Great reports and absolutely professional actions on the part of the responsible parties. Sounds absolutely unavoidable.

Now as to hunting dangerous game - it really is unpredictable and dangerous, at least once in a while. So in order to tilt things our way, what ought each of us to do......??

Get ready.

Stay ready.

Be ready.

I was asked to post this by Graham (HHK Safaris) concerning the buffalo incident involving Nikki. The report was filed by PH George Hallamore.





INCIDENT REPORT



CLIENTS NAME: Keith and Nikki Atkinson

PROFESSIONAL HUNTER: George Hallamore

DATE OF INCIDENT: Monday 14th June

AREA: Chirisa safari area



A Buffalo Bull was wounded by Mrs Atkinson on the 13th of June 2004 at approximately 8.30 am. Followed the blood trail throughout the day but never saw the buffalo, stopped following at 6.00pm. Resumed tracking at 6.00 am on the 14th of June on the Sengwa River. Tracking became very difficult spoor was not visible due to the terrain but there was a sporadic blood trail which we followed. We lost the blood trail when we came upon a very small opening with a large bush with lots of long grass. Two trackers went to the left of the bush while myself; one tracker and both Mr and Mrs Atkinson and the game scout went to the right of the bush to see if we could pick up a blood trail again.

The trackers on the left of the bush signalled to us that the Buffalo was lying in the bush. Literally as they signalled the buffalo came charging out and I had already started going towards them. I fired one shot when it was directly in front of me and another when it brushed passed me. I turned to fire a third shot and saw Mrs Atkinson in the air, I fired from behind the buffalo. The client was on the ground and the buffalo was now broadside ramming her with his head. I shot the buffalo again, Mr Atkinson fired a couple of shots and I reloaded my gun and fired a shot. The Buffalo fell on top of Mrs Atkinson, I shouted for everyone, the trackers came, the game scout came and we pulled the buffalo off her and it was still moving its head so I fired another shot into its head.

I then assessed Mrs Atkinson�s injuries, she was lying on her front, she was conscious, it looked like her wrist was broken and her collar bone and there was a hole in the back of her leg, about mid thigh. I sent a tracker back to the vehicle to radio the camp manager and tell him to radio the Harare office for MARS. Meanwhile I tore up the trackers overalls and bandaged the hole in Mrs Atkinson�s thigh and made a splint for her wrist. I also made a splint for her leg, as I was not sure if it was broken. We cut down two small trees and used them and the tarpaulin to make a stretcher. The tracker that was sent to radio the manager was not able to cross the river so he had to go around. He arrived at the same time as the camp manager, who had brought a mattress and a duvet; this was about 45 minutes after the accident.

By this time she was delirious, we moved her to the vehicle and left for the airstrip. We travelled slowly as the roads are bad and arrived at 11 am the Mars plane arrived approximately 15 minutes later. They took over and left about 2 hours later.

This whole incident took place within a space of seven paces and was extremely quick.


SIGNED:
George Hallamore

Wow.

Anyone want to say Buffalo aren't dangerous?

It's good to hear a first-hand report of what happened from the PH.



However, George seems to be a little confused, he was hunting with Keith and Niki Atcheson, not Atkinson!



I look forward to hearing a more detailed description of the event from Keith and Niki when they get home.

Hi Kathi

This is the release from Keith Atcheson - you may want to circulate this

Cheers

Graham
----- Original Message -----
From: "Keith A" <kjatcheson@hotmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2004 10:39 AM
Subject: Buffalo Incident News Release


