In memoriam - Professional Hunter Greg Michelson killed by Buffalo

[TERMINATOR]

Easier to say or “claim” then actually do. Of the few that might “claim” they are ready/willing to “stand fast” & perhaps die while hunting DG — maybe 1% really would and unless they have faced that situation before and “stood fast” they don’t really know. We’d all like to think we would “stand fast” but very few can demonstrate they did. I do believe that most accept there is a “risk” of death …My goal when hunting - is for all to return alive & well

100%

I hope I never have to find out. I just know I will do everything possible to make sure my PH, Trackers and I are never in that situation.

But like WAB said..."Shit happens".

 

[Hoas]

 

[SRvet]

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I nearly pressed the like tab but that seemed slightly disrespectful. Thanks for sharing. A terrible loss indeed.

 

[Neophyte]

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The client is why I can’t stand most people.

Tired is no excuse when lives are on the line. This PH lost his life doing his job when the client failed to do his. His job was to make a good shot but things happen and I don’t condemn someone for a bad shot. Shoot long enough and you’ll make one too.

My condemnation comes from leaving the PH. I can understand if the PH didn’t want the client there because of poor gun handling, marksmanship, or a variety of other factors but that doesn’t appear to be the case here seeing as how both the client and the observer went with the tracking party.

If you are allowed to go after your animal, since you wounded it, you have a duty and an obligation to see the endeavor through to the end no matter the outcome. Being tired is a piss poor excuse.

Maybe I’m too old fashioned but that’s how I was raised. Likely the client thought he’d just shoot his quarry, pose for a photo, and then everyone else would do the grunt work. I’m not like that. If you’re sweating I’m sweating too.

To me the hunt doesn’t end when the animal is down. That’s when the work is just beginning and to me it’s a big part of the hunting process.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

The client is why I can’t stand most people.

Tired is no excuse when lives are on the line. This PH lost his life doing his job when the client failed to do his. His job was to make a good shot but things happen and I don’t condemn someone for a bad shot. Shoot long enough and you’ll make one too.

My condemnation comes from leaving the PH. I can understand if the PH didn’t want the client there because of poor gun handling, marksmanship, or a variety of other factors but that doesn’t appear to be the case here seeing as how both the client and the observer went with the tracking party.

If you are allowed to go after your animal, since you wounded it, you have a duty and an obligation to see the endeavor through to the end no matter the outcome. Being tired is a piss poor excuse.

Maybe I’m too old fashioned but that’s how I was raised. Likely the client thought he’d just shoot his quarry, pose for a photo, and then everyone else would do the grunt work. I’m not like that. If you’re sweating I’m sweating too.

To me the hunt doesn’t end when the animal is down. That’s when the work is just beginning and to me it’s a big part of the hunting process.

I guess it was better to have one fatality instead of two. No sense in the client killing himself if he's not up to it. At least he gave up his gun to someone who was capable of continuing the task. If I had been the PH I'd have given him a choice: go back to the truck without your gun or stay on the tracks. Frankly, I would have been more confident in my staff doing the job in a crisis than most clients I don't know. I'm sure Mr. Michelson was fully confident in his support staff to take the client's gun and back him up. The bull just bushwacked them. Whoever was on the end of the line was going to get it.

 

[TERMINATOR]

The client is why I can’t stand most people.

Tired is no excuse when lives are on the line. This PH lost his life doing his job when the client failed to do his. His job was to make a good shot but things happen and I don’t condemn someone for a bad shot. Shoot long enough and you’ll make one too.

My condemnation comes from leaving the PH. I can understand if the PH didn’t want the client there because of poor gun handling, marksmanship, or a variety of other factors but that doesn’t appear to be the case here seeing as how both the client and the observer went with the tracking party.

If you are allowed to go after your animal, since you wounded it, you have a duty and an obligation to see the endeavor through to the end no matter the outcome. Being tired is a piss poor excuse.

