people ,
i have just seen this post and i just wanted to thank those of you who watch the show ... we spend a lot of time in the field and in the dit room , trying to make sure what we capture is the real deal ...truth is , to someone who wasnt there , tracking buffalo for five days is boring ... the right music , cuts and action make that five days great to watch , but that is a lengthy and time consuming process ..dave , Tim and our tireless editor Christy spend countless hours at the editing computer ...

as for me , i simply love to hunt ,Its not just about killing the animal but far more about what you learn and experience in pursuit of the animal ... is there a show with no kill .?? not often so there is a certain pressure.

this year i will be in the field for 6 months ...i cant wait , i start at the end of the month and we will have some spectacular hunting ...with luck we will kill some things and get some great shows out of it ..

Craig is person who also simply loves to hunt , he and i have spent many hours together in the field and on the show circuit , a very ethical man and very generous with his time ...i have never ever seen him fail to give someone the time of day ...even at the shows where he is run ragged he will take the time to say hello and sign a book or simply share a story ...

i am proud of our crew and proud to be considered part of that crew .

thanks for watching ..

quote:

Originally posted by ivan carter:
this year i will be in the field for 6 months ...i cant wait , i start at the end of the month and we will have some spectacular hunting .....

You need to get busy writing then!

Only pulling your leg buddy

Ivan

I throughly enjoy Tracks across Africa, but one thing has puzzled me. Frequently on DG hunts there is a quick 2nd shot which I assume is the PH backing up the hunter. Is that standard procedure with you guys or rather an attempt to put the animal down quickly for the camera?

terry ,
personally i prefer people to try a brain shot ...and usually they ask , 'if he doesnt go right down ...shoot!" one of the reasons for me choosing a brain shot is because i can instantly tell if the shot was good or not ...you will notice i NEVER drop a clients animal. I make a very concious effort not to be too quick on the trigger ...after all its YOUR hunt and we are simply there to guide you ...

i agree with you , many PHs are quick on the trigger ,too much so , as i say i prefer to be less so , in fact last season i hunted over 20 elephants and over 30 buffalo and only took one shot at a buffalo...the video shows me aiming and i say ..do you want me to shoot ? ..yes yes comes the reply .

i do have amny instamnces however where the client emphatically insists on the Ph being quick to back up ...i agree and understand that this may not be the case for most people here on AR.

we try very very hard not to ever do anything "for the camera" thats not in the course of a normal hunt ... we have minimal recreates and ceratinly apart from perhaps some extra dialogue to explain the the viewers whats going on , its just good plain african hunting !

thanks for watching terry ..

imc

quote:

You need to get busy writing then!

Only pulling your leg buddy

will be on it this coming week or while i am on the plane , its been crazy round here !!!

Ivan,
Although the last production had some great footage. the ele dvd's, I do urge the filming community not to ease toward the Sullivan way of hunting, the macho, close up, kill, charge, anything for the good footage. I would like to know how many elephants were shot in self defense while making that last one, "Boddington on Elephant" Do not tell me none because I do know the huntong industry.
We have to be carefull as the anti hunters are getting more and more powerfull and this kind of footage certainly does not help the cause of trying tom promote hunting as tool for conservation, I am sure it helps the bank ballance, which is exactly what the anitis are after.

timot,
three elephants were shot in self defense ( that were not supposed to be shot) .. we completely understand the dangers and pitfalls of publicly displaying this footage . none of these elephants were specifically shot to make a movie , they were hunts that were planned and filmed as hunts and the fact that they may or may not have been included in a DVD was not relevant at the time of hunting and had no effect on my style of hunting.

we took ten years of footage and over 100 elephant hunts and weeded out what was the best .. none of the elephants were shot "to make a movie " we simply took all this hunting footage and saw a great production there .

if you have watched the DVD which i presume that you have , you will know that each time an elephant was shot in self defense it was carefully and properly explained what happened and how and why .. this was to somehwat disarm the antis and truly show them ...there is also incorporated in the DVd a very comprehensive section on conservation that outlines a lot of facts and while yes , there are some charges and yes we do shoot some elephants in self defense , the truth is its a very very small percentage of the content of both disks .


i hunt elephant close , i have done so for many years and do so even when there is no camera ... again the DVD explains carefully just why i do that and i hope that when an anti or someone on the fence sees the production the verbal explanation will somewhat help.


you know the hunting industry ...are you suggesting we should have left this footage out of the production ?

the only way that hunting elephant is a tool for conservation is that it generates money that pays for conservation, and conservation techniques. taking 450 elephant (zim) out of a 85 000 current population cannot be considered population control .

thanks for your comment .

