I’ve posted this here before a while back but to those who haven’t seen it, here is a repeat, and to those who have already seen it skip it!

While driving to an area in the Luangwa Valley, where we knew there were lots of Cape buffalo on any given day, we spotted about 15 Cookson’s wildebeest on the other side of a small dry wash. There was some sparse vegetation along that wash but not enough to hid us from the prying eyes of the willies, and there were four Eland bulls with them as well. There was about 400 yds of open grass to the wash.

My PH stopped the cruiser, and we got out on the off side, and laid down while the cruiser drove off. We belly crawled the 400 yds to the wash where there was a small termite mound around a small dead tree on the opposite bank of the wash to hide us so we could glass the Willies. The termite mound had holes in it where honey badgers had dug into the mound and the sides were slick enough that I had to stick my elbow in one of the holes to hold me up long enough to shoot. The willies were still about 200 yes away.

I shot one of the bulls, and when he ran around in a circle and stopped in about the same place he had been for the first shot. I popped him again in almost the same hole, and he dropped. We stood up and glassed him for a minute, then I went back to the termite mound, where I left my camera. My hair stood on end and I’m sure my eyes were as large a dinner plates, because out of that hole where I’d just had my elbow, slid a six foot cobra.

This was in the last week of June so the temperature was cool, and I didn’t expect to see snakes! The PH said he was probably denned up in the mound, and had slid out to get some sun. Now! I’m not normally bothered by the presence of snakes, as long as I know they are out, but this one made me a little nervous to say the least, and my eyes were wide open from that day on!

The Wildebeest sported a 28” spread, with good bosses, and was worth the crawl, but I could have done well without the cobra!

Not hunting but this happend in Côte d'Ivoire some years ago.
I was there to visit my sister and she had a great idea that we instead of renting a car would travel across the country in a bus with the locals. To make a long story short when we arrived at the place to wait for the bus all the ~200 people that was already there "charged" our car !! We had 10 people on the hood 3 on the roof and people all around shaking the car and screaming at us - I looked at my sister to see if she was nervous and if we were in trouble but she was laughing about 2 sec later when our car was standing on two wheels she wasnt laughing anymore ! After I put my money in my underwear we stepped out and the only thing they wanted to do was to touch my blonde hair and squeeze my arms ... I have probably seen too many movies but for a second or two I had some bad feelings.

Two instances.

2002, warvets invaded the farm I was hunting on in the Gwayi Valley and throw us all off at gunpoint, At least the police were pointing their SLRs at us to ensure we didn't interfere with the illegal warvet invasion.

Not really scary but somewhat exciting, though not for the landowner.


Second Instance:

Collecting mail from the General Post Office in Dar es Salaam, Some one threw a grenade through one of the windows. Everyone in the room hit the floor, jumped out the door, dropped behind the counter, except for us five stupid Mazungas.

Turned out to be a rock. Had it been a grenade I would be filling small cracks in the wall behind, still to this day.

Third instance:

Not hunting but was actually scary. Walking across Cape Town from near the docks to the Malay Quarter across town late at night with my wife, after seeing a show and no taxis in sight the entire walk back. Everyone else had prearranged transport, but no casual taxis.

Early season, in the jess, elephant herd to the front of us,cows and calves, then elephant on the left, then more downwind to the right of us, that must have caught our wind because they started with the trumpeting and crashing about. Meanwhile the bunch in front getting closer, couldn't see them but sure could see the vegetation quivering and shaking about. Game scout racks his AK. And I am standing there with nothing more than a video camera.

Nother time, stalking down a dry wash into a herd of buff, deep so we could walk for the most part without being seen. Buff on 3 sides. Moving closer, there was one spot with some rocks where the gully sides were lower, we had to get down to avoid being seen. I am moving through the exposed spot, on hands and knees, when the tracker behind me hisses. I look to my right, a mean looking cow buffalo is staring right at me, not 30 yards away. I freeze. The cow stares. This went on for maybe 2 minutes but it seemed longer. Eventually she turns around and runs off.

Two good memories for me.

When Buzz Charlton took his shirt off to go fish my hippo out of the Zambezi.

And, same hunt...

We came upon a large herd of cow elephants and calves, the matriarch was a very big and ornery tuskless. I had already filled my license but they decided to make a serious charge and Buzz's shouting did not convince the old girl.

