1 shot kills

[JT300]

I have always had the philosophy of shooting until the animal is down.

My first kudu staggered around long enough for me to get ready to shoot him again, he didn't have a heart left.

On my last trip to South Africa I shot a baboon, he dropped like a rock and just laid there. By the time that my PH, tracker, and I got to where he was he was gone. After a short tracking job I finished him.


I shot a bull elk here in Colorado with a muzzle loader. 3 shots and they were all kill shots, but he just stood there allowing me the time to load a muzzle loader.

You just never know what is going to happen even with the best shots and until that animal is in the truck you never know what is going to happen.

yes! thats just how i grew up here on the ranch too. If you are shooting something, keep firing until it is down. i shoot coyotes here on the ranch with a 300 Weatherby but my instinct is still to after the first shot find him in the scope and hit him again.

 

[mark-hunter]

Is it the lack of shooting ability, or the lack of experience off sticks that make people seem to shoot so poorly?

In my opinion, all combined plus variable field conditions.

Question is: how much one average hunter trains for his home activities and then for African safari (sticks).
At my place average hunter maybe zeroes a rifle from a bench, few shots, and thats it. I am not aware of anybody who will spend a box of ammo for training in field positions.

 

[Inline6]

It’s a good question Bob. I’ve noticed the same thing. It’s got to be lack of preparation or nerves. I’m sure shooting knowing that you’re being filmed for TV doesn’t help any.

If you do enough shooting you tune it all out and it becomes muscle memory.

Practicing.
Buck fever.
Not sure where wrong bullet selection falls in the list.
Will of the animal to live.

I know lots of people that tell me they can shoot. When you see what they have, more often than not. They are not as good as they think.

 

[matt vejar]

Why do you think quad sticks were designed…..
I used them for the first time on my last Safari. If you can’t hit the 10 ring with them you probably shouldn’t be hunting !!!!

 

[mark-hunter]

Generally speaking, this forum is above average in their attitude and performance in the field.
But not everybody is like that. We are gun nuts and African aficionados.

 

[HankBuck]

No buffalo has ever gone fifty to eighty yards with a heart shot from my rifle caliber 460 Weatherby Magnum. There lies the problem, use enough gun.

GRAND, obviously dead-is-dead and you’ve had good results with your .460 Weatherby but I’ve never even had a Whitretail “drop” from a Heart Shot unless some BONE was also hit. Center heart shots with 12 ga slug, .50 caliber MZ slug have always resulted in 25 to 100 yrd all out “sprints” and they die in mid stride. I always remove the hearts and like to eat them “fried” but with some of these “Heart shots” not much was left. Also, I rarely aim for any Heart - it’s only struck because I hit a little lower then where I aimed, I don’t consider Center Heart good shooting as much as a bit of luck that it wasn’t 3” lower and struck Nothing-but-Air…at least on deer

 

[HankBuck]

Why do you think quad sticks were designed…..
I used them for the first time on my last Safari. If you can’t hit the 10 ring with them you probably shouldn’t be hunting !!!!

MATT, You must be in the “Circus” shooting that good - 10 ring off sticks: IF that is ALL the Time under “Hunting conditions” it’s impressive: Distance matters to mortals, time is Not unlimited getting steady when hunting, and on DG some people get a touch of Adrenalin. I wish I could Always shoot as well in the field as I do at the range — I’d be a Legend!! But my “misses & off center hits and occasionally required 2nd shots” will keep me from being a First Ballot Hall of Famer (or n2d, 3rd ballot either).
But I get your point if it’s: Better shoot well during practice because it’s always harder in the field

 

[matt vejar]

Not the actual 10 ring. I believe believe quad sticks came about, because of the bad shooting of clients and wounding of game. They make any shooter much better because they support the elbow so PH doesn’t have too. You only need to worry about up and down. They’re as close to a standing bench rest as you can find. I think any shooter who has used them will confirm that. Everyone wounds animals but in Africa you pay so Quads are a great thing despite some cumbersome traits. When I left Africa last year and tried to buy them at the big sporting good store in Jo’berg and two smaller ones In Windhoek they were sold out!!! Just my 2 cents.

 

[HankBuck]

Not the actual 10 ring. I believe believe quad sticks came about, because of the bad shooting of clients and wounding of game. They make any shooter much better because they support the elbow so PH doesn’t have too. You only need to worry about up and down. They’re as close to a standing bench rest as you can find. I think any shooter who has used them will confirm that. Everyone wounds animals but in Africa you pay so Quads are a great thing despite some cumbersome traits. When I left Africa last year and tried to buy them at the big sporting good store in Jo’berg and two smaller ones In Windhoek they were sold out!!! Just my 2 cents.

