Prayers and a speedy recovery for all involved.

Tim
Sorry to hear about this.
I have had the falling incident with my last jumbo hunt. It is very easy to lose your footing while there is a charge.
Hoping for a speedy recovery for Stu an your piece of mind.
Prayers to all
Larry
.

Very good news indeed, Tim.

Perhaps in one of the future interminable AR discussions we have about calibers and bullets for buffalo, this might be cited as a reason for using solids---so that the PH is more likely to survive when we shoot him!

THANK GOD NO ONE IS DEAD! Prayers for Stu and client, Mr. Herald.
Originally by Mr Herald:

" I assumed he was going away, but then everyone in front of me parted,
and I could see the black mass coming straight at us.

I tried to walk backwards as I was bringing up my .458, but after
a couple steps, I tripped and fell backwards. As I fell, I hit the
trigger and my gun discharged. "

The third word in the quote, {in RED } refers to the buffalo being hunted.
The three sentences in GREEN tell us what went wrong and what we must
train our minds and bodies NOT to do!

The bull was close and decided to come at the party. The party knew the bull was close before the charge.
Mr Herald ASSUMED the bull was going away. I have learned from this report that I must train my mind to
ASSUME the beast is COMING, NOT FLEEING when in a similar situation. Mr. Herald tried to walk backwards
in the bush while in the stressful situation of facing a charge, with his rifle pointed toward his PH's
back, and trigger finger very near or on the trigger. I have learned to try to train my mind to NOT walk
backwards when facing a charge! It's a powerful instinct I'm sure. But this walking backwards in the imperfect
footing of the bush is SO likely to cause a trip/fall that we MUST train our minds to fight the instinct!
Pointing the gun at the PH's back speaks for itself. We are never to point our firearms at any one that we
are not willing to DESTROY! Finger near enough to trigger that during the fall the trigger is manipulated
and the rifle fires. We must train ourselves to CONTROL what is going on with our TRIGGER during every fraction
of every second when holding a firearm. Again this is what I've learned from Mr Heralds words.

Tim,
Just flew in and reading this from my hotel in Nairobi... thoughts and prayers are with Stu for a rapid recovery!

quote:

Originally posted by Hunter54:
First and foremost- I wish Stu a quick and speedy recovery. \My prayers are with him and his family.

Second, a few comments:

quote:

Originally posted by Tim Herald:
...but I wanted to get this out firsthand and quickly before a rumor mill begins....

This is still your version of the story and your story does point to what some might call, negligence...for instance:

quote:

As I fell, I hit the trigger and my gun discharged.

Rifle basics: 1. Do not keep your finger on the trigger of a loaded weapon. 2. Do not walk backwards with a loaded weapon, especially if your finger is on the trigger. 2. Always keep your rifle pointed in a safe direction 3. Know your target etc.

quote:

I want to start a Stuart Taylor Relief Fund as soon as possible,

Yes.


A Few Questions below this quote:

quote:

...PH Stu Taylor, his 2 trackers, my cameraman and I were buffalo hunting in Niassa Reserve. We bumped a loan bull twice in the morning, and by 8:00ish AM we decided to leave him for the afternoon hunt. We began again at 3:30PM, and by 4:30, the buff had us moving very slowly through some very nasty and thick jesse. ...

At what point do you leave a buff alone, especially with such a large crew of people? It sounds like there were plenty of signals that this bull was going to charge. It should not be all about showing what's good for the camera (unless you're Mark Sullivan..and I think he sucks) on TV, but it should be about fair chase and safe hunting...there were similar incidents in the past where the larger the crew (anythnig beyond 3-4 people is, IMHO, too many)and the more persistence (need to get this done for the TV sponsors) annoyed the buff into charging...

Just a few comments and questions. People need to do a better job with their skills, safety practices and know when to say fair chase vs. getting the crew involved, at all costs, to get in a shot with limited time. Tomorrow's another day and that's hunting...it's not some darn TV episode.

It is wonderfull to hunt buffalo from the safety of your computer!

