How many client hunters have been charged, and how many have been hurt or wounded while on Safari?

[towserthemouser]

I think that's right. Most exciting thing I ever did! After tge last shot the PH said "Oh this is just bloody great!" I asked him what he meant. He said, "Now you'll have to go back to the states and tell your mates how you had to save your professionals ass! (Pronounced " oss"). I asked if that's what I did. He smiled and said, "He was pretty broken up, I might have been able to stay away from him long enough to get my rifle working. But I'm awfully glad I didn't have to. I just love you Yanks that can shoot!

I'd say you can legitimately claim some credit for helping to save his oss.

 

[steve white]

I was charged in thick cover in Zimbabwe on my first buff hunt. The buffalo had retreated to it after I put one in the boiler room, then became a spectator and forgot to keep shooting. The thing was, it's friend got upset and charged with him. We had forgotten his buddy because it had entered the bush well ahead of the shot. The PH could only see their legs as they ran, it was that thick. They turned of their own accord and did not press all the way through with the charge. It is a claustrophobic feeling to hear them cracking brush and not be able to see them.

 

[Ruraldoc]

I experienced a charge by an unwounded cape buffalo bull. It’s in the hunt report that I posted.

 

[Scott CWO]

Charged by a client’s gut shot 6x7 bull elk at close range. Luckily I got a quick shot into it just a few yards away and then I jumped to the side. It fell right where I had been standing. I also was charged by a client’s wounded brown bear on the Alaskan Peninsula last May and put it down at about 15 yards. Nothing in Africa so far.

 

[TTundra]

Driving back to camp at the conclusion of the hunt in the Save in Zim we passed a watering hole. An Elephant herd had been there and took to the trees as soon as we came into sight. While passing, a large Cow with what may have been a dependent calf came back out trumpeting. We were more than 40 yards driving passed and she pursued us.

We took off faster down the road and she followed. She turned back into the trees and we slowed down to watch at a distance. She then came back out to the road extremely close to us and we took off again and she kept pursuing. She played this cat and mouse game for hundreds of yards. The trackers and game scout in the back were visible nervous.

Thankfully we were in the truck, but had been in a blind at that watering hole the day before.

The sound that cow made while charging us lives on in my head. Like nothing I had heard before around other elephants or on any television program featuring them before. A both eerie and incredible experience.

 

[C.W. Richter]

Most of our accounts have been charged quite a bit!! Make that first shot count and those are the only charges you will experience sans cow elephants with calves immature bulls and hippos on or close to land.

 

[Andrew62]

In 1989, hunting the Alaskan peninsula, my guide and I crossed paths with a female brown bear and a cub. At 17 yards she stood up to get a look at us, I said to my guide, ‘Will she charge us?’, his reply, ‘no, she’ll f*** off!’ Here I was, 17 yards from an angry brown bear, my guide doesn’t have a round in his chamber and his scope was covered up, she drops and comes straight at us. It was at that exact moment I knew without a doubt there is a God, as I raised my rifle and shot her in the mouth causing her to roll down the steep embankment and drown in the stream. There’s not a snowballs chance I could ever make that shot on my own. Sincerely, God saved my life that day.

 

[pilar]

I don’t have any harrowing safari stories, but a do have few with hunting clients and a personal story with a brown bear
1 .had a clients son who wanted to shoot a huge feral hog , so I put him in a blind that had a regular visitor hog , pat ( son ) comes into camp and says he had shot the hog but thinks he made a bad shot and it ran off after going down , we drive over to the blind and feeder and he tells me that the hog wasn’t near the blind, but was feeding on a old rotten dead cow about 200 meters from the blind , I grab my 300wm and he his Christmas present 45-70 and walked over to the dead cow , I find a blood trail and we are following it when I smell the hog ( which smells like dead cow) then see the hog laying in the tall grass still alive but hurt bad , tell pat to finish it off , he cocks the hammer and pulls the trigger and hammer falls on a spent shell !! On the click all hell breaks loose and knocks down pat and is trying to eat his face off, I shoot the hog point blank in the ribs, and it runs off, we check for any holes in pat who is covered in blood and hog guts with dead cow , he is ok but majorly shook up , we get a couple of rounds loaded into the 45-70 and find the now seriously injured hog but still Alive and finished it off
Pat suffered some cracked ribs and a sore arm

