Double tap or safety shot!!

[ActionBob]

Unless it's a life or death situation, or the PH has my permission, they better not "Double tap" my shot, or they can pay the trophy fee. Following up my shot ,with their own, a nano second after, is something that would really irk me.

No offense to the PH's.

+1.

+2

 

[ActionBob]

I offer follow up shots on my whitetail customers here in Texas. As long as I see impact I put one into it as well to lesson the likelihood of loosing an animal bc of a poor shot

I discuss this when they get to camp and if they question I will not do it as per their request. I have lost three deer in four years. You know how many request not to do a follow up shot? Only 4 out of 100

Cody;
I may not fully understand the situations you hunt in, but you did just assure I will never book a hunt with you. If the likelihood is that great that the animal will be lost, I'll hunt elsewhere. Just my personal preference to not even need to have that talk regarding a whitetail.

 

[Norwegianwoods]

Unless it's a life or death situation, or the PH has my permission, they better not "Double tap" my shot, or they can pay the trophy fee. Following up my shot ,with their own, a nano second after, is something that would really irk me.

No offense to the PH's.

I totally agree.
And I would not accept him as my PH for the rest of my hunt.

 

[Foxi]

Unless it's a life or death situation, or the PH has my permission, they better not "Double tap" my shot, or they can pay the trophy fee. Following up my shot ,with their own, a nano second after, is something that would really irk me.

No offense to the PH's.

Brent,I agree with you.
I told my Ph's ,that they can do what is necesarry ,so we are in great danger,but otherwise it is only my party.

An expirienced friend accept the back up from the Phs on DG, when his second shot doesn't work.
This is OK .

I know a Guide in BC ,which shoots always with his clients ,when it was going on Grizzly Bear.
Probably he is a lonley boy
Foxi

 

[sierraone]

Speaking as a "gonna be", and never hunted Africa as yet, would it not be prudent to have the PH take a shot if you were going to lose a wounded animal?

 

[Petrus Geldenhuys]

This is a very interesting topic. As a PH Ive had clients ask me if i could finish off their animal, but Ive also had client that refused me to shoot their animals......

In a Plains game situation ill try and give my client as many opportunities to finish off his own animal as possible, that being said I've had situations where the client shot at an animal multiple times and further wounding it, in that situation ill finish off the animal as it is the most humane thing to do.

With Dangerous Game it is a different story. If the client shoots a poor shot it is my job to ensure my clients safety and will shoot and kill his animal if i feel that the client is in danger. When hunting open areas you can also not afford an animal to run into someone else's concession so in that case i will always shoot a backup shot if i see that the first shot was poorly placed.

I guess you can look at this from many different angles but at the end of the day it is my and my clients responsibility to ensure that a animal does not suffer and is brought down as quickly as possible.

 

[sierraone]

OUCH!

That sounds like a major problem for the PH, but just guessing on my part!

 

[petrusg]

I am going to stick to dangerous game here...

If you see your client shoot a bad shot and lets say its on a buff a little to far back, and you see that buff turn and start running - Can the PH shoot a backup just to assist in anchoring the buff?

 

[Brent in Az]

I have never hunted dangerous game, or been involved in a "Heat of the moment" shooting situation. The type of scenario where a client shoots, and you have 50 Buffalo running hell bent for the horizon, with a wounded bull somewhere in the mix. I'm a pretty good shot under pressure, but I imagine things can change in a hurry in the African bush.

I would never want to make a wounding shot that puts other peoples lives in danger. I want to see the PH and trackers go home to their families in one piece at the end of the season. With that being said, I wouldn't have a problem with a backup shot from the PH, if it was necessary.

Too many times while watching African hunting video's, I see the client shoot, and their is another shot that immediately follows from someone else. There was no time to analyze if the clients shot was good or bad!