Timot

I understand your concern but I disagree. I think showing the instances where an elephant made an unprovoked charge that had to stopped or someone would have been seriously hurt does not hurt our cause. Rather, I believe it demonstrates that we aren't persuing babar or dumbo, but rather a wild animal who just may choose to attack and kill you. Simply showing cases where the "nasty" hunters creep up and kill a peaceful elephant who is minding his own business pays into their hands. Lets show it as it really is; dangerous.

Ivan
Thanks for clearing that up.

TerryR

quote:

Rather, I believe it demonstrates that we aren't persuing babar or dumbo, but rather a wild animal who just may choose to attack and kill you. Simply showing cases where the "nasty" hunters creep up and kill a peaceful elephant who is minding his own business pays into their hands. Lets show it as it really is; dangerous.

i agree thanks

I do agree to show hunting as it truly is. Does that go for Mark Sulliavans footage. I have been in this industry for over 20 years and have hunted extensivly in almost every country where there is elephant hunting, including the rainforests where you cannot see further than sometimes 5 yards, The amount of elephants that have been killed in self defense that I have experienced can be counted on one hand. It is entiery up to the individual who is hunting and if he wishes to get up to 10 yards and get into that zone where there is no option but for the animal to charge then that is his preference
but I do not believe that this is a true reflection on how to hunt elephants. It is a reflection on what can happen, yes. So if we want to show what a real leopard is then we must shoot them in the guts from a bait or how ever and then follow and then experience the ferocious, angry cat? Not, just wait in the blind and shoot the cat so it drops dead at the base of the tree.

I happened to catch the show this afternoon. I can appreciate them showing the Nyala debacle although it doesn't make it a heroic act in my opinion.

It was surprising to see the host blasting away at a wounded buffalo with others in the herd directly behind his target animal. If he shot the same way he did on the Nyala no telling how many buffalo he may have wounded. I guess the lever gun he was using was weak enough not to completely penetrate his target animal.

quote:

Does that go for Mark Sulliavans footage

Please do not compare Boddington with Sullivan.

I have a lot of respect for Boddington, and absolutely none for Sullivan.

quote:

Originally posted by M16:
I happened to catch the show this afternoon. I can appreciate them showing the Nyala debacle although it doesn't make it a heroic act in my opinion.

It was surprising to see the host blasting away at a wounded buffalo with others in the herd directly behind his target animal. If he shot the same way he did on the Nyala no telling how many buffalo he may have wounded. I guess the lever gun he was using was weak enough not to completely penetrate his target animal.

M16,
I saw that as well. I was suprised on the nyala but it happens. I do not know anything about "heroic", but it seems he missed hitting a vital spot and the nyala ran off. It happens to everyone sooner or later. I was suprised they showed it on TV.

On the buff, the first shot looked very good but once that buff started moving, he was moving! I think the lever gun was a .475 Turnbull as I have seen some pics in magazines touting this gun with CB over a buff that looked like the one in the show. I do not know anything about the gun or the ballistics. I did note that he was carrying a double rifle as well but did not see him use it. I did not see him fire a shot that had the potential to hit another buff, the background on each shot looked clear to me. I would have continued shooting as well.. I would have run out of bullets I suspect.

M16 - As far as other Buff being behind the one that was been fired upon. Always remember the camermans' angle is most likely always different than that of the shooter. What may look like other animals in the line of fire to the camera isn't always so with the shooter. Also distances appear a lot farther on camera than in real life. I seriously doubt that CB was blazing away with no regard to other animals in the herd. JMO.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:

quote:

Originally posted by M16:
I happened to catch the show this afternoon. I can appreciate them showing the Nyala debacle although it doesn't make it a heroic act in my opinion.

It was surprising to see the host blasting away at a wounded buffalo with others in the herd directly behind his target animal. If he shot the same way he did on the Nyala no telling how many buffalo he may have wounded. I guess the lever gun he was using was weak enough not to completely penetrate his target animal.

M16,
I saw that as well. I was suprised on the nyala but it happens. I do not know anything about "heroic", but it seems he missed hitting a vital spot and the nyala ran off. It happens to everyone sooner or later. I was suprised they showed it on TV.