I can still recall every millisecond of my buff charge, the grunt, flicking the safety off, judging the line of the buffalo, lining up the rifle - finger on the trigger - WAITING FOR THE TRACKER TO RUN ACROSS MY LINE OF FIRE - tracker passes and BOOM the bullet passes a foot behind the tracker and the buffalo drops 2 yards from the tracker! OH and then I started walking backward while shootin to get some space while this buff is trying to get up.

It took 8 shots from 2 rifles to finalise this unwounded, rogue buff's ticket to the eternal grazing grounds, it all took 10 seconds and could have gone terribly wrong on multiple counts. I have analyzed this over and over, there was no other way.

Believe me, they weren't even close to 'pushing' this buff, when you start jumping the same bull over days, constantly tracking it without pause, it can't graze or chew the cudd in daylight - that is pushing a buff. That is what we had to do, because this buff was a rogue and had to die.

Next time I will keep the safety on and my finger of the trigger and point the barrel to the HEAVENS because that will be the only place the tracker is going, and I will be going with without being sinfull of the safety rules!

THIS SPORT IS CALLED DANGEROUS GAME HUNTING!

Yes, it is not some darn TV episode, it is real dangerous game hunting where things can go horribly wrong in the blink of an eye, and it did this time.

Tim, my best wishes in facing your demons, when the first domino fell a lot went wrong, that happens in life, and unfortunately you were drawn in by bad luck, fate or whatever you want to call it. You were ready to do your part in protecting the party and facing the storm, not everybody has got that fortitude in them.

Hey Tim - sorry to hear about this unfortunate incident.

Good thing is that it could have been much worse, but wasn't.

Stu - get well bud.

Cheers,
Brent

Tim, good news so far. What a relief.
The criticism and second guessing in this thread are, to me, nothing less than terrible. With that much shit hitting the fan that quickly, anything can happen. This is not poor gun handling. Everyone was thrown into survival mode, and reacting quickly and instinctively. Tim might not have fallen, or might have fallen a moment sooner, before his finger was on the trigger. The safety sure as hell would have been off at this point, and the gun could have discharged in God knows what direction.
This is combat, and not much is controllable in combat. Anybody who has done much dangerous game hunting should have some empathy, here. This isn't an AD at the truck, for heaven's sake.

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:

quote:

Originally posted by Hunter54:
First and foremost- I wish Stu a quick and speedy recovery. \My prayers are with him and his family.

Second, a few comments:

quote:

Originally posted by Tim Herald:
...but I wanted to get this out firsthand and quickly before a rumor mill begins....

This is still your version of the story and your story does point to what some might call, negligence...for instance:

quote:

As I fell, I hit the trigger and my gun discharged.

Rifle basics: 1. Do not keep your finger on the trigger of a loaded weapon. 2. Do not walk backwards with a loaded weapon, especially if your finger is on the trigger. 2. Always keep your rifle pointed in a safe direction 3. Know your target etc.

quote:

I want to start a Stuart Taylor Relief Fund as soon as possible,

Yes.


A Few Questions below this quote:

quote:

...PH Stu Taylor, his 2 trackers, my cameraman and I were buffalo hunting in Niassa Reserve. We bumped a loan bull twice in the morning, and by 8:00ish AM we decided to leave him for the afternoon hunt. We began again at 3:30PM, and by 4:30, the buff had us moving very slowly through some very nasty and thick jesse. ...

At what point do you leave a buff alone, especially with such a large crew of people? It sounds like there were plenty of signals that this bull was going to charge. It should not be all about showing what's good for the camera (unless you're Mark Sullivan..and I think he sucks) on TV, but it should be about fair chase and safe hunting...there were similar incidents in the past where the larger the crew (anythnig beyond 3-4 people is, IMHO, too many)and the more persistence (need to get this done for the TV sponsors) annoyed the buff into charging...