Just as it was clear we better scramble and things really went south with screaming ele's (running at us) and screaming humans I heard that unmistakeable sound of an AK being racked behind me. I turned around to see the game scout with the barrel of his AK pointed right at me. He was probably 6 yards away.

I'm not sure which is the scariest thing, being charged by a wounded Cape buffalo, having a black bear try to climb into a stand with you, or being circled by a sow Kodiak bear with a cub. Since I've had all three happen to me, I'll have to think on that one.

Since this is the African forum, I guess I'll have to pick the Cape buffalo charge. I will say this. After it was all over with, my knees were a bit on the weak side.

Provided I have only hunted North America, I can say that I havent been truely scared since I turned 16 or so in the woods. Edit: I would be scared to sleep within ten yards of the gut pile, as the bears have become accustomed to flesh. These bears also kill alot of deer and other prey. We have pictures of one killing and I think eating a coon.

At the age of 12-13, I had been baiting deer in a location which was bucky. I would pile the corn up or place it in a feeder. I had noticed the bear was making a decent path to and from my feeder, and finally he tore the feeder up. One particular evening I stat 30 yards from him as he ate and ate and ate. I was ready to leave when I hollared hey bear, note I was scared senseless. He decided to charge for my hill, I stood up with my shotgun and got ready to shoot. He stopped and left for the woods at about 15 yards away. The only reason I didnt shoot him was that I was forbidden to take bears on that tract. Everyone was waiting for me at the camp, I didnt get back until well after dark. When I got to camp, they all knew exactly what had happened. Ever since then my fear of bears has been lifted. I have been under the tree of treed bears and even head on with charging bears.

At an earlier age (10) I would imagine bears in the dark, I could always see them (spots) and just know they were going to attack me. Several nights I had to wait for someone to come get me from my deer stands, as I believed bears were after me.

My fear of snakes is almost non existant. Its more of a hesistance towards poisonous snakes. I will pick up and play with non poisonous snakes.

I have never been to Africa, so I have no African experiences. I dont think snakes will bother me, I think my first lions moan at night will raise my hair. I dont know if I will go swimming in any rivers as I do not want to get snarled with a hippo. Many times I think folks confuse being startled and being scared. I would have to say having lions attacking the buffalo you are hunting is probably the scariest story.

Almost ran out of scotch once... close call

ssshhhhhhhh. don't say out of scotch. If Steve hears those three words he will go catatonic.You know glassy eyed and stiff. NO NO NO not passed out he is like that normaly. I mean catatonic you know can't think straight oooppps thats normal for him too. OK OK i got it!!! Unable to function Well hell that won't work either he does not function like normal people.
OK just take you word for it and don't say those three words around him it get's really ugly

On a buffalo/leopard hunt in Zimbabwe in 2008 we cut the tracks of a medium sized herd of buffalo. Upon catching up to them, noon time had rolled around and the herd started to bed down for a bit. After they got up and started milling about, I shot my bull in the shoulder and the herd took off. Unknown to us, a pair of lions were stalking the herd as well. My bull ran about 85 yards and the minute he fell the two lions (a young male and female) were on him. Ian Gibson, my PH ran up yelling at the lions telling them to find their own buffalo. They ran just off into the bush. They made a couple of mock charges and Ian had the game scout fire a round over their heads. They finally ran up and over the ridge. It probably only took a minute or two but it seemed like an eternity. I had my hunt filmed and if given some direction I can try and post this encounter.

This one happened to my son.

It was 2007. He had just graduated from college. I took him on a 21 day hunt to Tanzania for his graduation present. He wanted a leopard badly. I might add that this was a new area that supposedly had never been hunted by tourist hunters before.

On the first afternoon, I shot a zebra. The next day we hung 4 baits. The first night a big male leopard hammered the bait where I had selected the sight. I radioed Ryan as I wanted him to have the first crack at the leopard. A blind was build and a plan was made.

They entered the blind. They saw nothing but did hear the leopard. At the appointed time, the truck comes to pick them up. They had driven perhaps 300 yards when they noticed some impala that were being stalked by 2 leopards! They watched them for a few minutes. Needless to say they found this interesting. After several minutes they drove off right by the leopards who appeared to not be bothered by the truck. Now the truck had a lot of meat in it from something that Ryan had shot. As they passed the leopards, the leopards apparently caught wind of the meat. They started following the truck. Now Ryan and the PH thought this was funnier than hell as they shined the lights on the leopards behind the truck. The humor in the situation ended quickly when they heard a pop followed by pssssssssssss. They had a flat with 2 leopards within 50 yards of them.