On the buff, the first shot looked very good but once that buff started moving, he was moving! I think the lever gun was a .475 Turnbull as I have seen some pics in magazines touting this gun with CB over a buff that looked like the one in the show. I do not know anything about the gun or the ballistics. I did note that he was carrying a double rifle as well but did not see him use it. I did not see him fire a shot that had the potential to hit another buff, the background on each shot looked clear to me. I would have continued shooting as well.. I would have run out of bullets I suspect.

quote:

Always remember the camermans' angle is most likely always different than that of the shooter.

That is quite true and I hadn't thought of that. It just appeared to me that there were a lot of buffalo around the one he was shooting.

I believe he was actually holding off on shooting follow-up shots because there were buff behind for a few seconds after the initial shot. The buff did them a very big favor when he pealed off to the side. Did we know whether the first was a soft, followed by solids?

quote:

It was surprising to see the host blasting away at a wounded buffalo with others in the herd directly behind his target animal. no telling how many buffalo he may have wounded. I guess the lever gun he was using was weak enough not to completely penetrate his target animal.

It was way weak and in my opinion a bit "stuntish"
And...of course the .475 "did the job." But it's very marginal.

Boddington seems to like that 400 grain bullet because the 500 grain (he says) has insufficient velocity. I agree. The sectional density of that bullet is actually .253.

That means that with equally constructed bullets it will penetrate as far as a .308 bullet at the same velocity weighing 165 grains.
Ostensibly, a 308 bullet of 165 grains at 2145 fps. I believe they call that a 30-30. I don't think overpenetration was an issue. I think Craig likes levers and he's shot buffalo with just about everything so he wanted to try the rifle/caliber combo. jorge

quote:

I think Craig likes levers and he's shot buffalo with just about everything so he wanted to try the rifle/caliber combo

I'm not a great lever fan but can't argue with wanting to shoot something different. I tote one every once and a while just for the experience.

By the way. I didn't tape the episode but does anyone remember toward the end of his string of shots a louder boom going off? Or in other words did the PH jump in and fire a finishing shot? It sure sounded like it to me.

Saeed,
Sorry, do not get me wrong in comparing Boddington with Sullivan. All I am saying is that some of the footage shown on the ele DVD is kind of what Sullivan has been catigated for showing. I do not believe that animals charging, being shot 3 times etc etc is very bad publicity for hunting bas a whole. It makes very good viewing and makes the producer some $$ but it is very bad for the image.

Craig was using the 475 Turnbull and the first shot was a 400 TSX. I have found that we are getting around 3 ft of penetration with them. So I am sure the first shot was a lethal one and Craig said he figures that too. The rest of the shots as I understand it were solids. Dave Scovill shot 2 elephants with the solids and the penetration was 1 full length and the other was in the spine in the shoulders. Both were shot frontal and both were tuskless animals.

As for the buffalo that Craig shot, I am sure that with a "larger" caliber gun that the results would have been the same unless the spine was hit. I may be wrong as I have not shot the number of buffalo as many of the readers have but this is just my opinion. The range was about 125 yrds and that has ballistic effects on the cartridge as we all know.

It is hard to have the "perfect" shot all the time and especially when the camera is running. That alone adds a whole different aspect to a hunt and problems that you can not imagine. If you have not done it try it, it really gives a different perspective to how it all comes together.

Thanks for the information.

quote:

The rest of the shots as I understand it were solids.

That was my guess.

"Was it in Boddington on Leopard that Craig gave a knife to the skinners from one of the sponsors. Andrew Dawson wouldn't let them use it as it would be too sharp and was likely to damage the cape to the point all it could be used for was hatbands!! I thought that was quite amusing."

If Craig had read his PHC, he would have found Peter cautioned against such action for just that reason. I believe it to be in Safari-The Last Adventure. Not all of PHC is rubbish, but that's anothor story.

450/400- I have learned the hard way never to hand ANY knife you care to see again to any African skinner. It took 3 hours at the buffing wheel to make it look like a knife again. Ah, young, ignorant Bwanas...

