Hunting Ethics of shooting Buffalo bull while he’s laying down

[Javaman]

Scenario … You’ve hunted fair-chase buff’s for 8 straight days with any number of encounters and missed opportunities. On the morning of day 9 (your last morning to hunt), after a 2 hour stalk, you come across a nice Buff bull at 60 yds and confirm he’s a shooter. The only problem is he’s laying down in the shade of some cover. You have a slightly tricky shot through a hole in some brush but are steady on the sticks and are confident you can make a good shot into his vitals.

Question for the group … Do you wait for him to stand up before shooting (you could be there a while!), or do you shoot him while he’s laying down?

Asking for a friend…

Glad for your thoughts on this scenario.

 

[375Fox]

If you are confident in the shot you shoot before he gets your wind.

 

[cpr0312]

If you are confident in the shot you shoot before he gets your wind.

THIS!

 

[mark-hunter]

Question for the group … Do you wait for him to stand up before shooting (you could be there a while!), or do you shoot him while he’s laying down?

Asking for a friend…

For the purpose of better shot placement, I would wait.

If it is the last day of hunt, sunset, last half hour of daylight, and you fly tomorrow and if I could manage acceptable well placed shot, in less then perfect situation, most likely I would take. Besides, after getting shot, he might stand up, giving you a second shot opportunity, especially if you have double rifle.
There is plenty of lions on YT shot while resting in the shade.

My best regards to your friend! (Tell him to join the forum )

 

[Frederik]

It's a tricky shot if you are confident you can pull it off and sure he is on his own with no other buff behind him.
Bear in mind that although they are flat on the ground the vitals are pushed upwards by the breatsbone so I would go more centre of mass than lower.

 

[BryceM]

It is ethical to take a high percentage shot. If that means he’s standing, lying, dancing the Watusi, or 20 feet up a tree, go for it.

 

[Javaman]

“My best regards to your friend! (Tell him to join the forum )”

;-)

 

[VINOYASADO]

I will wait... for me any animal lying down (not injured) is a no shoot

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Most PHs will not let clients shoot at animals unless standing. Exceptions might be made for exceptional clients.

 

[Kelly G]

When you have to shoot, shoot! don't talk...

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

When you have to shoot, shoot! don't talk...

Tuco! Great character haha

 

[coreydb]

You're there to harvest a trophy. If you have a clear shot to the kill zone you take it.

 

[Austin Hunter]

Of the last 3 buffs I took, all were laying down when we found them. We waited until they stood. The first was so old, we were concerned he couldn't stand-up without a walker! An entire herd had passed him by, don't think he was with the herd. We did whistle to get him up as we had waited 30 minutes and sunlight was waning. The second was an old dagga boy that was sleeping in the nastiest, thickest stuff you could imagine. Almost walked up on him. He wasn't asleep, so I made sure I made enough noise getting in position for the shot to get him up. The last was another lone dagga boy we had seen from a far, tracked him and right when we found him, he plopped down for a rest. We had planned to wait him out, but when one of the trackers was clearing a shooting lane, a branch break got the bull up.

 

[dogcat1]

If you are in Zim, listen to your PH. If you are in South Africa, be careful as the PH's there do not have the training or experience of a properly trained Zim PH.
If you can shoot the buff in head or upper neck, then maybe shoot. If you are having to shoot into the chest, wait until he stands up. They always do, eventually.

 

[roklok]

I shot my bull last year while he was lying down. Put an A-Frame through his heart. It never even crossed my mind that some would think this is unethical. Why would it be ? It does make for a tougher shot, visualizing vitals and angles. I would say as far as an ethical shot goes the difficulty in shot placement is offset by the unlikeliness the bull will move as trigger breaks. If an animal is unaware of your presence at the shot, does that make it unethical ? I would guess that the majority of big game worldwide is shot while unaware of the hunters presence, if so what ethical difference does it make what position the animal is in (as long as vitals can be hit) ? I strive to hunt in such a manner that the game is unaware and relaxed when shooting time comes. I have shot numerous whitetails in their beds after still hunting up on them. I get great satisfaction in this, a lot tougher hunt than whacking them over a food plot out of a box blind or treestand.

 

[grand veneur]

Scenario … You’ve hunted fair-chase buff’s for 8 straight days with any number of encounters and missed opportunities. On the morning of day 9 (your last morning to hunt), after a 2 hour stalk, you come across a nice Buff bull at 60 yds and confirm he’s a shooter. The only problem is he’s laying down in the shade of some cover. You have a slightly tricky shot through a hole in some brush but are steady on the sticks and are confident you can make a good shot into his vitals.

Question for the group … Do you wait for him to stand up before shooting (you could be there a while!), or do you shoot him while he’s laying down?

Asking for a friend…

Glad for your thoughts on this scenario.

I have done this several times on various game species. I don't see any ethical issues, but I see a problem in some cases with the shot placement , because it is not so easy to place a heart shot for example, on a buffalo in this position, especially if laying down in grass. The two buffalo I have shot this way were killed with neck shots, but I don't like this kind of shot placements. In all cases a scope is advantageous, regardless of the distance. If you have a very good shooting position and don't want to shoot on a lying buffalo, or especially for many reasons you cannot, there is always the option of encouraging the buffalo to stand up, but whether it will then offer a better shooting opportunity is also uncertain. This applies to all game species and as always, such decisions must be made on the terrain, not from at home.

 

[Hank2211]

If you're a good shot, have a reasonable understanding of buffalo anatomy and what laying down might do to organ placement, have a steady rest, and your PH will allow you to take the shot, etc., then I don't think a shot would be unethical.

Having said that, if you decide to take that shot, I would suggest you reload immediately and take a follow up shot, or allow your PH to take one if it looks like your first shot didn't hit the mark. If you have a double, well, that's what that second barrel is for.

I was in the same situation some years ago, on the biggest buffalo I'd seen to that point (and since, as it turns out). We had a comfortable place to rest, so we gave it some time and he eventually got up on his own. But if we had been losing light . . . and if we had battled to find a shootable bull . . . I don't think we'd have waited.

 

[wesheltonj]

I generally would not shoot an animal laying down unless I’ve already put a round into the animal or it’s very injured and I am “putting it out of its misery.”

I would not take a low margin shot period.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Sneaking up on bedded animals is far harder than when on their feet making noise and moving. It’s actually more sporting. You’re giving them an even more of an advantage. the angle can be an issue.

 

[Green Chile]

A lot of PHs (not all) would strongly prefer a standing shot on unwounded buffalo. That's between you and the PH. There are also ways of getting a buffalo to stand and your PH will know that. At the end of the day, it's a decision for you and the PH to make together. If he tells you to wait and you shoot anyway...that relationship is damaged and you might have endangered the team.