Maybe I’m too old fashioned but that’s how I was raised. Likely the client thought he’d just shoot his quarry, pose for a photo, and then everyone else would do the grunt work. I’m not like that. If you’re sweating I’m sweating too.

To me the hunt doesn’t end when the animal is down. That’s when the work is just beginning and to me it’s a big part of the hunting process.

Somebody will surely get upset about what I am about to say...but I am gonna say it anyway.

I also think this raises a question about having the wife tag along on a DG Stalk.

I am not being sexist and saying they "shouldn't" or "can't"...because I know many spouses are up to a day long track. And many women have been the hunter on one. So it isn't that I think women are not up to the task...many are. But some are not. I think you need to take a hard look at the wife and ask yourself "is she up for the worst case?" If so....awesome! Good for her!

But if not... politely suggest she relaxes at camp that day.

Because knowing husband/wife dynamics, it could very well be that the wife was exhausted and the hunter did not want to force her to carry on or send her back alone with the game scout by herself if she felt uncomfortable about that, and therefore bowed out with her. I have no way of knowing if that was the case, but I would not be surprised if that was the case. Or maybe he really was exhausted too and just wimped out as is implied here. I don't know.

I love my wife and she is a trooper...she has been on 3 of my 5 safaris with me and I love that she has...but I know she is not gonna be able to keep up if we get on a 3,4,5,6 hour stalk and so does she. So she stays in camp and reads or goes on a photography drive on "Buffalo Days" and comes out with me looking for PG after the Buffalo is down. Days where it is unlikely we will be working that hard.

When I read that the husband and wife got tired, I had to wonder if it wasn't really the wife got tired and then the hunter was in a tough spot. Better to not be in that spot IMHO and think about this and make this evaluation before you take off after a wounded buffalo. Hell, if you can't look in the mirror and honestly think YOU are up to it.... then you probably should pass on hunting Buffalo period.

 

[Certus]

Fatigue leads to mistakes. He said he was too exhausted to go on. Take him at his word, since you don’t know him.

Fatigue is a killer, whether it’s a bad call or just simple dropping from the exhaustion or heat. Client made a choice that the PH was fine with, it seems.

 

[Fatback]

Vince Lombardi said “Fatigue makes cowards of us all”. If I have heard that once I have heard it a thousand times. Was a favorite saying of one of my football coaches growing up.

I have no idea what type of condition the hunter or his wife were in and can understand how being in poor condition would lead to them asking out of the follow up due to fatigue. Also, in fairness, nobody thinks that the follow up is going to turn out the way it unfortunately did. That is a regret the hunter will have to live with.

To me this illustrates the importance of being in the best possible condition you can be in both physically and mentally and being as proficient with your weapon as possible because while the majority of the time it isn’t, hunting buffalo or other dangerous game can absolutely be a matter of life or death and not just for the animal. I think for a lot of us that is part of the allure of hunting DG, to find out if we are up to facing that level of challenge.

Knowing that I am intentionally going to pick a fight with an animal that could kill me is one of the main motivations that gets me out of bed every morning to go exercise, gets me to spend the time and money to become proficient with an appropriate weapon and to do all the other things so that when I find myself in the “moment of truth” hunting DG I will know I’ve done everything I could to be as prepared as possible and that’s really all any of us can do. I believe that is the lesson to take from this, be as prepared as possible. My prayers and condolences go out to the PH’s family and friends as well as the client and his wife.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

It seems it would have made little difference if the client had not run out of gas or his wife being along. Would have just been two more inexperienced people thrown in the mix when shit hit the fan. I see no benefit in that. Zero. Same guns were still in play whether the client and wife were there or not. If anything, having them out of the way may have been beneficial.

 

[Wheels]

In looking at some of these posts, it's easy being critical of the clients from half a world away. A couple thoughts come to mind. Was the wife dehydrated and no water brought on the stalk? Had the hunter been sick and in camp the two previous days? Did the hunter and wife explain their physical limitations to the outfitter/ph prior to the hunt and the outfitter book the hunt anyway?

There are many things that most of us don't have a clue about, yet some still rush to judgement.

