You (we) are up to 56 charges!!

On a good year I'll get charged at least a hundred times. I stop almost all of them with a load of 2s out of a 12 bore shotgun. But then I think the ducks are coming into the decoys just to relax and be with their own instead of trying to kill me, but I could be wrong...

My favorite bumper sticker:

"I still miss my ex, but my aim's improvin ..."



Chuck

quote:

Originally posted by kev5000:
HI,

I stop one of the most agggressive charges that I have ever saw,my ex-wife,I stop her with money,Kev

I was charged by a badger once....had a rifle in my hands too.....but it happened so fast I forgot about the rifle and just ran like mad.....

I think the badger died laughing!

On a more serious note, I (being the wrangler and very junior assistant guide) along with the main guide went one fine fall afternoon to finish off a wounded grizzly. He had been shot in the butt by a client with a 300 Weatherby who had a terrible flinch with that rifle. We elected to leave the client behind to smoke while we cut it's path then proceeded to circle above and upwind of it. We saw him about a split second before he saw us. He turned and charged at less than 20 feet. I hit him with my 270, the guide hit him with his 12 guage shooting 00 buckshot a split second later. The bear went down about 5 feet from us. I stepped back and I shot him again with my 270. We backed up another 10 feet, lit up our cigarettes and threw sticks at him for five minutes to make sure he was really really dead.

I started skinning and the guide went back for the client. It was a long time ago, I was young, inexperienced and immortal, and lucky for us the bear was weak from blood loss, but he still had a close to even chance that afternoon.

Regards,

Chuck

I used my trusty machete to dispatch a red pine squirrel that decided to attack me and my dog in our backyard. I kicked the damn thing off my dog, took her inside and went back out with the machete. The little bugger was waiting looking at the rear door I went in, I had gone out the garage this time. He no sooner saw me than he hunched up and sprinted straight at me. Cut him clean in half at my ankles. Must have been rabid, I've never seen a squirrel that angry before.
Ben

I've always wanted to be charged by a pack of hungry cheerleaders, but alas ...




Chuck

I stopped a wounded charging hippo with a 375 H&H.

Well he was really coming straight at my PH and I was off to the side just a little, so he was charging my hunting party, not me personally. The "mustachioed American PH in Tanzania who will remain nameless" would say it wasn't really a charge because I dropped it at about 60 yds away, not the 30 he claims as charging distance.

416 Remington

Karamojo Bill, where in the world did that german shepard get a 14" screwdriver? That must surely have been a sight to see! ROFL!!!

quote:

Originally posted by SG Olds:

In case no one has seen this bang bang style I would point you to any number of Chifuti Safari hunts on Tracks accross Africa.

I've noticed that too. If I ever had a PH do that to me we would have some serious problems. Yet another reason for me to stay away from Chifuti Safaris.

I too find the Chifuti back up policy intereting. I've never run into a PH that routinely shot following a client's initial shot on anything. This doesn't happen with our own Tanznaia Bundu Safaris in Tanzania or with any of the outfits we represent to my knowledge. Personally I've had the PH raise a rifle 4 times once in a unplanned PAC situation with an elephant and all the rest at my request. Twice Ihad some help on running gun battles with wounded game and once as a follow up on a brained ele that was down but not quite out.

Unless an animal is obviously wounded and getting away or the animal is going to kill or injure one of the hunting party I see no reason for the PH to shoot and I'd be upset if they did. If that was the safari companie's policy I'd book with someone else.

Mark

Mark,

I agree, I have that talk with every PH before I sign up and again at camp. If I hadn't I would not have been allowed to be tested by my Bongo last june.

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
I too find the Chifuti back up policy intereting. I've never run into a PH that routinely shot following a client's initial shot on anything. This doesn't happen with our own Tanznaia Bundu Safaris in Tanzania or with any of the outfits we represent to my knowledge. Personally I've had the PH raise a rifle 4 times once in a unplanned PAC situation with an elephant and all the rest at my request. Twice Ihad some help on running gun battles with wounded game and once as a follow up on a brained ele that was down but not quite out.

Unless an animal is obviously wounded and getting away or the animal is going to kill or injure one of the hunting party I see no reason for the PH to shoot and I'd be upset if they did. If that was the safari companie's policy I'd book with someone else.

Mark

Mark I have zero problem with a back-up from the PH on any dangerous game in a charge, or escape situation I, In fact, welcome it! That makes the follow-up much safer, and/or avoids a wounded and lost animal, which my take days to die, and in the meantime maybe kill some poor local who stumbles onto him.