#2 had a guy have a negligent discharge and shot his foot off
I was playing 2nd to the owner, and the client was standing on a cement floor talking with his 30-06 resting on his foot, I saw him and said we don’t allow guns in the camp yard, he asked why and I said it was a safety issue, he said he had been handling guns his whole life and besides the gun was unloaded, we called a air ambulance for him
30-06 + cement explosion = a terrible injury

#3 had a hunter fall 12 feet out of a deer stand and land on top of me , Breaking his fall
Only damage was we both got the wind knocked out of us

Last was on a personal hunt for moose and caribou on the Naknek river in Alaska
Had a bear come in to camp one night and disagree with our tent location and proceeded to growl and chomp its teeth all night only a couple feet from the tent
Next day we found a giant pile of wormy bear scat next to the tent!
, it definitely wasn’t scared of humans

And yes any village dog or camp dog in Africa should be considered more dangerous than getting bitten by a snake

 

[bashaw]

I went Bear hunting in NE Oregon with a friend from Texas. This Texan wants to get a good Black Bear, Oregon of all the Game we have we also have a lot of Bears easy to get tags. we end up drawing Wenaha Spring Bear tag our plan was to float the Grand Ronde river in a Mckenzie river Boat and spot and stalk as the Bears would be grazing green grass on the sides of the canyon, getting there digestive track going after hibernation.it was early May and we had a heat wave got into the 90's in May that is unusual, the green grass went from green to brown on the shallow soil on the sides of the canyon in less than 24 hours the river went flood stage in no time at all so our plan went out the window. We went to the boat landing what should've been a 3 day float became a 2 day float, we pulled the boat out and went to the top of the mountain where it was cooler and some shade for the Bears. I told him I just watched an episode of Jim Shockey calling Bears and it worked so thats what we're going to do. The first morning no luck, but that evening we tried again on my Foxpro I was playing Bear cub in distress, within a few minutes I heard quite a ruckus it was pretty thick country so I couldn't see the best, I finally seen something Brown coming in my direction and it was going to cross right in front of the Texan, I guessed it was pretty close to him so I muted the call so it might stop for a shot opportunity, it got quiet no shot the Bear wasn't woofing anymore, I'm setting against deadfall tree I'm right handed, so I turn the call back on to get the Bear to move for my buddy so he can get a shot, when I did that the Bear came out of thick Christmas sized trees to my right 15 yards away a HUGE Bear is coming right at me everything went into slow motion all of a sudden I stood up swung around with 300 WIN popped Bear in chest he went a bit backwards and turned to his right, I put another in his shoulder and he died. I walked over to this "500 lb Bear" and here was a 150lb Bear laying there dead, my Texan walked into view and I said where's the Bear I shot, he laughed pretty hard saying the Bear stopped right in front of him and he decided it was too small, he didn't have any way of warning me that it was small Bear but he knew the second I turned on that call that was dead Bear. It was a great adrenaline!! rush. The Moral of the story is think of yourself with a 150 lb NFL safety coming at you, that would hurt pretty bad, add teeth and claws that would be extremely bad, but the thing I liked the best is how I reacted in that situation , it was a beautiful Bear cinnamon phase, but I wanted my Texan friend to get a Bear but he never did.

 

[WAB]

I was charged by a small male grizzly in Alaska. He seemed to be in good shape with good teeth. I looked all around for a kill he might be defending but found nothing. I guess he was just in a crappy mood. I had been false charged twice by bears and the difference is very apparent when they really mean it.

We had five people chewed on by bears in our area of Alaska one summer. They can be unpredictable and don’t seem to need an excuse.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

That’s the definition of the “Pucker Factor “. Glad y’all got it sorted out.

What rifle did the PH use that failed to feed?

It was a post 64 push feed Winchester Model 70 in .458 Win. Mag. He carried his Brno .375 H&H for the rest of that trip and sold it shortly after. He now carries a custom CRF .450 Ackley Magnum.