This entire situation is unfortunate. In hindsight I am sure there are plenty of regrets to go around. From the clients who made a less than perfect shot and went to the vehicle to trackers who wished they had circled the tall grass to pick up the spoor on the other side and/or isolate the buffalo in the long grass. Then thrown rocks, burnt the grass, brought up the vehicle to push the buffalo into a more open area. Michelson could have made these decisions too.

In the end, a situation many of us have been in that works out positively 99% of the time cost a man his life. Learning for the experience is great. Condemning others without full knowledge, not so much.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

The PH has the final word. Period
I assume death certificate will read buffalo or wounded buffalo. Not heat, thirst, fatique or client made a bad first shot or should have used a bigger or smaller caliber.

I greave for the family not the hunter he is in a better place.

Lon

 

[WAB]

The client is why I can’t stand most people.

Tired is no excuse when lives are on the line. This PH lost his life doing his job when the client failed to do his. His job was to make a good shot but things happen and I don’t condemn someone for a bad shot. Shoot long enough and you’ll make one too.

My condemnation comes from leaving the PH. I can understand if the PH didn’t want the client there because of poor gun handling, marksmanship, or a variety of other factors but that doesn’t appear to be the case here seeing as how both the client and the observer went with the tracking party.

If you are allowed to go after your animal, since you wounded it, you have a duty and an obligation to see the endeavor through to the end no matter the outcome. Being tired is a piss poor excuse.

Maybe I’m too old fashioned but that’s how I was raised. Likely the client thought he’d just shoot his quarry, pose for a photo, and then everyone else would do the grunt work. I’m not like that. If you’re sweating I’m sweating too.

To me the hunt doesn’t end when the animal is down. That’s when the work is just beginning and to me it’s a big part of the hunting process.

I tend to agree, however, we don’t know the circumstances. A PH I hunted with had one of Condoleza Rice’s security detail on a hunt in Zambia after she calmed things down in Kenya. The guy was having trouble keeping up on a buffalo. The PH looks back and the dude is stone dead. Heart attack in the bush! My point is that we don’t know what the hunter or observer were struggling with so we should probably show some grace until all the facts are known.

 

[WAB]

Somebody will surely get upset about what I am about to say...but I am gonna say it anyway.

I also think this raises a question about having the wife tag along on a DG Stalk.

I am not being sexist and saying they "shouldn't" or "can't"...because I know many spouses are up to a day long track. And many women have been the hunter on one. So it isn't that I think women are not up to the task...many are. But some are not. I think you need to take a hard look at the wife and ask yourself "is she up for the worst case?" If so....awesome! Good for her!

But if not... politely suggest she relaxes at camp that day.

Because knowing husband/wife dynamics, it could very well be that the wife was exhausted and the hunter did not want to force her to carry on or send her back alone with the game scout by herself if she felt uncomfortable about that, and therefore bowed out with her. I have no way of knowing if that was the case, but I would not be surprised if that was the case. Or maybe he really was exhausted too and just wimped out as is implied here. I don't know.

I love my wife and she is a trooper...she has been on 3 of my 5 safaris with me and I love that she has...but I know she is not gonna be able to keep up if we get on a 3,4,5,6 hour stalk and so does she. So she stays in camp and reads or goes on a photography drive on "Buffalo Days" and comes out with me looking for PG after the Buffalo is down. Days where it is unlikely we will be working that hard.

When I read that the husband and wife got tired, I had to wonder if it wasn't really the wife got tired and then the hunter was in a tough spot. Better to not be in that spot IMHO and think about this and make this evaluation before you take off after a wounded buffalo. Hell, if you can't look in the mirror and honestly think YOU are up to it.... then you probably should pass on hunting Buffalo period.

The same is true of the husband. Some guys have no business on a DG hunt. My wife did 100 miles with Len Taylor and I in the Zambezi Valley. When the chips were down she made a one shot kill. I know a lot of dudes that could not pull that off.