I would discuss these scenarios with my PH before the hunt started, so that there would be no misunderstanding

 

[Gordonuk]

I agree with the above, the ph would only shoot if my life was at risk. However this should always been confirmed before you start your hunt

 

[Scott Slough]

In a Plains game situation ill try and give my client as many opportunities to finish off his own animal as possible, that being said I've had situations where the client shot at an animal multiple times and further wounding it, in that situation ill finish off the animal as it is the most humane thing to do.

With Dangerous Game it is a different story. If the client shoots a poor shot it is my job to ensure my clients safety and will shoot and kill his animal if i feel that the client is in danger. When hunting open areas you can also not afford an animal to run into someone else's concession so in that case i will always shoot a backup shot if i see that the first shot was poorly placed.

I guess you can look at this from many different angles but at the end of the day it is my and my clients responsibility to ensure that a animal does not suffer and is brought down as quickly as possible.

Petrus, both of the scenarios that you describe are different than the original post regarding an automatic double shot from the PH ... on plains game only! In each of the scenarios that you have provided, your follow-up is AFTER assessing the quality of the clients shot! If a bad shot is made and recovery or safety are in question it is completely different from the PH shooting a second shot into all of the client's animals on the presumption of a bad outcome.

I don't presume to speak for all hunters, but I would certainly be happy to accept help with humanely dispatching a wounded animal to end suffering and it is perfectly OK if you save my life ! Otherwise, I have saved and planned for decades to hunt Africa and I don't want any questions as to whose trophies are in that crate coming home.

 

[Velo Dog]

I am going to stick to dangerous game here...

If you see your client shoot a bad shot and lets say its on a buff a little to far back, and you see that buff turn and start running - Can the PH shoot a backup just to assist in anchoring the buff?

Hi Pro Hunting Safaris,

In this scenario and all other "what if" scenarios that, my PH and I could dream up, my preference is to always discuss and agree upon, well in advance, exactly how we both are to conduct ourselves, in the event of any unwanted situation.

Also and ideally, a client should hunt a bit of plains game with their chosen DG PH, so that they both can at least know a little bit about each other's strengths and weaknesses, prior to seeking any DG animal.

Me personally, I would not want anyone shooting too soon, in other words not until I demonstrated that my immediate follow-up shots were not proving effective.

Or, of course I would welcome all the help I can get in the event of any DG animal charging at very close range or, any animal that is wounded, even from only the first shot and obviously going to exit the property within only a few seconds, if not stopped immediately.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

 

[Velo Dog]

Petrus, both of the scenarios that you describe are different than the original post regarding an automatic double shot from the PH ... on plains game only! In each of the scenarios that you have provided, your follow-up is AFTER assessing the quality of the clients shot! If a bad shot is made and recovery or safety are in question it is completely different from the PH shooting a second shot into all of the client's animals on the presumption of a bad outcome.

I don't presume to speak for all hunters, but I would certainly be happy to accept help with humanely dispatching a wounded animal to end suffering and it is perfectly OK if you save my life ! Otherwise, I have saved and planned for decades to hunt Africa and I don't want any questions as to whose trophies are in that crate coming home.

Hi Scott Slough,

I'm +1 with you on this subject of any PH's policy that, always calls for firing into each animal, as close on the heels of the Client's first shot as possible, with simultaneously firing into it being the most desirable, from some PH's point of view, evidently.

Not to beat my chest too fiercely here but, after meeting me in person, the PH then hopefully would note that I see the world more like Andy Griffith did than like Barney Fife did, in other words I am not the nervous sort.
With that, as well as watching me handle and fire my rifle during Day 1, on targets in front of his or her favorite anthill, I would be real agitated if said PH fired into any animal I had just shot, simply for good measure.

This of course is not counting the circumstances that I described in my previous rant, within this thread today but, that of course would automatically be outside the "just for good measure" thing anyway I suppose.

If on the other hand, I displayed some behavior that gave my PH reason to believe I was likely to go around wounding and losing game on his expensive hunting concession/s, I would not blame him or her for wanting to hedge his bets with my incompetent goofyass.
Would not blame him at all.

