting impression on my friends and family that I *wasn't* three sheets to the wind and at the height of life enjoyment, but was instead just a clumsy oaf who met my end taking a header on a anniversary dinner break, well...nevermind. Sorry to hear the dude bought it.

a couple years back there was an elderly fellow in the next camp. his lifetime ambition was to shoot an elephant. he had cancer and this was to be his big chance. The ph found a bull that was close to the roads enough for the old fellow to make a short walk. they cam up to the ele, the guy raised his rifle and fired. as the recoil hit him he just kept going over backwards dying on his feet. I sure hope he knew that he had gotten the ele and his dream

Just a few weeks before we were ready to leave for Namibia, my best friend and hunting buddy got diagnosed with advanced colon cancer. He couldn't go. I took copious notes, 95 pages in my journal in 11 days. Bob finished reading the journal of his dream trip in his last days. Hence my tag line.
After my last nine months, the sun is rising in the morning once again.
You only get one trip, better enjoy it!
Bfly

I hunted out of this same camp this past season, and down the Chenje River where this occurred. Standing at the base of this cliff looking up, it would have been a scary fall in the dark. One of my trackers was the one who carried the body back to camp.

They no longer use this bluff for dinners, or for anything else. My condolences to the family involved.

The father of a friend of mine here in the Uk who was a life long shooting man gave strict instructions that if he were to pass away during the shooting season he was to be put on ice until it had ended so that it wouldnt inconvenience his shooting friends who wanted to come to his funeral.
Some years later he died early January and as per his wishes was put on ice until the season ended. He was subsequently buried mid February with all his friends present.
- Now that's what I call "class"

With all due respect to the Deceased (should we all be so luck to die doing something we love?)

But what the hell did he fall into? was his camp on the edge of the grand canyon? I would like to hear more surrounding that part of the story. I've had a few knob creeks before, and stumbled around, but never to my death!

Anyone got any info?

"Every man dies, not every man really lives"

William Wallace (Braveheart)

It is my understanding that their camp was NOT up on the bluff. I guess it is a scenic view and they decided to have their dinner up there. Doug, the cameraman set his video camera up on a tripod and filmed dinner. I know this because Doug relayed the story to me and to be honest I watched the video before I mailed it to the widow. The toast that he gave to his wife that evening sent chills up my spine knowing what was about to happen. And no, the fall was NOT on the video. According to Doug, the husband got up to relieve himself, and by this time is was dark. He had just stepped into the darkness out of the campfire's glow. I guess he misjudged how close to the edge he was.

As was explained to me, they had used this spot in the past for fireside brai and finishing off the trip with a celebation dinner. Here is a picture of the Chenje river canyon about a mile below where the event took place.



The bluffs are very steep in places, and standing at the foot of the one in question, I estimated it to be a sheer drop of 50-60 feet, and rocks at the bottom.

Deceleration trauma to the extreme!