I was wondering if I am one of the few folks that, after hunting for over 50 years, have had many uncomfortable events take place, but none that were truly "scary".
I was thinking that there are probably some of you folks with experiences that would make a few of the storytellers epics look tame.
I do recall one occasion when I was in a field and heard a tumbling bullet buzz over my head and thump into the ground about 10 yards from me!

Maybe no big deal, but last year while hunting Suni in Natal a rather big black mamba dropped from a tree about 3 feet behind me.

Hearing the game scout walking behind me chamber a round in his AK. I can deal with the animals (except maybe the snakes) and misadventures are part of being in the bush, but that makes me nervous. I've never been a soldier, but I imagine that sound would give some combat vets the cold sweats.

Dean

being in the hunting truck with Steve Shakari Robinson driving!!!!!!!!!!

To make a long story short, I had a serious run in with a bunch of lions. We were called to sort out some cattle killers. No trophy lions.

We were in a machan. It was pitch black dark. I had shot 3 of the lions. I decided that I didn't want to shoot any more. I was having to pay a trophy fee and there were no trophy lions. The PH attempted to radio the truck. The battery was flat. I should add here that all 3 of the lions had run off. While we thought they were all mortally wounded, we were not sure. We decided to walk out.

When we got on the ground, the good light went flat. All we had was 2 mini-mag flashlights! We were all bunched together moving like a ball of bait fish. I had a 416, the PH had a 416. The trackers had the lights.

As we started moving slowly, the lions let us know they were there and they were not happy, not to mention we were close. We moved slowly away. This idiot tracker was leading us in a circle. I said so. We had a small conflict and the lights were turned on again. We were right back by the machan! As soon as the lights came on again, the lions started voicing their disapproval.

I threatened to kill him if he didn't get us to the road. I watched the stars to make sure we were not making another circle. We walked 12 miles to a farm house.

If you have ever been on the ground, in the dark with pissed off lions around, you will know how I felt. I was 100% sure that one or more of us was going to get chewed up.

We went back the next morning. Of the 3 lions, 2 were laying stone dead less than 50 yards from the dead cow. One was still alive.

We followed. Again, to make a long story short, I sensed where the lion was. I saw his tail move. I was in the process of dropping to my knees when the lion came straight for me. I fired as did the PH, both of us hitting the lion, hurting it but not stopping it. I fired my next shot at about 6 feet killing the lion.

Yes, I was scared.

My moment involves a snake as well---

I was in the outhouse doing a number 2 one morning after a rather strong cup of coffee. While sitting on the toilet I felt slow vibrations of some sort and looked down into the shaft. There was a snake slithering his way upward, hoping to clamp right onto...you know what! Oh that would have been painful!

The camp staff was laughing their asses off. No pun intended, as I bolted out of there with my pants and shorts down to my knees, yelling "Get me a panga!" They looked at me like I was stupid because they all spoke French and Sangho. This was no prank either. It was a real snake.

The camp manager thought I was yelling for toilet paper and ran towards me handing me a towel.

Later that day I shot a 56" Lord Derby Eland.

MORAL OF THE STORY: If you escape from almost getting your wanker bit off by a snake, something great is about to happen to you on that day.

quote:

Originally posted by ddrhook:
being in the hunting truck with Steve Shakari Robinson driving!!!!!!!!!!

Not with Steve but a trip back to camp in the Selous after dark was probably my scariest experience. Leon, the PH had the truck slewing around corners and I swear we left the ground a time or two. Mrs Blacktailer and I were in the front seat with Leon while the trackers and game scout were sitting up on top laughing and having a great time.

I did get a little puker factor when I was sitting at breakfast in Tsavo and a 6 ft. cobra came for breakfast too. I tell ya I can move fast for a one legged man

Ok, so I was hunting in namibia with an outfit that I've hunted with before,

So one of the animals I had been wanting was a large waterbuck. So my Ph has the hunting rights on the neighbors farm, and the neighbor is some big business man in germany, who isn't there most of the time. So we had been searching for a big waterbuck my ph had seen earlier in the season. So it's damn near dark and we spotted the big boy in the bottom of this canyon, so we bail off the truck and start running! and I mean running....over rocks, jumping off ledges, I was worried about just tripping and smashing my scope and gun. Well no matter how fast we ran he was staying ahead of us. Finally we reached the top of the canyon on the otherside, just as the sun was going down.

We continued further trying to squeeze the last minutes of the day. Well, then all of a sudden it was dark. And the truck and our friends were no were to be seen/heard.

So I fired a few rounds off, waited for 30 minutes, still nothing. Well finally the ph pulled a lighter out and started hitting it off in some short burst, and the observer on our truck saw it, and we got picked up...after sitting their for like 1 hour. Now this is just the beginning...the setting of the stage!