That said, I don't want a PH to automaticlly shoot every animal simply because I have already shot it with the first shot.

I have had this conversation with every PH I've hunted with before takeing to the field. It is made clear to him what I expect of his shooting practices.

On the other hand if he sees I have made a really bad shot, he is intructed to shoot to avoid the animal getting away, till I can shoot again, which isn't often because I'm usually shooting a double rifle.

I don't hunt Elephant, but if I did, and botched a brain shot, and the bull turned to run into the thick, I'd want him to try to break the bull's hip before it did. My next shot would be the same as his, aimed for the hip. The same goes for Buffalo!

Done properly, the animal is taken as quickly as is possible, with as little suffering for the animal as is possible!

I've hunted with one PH for years, and I've only seen him fire two rounds in all that time, and that was in a desperate charge at close range, and surely called for!

For a client hunter to say he doesn't want the PH to shoot at all is not realistic, and in fact, a little stupid, IMO!

....................

quote:

For a client hunter to say he doesn't want the PH to shoot at all is not realistic, and in fact, a little stupid, IMO!

Mac

Agreed! I do get these guys and frankly I find them a little scary. They actually argue with me about whether they are going first into the bush after a wounded whatever or not leaving the guide behind. Yep! Stupid.

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:

quote:

For a client hunter to say he doesn't want the PH to shoot at all is not realistic, and in fact, a little stupid, IMO!

Mac

Agreed! I do get these guys and frankly I find them a little scary. They actually argue with me about whether they are going first into the bush after a wounded whatever or not leaving the guide behind. Yep! Stupid.

My PH in Zambia never even shouldered his rifle until we went into the thick stuff after I had shot my buff twice (he fell down at the first shot, got up and I hit him again as he ran off). He ran into the thickest crud he could find and as we were going in after him the PH asked "Do you mind if I shoot if he gets up? I said "No". In my case, he was dying or dead when we got to him and the insurance shot probably wasn't even necessary but I shot him again anyway and the PH didn't need to shoot but had the buff got up I would have had no problem with him shooting.

IMHO, when you are following up wounded DG the PH is in charge and it is not worth someone getting crippled or killed because someone's ego will be bruised if the PH puts a bullet in their animal. That said I would never let my PH go in alone as long as he is willing to let me go in with him.

quote:

IMHO, when you are following up wounded DG the PH is in charge and it is not worth someone getting crippled or killed because someone's ego will be bruised if the PH puts a bullet in their animal. That said I would never let my PH go in alone as long as he is willing to let me go in with him.

Folks,

See! Andy does have a brain!!!!!

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:

quote:

IMHO, when you are following up wounded DG the PH is in charge and it is not worth someone getting crippled or killed because someone's ego will be bruised if the PH puts a bullet in their animal. That said I would never let my PH go in alone as long as he is willing to let me go in with him.

Folks,

See! Andy does have a brain!!!!!

Mark

Thanks, I think.

I suppose I have either been lucky or unlucky depending on how one views it.

WHITE RHINO- In 1993, I was in SA with my oldest son hunting. We went after a rhino. I shot it with what would have ultimately been a fatal shot with a 416 Remington Magnum. However, the rhino was still on its feet with other rhino now behind it. The PH was screaming at the top of his lungs not to shoot again for fear of hitting the other rhino. After he kept screaming, the rhino zeroed in on us and came straight away. I brained it at 3 1/2 steps. I have the skull in my trophy room complete with the bullet hole.

ELEPHANT- In 96 while elephant hunting, we saw a bull. We watched the bull as he came closer and closer. We let him get too close. It was getting too dark. As we tried to leave, the PH scraped his jacket on a bush and the bull was on us in no time. I dumped him with a 416 Remington Magnum at about 8 steps. It was a damn nice bull too.

GRIZZLY- In 1996, I was hunting moose in Alaska. We stumbled upon a grizzly on his kill by total accident. From about 75 yards the grizzly came for us. I brained him at about 50 yards with a 375 H&H.

LION- In 1998, I had the chance the hunt some cattle killing lions. To make a long story short, I wounded the third one I shot that night. The other 2 were stone dead. We followed in the morning. After a short time, we came upon the lion. I saw his tail first. Before I could alert the PH, the lion came for us. Both the PH and I shot and hit the lion with 416 Remington Magnums. This slowed him but did not kill him. I was on my knees. I shot him a second time and that rolled him. He stopped about 6 feet away from me but momentum had carried him closer. I popped him again in the head for insurance with my final cartridge. A few minutes later, I was shaking like a leaf.