The 2 leopards started walking around the truck at about 30 yards. Ryan and the PH got their guns out while one of the staff shined the lights on the leopards while 2 others changed the tire.

When they got back to camp, the look on their faces told me something extraordinary had happened.

He did manage to get the leopard a few days later. I had found one of their kills nearby. They changed the blind location and got him the first attempt.

Want to tell about a friend, Jack Jones of Dallas, Texas. This happened back in the '80s.

Jack was out on a lion hunt and his PH found a pride that had a nice male. Jack said it took a bit of stalking to get to a good shooting position. His PH gave him the OK and he took his shot, but just as he fired, his lion lurched a bit and took the round too far back.
The lion was wounded and scrambeled into a moderate size brushy patch off to his left. They expected the pride to scatter, but two of the females from the pride stood their ground.

The PH wanted to declare it as a lost trophy, but Jack would not hear of it. He told the PH he was going after his trophy.

As Jack moved forward, one dominant female, still standing her ground, got very aggitated.

As Jack continued forward the cat charged and Jack killed it with a head shot. He began to advance again and the other dominant female took up guard and at his next step, she also charged. Jack also killed her with a head shot.

All the while the PH was with him and telling Jack to back off and leave these angry cats alone.

Jack finally recovered his trophy lion. It had died from his shot, but he never got to take the trophy home.

The PH reported the incident and Jack was accosted by the game department for shooting the other lions. His shooting of the two female lions was considered justified, since both lions had been shot while charging him, but his hunt was ended and he was directed to leave the country.

quote:

What was your most hair raising personal experience while hunting?

Static electricity

Not from Africa, still dreaming of that place, but one hunting instance comes to mind. . .

I was 16 and bow hunting in a large tract of woods. I stayed late in the stand to listen to coyotes singing, because it was very pretty. I finally climbed down with my climbing treestand, and began the hike back to the truck with my climbing treestand strapped to my back. Hadn't gone far when I kept hearing this sound in the leaves behind me, as if something was following me.

I stopped to listen and there was nothing. So I continued walking, and again it was rustling in the leaves like something following me. I stopped and looked back (no flashlight and very dark), and again nothing. This went on for about 100 yards. I would walk and hear the noises, then stop and there would be nothing.

Finally said to heck with this and took off on a full sprint to the truck, got there and flung my stand off and jumped in, locked the doors and turned the lights on. Nothing

Finally calmed down enough to climb out of the truck and put my stand into the back, and that's when I noticed my bow pull up rope had been hanging from the stand and dragging about 25 feet behind me. Yep, that's me, terrified of 25 feet of nylon rope.

Second time I was the most scared in my life was not hunting related. I was in Argentina studying during law school, and a buddy and I flew up to the Iguazu Falls for a weekend to see the sights. We got the bright idea that we just had to see the falls from the Brazil side, and we had to go into Paraguay just to say we'd been there. Problem was, we didn't have Visas which both countries require for Americans

So we found a cab driver that agreed to pay off the border guards and get us into Brazil to see the falls, and then into Paraguay into the city of Cuidad del Este (which apparently is a very dangerous city)

We made it illegally into Brazil with no problems, but got stuck in a big traffic jam at the Brazil/Paraguay border. There were thousands of folks flooding to the border to act as mules from Paraguay back into Brazil. People everywhere, and we stand out as foreigners because my buddy is bright red haired, pale white skin, and freckled

The cabbie goes up to the guard shack to figure out what the hold up is, and comes back and says, no kidding, "No problem. The Border guards just shot somebody. No problem."

And at that point we can't turn around, we're stuck in the traffic jam, and the cabbie makes it very clear that to leave the cab would be "Muy Peligrosa. You be stabbed!"

We made it through, and got a fine tour of Cuidad del Este, from a cab driver who we learned held the belief that the only reason two Americans would want to risk illegally venturing in Cuidad del Este would be to score Cocaine. AND HE DIDN'T CARE and agreed to take us for what amounted to $20 american. Incidentally, we were NOT there to score any mind altering substance.