Just a few comments and questions. People need to do a better job with their skills, safety practices and know when to say fair chase vs. getting the crew involved, at all costs, to get in a shot with limited time. Tomorrow's another day and that's hunting...it's not some darn TV episode.

A post from someone who obviously doesn't have a F**king clue!

His finger was on the trigger because he was facing a CHARGING BUFFALO!

He was walking backwards because he was facing a CHARGING BUFFALO!

Large crew of people? Have you ever hunted Cape Buffalo in Africa? The only extra guy there was the camera man. Every Buffalo hunt I've been on had myself, the PH, and 2 trackers. Some have also had an observer and or a camera man. Nothing unusual here. Here is a clue for you as to why they didn't just leave the buffalo alone: THEY WERE HUNTING BUFFALO!! That's why they didn't leave him alone.

Todd, I couldn't have said it better than that. It's a shame that people would assume they know what happened out there without any knowledge. Again, I hope for a speedy recovery for both the men's wounds.

Tim, sorry to hear this.

Not one to reflect on the past, at least we all know he'll recover & live. That is what's important.

Tim,
Hope all is going well as can be considering the circumstances. Please keep the updates coming on how Stu recovery is coming along.
Hope you are taking all the uncalled, uninvited arm chair quarterbacking advice for what it is worth. Full value of nothing, zilch, pure BS......

I'm sure Tim knew there would be some jerks that would have bad things to say before he made his original post.
I just hope he knows that they are by far the minority here.

Tim, obviously unfortunate how this played out, but I echo the others in saying that it could have been much, much worse. Good on Stu for standing in there, and I hope to hear of a complete recovery. Tim it probably feels a bit like a car crash in that you keep replaying it, trying to make sense of it, and wondering what you could have done differently. With time, and with Stu's hopeful return to normalcy, you will be able to come to terms with what happened and put it all into perspective. Sometimes despite our best efforts and intentions, things just do not turn out like they should. But, life goes on. My thoughts are with you and Stu. Regards, Bill

That's why it's called "dangerous game!" When things go south, they head that direction in a damn big hurry.

Thank God it didn't turn out any worse than it seems it has.

Man, do I ever take exception with the self-rightous people who believe this could not happen to him/her because of his/her superior safety ethic. Anyone who believes this has obviously never hunted dangerous game in Africa! In '05, I spent three days on the track of wounded cape buff. For over 30 hours, I had to keep track of three trackers and three Phs in some of the thickest jess on the Hammond Ranch in the Save Conservancy -- the whole time wondering what I was going to do if he came at me or one of the trackers without knowing where everyone had scattered in the "covey bust." You couldn't have driven a 16-penny nail up my butt with a 12-pound sledge hammer for the whole 30 hours!

After experiencing that, I know that what happened to Tim could happen to anybody!

Hopefully, Craig and/or Brittany Boddington will contact Tim with moral support on how one handles a situation like this.

Tim, So Sorry that this Happened, My Thoughts & Prayers are with Both of you.

quote:

This is still your version of the story and your story does point to what some might call, negligence

Hunter54, what is with the attitude? Take a step back and consider your position. Accidents happen and mayhem is always present. Only those involved know what happened.

This will effect everyone involved for the rest of their lives. I wish a speedy recovery for everyone.

Awful! prayer to all involved and glad to hear Stu is doing well.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill C:
Tim, obviously unfortunate how this played out, but I echo the others in saying that it could have been much, much worse. Good on Stu for standing in there, and I hope to hear of a complete recovery. Tim it probably feels a bit like a car crash in that you keep replaying it, trying to make sense of it, and wondering what you could have done differently. With time, and with Stu's hopeful return to normalcy, you will be able to come to terms with what happened and put it all into perspective. Sometimes despite our best efforts and intentions, things just do not turn out like they should. But, life goes on. My thoughts are with you and Stu. Regards, Bill

Amen. x2

Sorry to hear of this Tim. I can't imagine how you feel right now and glad it wasn't worse. I hope there is a quick recovery and no long term damage done. It must have been a tough situation to be in for all involved

Hunter54 can kiss my ass! Have you ever hunted buff?? I have hunted with Tim on several hunts over the pass 18 yrs-from turkeys to elephants. I would want him by my side On any DG situation. He is a pure humble professional hunter--handles a gun with pure respect! Shit happened and an accident occurred that we nor he can take back. I can not imagine the way he feels and I pray for a quick healing to both--physically and emotionally!
This hunt was like any other buff hunt---people where they are suppose to be! Crazy buff charged(thats why we call it dangerous game hunting). To call Tim negligent on this is a big pile of shit.