> TO ALL CONCERNED PARTIES:
>
> THIS STATEMENT IS INTENDED TO INFORM OF THE FACTS BEHIND NICOLES BUFFALO
> ATTACK AND DISPELL SPECULATION AND FICTION.
>
> AS MANY ARE AWARE, MY WIFE NICOLE ATCHESON WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED ON JUNE
> 14TH WHILE HUNTING WITH HHK SAFARIS IN CHIRISA HUNTING AREA. OUR PH WAS
THE
> VERY CAPABLE AND QUALIFIED GEORGE HALLAMORE. UNFORTUNETELY NIKI WOUNDED
THE
> BUFFALO THE PREVIOUS MORNING AND WE TRACKED IT ALL DAY. WE ALL CARRY OUR
> ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES SERIOUSLY AND RETURNED THE NEXT MORNING TO
CONTINUE
> FOLLOWING OUR WOUNDED ANIMAL. THE VEGATATION COVER WAS EXTREMELY THICK AT
> TIMES. THE BULL WAS LYING IN VERY DENSE COVER AND WAS NOT SEEN BY ANYONE
> UNTIL IT WAS UP AND CHARGING AT A SHORT DISTANCE OF LESS THAN 10 YARDS.
> MULTIPLE SHOTS WERE FIRED BY GEORGE AND I AND WE KILLED THE BUFFALO AS
FAST
> AS WE POSSIBLY COULD BUT NOT UNTIL IT HAD HIT NICOLE AND TOSSED HER HIGH
IN
> THE AIR.
>
> HER INJURIES WERE EXTENSIVE BUT NEVER LIFE THREATENING EXCEPT OF COURSE
FOR
> THE EMINENT THREAT OF INFECTION. THE IMMEDIATE RESPONSE OF THE PH AND
> TRACKERS ADMINISTERING FIRST AID, RADIO EQUIPPED VEHICLES AND CAMPS AND
> NOTIFICATION OF THE INCIDENT TO SAFARI HEADQUARTERS ALL RESULTED IN A MARS
> AIR AMBULANCE ARRIVING AT THE AIRSTRIP WITHIN A COUPLE HOURS. THE MEDICAL
> HELP BY MARS WAS VERY GOOD. FROM THE BEGINNING OF THIS HORRIFIC EVENT TO
THE
> TIME WE ARRIVED IN jOHANNESBURG'S MILPARK HOSPITAL THE CARE WE RECIEVED
WAS
> NOTHING LESS THAN STELLAR.
>
> NIKI WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A BROKEN RADIUS RIGHT FORARM, BROKEN CLAVICLE,
MILD
> CONCUSSION BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY A LARGE GORE WOUND TO HER REAR RIGHT
THIGH.
> HER WOUND WAS DEBRIDED SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE CLOSURE WITH NO SIGNS OF
> INFECTION. A SKIN GRAPH HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND WE HAVE ONE OPERATION TO GO
> (NUMBER 5) TO PIN AN UNCOOPERATING COLLAR BONE. WITHIN A WEEK OF THIS
> WRITING WE SHOULD BE ON OUR WAY THE THE USA.
>
> NICOLES RAPID RECOVERY HAS BEEN REMARKABLE AND A REAL INSPIRATION TO ALL
WHO
> HAVE TOUCHED OUR LIVES ON THIS MOST UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE. WE CAN ASSURE
> EVERYBODY THAT WE WILL RETURN ASAP TO HUNT BUFFALO AGAIN WITH HHK SAFARIS
> AND IN PARTICULAR WITH GEORGE HALLAMORE WHOM WE CONSIDER TO BE ONE OF THE
> FINEST WE HAVE HUNTED WITH.
>
> KEITH AND NICOLE ATCHESON
>

The world may be a book but some of the pages read like crap.

Hey, at least she came out of it alive, and didn't get shot. Guess this is going to leave George out of the PH of the Year competition.

Obviously you weren't named after Will Rogers.... who never met a man he didn't like.

Thanks for the update. I for one appreciate this not just because I know niki and keith but because this could happen to any of us. When you get bucked off you either get back on or go sit in the stands with the rest of lifes observers.

Hi Kathi:

I am very glad that Nikki is going to be ok and is makeing a speedy recovery.

Can you tell us what caliber she was using? where was the Buff shot on the wounding shot?

Can you tell us what caliber the PH and Keith were shooting?

Regards... Jimm P.

George Hallamore was in my camp on June the 16th. If I remember correctly he had a 416 Rigby, Nikki had a 458 Lott.

Both George and his brother Clive carry a Ruger .416 Rigby.

Kathi,

Thank you for posting these here for us.

Glad to hear that Nikki is going to make a full recovery.

It would be interesting if we can get some details, as requested by some of my friends already.

What I can see so far is, apart from wounding the buffalo, everyone seems to have done their part very well.

As this incident proves, hunting buffalo CAN be dangerous, no matter how much experience one has in hunting dangerous game, there is always the element of chance, which can work against a hunter.

I consider myself very lucky, after shooting over 100 buffalos, with a lowly 375 and never had a single charge.

Will,

I do believe if Nikki was using a 375 - which has been proven to have a better KILLING ability, especially on buffalo, far beyond any other caliber. Especialy if one uses a Barnes X or a Walterhog bullet.