Doug,
Thanks for the info. You make some amazing guns. I hope the .475 catches on.

quote:

Originally posted by Doug Turnbull:
Craig was using the 475 Turnbull and the first shot was a 400 TSX. I have found that we are getting around 3 ft of penetration with them. So I am sure the first shot was a lethal one and Craig said he figures that too. The rest of the shots as I understand it were solids. Dave Scovill shot 2 elephants with the solids and the penetration was 1 full length and the other was in the spine in the shoulders. Both were shot frontal and both were tuskless animals.

As for the buffalo that Craig shot, I am sure that with a "larger" caliber gun that the results would have been the same unless the spine was hit. I may be wrong as I have not shot the number of buffalo as many of the readers have but this is just my opinion. The range was about 125 yrds and that has ballistic effects on the cartridge as we all know.

It is hard to have the "perfect" shot all the time and especially when the camera is running. That alone adds a whole different aspect to a hunt and problems that you can not imagine. If you have not done it try it, it really gives a different perspective to how it all comes together.

Doug, were any of the bullets recovered?

Craig said they did not try to recover any of hte bullets.

Just wanted to throw out there that I think Craig's a great guy, he has always had time to answer my questions through e-mails, and that is definately something for someone that probably is asked more questions than any of us can imagine. BTW- Craig is no journalist, he has a degree in English and when I talked to him concerning being an outdoor writer, he told me that journalism was not the way to go (as far as college majors go).

quote:

Originally posted by chipolopolo:
Steve,
I have to agree with you on this one. First of all these guys are the girls that you pay for their affection. They will write whatever you desire if the price is high enough. I was sitting in the booth of a pal of mine from Zambia in Reno 3 or 4 years ago when CB came up and asked for a free hunt he would write a great report. The outfitter said, I sell out every year I don't need your approval. Then they sell books and videos from the free hunts and strut around like he's PHC and Ruark all in one slick package. Granted he's a gentleman but he's also a hunt whore. Am I envious? maybe, but I also earn every hunt I pay for. I didn't bring up PHC first (this time)
Chipolopolo

His articles suck, he's apparently never met a free rifle, free scope, free hunt, etc that he didn't love. His articles are nothing but shill pieces for whoever gives him free equipment or hunts.

Didn't 500grains call him out a few years ago for using a General's rank in his byline when he was only a Colonel and wasn't he disciplined for that?

quote:

Originally posted by adrook:

quote:

Originally posted by chipolopolo:
Steve,
I have to agree with you on this one. First of all these guys are the girls that you pay for their affection. They will write whatever you desire if the price is high enough. I was sitting in the booth of a pal of mine from Zambia in Reno 3 or 4 years ago when CB came up and asked for a free hunt he would write a great report. The outfitter said, I sell out every year I don't need your approval. Then they sell books and videos from the free hunts and strut around like he's PHC and Ruark all in one slick package. Granted he's a gentleman but he's also a hunt whore. Am I envious? maybe, but I also earn every hunt I pay for. I didn't bring up PHC first (this time)
Chipolopolo

His articles suck, he's apparently never met a free rifle, free scope, free hunt, etc that he didn't love. His articles are nothing but shill pieces for whoever gives him free equipment or hunts.

Didn't 500grains call him out a few years ago for using a General's rank in his byline when he was only a Colonel and wasn't he disciplined for that?

Well that is just not correct - he certainly pays a fair price for the hunts he does with my company... I'm not doubting that he gets free stuff offered to him (of course he does) but I know for a fact that he pays for a lot of hunting one way or the other. For someone like Craig too - the hunting is part of his pay (part of the job package) and I'll bet he earns a lot less than you would think!!

For example - I know if he came back to Australia dozens of outfitters would offer him all kinds of free hunts but do you think he would take ANY of them?? NO - he would go to the people that he knows and trusts and ask them to take him hunting. So there goes your theory - blown right out of the water mate!!

Give the man some credit!!

Matt, now just why would someone (adrook) believe your fist hand experience.

quote:

Originally posted by adrook:

Didn't 500grains call him out a few years ago for using a General's rank in his byline when he was only a Colonel and wasn't he disciplined for that?

Craig has personally explained this on this very forum. If you have never been in the USMC and are not familiar with the workings of 0-6 to 0-10 rank structures maybe you should shut the fuck up...

Adcrook - You just never know when to keep quiet huh?? Open mouth, insert foot, time after time after time ----------------!! Have you been in a cave the last week or so. The "How it all works" on Tracks was explained to everyone by Dave. Guess you skipped class that day??

