As in an auto accident?

On my first and only safari, we were going up a road to the primary hunting property at about 45 mph. Out of nowhere, a young kudu bull comes blasting out of the roadside bushes quartering past the front end of the truck. The PH who was driving had just enough time to swerve (and the kudu had just enough time to see us and jink back toward the roadside) to keep all involved from getting badly hurt.

It was a close call but, thankfully, nothing bad came of it except a bit of dry-mouth. Anyone else ever have a near miss ith wild game while on safari?

Lots..... but the funniest was when I was belting down the highway with the director of hunting for a certain SA province in the cab with me and we were discussing a new crackdown he'd just announced on any killing of game within the road reserve. He was also giving me directions as we drove...... suddenly he realised we were about to miss a turn and told me to take a quick left.

I hurtled round the turn and straight into a bunch of warthogs at about 120 kph..... bits of pig went in all directions..... and it went VERY quiet in the truck for a second or two..... and then he said, "Steve, whatever you do, don't fuckin' stop!"



Also had lots of hassle with elephants hippos and rhinos etc. To say nothing of lions who are attracted by the smell of dead buffalo in the truck...... esp a problem when you get a puncture at night.

also, whilst not a safari truck, I have a classic Jeep with the AMC 5.7 litre engine and cobra pipes.... We sometimes take it into the KNP and there's something about the exhaust note that the elephants absolutely hate and they regularly chase us and give us shit.

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
Lots..... but the funniest was when I was belting down the highway with the director of hunting for a certain SA province in the cab with me and we were discussing a new crackdown he'd just announced on any killing of game within the road reserve. He was also giving me directions as we drove...... suddenly he realised we were about to miss a turn and told me to take a quick left.

I hurtled round the turn and straight into a bunch of warthogs at about 120 kph..... bits of pig went in all directions..... and it went VERY quiet in the truck for a second or two..... and then he said, "Steve, whatever you do, don't fuckin' stop!"



Also had lots of hassle with elephants hippos and rhinos etc. To say nothing of lions who are attracted by the smell of dead buffalo in the truck...... esp a problem when you get a puncture at night.

also, whilst not a safari truck, I have a classic Jeep with the AMC 5.7 litre engine and cobra pipes.... We sometimes take it into the KNP and there's something about the exhaust note that the elephants absolutely hate and they regularly chase us and give us shit.

Jambo Bwana

You ought to watch your p's and q's - our AR 'Profanity Policeman' may not take too kindly at your liberal use of the Queen's English - or maybe he doesn't have the pumbus to reprimand you

In Matetsi the Land Cruiser was charged by a guinea fowl that went the opposite way of all the others

I had a memorable day in the Gonarezhou in 1993.

We had lions on bait. To make a long story short, the lions ended up following us in the dark. When I detected they were behind me, there was exactly 6 of my foot prints in front of the lion tracks.

We checked baits far away from camp that afternoon. On the way back, the PH was driving very fast. We started up a hill when a cow elephant crossed in front of us. The PH locked up the brakes. I estimate we missed the elephant by less than a foot.

We got back to camp after dark to learn that the locals needed 10 impala for the opening of a clinic. It was requested that we shoot them. Off we go with a spotlight to shoot the impala.

I had shot 7 when we came across a group of 4. I shot 3 of them. One was still there apparently blinded by the light. The PH asked me to hold the light. I asked him what he was going to do. He responded that he was going to catch it! This is going to be good I thought.

He exited the vehicle and proceeded to jump on the impala ewe. The impala was making an awful lot of noise. I was laughing. I could not believe he had caught her. She was kicking like crazy. She got loose and jumped straight up and over the hood of the truck and right into my lap! A hoof got me on the finger and put a dent in the stock of my old 416. It was numb for weeks.

I told the PH that he was way too dangerous. he almost gets me eaten by lions. Then he tried to use me as an enema for a elephant cow. I could deal with being hurt by a lion or an elephant. However, I would never live it down if he got me hurt by an angry impala ewe!

double post - sorry.

"...charged by a guinea fowl."

Kibokolambogo,

Ah mate the profanity police are just folks who don't properly appreciate the true value and versatility of the English language.... and if they doubt it, I'm always happy to politely explain how and why it truly is such a wonderfully versatile word.

Anyway, in this case, I was quoting someone and to omit the word would be a misquote and I'm far too polite to deliberately misquote someone!

Male ostrich tried to get in the car with us in RSA. He got about two feet of head and neck in the window and did a bit of "pecking" before we stayed him off. Funny stuff.

Larry- You made me laugh out loud! Very funny.