Just in case someone asks, this has been proven by our very own African hunting expert, the one and only Walterhog.

GeorgeInNePa

That is a very nice Eland were and with wat did you shoot it

Cheers

Flip

Kathi ----- Thanks for the report. How would someone with interest go about contacting the MARS people. Good shooting.

Hello Kathi

I don't know all the details but it is my understanding the first shot was low on the shoulder.

Not sure what calibre she used but I would imagine it was a .375.

Like all hunting it boils down to make the first shot count.

Best regards

Graham

I am not critiquing this incident, however, in a dangerous game situation (lion, leopard, buff, ele) should a PH take a client into the bush after a wounded animal?

I had this very discussion with my PH on my first buff hunt - what happens with a wounded buff? Having hunted together a lot, he was comfortable with my presence IF things turned bad. Fortunately, my 4 buff have not required a lot of chasing, screaming, and shooting.

I know a few PHs who will not allow the client to enter the reeds after a wounded buff because it increases the liability and the potential for a misplaced shot by the excited client. Dangerous game hunting is exciting to say the least, but I am not sure everyone who participates really takes into account what�s at stake or is prepared to defend themselves.

I doubt many are prepared to deal with charges, myself and some PH's included.



I remember two buffalo that disappeared at the shot (i.e., wounded!). I stuck with the trackers (who I had more confidence in) while the PH wandered off to try to find the buffs on a different path.



The one I shot myself without the PH anywhere in the neighborhood and the second time the PH missed braining the buff and again I shot it. Thankfully neither were charges. I figure I should have been hammered a long time ago.



Oh yeah, the PH is going to save your bacon.



Saeed,



I don't know about the pipsqueak .375, but it is not my first pick for following wounded buff.

If I'm not mistaken, Nikki uses a 458 and Keith uses a 416. There was an article in an SCI magazine a few months ago written by them and these were the calibers they chose for hippo, buffalo, elephant, and the like.

Not to be rude, but I'm curious to know what they did with the downed buffalo. Did somebody stay behind and skin and dress it or was it forgotten about for more important matters?

Sevens

Zero - In this instance, I'd say the "PH" had every reason to allow his clients to participate in the follow up, as both Keith & Nikki have taken many buffalo. As you say, not in criticism of what transpired in this case, I can't help but wonder if a heavier rifle in the hands of the "PH" may have altered things.

Sevens,

I doubt the buffalo went to waste, though obviously not a big priority immediately after the incident. If nothing else, the camp staff would have retrieved the meat for their own use and I'll bet at least the skull was accounted for. I know if I ever got hammered by a buffalo and lived to tell about it, I would want his head on my wall.

Bill - I agree 100%. Just because a PH carries a license and rifle does not necessarily translate into a dangerous game expert. At the end of the day, the client must be able to defend themselves if they go shlepping after wounded game.

Nick - As I said, I know nothing about what lead up to the events of the charge nor the people involved. Even under the best of circumstances with experienced hunters, things can get interesting real fast. I also believe more experienced hunters can easily become complacent. The moment you think you know what you are doing.... BAM.

Some PH might ask if you wish to stay back while he goes after a wounded buffalo.

This is done out of respect for you as a client.

Once a PH knows you well enough, he won't even dream of suggesting such a thing.

But, if he KNOWS you are scared and he does not trust you with a loaded rifle in a dangerous situation, he will tell you to stay back, and he will deal with it.

Saeed - In a perfect world, I agree with you. However, I feel that too many times both the PH and the client are over their heads and/or over estimate their abilities...

Preparedness, experience and personal bravery can be thwarted in an instant by circumstances. But this truth, every bit as much as the game itself, makes "DG" hunting what it is.

Gee, this sounds like a quote from the US Constitution or something. Getting pretty heady around here.

I do think, though, that mental practice for what you are "suppose" to do in a charge is a good idea.

I spent some time around George after the incident. My impression of him is that he is a very qualified PH. Anyone who hunts Dangerous game must accept the fact that it is dangerous. Some times even if everybody does everything right someone can still be injured. Going on Safari is DANGEROUS. You fly for several hours over the ocean, enter countries that are unstable, and have strange diseases, fly on small charter planes, ride in a "safari car" in rough country, walk among poisonous snakes, elephants, buffalo, lion, leopard, hippo, crocs, and shoot at them.
Sometimes bad things are going to happen.
After hearing the story first hand the only thing I can say is SHIT HAPPENS....FAST.
People can Monday morning quarterback things like this to death, but the fact remains hunting dangerous game is DANGEROUS.