Tim, best wishes to all involved. Very unfortunate. My prayers to all.

quote:

Originally posted by Hunter54:
First and foremost- I wish Stu a quick and speedy recovery. \My prayers are with him and his family.

Second, a few comments:

quote:

Originally posted by Tim Herald:
...but I wanted to get this out firsthand and quickly before a rumor mill begins....

This is still your version of the story and your story does point to what some might call, negligence...for instance:

quote:

As I fell, I hit the trigger and my gun discharged.

Rifle basics: 1. Do not keep your finger on the trigger of a loaded weapon. 2. Do not walk backwards with a loaded weapon, especially if your finger is on the trigger. 2. Always keep your rifle pointed in a safe direction 3. Know your target etc.

quote:

I want to start a Stuart Taylor Relief Fund as soon as possible,

Yes.


A Few Questions below this quote:

quote:

...PH Stu Taylor, his 2 trackers, my cameraman and I were buffalo hunting in Niassa Reserve. We bumped a loan bull twice in the morning, and by 8:00ish AM we decided to leave him for the afternoon hunt. We began again at 3:30PM, and by 4:30, the buff had us moving very slowly through some very nasty and thick jesse. ...

At what point do you leave a buff alone, especially with such a large crew of people? It sounds like there were plenty of signals that this bull was going to charge. It should not be all about showing what's good for the camera (unless you're Mark Sullivan..and I think he sucks) on TV, but it should be about fair chase and safe hunting...there were similar incidents in the past where the larger the crew (anythnig beyond 3-4 people is, IMHO, too many)and the more persistence (need to get this done for the TV sponsors) annoyed the buff into charging...

Just a few comments and questions. People need to do a better job with their skills, safety practices and know when to say fair chase vs. getting the crew involved, at all costs, to get in a shot with limited time. Tomorrow's another day and that's hunting...it's not some darn TV episode.

Talk about clueless! It's pretty obvious from the tone of your post that you've probably never hunted buffalo, and certainly never been charged. When a buffalo charges in this type of situation, the whole thing is usually over in just a few seconds and nobody really has time to think, you simply react. I've only been involved in one buffalo charge, from a cow that was just a tad over 10 yards away when she came for us. I jumped to the side and shot from the hip. Roy Vincent, who was originally right behind me, shot the cow in the face while trying to gore him or the tracker, and from start to finish it took perhaps 3-4 seconds before she was gone and we then had to start a long follow up. When it happens, it generally happens quick and you don't have a lot of time to think, UNLIKE THE ARMCHAIR QUARTERBACKS WHO HAVE TIME TO FIGURE OUT ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING A GUY 'SHOULD' HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY.

Sir, when you really don't have a clue, have the good sense to Shut the F*ck up.

Tim- In just a few weeks I'll be traveling to Africa for my first buffalo hunt, so I can't speak from a position of prior experience in that arena, but as a retired police officer with more than three decades on the job I know how you feel and want to thank you for telling us about this incident. Situations like this can and do occur when people go "in harm's way" and no amount of planning can prevent every incident like yours from occurring, unless of course those involved simply decided to stay at home in the first place. There's so many variables involved (distance from hunter(s) to quarry, from each other, angles between the subjects and the animal, positioning of the firearms being carried, the terrain under foot, etc...) that trying to analyze exactly what happened is akin to correctly determining the number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin. (It ain't going to happen. )

That said, your experience and willingness to share it with us emphasizes how dangerous this sport can be and what risks can occur in a matter of moments. I'm praying Stu will recover quickly and completely, that you'll understand that the "if I woulda/coulda" thoughts are perfectly normal in cases like this and that you'll also appreciate (like we do) the fact that others might survive similar encounters because they'll be thinking about your story as they step into the thick stuff. I know I will and regardless of what's done, the heightened awareness of what kinds of things can occur makes all of us safer. Again: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you and take care.