So the driver pulls up and says something in africaans...didn't sound good...the tone is something that doesn't need to be translated!

SO my ph gets on the radio, and its mad chatter going back in forth. Once off, he looks back at us and says, ok looks like we're going to hunt cheetah!

Myself, hunting partner david, and observer jim, were very perplexed. Our ph jumped behind the wheel, which he never does, and we started flying down the roads, and I mean fast...like 50 miles an hour... in the back of the landcruiser.

SO we pull up to this compound on the property...mind you we are still on the neighbors. So the ph gets out and says, the caretaker of this property has 2 pet cheetahs, and the male mauled (tour the back off his kneck and head) him when he went to feed them tonight, he's been taken to the hospital, and it doesn't look good. The two cats are roaming around the compound...and we got to do something about it!

Now, shooting cheetahs in Namibia is legal, at night not really sure, but after they damn near kill someone the rules are out the window.

So myself and david lock and load (300 win mags)...tracker/driver has a shotgun, ph has a 243 that we had on the truck for small stuff, poor jim just has his courage!

So this compound has like a 8ft fence, and as most of you know, these compounds have barns, and all sorts of buildings... so we are walking into the main driveway. To our left is a VW van with all the doors open...very weird. There's one big flood light illuminating the driveway area...everywhere else is nothing but shadows.

So we are moving in our best movie simulated swat team formation...with jim in the middle! My heart is pounding, I was amped up...I wanted to shoot a cheetah...especially a man eater!!!

So we finally make it to the backdoor of this place, and this lady sticks her head out, and starts talking to our ph in africans, and tells us that her husband has been attacked...barely alive...blah blah blah. So all five of us are on this little 4x4' concrete patio. Eyes out watching for any type of movement. So my Ph says, ok lady we'll shoot the cat.

WELL THEN THINGS GOT REAL INTERESTING!

She starts going nuts, saying "ooh no please don't kill it, you mean you guys don't have a tranquilizer gun?" SHe forbid us to shoot the cheetah (the one that had made her husband color outside the lines for the rest of his life!) SO I looked at my ph and my buddies and said "F*CK THIS!, we're are out of here, if we can't shoot the cat, I'm not putting my safety or my friend's safety in question for this nuts job!, deal with the cat yourself you dumb b*tch" (she didn't like my attitude, dumb greenie)

Well just as this little altercation occured, David, said, in the most calm voice as if putting his daughter into bed, "THERE HE IS!"

Time stood still...he was litterally 12 ft from us full broadside, with his head cocked looking directly at us! As that moment the only sound was "click, click, click" as our safetys went forward. I had him in my scope, and my heart was pounding, all I wanted was a flynch and I was going to send him to Jesus!

He has come from the VW van, after examining everything afterward, he must have been inside it somehow, because we walked right by it and he was NO where to be seen!

So here we all are...guns pointed at a man mauling cheetah in the dark...mind you, he is directly in the light, to hops and he's in full darkness again. SO my ph says, don't shoot, I'm the lady hands him a leg of a springbuck, through the cracked door. The ph walks out in front of the cheetah 10 yrds, and starts swinging that leg. I've still got the cheetah in the scope...and if he started running I was telling the Ph I've going to blow his head off.

So he starts to walk towards the ph, and towards the enclosure where they keep him and the female... so they dissapear into the dark...Not real happy about this.

We still have the female roaming around somewhere...so here we are, 3 texans, and a tracker standing on the porch, and out in front of us is the driveway that turns between 2 buildings and it completely pitch black. SO there's about 5 yrds of light in front of us and then darkness....

Well, all of a sudden we here "grrrr" and then this loping sound ( for anyone who's ever heard an animal running, the sound of feet alternating on the dirt) coming straight at us. I drop to one knee rifle pointed into the darkness....and there it is, the beast breaks the light...and it's the biggest yellow dog you've ever seen! To say I almost bagged me a trophy mix dog was an understatement. As soon as the dog broke the light, he saw us pointing guns at him and he stopped dead in his tracks, I think we prolly would have shot if he hadn't thrown the breaks on. My heart stopped!

Immediately, after this occured, our ph shouted out that the other female had wandered back into the cage and he had coaxed the male in as well.

It was the most exciting, yet scary thing I've experienced on safari. When that cheetah stepped out in the light, it took my breath away, they are so much bigger (taller) than I had originally thought and long. Beautiful animal.

We went back before we left and took some pics!