According to a SCI magazine article last year that Nikki wrote, she shoots a 458 Lott. I think it was in the 2003 Jan/Feb edition for those interested in such things,
Doug

Does anyone know how many serious hunter-DG incidents occur each year? (not altercations between locals and wildlife)

Canuck,



There is a risk that is taken when one hunts DG, but I'm not sure that many are prepared for the risk.



MagnumHunter,



I'm not certain that what she was shooting has an relevance as there is no mention that she fired a shot when the charge occured.

Will,
I would suggest that there is indeed relevance to the question about what Nikki was shooting in that she's the one that made the initial shot on the charging bull the day before. That said, we certainly know that Keith Atcheson is a very experienced hunter and would certainly make sure his wife had in her hands a gun and load that would do the job.

Spring,

I'm not sure it is worth arguing about, but my point is that after the buff was wounded, regardless of the caliber, that it matters little what you are carrying if a shot is not gotten off before being clobbered.

Not that I would want to go in after it with a .22.

FWIW, I would much prefer a double in something like .470 NE or bigger. But alas, the .470 got sold to fund other hunts, and I can't trust myself with double triggers. Oh, for an inexpensive .500 NE with a single trigger.

Killing rifle vs stopping rifle... I agree with saeed that the 375 is an adaquate killing rifle. A stopping rifle is another matter. I dont carry a stopper because I choose to pick my shots carefully and I have passed up several that just didnt feel right. My ph was always in full concurance because for the most part buffalo wont screw with you if you dont shoot them first.

Mamba,

All that is fine in theory, but if you hunt long enough, there be wounded animals.

And there is no such thing as a stopper, just slower-downers . Some have the capability to slow 'em down faster than others. But most important is accurate shot placement, and that is asking a lot of anybody on a charging buff.

Bill - If you have never wounded or missed an animal, you simply have not hunted enough. Furthermore, the guys that mouth off the most about their capabilities or what should be done, have never been there. You just gotta love paper tigers; they�re a laugh a minute...

From what I have gleaned here and there, Nikki wounded the buff with a .458 Lott, and George and Keith were both using .416's (Remington or Rigby makes no difference here).

An unseen twig can deflect any bullet. It happens. It could have been one shot at an unaware buffalo that disappeared from view within a few steps going away. All parties involved seem to have been capable and honorable, even the buffalo was just doing business as usual, but we have to wonder if the buff was smart enough to know who wounded him and hence zeroed in on her to get even???

It will be good to eventually read the story that Nikki writes while recuperating. It will be interesting to see how soon she makes it back to the mopane thickets and long grass. You haven't lived until you have been gored and trampled by a cape buffalo, eh?

I think this incident is just an example of what can happen when one hunts dangerous game. There is a reason the adrenalin starts pumping and that is because there is a margin for danger even if everything goes to plan.



Especially when the dangerous beast is wounded but not incapacitated.



On the PH "allowing" a follow-up or not if I had a PH that "ordered" me to the car for something like this I wouldn't be hunting with that company ever again and would not be a happy camper for the rest of the safari. If I f***ed-up I would want to part of making it right again and expect myself to do so whatever the consequences. I haven't been there and done that luckily though. I think the follow-up could be part of any dangerous game hunt and if you aren't willing to do it, then its better to stick to bakkie hunting impala.



As for "PH's" "following up" I have a mate who wounded a lion and when the lion entered thick bush, the Zim "PH" refused to follow the lion into the thick bush and wrote if off as a loss and went and sat in the car. My mate went in without trackers or any assistance and shot the lion who was still very much alive. This is no bullshit. He used a .375 too .





***





I think the Atcheson's, the PH and staff in this incident all did their parts and the results are just one of the things that can happen. I hope Nikki recovers fully and hunts nyati again.

I've been thinking about all this today while dangling from a ladder while painting the house.



There seems to be some romantic attachment placed on getting hurt these days, whether on TV shows or when hunting DG. I have nightmares just from charging elephant. I would hate to think how bad nightmares get after getting whacked.



It seems to some that getting a 2500 word story published in Safari magazine is an even trade with almost getting killed by a wounded buffalo. I would hope that that is not the point of the story.