My thoughts and prayers for all concerned. Glad Stu is going to be ok. Hang in there Tim. These things happen so fast and a fall can happen to anyone. Took a hard one this past March and I was running forward.

Todd I assumed if a camera man was along they were filming. I see alot of movies these days with DG up close and personal. I have heard some remarks from fellow professionals regarding some of these practices. Maybe when the shit is real "dangerous" the camera man should have a rifle. But like you said am just pulling this out of my ass. What did I learn not to do? Shoot the PH for one thing. And possibly a few other lessons. Yes it is Dangerous game hunting and a tragic sequence of events that happened to the individual involved.
Learning from a situation like this is all I want to do. And yes watching all these films about dangerous game hunting there are multitudes of examples of lousy weapon handling, unsafe "muzzling" fingers on triggers, people downrange etc. etc. I don't know Tim but it sounds like he is a stand up guy who knew his shit but things went terribly wrong. It can happen to anybody, but learning ways to mitigate some obviously controllable risks like weapon handling etc. seems reasonable. As for some of the other tragic events there were ways to mitigate them as well from what I have been reading. And it has nothing to do with kicking a good man when he is down. He shot the PH and luckily did not kill him and we just want to understand what did and did not happen. we can say "Stu hope you get better" or lets start a memorial fund for his family if he was dead. Maybe a better way is to figure out what happened and learn from it. It is not "combat" friendlies don't have to die and controllable risks can be mitigated. I feel for Tim this is a horrible event, but no one is "second guessing" him or monday morning quarterbacking. The simple fact is he shot someone in the back and I for one want to learn from this so it never happens again if possible. Obviously nothing can be 100% but getting gored, running out of ammo, stomped, bitten, mauled crushed that is what I think dangerous game hunting is Not getting shot. There is a game where that happens but that is called war, not hunting.

Also most people that have spent their lives with firearms in a professional or casual way and handled weapons many hundreds of thousands of time and trained to the highest levels will have had an "AD". I have. Thanks god no one got hurt. I learned from it, and learned from all the other AD's from other professionals I am aquainted with and learn that we are human and shit happens. I may be new to African DG hunting but I am no stranger to combat or hunting in general. I am hoping getting shot while on safari is not one of the factors that I must accept....

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:
Saeed and JohnDL,

Both very well said. I see nothing in Tim's report that is unusual concerning the number of people in the hunting party or of how the animal was pursued. Any of us who have hunted Buff have been in that long grass and heard the group of buff spook and bombshell. It takes a few seconds to determine which way they are going as you cannot see anything.

Nothing in Tim's report indicated any warning whatsoever "that this bull was going to charge". NOTHING. It was after all, unwounded. Repeatedly bumping buff in long grass is normal. Backing off for a couple of hours in order to let them calm down a bit is normal. Going back after them after a period of time, hoping they have calmed down a bit, is normal. That is the way buff are usually hunted. The fact that the buff ran at them IS unusual. It may or may not have been a charge. Likely not as the animal was probably just spooked and happened to run in their direction.

I doubt there is anyone on this forum, that in that moment you first realized the buff are coming toward you instead of away from you, would not have taken a step backwards and readied your rifle for action out of instinct. If you happen to fall during that process, all bets are off. Certainly something that could happen to anyone. The fact that the animal came at them in the thick stuff reinforces the reason why the chamber has to be loaded while hunting DG, especially when in close contact with the quarry.