BUFFALO- I am not sure this should be classified as a charge. In 2007, I was in Tanzania with my oldest son. We chased after some buff. We got a chance. I had a split second to shoot. I put one through the back of the lungs with my 416 Remington Magnum. I could see him blowing blood out of his nose as he ran off. We followed. There was blood everywhere. I looked up and I could see the bull standing behind some tree/bushes. The back half was clear. The vitals were covered by the tree. I could see part of the head and neck through some bushes. The PH was excitedly telling me to put one in him anywhere. I wasn't sure if it was the same bull or not. I decided to try for the neck through this brush. I missed. Whether I simply missed or the bullet was deflected I don't know. I missed. As the bull ran off, it was clear that it was not the wounded bull. Momentarily puzzled, we heard a bellow from behind a termite mound close to where the other bull had been. We are thinking he is dead. We carefully made a wide circle. I see him laying on the ground on his side. The PH tells me to pop him again. Boom. I popped him in the chest from perhaps 20 yards. The PH tells me to pop him again. I do. Then again. As I am standing there like a dumb ass stuffing more cartridges in my rifle, the damn buffalo got up and was trying to get us. I would like to tell you he was on us in an instant and that he was nothing but a black blur. The truth is that he was hurt so badly that I could have easily jogged out of his way. I busted him again. That put him down. I gave him 2 more for insurance. I moved further away this time before I reloaded my gun!

I've been involved in two serious charges, one by a bull elephant and the other by a buffalo cow. I honestly can't say that "I" stopeed either charge, definitely not on the buffalo.

The first, the elephant, was on a hunt in Deka with Roy Vincent in 1983. We were in a large herd of elephants, and the bull was in musth. We were trying to get a clear shot on this bull, but he was too close in among some cows that he had an interest in, and after sneaking around for a bit, they detected us and started heading toward Wankie Park, which was a bit over a mile from where we were. Roy and I trotted alongside the herd, trying to find an opportunity to take this bull. Each time we'd come to a little opening, we'd set up and wait for him to enter it so I could shoot. The bull knew we were after him, as the first time or two, he'd stop just prior to entering the clearing, and then run through it without giving me a good shot opportunity. Finally, after this went on a few times, the bull apparently had enough of this and decided to change the rules. As he approached a clearing that we were already kneeling in, the bull calmly turned and walked straight toward us, with us in full view. Before the hunt, Roy and I had gone over where I was going to shoot the bull, and I told him I'd only take a heart shot, and would stay away from the brain. At the time, I was 24 years old and inexperienced in such things so thought it was the most prudent way to go. Roy had told me that under no circumstances was I to change and cross him up, or that someone could get hurt if things went wrong. So, with this in mind, I couldn't shoot as the bull approached since his trunk was covering the exact spot on his chest I needed to see to aim, and we let him keep coming. We were in full view, as was the bull and he was very deliberatly walking straight toward us. When the bull got to less than 15 yards, Roy whispered "He's too close." The bull took a couple more steps and Roy whispered again "He's too damned close!" At that moment, the full flattened his ears back, dropped his head and came for us....

We both shot simultaneously. Roy shot the bull just under the brain with his .460 weatherby, while I shot my .458 into the heart as the bull curled his trunk back to reveal the aiming point when he dropped his head down. At this point, the bull was perhaps 10 yards or less from us. The bull stopped in his tracks, but did not go down. He was staggering around as we scrambled to our feet, and then as I cycled the bolt on my Colt Sauer rifle, the F'ing gun jammed! Roy was incredibly calm, just stating that he had the bull covered and to hurry up and clear the gun and shoot the bull. After a few moments, the bull turned and fled. Roy quickly looked at my rifle, said to get it unjammed myself and that he was going to stay with the bull so that we wouldn't lose him. Keep in mind, at this point the bull was perhaps 1/2 mile from Wankie Park. As I worked on the jam, I could hear Roy fire an occasional shot in pursuit of the bull. After too much time, I got everything in order (the jammed shell was actually bent a bit, talk about adrenalin!) and took off in the direction where I heard the last shot. It was an easy path to follow, as they'd only gone perhaps a few hundred yards and there were busted up trees that the bull had knocked into while fleeing. I caught up with them in short order, and Roy called out to me to shoot him in the spine. The bull was quartering away from me, and one more shot finished the whole affair. Once everything was over, Roy actually apologized to me for shooting, but said that he had to in order to protect us, but that he tried to go under the brain so as not to kill my elephant. Those two shots, his and mine, stopped that bull right away, even though they didn't put him down.