Cheers,
Velo Dog

 

[Outdoorlad]

When I eventually do a trip to Africa to hunt plains game, I hope the PH I end up using will be good enough to get me into good positions for shots, seeing as I'll be paying I won't take any shots I'm not a 100% happy with & I'd be pretty unhappy if they then immediately fired as well, just for a good measure!

As an aside, if you do enough hunting Eventually you will wound something, whether thru poor shooting or one of those animals that just won't die easy, it deserves to be finished quickly, if "I can't" get a shot on it I don't have an issue with someone else helping out.

 

[Safari Dave]

Absolutely not!

I have never had a PH carry a rifle on a PG hunt.

I did have a botched shot on a kudu from too far a distance (IMO) and the PH ask if he could use my rifle (he was a semi-pro rugby player) was could outrun me by a mile. I handed him my rifle. He couldn't catch up with it before dark.

The tracker had found it dead the next morning, before the rest of us had gotten up for the day.




I would refuse to pay for an animal, that the PH shot without my permission.

 

[crs]

"I do not believe that I have ever had a PH carry a rifle on a PG stalk. And I have yet to have a PH fire a second shot at a buff."
Same here.

 

[Shakka]

Cody;
I may not fully understand the situations you hunt in, but you did just assure I will never book a hunt with you. If the likelihood is that great that the animal will be lost, I'll hunt elsewhere. Just my personal preference to not even need to have that talk regarding a whitetail.

Wow, same here! I almost can't believe that he just said that. Furthermore, I have never even heard of an outfitter doing that on a Whitetail hunt!

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Some people i have guided out right refuse, some ask for help and some never even knew it could happen!! I am talking about the Professional hunter following up with a shot of his own right behind the clients to finish an animal and stop it from running off wounded. I would be interested to hear your thoughts/preferences?

I am not sure what others refer to it as, but I call it a "safety shot". Basically when a client fires, the professional hunter follows it up with a quick shot of his own in the correct area, directly after.
As a PH I often find this topic to be a bit of a taboo and discuss it in depth with my clients before hand to make sure they are comfortable with the notion of it before setting out on a hunt. Most are seasoned hunters and would frown at the idea of another putting a bullet in their prized trophy, while some are nervous and would rather the animal go down immediately than spend 3 days of their 10 day safari tracking a wounded animal.
I understand that under certain circumstances it is difficult to put in a "safety shot", but what I would like to know is have you ever requested it? Been offered it or had it done without your knowledge?
Not sure if this is similar (mostly because I am not registered to hunt dangerous game and so have not put clients onto a dangerous animal) but is the same sort of thing discussed when a PH is required to put down a charging buffalo/lion/leopard or is it standard operating procedure amongst big 5 hunting that the PH will have the final say on a wounded animal? (I know the answer "generally" from speaking with other PHs but Im interested in the general mass of hunters)

Thanks and happy hunting as all ways!

@Sable123
For plains game it's a definite no no to me as I know my shooting skills and can call my shots. In Namibia all my game was one shot kills.
If it was DG that's a different story. I would be nice to know I had back up it the shot goes wrong and the shit hits the fan. Then it would be all guns going to be used. Hopefully this would never happen but Murphy's law is always present.
Bob

 

[Damonk1384]

I have a question. The scenario is while looking for DG game a wounded DG (elephant) shot by a hunter from another hunting party crosses your path. Do you kill it or let it keep going on its way. If you do kill it do you have to claim it as yours.

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Four trips is all I have done to SA. First trip was PG and all PH carried was a handgun as most do. Trips 2,3 and 4 even if just PG hunting PH carried a rifle, because there are Buffalo on property, never once even thought about trying to shoot at a PG animal. Had it just for protection.
On DG hunt only time PH has ever fired a round was this past year. Buff was wounded and we jumped him and he took off. I hit him several rounds as did PH. We had agreed ahead of time if we bumped him it was who ever had the shot.