We left the Hot Springs camp in Tajikistan and were driving for a few hours to Khorog when our truck broke down. As we were sitting on this desolate road literally in the middle of nowhere, a gold minivan came down the road and stopped. Through our interpreter, we learned the two men in the minivan were on their way back from China and would take us to Khorog. We all climbed in the minivan and began driving to Khorog.

About 30 minutes later, the two gentlemen told our interpreter they had to make a stop and pick up some potatoes. They pulled off the highway into this area with bombed out and abandoned buildings. My husband leaned over and whispered to me that "this is it, get ready". I was carrying thousands of dollars and our passports so our hope was we would be robbed and not killed.

The driver of the minivan got out of the vehicle and entered a bombed out building. A short time later, he exited the building followed by his Mother and both were carrying sacks of potatoes.

After loading the potatoes in the minivan and saying goodbye to "Mom", we were on our way to Khorog.

All the encounters with snakes, spiders, and the dangerous game of Africa has never scared me as much as when we by those bombed out buildings.

Most interesting would probably be the elephant story linked in my signature line.

quote:

Originally posted by ddrhook:
being in the hunting truck with Steve Shakari Robinson driving!!!!!!!!!!

Ya didn't like my little offroad driving masterclass then?

Mate, you got away lightly. It only gets really good when I put the diff lock in. As it was, we just trickled through all that sticky stuff on not much more than tickover and a bit of cannyness.

Ya'know what they say. Getting there is half the fun!

More generally, I walked into this lot with nothing but a GPS, a clipboard and pen in my hands and didn't see or hear them at all until I was literally within arse kicking distance from them.

There are a couple I can think of, one wsa when we were scooching on our butts into the tall jess to get a good look at the herd of buff in there. We had two or three about 15 yards away and we still could not tell what they were, when the wind swirled and buff got up, that were laying down, within 5 yards of us. We never knew they were there. whew!

Riding with a nut case in Zim, going way too fast in the van, when we came around a corner and here was a herd of goats crossing the road, we only picked one off.

And third actually happen to my wife, as she was away from the group about 50 yards, a rock python slithered up to her, she screamed and we all ran to where she was. I must say she was very white. I asked why she hadn't taken any pictures? She didn't think that was funny.

quote:

Posted 24 June 2010 18:52 Hide Post
being in the hunting truck with Steve Shakari Robinson driving!!!!!!!!!! shocker shocker shocker

that would turn obama white

Probably wouldn't change his politics though and unless he did that I doubt I'd let him ride with me......... Although, thinking about it, he might make good leopard bait!

the mud was not a problem it was the trip back from Dik Dik hunting in the middle of the night with NO head light and a driver who it night blind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it gave all new meaning to keep it between the ditches!!!! there where no ditches just Afircan bush!!!!! I'm still haveing trouble getting a certain part of my anatomy unpuckered

Where's your sense of adventure!

I'll get it back when I get papers to live in Uganda and I get to drive

quote:

Originally posted by SableTrail:

MORAL OF THE STORY: If you escape from almost getting your wanker bit off by a snake, something great is about to happen to you on that day.

Well, I have to say this story from Marc deserves a limmerick from our poet laureate Steve...hmm what rhymes with wanker?

quote:

Originally posted by ddrhook:
I'll get it back when I get papers to live in Uganda and I get to drive

A couple of Wagoneers would look nice up there huh!

quote:

Originally posted by PSmith:
Well, I have to say this story from Marc deserves a limmerick from our poet laureate Steve...hmm what rhymes with wanker?

Poet Laureate no less..... gotta tell you, I'm very flattered to get such an accolade!

I'd like thank my team, my director...... oops. Sorry, I was getting carried away there....

As much as I love poetry, I'm afraid I can't write it for toffee!

Hmmmm. On second thoughts, how about:

There once was a hunter called marc
Who went out when it was terribly dark
He sat on the bog
and then got the dog
cos the snake bite caused him to kark

Well I did say, as much as I love poetry, I'm afraid I can't write it for toffee!

For those that only speak American English instead of English, English, getting the dog means getting upset and if you kark, you die, kick the bucket or to put it another way, die.

Sorry I couldn't do anything with wanker!

But I'm sure he'll be along just now. If only to take the piss out of my driving!

ya we could tell susan I bought the other wagoneer and you would be safe and I promise never never to use it to black mail you. and besides your driving is not bad it's just a little slow some times but we know that slow comes with age so your excused

I maybe a wanker but I know of at least two people who are trying to help me get set up in Africa so we can go hunt and fish at our lesure

Marc: What kind of snake was going for the wanker?