The second charge was a few years later, again with Roy but this time in the Charara Safari Area up near Kariba. I'd learned my lesson about that Colt Sauer and sold it as soon as I got home, and took Roy's advice and bought a double rifle. My gun on this hunt was a wonderful Rigby in .470 NE. We'd been tracking a large herd of buffalo for a couple days in very thick and high grass, but could never get a look at many of them at one time due to the poor visibility. There were several hundred buffalo in this group, and we kept bumping them, hoping to get them to move into more open country where we might get a better look in order to find a large old bull. The second morning of doing this, we were perhaps five miles from camp, and several miles from where we left the vehicle. We'd followed the buffalo into some very dense bush where they'd bedded down from an earlier bumping out of the long grass, so after letting them settle down a bit we went in and bumped the herd yet again from a spot where good visibility was perhaps 15-20 yards. I was wearing a khaki shirt and shorts (which may have contributed to the charge that was to come) and was kneeling in a game trail as most of the buff moved off to our left. All we could see were legs and an occasional glimpse of a body. As most of the herd was leaving to our left, I could see the legs of a solitary buffalo heading to our right. Roy was near to me, but off the trail and he couldn't see the buffalo I was watching. I motioned that I could see a buffalo coming around the right and he just whispered to take it if I liked it. As the buffalo came into view in the trail at less than 15 yards, I saw that it was a cow. She stopped broadside, looking right at me. I turned to Roy and mouthed "cow" and as I did so she let out a bellow, reared up on her hind legs, turned toward us and charged. As soon as she bellowed, Roy yelled "Shoot her" and he jumped into the trail....right as I jumped up and off to the side. It only took the cow perhaps two seconds to be on us, and she went straight for Roy. As she passed me at about 3 feet, I fired my .470 from the hip, AND MISSED! At the same moment she was about to slam into Roy, but a 500 grain solid from his .460 into her face caused her to miss him. She blew right past us and kept going, and as we looked at each other to ask if everyone was OK, I nearly got flattened by her calf that we didn't know she had. In hindsight, I've always wondered if me kneeling down dressed in khaki made me look perhaps like a crouching lioness to that cow, and if she came in defense of her calf. We were so close that she was surely charging in defense as she was uninjured by us previous to this.

Anyway, once we realized that everyone was no worse for wear, we got all of our cartridges out and handy, and slowly began tracking her with us standing side by side. As soon as either of us saw the cow, we'd fire and then the other would shoot as soon as he saw her. It was so thick that we never would see more than a black patch of hide and we ususally didn't know what part we were shooting at. The first few times, she turned as was waiting for us, but after a while each time we came on her, she'd break away and we'd both be shooting at the south end of a north bound buffalo. After perhaps 45 minutes of this, and many shots from both of us, we came on her in a small clearing. Roy and I were standing side by side and raised our rifles together. He shot first, putting a bullet into her shoulder (If I recall correctly) and I followed his shot by spining the cow and she was down for good. I had fired perhaps 12-15 shots during this chase, both solids, and softs later on. Roy had fired quite a few shots as well. When we started examining the cow, we found 27 bullet holes in her, some surely exit wounds, but quite a few holes nonetheless. It was one hell of an adventure in Charrara that day!

After that experience, you can imagine how exciting it was to be standing behind a solitary tiny sapling a few days later with perhaps 40 or so buffalo spread across our front at 20 yards after feeding right up to us and finally realizing that the sapling had two strange figures huddling behind it, trying to look like we were part of the tree. We stood there looking them over, while they tried to figure out what they were going to do. There were some good bulls in that bunch, but we were looking for something comfortably over 40" (I'd already taken a couple heavy bossed bulls over 41" with Roy previously) and had decided that none of these bulls were going to die that evening, at least if we could help it.

Those are some special memories that I'll carry with me for as long as I live. You can't put a price on those kind of experiences and the memories they leave you to savor.

As a youth, I shot at a hawk flying above, and hit it in the wing. To my surprize it came diving down at me. I was fortunate enough to hit it with my 22 just before it got to me, and fell dead about 4 feet away. (I don't shoot at hawks anymore.) A hawk "charge" is more serious than that of a cottontail, so I've added my experience to this thread.