Matt, agree “sticks” improve shooting vs. shooting off hand - anything is steadier then Off Hand. Shooting off sticks was Not started in Africa and was used in the U.S. well over 150+ years ago - commonly by Buffalo Hunters out West. They allow a steady rest anywhere and I like them. In Africa I found them helpful but occasionally “slow” to set up on moving Buffalo and often the “height” (when first set up) was wrong for me and had to be adjusted again —- all of this takes time and sometimes means missing opportunity for a shot —- but better then “missing The shot”.

 

[matt vejar]

I agree on buffalo the first shot is all that counts. My friend in Montana who has shot a zillion animals their- rancher - I met in Argentina. He went to Zim for buff and I told him “first shot has to be good”, made a bad shot and they lost him. That hurts. I’ve been lucky only have lost a Steenbok!!!!! I latter shot a monster. Best extra $300 bucks I ever spent!!!

 

[Franco]

By saying "one shot kills" do you mean 1 shot and the animal drops to the ground - dead, or do you mean, 1 shot and it runs a bit and drops?

I think we've all experienced both; and if you adhere to the practice of keep shooting until whatever you're shooting at is dead - you're going to see examples of, "How was he still alive?"

I hit this cape buffalo low in the right shoulder and he dropped in his tracks - blood spurting out of the entry with every heart beat. I approached from behind and he stumbled to his feet and attempted to pivot towards me. I hit him again square in the "hips" and he dropped.
Both shoulders were broken and this is what his heart looked like:

Last summer in Zambia, I hit a Sable, standing looking at us, right in the chest - he reared backwards, fell - got to his feet and took off running full speed. At 40 yds he ran straight into a tree. When the skinners opened him up - his heart was mangled.

We all try to maximize our shots and minimize the risk of wounding an animal, but not all shots are perfect, nor are the opportunities. Pertaining to those videos you mentioned, was it a poor shot or was it a bad opportunity? When you've spent thousands of dollars and invested a number of days, it can be difficult to pass up a shot.

These animals are tough, living in a harsh environment - sometimes they just don't want to die.

 

[HankBuck]

By saying "one shot kills" do you mean 1 shot and the animal drops to the ground - dead, or do you mean, 1 shot and it runs a bit and drops?

I think we've all experienced both; and if you adhere to the practice of keep shooting until whatever you're shooting at is dead - you're going to see examples of, "How was he still alive?"

I hit this cape buffalo low in the right shoulder and he dropped in his tracks - blood spurting out of the entry with every heart beat. I approached from behind and he stumbled to his feet and attempted to pivot towards me. I hit him again square in the "hips" and he dropped.
Both shoulders were broken and this is what his heart looked like:
View attachment 590487View attachment 590488
View attachment 590489
Last summer in Zambia, I hit a Sable, standing looking at us, right in the chest - he reared backwards, fell - got to his feet and took off running full speed. At 40 yds he ran straight into a tree. When the skinners opened him up - his heart was mangled.

We all try to maximize our shots and minimize the risk of wounding an animal, but not all shots are perfect, nor are the opportunities. Pertaining to those videos you mentioned, was it a poor shot or was it a bad opportunity? When you've spent thousands of dollars and invested a number of days, it can be difficult to pass up a shot.

These animals are tough, living in a harsh environment - sometimes they just don't want to die.

Nothing wrong with Your shot placement - a grenade wouldn’t have done more heart damage! Sometimes they just need a minute to expire - and a lot of damage can be done in that time if you’re nearby

 

[Franco]

Nothing wrong with Your shot placement - a grenade wouldn’t have done more heart damage! Sometimes they just need a minute to expire - and a lot of damage can be done in that time if you’re nearby

Thanks.
You are so right about damage - a minute can be a long time.

 

[Aussie_Hunter]

What frustrates me the most is I quite often see in these videos, the shot fired and then the hunter more worried about trying to catch the piece of brass, rather than reloading quickly and trying to get in a follow up shot. Go all the way to Africa and take a shot at an animal worth thousands of dollars and then worry about a piece of brass worth a few dollars

 

[JimP]

What frustrates me the most is I quite often see in these videos, the shot fired and then the hunter more worried about trying to catch the piece of brass, rather than reloading quickly and trying to get in a follow up shot. Go all the way to Africa and take a shot at an animal worth thousands of dollars and then worry about a piece of brass worth a few dollars

That's the way that a number of us are conditioned who hunt non dangerous game here in North America and elsewhere.

My last safari I didn't loose any brass thanks to my tracker. On my first safari I lost a couple. But I had to stop the urge to catch the empties as they came out of the chamber.