Mine actually didn't involve animals, I was done hunting Sitatunga in 2005 (?) with a very young Mr.Terry Von Rooyen in Tondwa (Zambia). We decided to drive down to the south side of Lake Tanganika for the day. We got to a Military check point near the lake. A wild eyed crazy guard started shouting at the trackers, "who are these white people with guns" pointing his FN FAL .308 at ME!!!! They asked us for our passports and Terry told me "Don't give him shit Bwana". He was so aggitated I thought he may very well start shooting.

One of the other guards was also so in fear of a shooting that he hauled ass off to the office, he returned in about 15 minutes with the "Boss". The Boss actually turned out to be a decent sort and had us up to the office for lunch.

I really believed that was it and my wife would never even know what happened to me.

Steve

I was charged by a leopard while hunting with Geo. Hoffman in TZ in '92. The client got the Leopard before the sear tripped on the 12 ga. shotgun I had aimed at him. All the close encounter I wanted.

I was more afraid of my wife when she learned that what I spent on trophy fees was what she wanted for a kitchen redo. I had told her we did not have the money.

Zambezi Extreme: Chapter 25

Last year, last day of hunting, late afternoon. I was last in line with my girlfriend between me and the PH. We were moving pretty quickly to catch up to a small group of Gemsbok. PH stepped right on top of a very small (10-12 inch) brown Puff Adder coiled up.

Not sure who jumped higher him reacting to the snake under his foot, or us reacting to him clearing the Mopane tree and not knowing why. Funny now but not at the time.

It was a little cool and because he stepped directly on top of it's head it didn't/couldn't strike.

It was in 07 in south east Zim by Ghona rezhou
we were following Buffalo tracks when all of a sudden a cow Buffalo came at us from the right,
We didn't know it at the time but she had a small
calf maybe 3 weeks old and we must have invaded her space. She was coming full speed head down
horns waving and I heard hollering, shoot which I did mine was a heart shot which would have killed her but not quick enough. One of the young apprentice PH's shot her between the horns and she piled up a maybe 6 feet. I had a camera in my pocket but never had presence of mind to photograph the calf. It was all the excitment we needed for that day. That old bitch meant business.

In October of 2009 My friend and I were on a 7 day hunt with NB Safaris. On the 6th day, after a couple of long hikes pursuing a Zebra for my friend we came back to camp for a "siesta". I awoke from a short nap and while using the restroom in my room I noticed something in the hollow of my right leg, just behind the knee.

IT WAS A HUGE TICK!!!

About .30 caliber and darkly colored! With the calm and precision of a licensed pro, I faught back the instinct to panic, pulled him off and flushed him down the toilet.

(Only been on one safari and that is the best I can do.)

quote:

Originally posted by JudgeG:
Here's Mine

I doubt anyone on this board or anywhere for that matter will experience with JudgeG got into in this story.

You get a 10 on the dogcat scale of fine story writing - better than Hemmingway (seems you look a bit like Papa)

shooting an unwounded leopard on a full charge with a shotgun 10 feet off the barrel. momentum brought him to within 2-3 feet of the muzzle. afterward had the post adrenalin shakes for about 20 minutes.

jdollar:

More details please.

dog hunt in the Kalahari in Bots. with so few trees, the leopards generally bay up in the blackthorn and when you come up on the leopard-dog furball, the leopard generally picks out a human target and comes for him. in my case, he picked me. as we arrived, he and I made eye contact and he came. SSG from a 12 gauge put paid to the bill. whole thing lasted less than 10 seconds from our arrival to a dead leopard.

My encounter was while hunting Roan in Central African Republic up north on the Aouk River. We were chased back to the hunting vehicle by a band of illegals who were firing AKs at us during our sprint. After we sped away we counted ourselves lucky were were not hit, and not surrounded and captured.

I was guiding mule deer and elk hunters while on break from school and a sport whom I had told not to put a bullet in his rifle's chamber but to keep the mag full was walking behind me. While making a stalk his gun went off and blew my hat off my head .
His logic for walking around with a loaded chamber was " I might not get a shot if we jump a bull and I don't have a round ready"

quote:

Originally posted by Bill 5248:
My encounter was while hunting Roan in Central African Republic up north on the Aouk River. We were chased back to the hunting vehicle by a band of illegals who were firing AKs at us during our sprint. After we sped away we counted ourselves lucky were were not hit, and not surrounded and captured.

Winner!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by 2th doc:
I was guiding mule deer and elk hunters while on break from school and a sport whom I had told not to put a bullet in his rifle's chamber but to keep the mag full was walking behind me. While making a stalk his gun went off and blew my hat off my head .
His logic for walking around with a loaded chamber was " I might not get a shot if we jump a bull and I don't have a round ready"

Holy sheet. I'd have been hard pressed not to choke the life out of someone who did that...