A friend of mine had a goat tag and was hunting with his brother. They spotted a goat, so he went up after it being directed by his brother below. As he come out of the thick brush he realized that he was being charged by the goat! Fortunately he was able to get a shot off in time.

As this is an African forum I am reluctant to post here about an experience in Texas. It seems as though many of the posters are not in Africa, so here goes. I had been baiting a couple pig traps for a week in order for some friends(who had no prior experience) to come and shoot a hog. I drove around the day of the hunt and noticed in one trap a large sow(later determined 453 lbs)with several little piggies maybe 2 lbs a piece. I instructed my friends to shoot the little ones first, which they did. The trap was older and rustier than I thought and the now enraged momma broke through after ramming the sides of the trap. She went straight for one of my friends and I managed to get two shots off from my .454Casull in less than 2 seconds. I was shooting max pressure loads from Buffalo Bore. They were 360gr around 1900fps. The first shot showed little effect as it hit her through the ribs. The next shot got her infront of the right shoulder and ended her "charge". That was quite exciting! I would love to hunt something larger oneday and use the same gun and loads.

Andy

Kirk Mason shot this girl at 11 steps with the 500 Jeffery, though he missed the brain, the shot turned her and I put a .458 Lott behind the shoulder. That finshed her. It got western for a minute though!

Everyone has to have a first post so here goes...

I know this topic is mainly meant for stopping African dangerous game charges, but since many have included N.A. situations and I haven't yet had the pleasure of hunting in Africa, I hope a few more local examples are OK.

There was a fat whitetail forkhorn that I took a shot at with a Model 29 from about 25 yds. He went down but wasn't out. So I gave him one more, but it was thru underbrush and missed. Big mistake. I won't do that again. The shot instantly revived him, he jumped up and took off for a few yards, then saw me and made a 90 degree cut in my direction and lowered his head. I blasted away hurriedly double action style some more and he went down again.

Anyway, I went over to look at him and a crazy thought occurred. "I know what you're thinking, did he fire all 6 or only 5...well, in all the excitement I lost track myself, so you have to ask yourself the question..." You know the rest.

Then there was the doe with a pack of wild dogs chasing it (they also used to chase them thru our deer camp while we were trying to sleep). It charged out of the woods into the field where I was standing, almost ran into me and kept going. The dogs now appear, see me and lose interest in the doe having found easier game. That got kind of interesting.

Then there was that long hike back to the truck in failing light at the end of a quail hunt. I was alone and a couple miles from the nearest anything when I felt a cold chill up the spine and the hair on the neck stood stiff...the ancient primeval warning without any visible or audible means of knowing anything's amiss. I turned and looked and about 15-20 yards behind me and silently following were two long legged large coyotes. There's no way I could have subconsciously heard them...it was just soft dirt on the field's edge. You can't imagine how fast they disappeared as I turned. They melted off in an instant into the woods beside the field. So I keep on going, put the safety off and then as fast as I was capable of, whirled around, shouldered the gun and again saw them melting out of view from behind me. Fired twice into the woods were I figured they had to be and just stood there a long time waiting. But no sound and nothing moved. By now the moon was up, the stars were out and it was getting colder, so I continued the long hike back to the truck...purposely not hurrying. That would send the wrong message, considering how much non-verbal or whatever communication we had going on.

I know most people don't think coyotes are dangerous at all, but many of us who are in the deer woods a lot are convinced that if you had to spend the night out there and were injured or disabled some way where there was blood...you would never make it to morning.

Not Africa of course, but just interesting...

I don't know what all the fuss about Africa is...You guys seem to get more than enough action over there!!

I love hearing these stories!!!

Leopard with a 300gr Nosler Partition. Thank goodness he was wounded as he came fast enough as it was. Nasty business at twilight --- just like shooting low 7 on the skeet field. Shot entered the chest and exited next to his tail.

200 lb. Florida wild boar with a Ruger .357 mag. @ 3 yds.

A wounded [non-fatally in the hip] very big buspig sow charged me in 2001. Dropped her about 10 yards with the rifle I happened to have in my hands at the time. One shot entering close to centre between the eyes from my .22LR loaded with subsonic Eley hollowpoints did all that was required. I still shudder to think what would have happened if the rifle chose to misfire at that moment, as it was prone to do in those days. I had it fixed right away after that!

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren