Distance of first shot on the big 5 or dangerous 7?

[spike.t]

Why??

Not sure but Presume this is the part you are questioning?....

but think you are better off getting the leopard to come to the bait with a little more distance.

 

[Ike85123]

I've never hunted leopard at night or hunted where that was legal. And I've passed shots when it was just too dark. I've done it closer, but think you are better off getting the leopard to come to the bait with a little more distance. A hundred yards off of a steady rest is a pretty easy shot. I realize that no shot on a leopard should be taken for granted or considered easy.

I believe if he can smell you at 50yds. Then he can smell you at 100yds just as easy. Finding a ph that can sex the animal and give you the ok to take the shot, that would be hard.
At 50yrds, you will have a better view for hopefully a 1 shot kill.
A great ph will try to position the blind at no more than about 75yrds . Aswell as try to have a obstacle between you and the cat.

 

[Foxi]

200 yards is a long way for most dangerous game species.

200 yards is a nothing shot for an accomplished rifleman in prone or with a good rest.

As exciting as it is to kill something at a stones throw, I wonder how many more PH's that have been killed by wildlife would be alive today if they would have added a bit of distance between them at the first shot.

Dense cover not withstanding.

Some days everything was way too close for me.
We were stalking for buffalo and suddenly HE was standing there.
Quiet as a cat. A real hammer.
Got again the rebuke of my PH not always to grab the camera but the rifle.
But I felt so extremly undergunned with my.375 ; I wanted to have at least a nice pic of him .................

 

[fourfive8]

Some days everything was way too close for me.
We were stalking for buffalo and suddenly HE was standing there.
Quiet as a cat. A real hammer.
Got again the rebuke of my PH not always to grab the camera but the rifle.
But I felt so extremly undergunned with my.375 ; I wanted to have at least a nice pic of him .................
View attachment 395086

I like the photo! So typical. That elephant is thinking, "what are you and what in the h--- are you doing here?"

In close like that gives size perspective doesn't it... as you are looking up!! And yes the under-gunned feeling is an under-statement

 

[Scott CWO]

Some days everything was way too close for me.
We were stalking for buffalo and suddenly HE was standing there.
Quiet as a cat. A real hammer.
Got again the rebuke of my PH not always to grab the camera but the rifle.
But I felt so extremly undergunned with my.375 ; I wanted to have at least a nice pic of him .................
View attachment 395086

Reminds me of a time looking for sable in Moz. We were walking in high grass with an embankment to our right when suddenly a bull elephant that we had not seen on the other side of the embankment caught our scent and scream trumpets from about 10 yards away! So loud and unexpected! I about $h!t myself!

 

[Ike85123]

Im watching a youtube video of croc hunting in zim.
I hope some experienced croc hunters can help me here.
First the ph is wearing a white polo and blue shorts.
Second he positions the hunter laying on the opposite bank about 2ft from the water.
I dont have alot of experience in this type of hunting. But seems sketchy to me?
The dark muddy water, wouldnt let you see your own hand at 6in. And a croc river habitat, I wouldnt feel safe laying by the waters edge.
Also they was talking about taking shots at 200yrds.
None of this makes sense to me.

 

[Vashper]

Ya. That range needs to be left to the military and competitive shooters !

More like a competition. I'm a decent skeptic about military long-range shooting. The bullet's stability is limited. When its speed drops to the sound (in army rifles, this happens somewhere at 600-800 meters of distance), then when passing the sound barrier, the bullet can go somersault, and it is generally unknown where and how it will arrive. Special rifles under 338 Lapua, for example, have a sound barrier of about 1400-1500 meters.Do not forget that the rotation of the bullet is also slowed down, and, therefore, the stabilization is also slowed down. However, a heavy bullet of 300 grane got a groundhog at 1857 m, almost a nautical mile, from the third shot. The bullet still had a supersonic speed. We had such a record about five years ago. But these are not military conditions. And at such a distance, there is hardly enough slaughter for a buffalo.
By the way, if you don't want to get hit by a rifle, don't stop in the open. The bullet flies for a few seconds, the pedestrian passes several meters during this time - you can only hit by accident.

 

[Viral_SIGness]

200 yards is a long way for most dangerous game species.

200 yards is a nothing shot for an accomplished rifleman in prone or with a good rest.

As exciting as it is to kill something at a stones throw, I wonder how many more PH's that have been killed by wildlife would be alive today if they would have added a bit of distance between them at the first shot.

Dense cover not withstanding.

I think the point of dangerous game, is you have to actually be in danger. Otherwise you are just sniping an unaware animal. My PH knows I don't want to be no farther than 40 yards from my Buffalo. Preferably 30.

People who kill large coastal Brown Bear from 250 yards are just a big farce. They can't say they went on a dangerous game hunt, they were never in danger.

I'm going to be using my iron sights for my buffalo.. I'll use my 1-4x24 for Wildebeest. Im going to walk away from this post, as it will just get me banned lol

 

[Charles de Ribeau]

In his book, Buffalo!, Craig Boddington expresses the opinion that it is unethical to try to shoot a buffalo beyond 100 yards. BTW - he has killed over 100 buffalo. I'd say he knows what he is talking about.

 

[Red Leg]

If that is the case why don't you use a sharpened stick and hunt in a loin cloth?

We are short on lions and elephants here, but a dead bear (Polar, Brown or Black) at 200 is better than a dead bear at 50 yards when he can cover that distance in 1-2 seconds.

Grew up in Wyoming and Montana hunting elk in tall timber with brown bears, spent some time as a police officer in the arctic and lived with polar bears every day.

Our most dangerous situations come from accidentally getting between a sow and her cubs.

I have never hunted dangerous game in Africa only plains game, but when I do I am not going to go looking for those 15-50 yard situations, nor turn down shots at 200 that would result in a dead animal.

Fortunately, you will not be given an opportunity to shoot at a DG animal at 200 meters in Africa. Moreover, your PH is going to get you as close as he safely can to your buffalo. That will be inside 100 meters - often inside 50 because of where those big black things tend to set up shop.

 

[Red Leg]

Well I spent a military career deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. I like the enemy dead and a long ways away.

That is terrific. Number of folks here spent meaningful time in the military - one country or another. I can't speak for them, but it taught me a lot about myself - and not a thing about hunting buffalo or elephant.

 

[Viral_SIGness]

In his book, Buffalo!, Craig Boddington expresses the opinion that it is unethical to try to shoot a buffalo beyond 100 yards. BTW - he has killed over 100 buffalo. I'd say he knows what he is talking about.

From the way I understand it Boddington is a joke, and actually banned from hunting in several properties in Africa. His dumbass daughter wanted to hunt Leopard with dogs. When she should have been ready, she went to take a piss, and got the dogs killed and the dog handler attacked, and she shot the handler in the hip. Juat because he has killed 100 does not make him an authority or even right. I know a guy that's killed over 1000 deer, and got some huge trophies. But he does it at night with a spotlight. See where I'm going with this?

 

[Newboomer]

From the way I understand it Boddington is a joke, and actually banned from hunting in several properties in Africa. His dumbass daughter wanted to hunt Leopard with dogs. When she should have been ready, she went to take a piss, and got the dogs killed and the dog handler attacked, and she shot the handler in the hip. Juat because he has killed 100 does not make him an authority or even right. I know a guy that's killed over 1000 deer, and got some huge trophies. But he does it at night with a spotlight. See where I'm going with this?

You can't blame Craig for some stunt his daughter pulled. Was he even there? Not defending the guy, but how about getting the straight story.

 

[WAB]

Plenty of pro and anti Boddington threads already on the forum. No need to run down that rabbit hole again. I think the only point was that those with extensive experience do not endorse long shots at unwounded Cape buffalo.

 

[mark-hunter]

I think that vast majority of clients/hunters/forum members are within experience from 0 to 10 buffallo hunts. And of all of them, less then 4 buffs - most of them (90% ?). This is my impression from nuomerous posts here. (could be wrong in estimate)
It is valuable, it is memorable for sure, but it is not everyday hunt, and generally we have less experience in DG then old timers perhaps.

Those clients who have expereieced it, they can share expereinces, at what distance did they shoot?
But true experts, are our PH's, they really guide the cllients to dozens buffalo hunts per year.

I am preparing for my first buff hunt. Personally I dont expect the shot to be taken longer then 100 m, and most probably around 50ish meters. I checked with my PH, and this is what I was told. Scope will be zeroed accordingly.

 

[Viral_SIGness]

I think that vast majority of clients/hunters/forum members are within experience from 0 to 10 buffallo hunts. And of all of them, less then 4 buffs - most of them (90% ?). This is my impression from nuomerous posts here. (could be wrong in estimate)
It is valuable, it is memorable for sure, but it is not everyday hunt, and generally we have less experience in DG then old timers perhaps.

Those clients who have expereieced it, they can share expereinces, at what distance did they shoot?
But true experts, are our PH's, they really guide the cllients to dozens buffalo hunts per year.

I am preparing for my first buff hunt. Personally I dont expect the shot to be taken longer then 100 m, and most probably around 50ish meters. I checked with my PH, and this is what I was told. Scope will be zeroed accordingly.

I met my PH on a forum in 2004, and we became friends. He actually left that forum, because arm chair Rambos kept arguing with what he had to say. He hasn't joined any other forums. I'm trying to get him to join here, because this is a whole different atmosphere than the old forum he and I were on.

@Newboomer I wasn't blaming him for that. That was too separate thoughts that I failed to separate. But if he can't train his on daughter any better than that, he doesn't need to be giving advice to anyone. I actually asked the man (on his youtube video where he was answering questions) if he was banned in some areas of Africa. He deleted my comment not twice, but three times. Guess I embarrassed him.

 

[Neil Molendyk]

Shot my one and only buffalo at about 70 yards. Had him closer earlier but couldn't get a clean look or clear shot until they spooked and ran away a bit. But we did get to within 15 yards of a bull elephant in the brush. He didn't know we were there as we backed away. That was the end of that buffalo stalk. Luckily the wind was from the elephant to us, not the other way around. It's unbelievable how something that big can hide in the brush, and what a pucker factor it can be.

 

[Tanks]

Fortunately, you will not be given an opportunity to shoot at a DG animal at 200 meters in Africa. Moreover, your PH is going to get you as close as he safely can to your buffalo. That will be inside 100 meters - often inside 50 because of where those big black things tend to set up shop.

Especially in regards to lions and leopards one has to wait for the PH to judge not only the gender but the age of the animal prior to being allowed to shoot. I doubt a PH can do that reliably at that distance, he will not be carrying a 80x spotting scope, these are not sheep hunts.

 

[Firebird]

“Trained his daughter” WTF!? She is a human not a bird dog. Humans make mistakes and leopards are not exactly deer. You weren’t there so don’t bring it up or use it as your example.
we should all be so lucky to have daughters that want to hunt with us especially for dangerous game.
As for the topic at hand-call the ph you are going to hunt with and have a long talk about his expectations. His expectations, then practice your ass off to meet or exceed them.

 

[Charles de Ribeau]

You can't blame Craig for some stunt his daughter pulled. Was he even there? Not defending the guy, but how about getting the straight story.

Correct. I know the outfitter for that hunt and the full story. Craig had nothing to do with it. However, he stepped up and organized a fund raiser for the tracker. It has subsequently helped several other trackers injured during hunts.