I see nothing in Tim's report, nor in my experience with hunting buff while a camera man is along, where they were pressing for footage. Hunter54, what evidence do you have for making the claim that the party was conducting itself in any manner other than the normal way buffalo are hunted in thick cover? Again, what is your experience level with buffalo in thick cover? gunslinger55, what info here are you going to use as an example of "what not to do"? What evidence do you have to back up your statement that "Getting camera footage at all costs" ... "seems this may be contributing to the rash of accidents that seem to be occuring"? I don't recall anything about a camera being involved concerning Owain Lewis's incident, nor Anthony's, nor Wayne Clark's. Are you just pulling these statements out of your ass?

We all know that some folks just can't help themselves from kicking a good man when he's down.

Tim, best wished to you my friend and to the PH. I am in no way trying kick you. It is a very stand up thing to have to relate such an unfortunate event. I will be travelling to Moz soon for buff and am concerned with the number of accidents that seem to be occuring...

Take care

quote:

Originally posted by gunslinger55:
Todd I assumed if a camera man was along they were filming. I see alot of movies these days with DG up close and personal. I have heard some remarks from fellow professionals regarding some of these practices. Maybe when the shit is real "dangerous" the camera man should have a rifle. But like you said am just pulling this out of my ass. What did I learn not to do? Shoot the PH for one thing. And possibly a few other lessons. Yes it is Dangerous game hunting and a tragic sequence of events that happened to the individual involved.
Learning from a situation like this is all I want to do. And yes watching all these films about dangerous game hunting there are multitudes of examples of lousy weapon handling, unsafe "muzzling" fingers on triggers, people downrange etc. etc. I don't know Tim but it sounds like he is a stand up guy who knew his shit but things went terribly wrong. It can happen to anybody, but learning ways to mitigate some obviously controllable risks like weapon handling etc. seems reasonable. As for some of the other tragic events there were ways to mitigate them as well from what I have been reading. And it has nothing to do with kicking a good man when he is down. He shot the PH and luckily did not kill him and we just want to understand what did and did not happen. we can say "Stu hope you get better" or lets start a memorial fund for his family if he was dead. Maybe a better way is to figure out what happened and learn from it. It is not "combat" friendlies don't have to die and controllable risks can be mitigated. I feel for Tim this is a horrible event, but no one is "second guessing" him or monday morning quarterbacking. The simple fact is he shot someone in the back and I for one want to learn from this so it never happens again if possible. Obviously nothing can be 100% but getting gored, running out of ammo, stomped, bitten, mauled crushed that is what I think dangerous game hunting is Not getting shot. There is a game where that happens but that is called war, not hunting.

Also most people that have spent their lives with firearms in a professional or casual way and handled weapons many hundreds of thousands of time and trained to the highest levels will have had an "AD". I have. Thanks god no one got hurt. I learned from it, and learned from all the other AD's from other professionals I am aquainted with and learn that we are human and shit happens. I may be new to African DG hunting but I am no stranger to combat or hunting in general. I am hoping getting shot while on safari is not one of the factors that I must accept....

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:
Saeed and JohnDL,

Both very well said. I see nothing in Tim's report that is unusual concerning the number of people in the hunting party or of how the animal was pursued. Any of us who have hunted Buff have been in that long grass and heard the group of buff spook and bombshell. It takes a few seconds to determine which way they are going as you cannot see anything.

Nothing in Tim's report indicated any warning whatsoever "that this bull was going to charge". NOTHING. It was after all, unwounded. Repeatedly bumping buff in long grass is normal. Backing off for a couple of hours in order to let them calm down a bit is normal. Going back after them after a period of time, hoping they have calmed down a bit, is normal. That is the way buff are usually hunted. The fact that the buff ran at them IS unusual. It may or may not have been a charge. Likely not as the animal was probably just spooked and happened to run in their direction.

I doubt there is anyone on this forum, that in that moment you first realized the buff are coming toward you instead of away from you, would not have taken a step backwards and readied your rifle for action out of instinct. If you happen to fall during that process, all bets are off. Certainly something that could happen to anyone. The fact that the animal came at them in the thick stuff reinforces the reason why the chamber has to be loaded while hunting DG, especially when in close contact with the quarry.