 

[Longwalker]

On my first day hunting my first and probably only elephant bull, I had an unprovoked deadly intent charge from a big old bull, in very thick cover, requiring me and my PH to shoot at a range of five meters. He was coming just as fast as he could run. Neither of our shots reached the brain, but we knocked him down. My PH had tripped on some thorn bushes, so although the elephant was down it was up to me to finish the job. He had one tusk jammed deep into the earth and its trunk almost touching us. Pretty sure I had a “personal best” moment reloading, shooting and repeating until the desired result was obtained. I have no desire to repeat that situation, but am glad I could react appropriately under the circumstances. See report https://www.africahunting.com/threa...nt-with-cms-safaris.74205/page-4#post-1040324

 

[Doug Hamilton]

I'd say you can legitimately claim some credit for helping to save his oss.

We've been good friends ever since. I have a picture of him, me, my .458 and that dead buffalo on the wall. We made another hunt in 2022. So I have another picture next to the first one with he, I, my .458 and another dead buffalo from 39 years and 2 months later.

The second buff was a one and done deal. He went maybe 20 yards after the shot and piled up dead. The shot was almost identical except it was about 4 inches higher and through the top of the heart. It's what you want but not nearly as exciting.

 

[Tra3]

We had a grumpy bull Hippo come out of the water and get his agape mouth on the boat engine. That same bull would chase us when we went by that area of the river. That is unnerving seeing the waves a hippo makes as it is coming towards you.
That bull got shot not long after we left.
I’ve been chased by a bull elk while hiking in Yellowstone. No stupid tourist stuff, just a small group of us Montanans hiking well away from the road. It is exciting to try and use a small tree to hide behind.
I’ve also been chased by a cow moose when I unknowingly rode my mountain bike between her and her calf. We were in a recent burn area by Helena, MT with 6’ tall trees. Her head popped up next to me and the race was on! I don’t think I’ve ever ridden a bike uphill on a single track that fast in my life. I can still hear her footfalls right behind me as life went into slow motion.

I’ve had a few pucker moments standing close to rhino.
And watching a shark swim right by me when I was waist-deep fishing.

 

[Sideshow]

Had the miss fortune of getting my truck with 20 passengers on board getting charged.
Was doing a Christmas Nairobi to Cape Town 70 day in 2001. The paqs wanted to see the new year in in Sawkopmund. It had been a fairly quiet trip apart from a broken front half shaft in the Serengeti. So we had Christmas in Kamamjab then headed towards the Skeleton cost for the run down to Swakop . I’d heard that there was some desert ele around Plamwag on one of the D roads heading towards Springbok gate. This is the top access for the coast for 2wd.
We came around a blind corner and here’s 4 in the middle of the road at around 50m. I’m not sure what they’re like now but back then these guys used to be a little finicky. As they would get chased by the scenic day flights out of Swakop.
I put the truck in reverse to do a 3 point turn and dropped the back axel straight in the ditch.
Now big Mum was flapping her ears and not being nice and her 3 side kicks were also getting stroppy. Where broadside (my bad why I never just reverse around that corner). So mum dose the first mock charge backs up I tot and shout but she brings in the second.
She’s lining up for the third and I give here the me overlanders special that I’d pulled off an old ambulance and had fitted. The siren.
The thing is it would wind up like an air raid siren. So I flipped the switch and she just stopped looked really hard at us the about faced and bugged out with her 3 mates.
Oh and yes my first stop in Swakop was the laundry mat. Paqs thought it was cool and said they had great pics. I said nothing. Just kept thinking dumb ass.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