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Craig was using the 475 Turnbull and the first shot was a 400 TSX. I have found that we are getting around 3 ft of penetration with them. So I am sure the first shot was a lethal one and Craig said he figures that too. The rest of the shots as I understand it were solids. Dave Scovill shot 2 elephants with the solids and the penetration was 1 full length and the other was in the spine in the shoulders. Both were shot frontal and both were tuskless animals.

As for the buffalo that Craig shot, I am sure that with a "larger" caliber gun that the results would have been the same unless the spine was hit. I may be wrong as I have not shot the number of buffalo as many of the readers have but this is just my opinion. The range was about 125 yrds and that has ballistic effects on the cartridge as we all know.

It is hard to have the "perfect" shot all the time and especially when the camera is running. That alone adds a whole different aspect to a hunt and problems that you can not imagine. If you have not done it try it, it really gives a different perspective to how it all comes together.

I agree Doug and would not hesitate using your caliber on anything!

On the other note:

As a sponsor of "TAA" I can tell you that that
there was a siginificant amount of vetting before they would accept our bid to sponsor the show. Anybody tthat thinks Craig, Ivan, Dave, Tim would just accept anything from anybody that will pay the sponsorship is flat full of "Bravo Sierra".

That and calling out a man that has spent his life dedicated to preserving and promoting our sport as well as serving his nation....Well, let's just say, that's why our nation is in the mess it is today - too many uninformed morons with big mouths!

JW

Personally I don't understand why anybody cares what Mr Boddington pays for his hunts. Or for his rifles. Are we all communists now?

Thanks for taking Craigs back guys. It is hard to defend yourself from idiot attacks when you are overseas busting your ass to make a living as he is at the moment. If you do not enjoy an authors writings, fair enough, don't read his stuff. But the cyber sniping-let me invite you to drop by the booth and introduce yourself and your views in person . We are not hard to find . This guy is not worth the response , but a THANK YOU was in order from me to those of you who smacked this little man around.
Thanks guys
Dave

I can't, for the life of me, figure out why we have to go through this every time Craig Boddington gets mentioned here. Someone pays him a complement, usually well deserved, and a few people begin to foam at the mouth, or more accurately foam at the keyboard. The only answer that I can come up with is that Boddington has managed to make a living doing what others dream of. My reaction is good for him. I'm sure that his success has cost him as much hard work as my success has cost me, or anyone else who can afford the cost of an African hunt. I would guess that his critics see the glory and not the blood sweat and tears that led to it. If they saw the whole picture they may not begrudge Boddington, or this cohorts, the perks of their success. Personally I'll stick with my occupation and leave hunting for my leisure time. I'd rather not make my hobby my job.

Terry good for you. Are you going to the SCI banquet next weekend?

No I won't be able to attend. Hopefully next time.

quote:

Originally posted by adrook:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by chipolopolo:
I was sitting in the booth of a pal of mine from Zambia in Reno 3 or 4 years ago when CB came up and asked for a free hunt he would write a great report. The outfitter said, I sell out every year I don't need your approval. Am I envious? /QUOTE]

Didn't 500grains call him out a few years ago for using a General's rank in his byline when he was only a Colonel and wasn't he disciplined for that?

The first statement (outfitter) is a bold face lie.

The second statement (jealousy issue) is obviously accurate, hence the sour grapes.

The third statement is inaccurate. Craig was selected for General and his boss, himself a three star (Lieutenant-General) "frocked" Craig without final confirmation from the Senate (a practice widely used in years past in the Naval Service until the Army and Air Farce weenies complained to JCS). I was frocked to Lieutenant Commander AND Commander myself. Anyhow in all the hoopla, Craig decided to avoid the hassle and decided to retire. Can't say that I blame him.

If folks don't like other folks that's fine, but one must deal in facts and not lies or inaccurate statements. jorge

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Fulson:
Thanks for taking Craigs back guys. It is hard to defend yourself from idiot attacks when you are overseas busting your ass to make a living as he is at the moment. If you do not enjoy an authors writings, fair enough, don't read his stuff. But the cyber sniping-let me invite you to drop by the booth and introduce yourself and your views in person . We are not hard to find . This guy is not worth the response , but a THANK YOU was in order from me to those of you who smacked this little man around.
Thanks guys
Dave

All he ever did on here was try to hawk a custom rifle in the classifieds forum.

When's the last time CB wrote about anything in less than than glowing terms? Or is that bad for business?