I see nothing in Tim's report, nor in my experience with hunting buff while a camera man is along, where they were pressing for footage. Hunter54, what evidence do you have for making the claim that the party was conducting itself in any manner other than the normal way buffalo are hunted in thick cover? Again, what is your experience level with buffalo in thick cover? gunslinger55, what info here are you going to use as an example of "what not to do"? What evidence do you have to back up your statement that "Getting camera footage at all costs" ... "seems this may be contributing to the rash of accidents that seem to be occuring"? I don't recall anything about a camera being involved concerning Owain Lewis's incident, nor Anthony's, nor Wayne Clark's. Are you just pulling these statements out of your ass?

We all know that some folks just can't help themselves from kicking a good man when he's down.

gunslinger55,

Still pulling it out of your ass!!

Your learned "not to shoot the PH"! Really. WOW. I didn't know that one before this incident. But tell me, specifically, from this incident, what did you learn to do differently than what you were planning to do on your upcoming hunt? Have you been in the long grass with 10 yards visibility on the trail of Buff and had them bombshell? I'm guessing not. From being there, and knowing exactly what that is like, I can tell you I find ZERO fault with Tim's actions that could have been mitigated by a different course of action. If you have somehow picked up a technique, skill, or procedure from this report that will lead you to better gun safety in the same circumstance, please share it.

I'm also betting that once you return from your upcoming hunt, you'll have a different perspective on buff hunting up close and personal! I'm betting that the first time they bombshell nearby in the long dry grass and you hear that crackling hailstorm sound, you'll tense every muscle in your body until you figure out there aren't coming your direction. Until you've experienced it, you simply don't know. You've been listening to the guys here that have just had them run away or fall over when shot. It doesn't always go that way. There is a reason buff have been given all the dramatic nicknames, as well as a heaping portion of respect. When they decide to take you on, you'll have your hands full!!

Also, you specifically stated that it seems the camera and going for the best footage was a contributing factor in the other incidents reported here. Can you tell me specifically what action a camera played in Mr. Lewis's incident? Was a camera there? Same question for Anthony? Was there a camera there? What about Mr. Clark? Was there a camera there? Then to insinuate that Tim is at fault here due to pressing for the video and that the same is what lead to the other incidents??!!! YEA, I'D SAY YOU ARE PULLING IT OUT OF YOUR ASS!!


The only thing learned here is that shit happens when hunting dangerous game and even the best of us have things go wrong. You say it isn't war. Agreed. I know because I've done both. DG hunting and War! Different circumstances and requirements for placing yourself in harms way for sure. But I can tell you this; When that buff, leopard, lion, elephant, etc. bursts out of the thick stuff at mere paces with the intent of killing you and or anyone else he can make contact with, at that very moment, just as the action goes down, there is not much difference in the two as far as your ass being in jeopardy! You will react out of instinct and preparing to fire your weapon is the proper reaction. The only problem was that Tim fell down while preparing to fire his weapon in self defense. What specific action should he have taken, and that you will now take on your upcoming hunt, to prevent this from happening, that you learned from this incident?

If you can't answer that, yep, pulling right out the old butt!

Feel terrible for all involved. I hope all a speedy recovery. After 13 Safaris I don't feel like I can sit in judgement of anyone.
Best to Stu and Hopefully a full recovery in body and mind.

Hunter54 you should have your account deactivated. You are ignorant and clueless

Tim thanks for the updates. Try and put your mind at ease. Stu is being taken care of and will get better.

Tim,
A few years back, Randy Brooks of Barnes Bullets penned an article for NRA Publications in which he fully described a case of personal "pilot error" that almost cost the lives of himself and 2 others. At a subsequent SCI Convention, I shook his hand and lauded his courage for telling the whole story. If we ever meet, I will do the same for you. The physical pain belongs to Stu, but the emotional scars will be yours. I'm betting that Stu will heal before you do, and Stu will forgive you long before you forgive yourself. Peace will come with time. In the meantime, get back on the horse and ride! There are lots of folks whose only connection with adventure hunting is via shows like the ones you film.