Had the miss fortune of getting my truck with 20 passengers on board getting charged.
Was doing a Christmas Nairobi to Cape Town 70 day in 2001. The paqs wanted to see the new year in in Sawkopmund. It had been a fairly quiet trip apart from a broken front half shaft in the Serengeti. So we had Christmas in Kamamjab then headed towards the Skeleton cost for the run down to Swakop . I’d heard that there was some desert ele around Plamwag on one of the D roads heading towards Springbok gate. This is the top access for the coast for 2wd.
We came around a blind corner and here’s 4 in the middle of the road at around 50m. I’m not sure what they’re like now but back then these guys used to be a little finicky. As they would get chased by the scenic day flights out of Swakop.
I put the truck in reverse to do a 3 point turn and dropped the back axel straight in the ditch.
Now big Mum was flapping her ears and not being nice and her 3 side kicks were also getting stroppy. Where broadside (my bad why I never just reverse around that corner). So mum dose the first mock charge backs up I tot and shout but she brings in the second.
She’s lining up for the third and I give here the me overlanders special that I’d pulled off an old ambulance and had fitted. The siren.
The thing is it would wind up like an air raid siren. So I flipped the switch and she just stopped looked really hard at us the about faced and bugged out with her 3 mates.
Oh and yes my first stop in Swakop was the laundry mat. Paqs thought it was cool and said they had great pics. I said nothing. Just kept thinking dumb ass.

That is the best story so far.

 

[towserthemouser]

I don’t have any harrowing safari stories, but a do have few with hunting clients and a personal story with a brown bear
1 .had a clients son who wanted to shoot a huge feral hog , so I put him in a blind that had a regular visitor hog , pat ( son ) comes into camp and says he had shot the hog but thinks he made a bad shot and it ran off after going down , we drive over to the blind and feeder and he tells me that the hog wasn’t near the blind, but was feeding on a old rotten dead cow about 200 meters from the blind , I grab my 300wm and he his Christmas present 45-70 and walked over to the dead cow , I find a blood trail and we are following it when I smell the hog ( which smells like dead cow) then see the hog laying in the tall grass still alive but hurt bad , tell pat to finish it off , he cocks the hammer and pulls the trigger and hammer falls on a spent shell !! On the click all hell breaks loose and knocks down pat and is trying to eat his face off, I shoot the hog point blank in the ribs, and it runs off, we check for any holes in pat who is covered in blood and hog guts with dead cow , he is ok but majorly shook up , we get a couple of rounds loaded into the 45-70 and find the now seriously injured hog but still Alive and finished it off
Pat suffered some cracked ribs and a sore arm

#2 had a guy have a negligent discharge and shot his foot off
I was playing 2nd to the owner, and the client was standing on a cement floor talking with his 30-06 resting on his foot, I saw him and said we don’t allow guns in the camp yard, he asked why and I said it was a safety issue, he said he had been handling guns his whole life and besides the gun was unloaded, we called a air ambulance for him
30-06 + cement explosion = a terrible injury

#3 had a hunter fall 12 feet out of a deer stand and land on top of me , Breaking his fall
Only damage was we both got the wind knocked out of us

Last was on a personal hunt for moose and caribou on the Naknek river in Alaska
Had a bear come in to camp one night and disagree with our tent location and proceeded to growl and chomp its teeth all night only a couple feet from the tent
Next day we found a giant pile of wormy bear scat next to the tent!
, it definitely wasn’t scared of humans

And yes any village dog or camp dog in Africa should be considered more dangerous than getting bitten by a snake

All. Guns. Are. Always. Loaded. !!!

 

[TSIBINDI]

...For those of among us who have, or will someday hunt elephant, I think you'll enjoy the following quote from Neil Murray.

"The elephant often charges to the accompaniment of a blast of high-pitched trumpeting caused by forcibly expelling air from its trunk which sounds like an orchestra of outraged demons. Except, perhaps for the prospect of imminent hanging, there can be few situations that concentrate the mind more wonderfully!"

 

[trperk1]

In 2023, after harvesting a stud Sable in a dry river bed. My PH and I were walking back to retrieve the vehicle when I caught movement out of my right eye. I single buff stood up from his bed not 12 yards from us. As he moved to charge I shot him in the shoulder with my .375. No sooner than me racking another round to sprang back up and I shot him between the eyes at now 8 yards. He hit the dirt again but much to our surprise got right back up. My last shot was at 2 yards. Upon examination, the shot between the eyes went under his brain due do his angle and distance. Exciting to say the least.

 

[canuck2024]

Lots of interesting stories in this thread!