I hunted with George Hallimore, Lou's son, in Zim. His Cruiser had a dent in the hood with a 4" hole in the metal. He told me they were out on a 2-track hunjting and surprised an Elephant cow. She charged, gored the hood, and actually pushed the cruiser backwards until she gave up and went away. Pretty wild!

PH had to swerve to miss a group of baboons in the middle of the lane on the highway from Windhoek to Outji. I thought catching them with the door would have been pretty good.

I had an elephant cow in Tanzania that wasn't too pleased at our proxsimity on the same planet. She was mozying on over when the PH finally had enough and shot over her head. That seemed to discourage her.

Brett

Almost hit a cow ele in Chirisa. We were on a narrow 2 track with very high grass on both sides right up to the edge of the road going slow. She just popped out on the road in front of us, stopped on the road and turned to face us at water pistol range.Hard to say which of us was more surprised. Spike hit the brakes to avoid hitting her, jammed it in reverse and floored it, all the time praying to Our Blessed Lady of Acceleration. If we had been a few seconds earlier she would have run into the side of the cruiser. The quick reflexes of Youth carried the day.

Lucky for us she was content to make rude comments about our ancestry and did not charge us, could have turned out not so well for us.

When hunting deep Africa there are no roads where
one can go 45 mph.
However I did survive a mamba attack, He struck the vehicle either at my leg or the trackers leg hanging out of the truck. A nine foot snake.
This is the aftermath.





Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
I hunted with George Hallimore, Lou's son, in Zim. His Cruiser had a dent in the hood with a 4" hole in the metal. He told me they were out on a 2-track hunjting and surprised an Elephant cow. She charged, gored the hood, and actually pushed the cruiser backwards until she gave up and went away. Pretty wild!

Biebs:
When the cow pushed George's Cruiser around, it actually got hung over a big cliff that dropped off about 50 feet. Lou showed me the spot in Chirisa. 20" or so more and they'd have been dead. I think they had to get a tractor to pull them out where the axle was hung on the cliff's edge tettering to and fro.

The hole was kind of cool, though. It looked like a dud 40mm round had penetrated the vehicle. I think the game scout did a bit of rock and roll on the cow, but it was never found (or maybe even hit?).

Mike,
That snake photo gives me the hebe jibees!

My landy was dinged by giraffe, waterbuck and one pissed off buffalo bull. Fortunately Series 2A were built like the proverbial brick shitter and the mine protection didnt hurt either!

quote:

Originally posted by retreever:
When hunting deep Africa there are no roads where
one can go 45 mph.
However I did survive a mamba attack, He struck the vehicle either at my leg or the trackers leg hanging out of the truck. A nine foot snake.
This is the aftermath.





Mike

That's some nutty stuff right there. I've never - and hope to never - encounter a snake that big in person outside of a zoo.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...=783109056#783109056

Photos of George Hallamore's truck. When we arrived in Chirisa for my husband's elephant hunt and my buffalo hunt, George was finishing up with his client. The story made for a great evening around the campfire.

i have ridden with terry von rooyen - enuf said

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
i have ridden with terry von rooyen - enuf said

The man does keep his foot on the floor! Actually, I predicted that by this season he will have started to slow down. Driving his own truck and paying for the repairs ought to settle him down some. Still, riding with him is an adventure.

Dean

This is when you test the terminal ballistics of a Cruiser against a young kudu bull... The Cruiser went straight over it, with a big tariler behind us.

Do dopey, reckless Namibian women drivers count? Her damaged car.

I'm honestly getting more and more surprised at how many folks have had close encounters with wild animals on the road. I thought we'd get a few interesting stories, but holy cow...

It's amazing to see that, despite not living in these areas for moe han a safari duration at a time, how frequently people get into it with mother nature.

PH ran right over a dead donkey in the highway.

George Hallamore has had more than one scrape with his vehicle and eles. Last November we were driving into Chete for a tuskless hunt and arrived after dark. To those of you that have been there, you know it is a fairly long drive from the main road on a two track to camp. A calf ele came out of the bush and we just missed hitting it by a few inches. The cow was right behind it and made a lunge at us but George drives to fast for any elephant to catch him unless it attacks from the front.

465H&H

I have not personally, but my first PH and his wife in South Africa hit two kudu in the road going from Kimberley back to their home outside of Douglas one evening. The PH's wife was severely injured, but lived and eventually recovered after a year's time. The PH was also injured. According to him, both were extremely lucky not to have been killed.

When we were hunting on Moyowosi in Western Tanzania in 2005 we had a cow buffalo charge our vehicle and she slammed into us near the left rear wheel as I was sitting on that side. Near that spot we found where poachers had killed and cooked a hippo. My PH suspected the buff had been wounded as well, causing her foul mood.