Wow... Let's not make a bad situation worse by speculating on something that happened. Hope and pray for a speedy recovery.

Thoughts and prayers with Stu for a rapid and complete recovery. Tim, I know you have to be beating yourself up and no amount of any one telling not to will stop it. Just know that this could happen to anyone in a high stress close range affair. Anyone that doesn't think it could happen to them is kidding themselves.

Tim Garrett
High Caliber Productions

Tim

I am certain this weighs heavy on you, but this is one of those things that could happen to any of us. Prayers for both you and your freind.

Tim, it sounds cliche to tell you not to beat yourself up about this. It's inevitable that you will, and there are apparently several in the peanut gallery who are happy to help you do it. Hopefully, the reality of this unfortunate ACCIDENT will make itself clear, and both you and Stu will get past this horrible memory and continue on with your lives. Best wishes to you both.

Tim,

Shit happens, it's part of the game, no matter how prepared you are!

Ignore the armchair quarterbacks, you did the best you could under the circumstances. It all happened faster than you can read this post, and you can't train for unexpected, sudden charges under all conditions.

"Sometimes, senor, the bull wins!"

It's called "dangerous game hunting" for a reason, and you were "hunting."

The armchairs just can't understand that getting mauled, gored, shot, or stomped on is all "part of the game" of being a PH. If you can't stand the risks, find another occupation.

Hope Stuart makes a quick and complete recovery. Prayers are with you.

BigB

I also hope all involved heal fully as soon as possible.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by HBH:
Tim

I am certain this weighs heavy on you, but this is one of those things that could happen to any of us. Prayers for both you and your freind.[/QUO
TE]


+1

Really? A pH was shot and thankfully sustained what appears to be superficial wounds and all some of you can say is shit happens? As the previous poster said, if this was a client who was shot, shit happens won't cut it. He would be banned from the profession. I don't know Tim from Adam but I do appreciate his report. I appreciate it for the opportunity to learn from it not to say shit happens and let's move on. I refuse to believe that there's nothing to be learned from this other than "it's BUFFALO hunting boys and PH's signed up for this and if you hunt enough DG you're going to get shot in the back by one of your clients!" or "It's BUFFALO HUNTING so none of the usual safe gun handling rules apply, it's every man for himself if a buffalo runs at you!" or "He chose to be a PH for DG therefore he should be prepared to be shot in the back by a client one day, it's part of the job you see.". Learning from this is not a bad thing, on the contrary not trying to learn from this and saying "that's just buffalo hunting, someone getting shot in your party is to be expected since we are not hunting sissy PG's!" would be a tragedy.

Here's what I will add: Correct, I was not there and I was not in Tim's shoes. I deeply empathize with Stu as hunting DG is dangerous enough without having to think of getting killed my hunter's bullet- huge well-wishes for his full recovery. There have been too many accidents and wounded game this year to also have to consider being shot in the back as another outcome. Deep sympathies all-around. If I were in Tim's shoes today, I'd evaluate the situation and figure out how it could have been different and then share those (hopeful) insights and other potential lessons learned on safe firearms handling with everyone.

I can only estimate based on my prior dangerous game hunts (humbly, no where near as many as some have done here) how I might have reacted to this situation. Estimates or forecasts are only predictions so I can only evaluate Tim based on my experiences. I will say that I always keep my finger on the side of the trigger guard until just before firing. I would also not pull the trigger unless I knew that the bullet was directed at the buff or at a minimum, a safe place where at least the sound/impact of the bullet striking ground might cause it to turn. The best way to avoid an accident is prevention and firearms safety. 20 years as a combat veteran and range instructor teaches you many things and even when shit does happen, the more prepared/experienced you are with your firearm, the less shit you end up eating yourself.

Now let's focus on everyone's full recovery.