Dumb dumb

Bake

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:

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)

Same for me.

Last year while accompanying my daughter on a hunt for a lioness we had a hair raising experience. We were using a remote caller and were in a neaby blind. After 30 min. the PH said something was neaby because of the sound of birds. After 20 min. we received a call over the radio that a lioness was in a neaby village and would we come and do something. The people were locked in a bathroom. My daughter could have shot the lioness but using locals as bait seemed unsportsmanlike. We pushed the cat away from the village. After a snack and refreshments we returned to the blind and found a/the lioness up in a tree and looking down into our blind. (There was a pride of lions working the area so we are unsure what animals visited our blind earlier when the birds gave notice) It made for exciting video and pictures but also was unnerving. If we had been in the blind it could have been quite a scene. Moral of the story...don't build you blind under a tree!

2008

In the extreme south of Botswana. Cold Kalahri night............

Still three days hard hunting ahead of us.......

100 miles from nearest human settlement...

My hunting mate passes me a Captain Morgan & Coke and announces the booze is now finished!

quote:

Originally posted by Stephen Palos:
2008

In the extreme south of Botswana. Cold Kalahri night............

Still three days hard hunting ahead of us.......

100 miles from nearest human settlement...

My hunting mate passes me a Captain Morgan & Coke and announces the booze is now finished!

So you popped into town to avoid a tragedy then?

Video Clip:

Anybody beat this? (Short version)

It was September of 2001 on a Lion hunt in the Selous, while riding in an open bakkie through the long grass with the occasional Mopane and I was dozing in the afternoon heat. Long grass had been landing in my lap and I had been hand sweeping it out with my hand whilst holding a shotgun between my legs.

I hand swept some grass out as I awakened and a piece came back into my lap. Swept it out again and again it came back into my lap and looked up into my eyes. I said "There's a snake in the truck" as I knocked the green snake onto the floorboard and simultaneously swung both legs up onto the hood. I was watching the snake intently and considering options as I was conscious of the vehicle slowing, when I heard my PH say calmly, "Mike, you must get out of the truck."

Sounded like good advice at the time, so I exited the vehicle in one well executed movement, with the shotgun, while the vehicle was still moving. I then looked at my PH for the first time since the snake fell into my lap, and noticed he was outside the vehicle, steering with one hand, as the vehicle slowed to a stop. The trackers and game scout had already bailed out of the rear. I watched the snake crawl up into the back of the dashboard, out of sight.

There's more, including the dismantling of the dashboard and how we finally got the snake to vacate the vehicle and the PH's comment as to how he had never seen a big man move so fast. But you get the idea.

Btw, that was my 11th safari and I had never even seen a snake in any African country prior to this incident.

quote:

Anybody beat this?

My wife came out to the bakkie wearing her new Safari gear and asked "Does this make me look" fat?" Gentlemen, honesty is NOT the best policy At that moment, a snake in the bakkie seem a more survivable prospect.

I love reading all of the stories.

quote:

My wife came out to the bakkie wearing her new Safari gear and asked "Does this make me look" fat?" Gentlemen, honesty is NOT the best policy At that moment, a snake in the bakkie seem a more survivable prospect.

I bet I know what you told her!

It is hunting but not animal related. Traversing steep slopes on loose shale.
I get very nervous! It is a long way down.
I really respect a lot of you die hard sheep and goat hunters that walk on this stuff!
I know it is not African hunting; But???

EZ

Broke my leg (just slipped) the first day of a very expensive 21 day safari in Tanzania....I was very worried about the $$$$$ until I shot a buffalo enroute to the plane that was to take me back to Arusha. I was back in my leopard blind the next night after a visit to the Muslim Women's Charity Hospital!!!!

D. Nelson

quote:

Originally posted by Aspen Hill Adventures:

quote:

My wife came out to the bakkie wearing her new Safari gear and asked "Does this make me look" fat?" Gentlemen, honesty is NOT the best policy At that moment, a snake in the bakkie seem a more survivable prospect.

I bet I know what you told her!

He's still living since he posted that reply. So he must have given the only possibly reply: "It's lovely dear. I like it a lot."

quote:

I bet I know what you told her!

I bet you can. One of the few times in my life that I actually saw the future. Good thing we hadn't started on the Amarula yet