Once, maybe in 2003 (in LU 1, I think?) in the Selous with Pierr'e van Tonder, bumping along on a dismal two track, we were surprised by a one-tusked cow from about 20 yards. She charged out of some thick stuff and was gaining on the vehicle (with me, Pierr'e and Anneli in the seat on the top).



Pierr'e was yelling something to the driver that sounded like twende-too, twende-too! )(phonetic?) which I believe it means something like "Hurry up! Hurry up!".

My comment was, ".22? .22? .... Hell! .500 Nitro, .500 Nitro!"

We laughed about it over sundowners that night, but it wasn't so funny when the mad lady was flat-eared and ten feet behind the Cruiser. Scared the poop out of me.

I did appreciate the comment Pierr'e made when he took a sip of coke and brandy that evening and allowed that every bunch of elephants needed a tough matriarch like that protective cow that chased us.

We are in their world and if they don't like it, it is a consequence that we need to accept ... to the point of occasionally almost getting our clocks cleaned and protecting ourselve only if absolutely necessary.

JMHO.

Hey, Retriever and other folks that have hunted Pierr'e Greater Ruaha concession. Did the "Airstrip elephant" ever come after you? I think he chased the vehicle every day for three safaris when traveled that way. You, too? I saw him for three straight years. When I last was chased by him (about 3 years ago) he was about 35 pounds. I imagine he is getting grown. Is he still around and still angry?

Seeing the Mamba reminded me of nearly running over one on a dirt track deep in the Selous. My PH Lance vigorously instructed our driver to redirect the vehicle, just in time to avoid pissing this rather large snake off. It was traveling straight down the road in our on coming track and slithered under the truck and right into an ant hill. Very Spooky. I watched the road quite intently the next few days.

My uncle and cousin were tracking buffalo in western Tanzania when an eagle flew litteraly right over top of them carrying a mamba. All they could think was "Hold on, hold on!"

Brett

A friend and fellow DSC member known to many had a leopard get in the back with him and his family. Leopard chewed on my friend a bit but all ended well.
He is retired now and living in the hill country of Texas.

..--..

Guy I used to work for ran NMB bank in Tanzania. Said a cash truck was going from Morogoro to Iringa and passing through Mikumi National Park when it collided with a wildebeest running hell bent for leather across the road. When they started to get out to assess the damage the reason behind the wildebeest's haste was revealed by a group of lions that had been chasing it. They were forced to stay in the truck for several hours while the lions ate.

We have used a Toyota to kill too many animals, including gemsbok, steenbok, aardwolf and puff adder - all unintentionally, of course.

I prefer to hunt with a rifle, but sometimes, especially at night, the game just runs into the truck! What are you going to do?!?

We have narrowly missed our share of elephant, and we once had to slow down and follow a pride of lions, until they finally elected to cede the right of way.

Driving at night through the African bush can be an adventure in itself.

I guess I've been lucky but the only times I really felt in danger were when I was in a vehicle. The first hour of the first day of my first safari we encountered a wounded bull elephant on the road just at daylight. This was in th days of Cruisers with no tops or doors and I don't mind saying I felt very exposed as this bull charged the vehicle several times right up to about 25-30 feet ears flapping and trumpeting loudly. I suggested to our PH "let's get the $%^& out of here" but he seemed litte concerned. The ele finally went into the bush and in the meantime we had discovered a huge festering wound on the elephant's forehead. We ended up shooting the elephant but that's another story. What I did discover is that I would not loose control of my bowels and scream like a little girl the first time I encountered a threat from DG.

Mark

I've been in vehicles in Zimbabwe and Botswana when an elephant got serious about doing us major damage. One of the Land Cruisers was an open rig, and the elephant that was chasing us came within a few feet of grabbing one of us. We were fortunate to get away.

In a book I wrote for Hubert Thummler, he described how a wounded leopard they were following in a vehicle tried to jump into the back where he was standing. His hastily fired shot knocked it to the ground and ultimately killed it.

In another well-known hunter's book that I'm working on now, he describes how he shot an unprovoked lion off the hood of his vehicle in broad daylight in the C.A.R. The lion charged, unprovoked, the vehicle from 50 yards. My client's daughter was with them, and she told about ducking under the dash when the PH shot and missed the lion as it rushed them.

Their story made me remember following prides of lions around at night in open vehicles on "game drives" at some of the South African tourist resorts I've visited. It's a wonder fewer people aren't killed or injured in those "take only pictures, leave only footprints" places.

Incidentally, Steve, it looks like the steering wheel is on the left side of your Jeep. Do you have trouble driving it in Africa?

Bill Quimby