I suggest we stop speculating and criticizing with incomplete knowledge. The bottom line, a good man is dead and his family is grieving. Let’s raise a toast to a life well lived and remember a family in need.

 

[Neophyte]

I tend to agree, however, we don’t know the circumstances. A PH I hunted with had one of Condoleza Rice’s security detail on a hunt in Zambia after she calmed things down in Kenya. The guy was having trouble keeping up on a buffalo. The PH looks back and the dude is stone dead. Heart attack in the bush! My point is that we don’t know what the hunter or observer were struggling with so we should probably show some grace until all the facts are known.

I am only responding to the facts as known.

If it was tiredness/fatigue I’ll stand by what I said and nothing I post online is something I wouldn’t say to the person’s face.

If it was an excuse for some other malady then that makes the person less than honest. Something I don’t tolerate. The PH I’m going with in 2026 already knows that I had a heart attack this year and while I can walk long distances I cannot run two feet due to the condition of my knees.

We owe it to the PH and ourselves to be honest when lives are on the line. I can no longer pack out moose quarters or handle drastic elevation changes with heavy loads so my focus is now on hunting Africa until I retire in eight years. If things go as I’d like I’ll get over three times.

The whole thing is sad to me and I do grieve for the hunter who likely has survivor’s guilt. If he doesn’t I’d have to question what sort of a sociopath he is. The PH, Greg, I grieve for his family and their loss. For Greg, I say, “You lucky bastard. You got to the Big Hunting Grounds before me. Enjoy it friend.”

 

[Red Leg]

I get the fatigue discussion, but this heartbreaking event began with the first shot - not the follow-up. I'll simply reiterate what I said earlier in this post (for which I received private msg criticism). Whatever our condition might be as clients, we have exactly one responsibility. Put the first bullet exactly where it needs to go. Do anything at all that compromises that responsibility and we are playing with others' lives.

 

[Wheels]

If it was tiredness/fatigue I’ll stand by what I said and nothing I post online is something I wouldn’t say to the person’s face.

If it was an excuse for some other malady then that makes the person less than honest. Something I don’t tolerate.

...and if the client explained his/his wife's limitations to the outfitter and the outfitter booked the hunt knowing the hunters limitations and the hunter then exceeded his limitations in tracking for three hours, how is that the hunters fault?

You mention, " We owe it to the PH and ourselves to be honest when lives are on the line." How do you know the client wasn't honest about his health?

I don't know any more details than what has been posted. I just question those making assumptions and accusations when the facts are not known.

 

[WAB]

I get the fatigue discussion, but this heartbreaking event began with the first shot - not the follow-up. I'll simply reiterate what I said earlier in this post (for which I received private msg criticism). Whatever our condition might be as clients, we have exactly one responsibility. Put the first bullet exactly where it needs to go. Do anything at all that compromises that responsibility and we are playing with others' lives.

I totally agree, however, despite our best efforts, at times the brown stuff hits the fan. Those are the moments that determine who should be on a DG hunt, and who should not. I think that we should hold fire on criticism until the facts are known.

 

[Frederik]

Sad loss to the hunting community and even sadder to his family. RIP

This was a case that the buffalo won no one could have predicted that the bull would actually wait untill they were bascially on top of him before charging. Whatever the circumstances Greg decided to go after te bull in the tall grass.

His Tracker did his best and had the wisdom to call for help directly, lucky for them they had reception.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Lots of critiques, opinions, and speculation from people who weren’t there. Many commenting haven’t had to stand tall, several of whom have limited to no African DG experience. A lot of people say they’ll stand tall in a life or death situation, and often times the biggest talkers are the first ones curled in a ball, hiding and crying.

R.I.P. to a great PH and Hunter. I hope his family and friends take solace and comfort in knowing he went out doing what he loved. I hope his trackers find peace with what they witnessed and continue to hunt. PH’s give new meaning to the old Spartan saying “With your Shield or On It”.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

My sincere condolences to all those hurt by Greg's tragic passing.

I am so grateful for the incident report, the purpose being so that others can learn from it and hopefully avoid a similar situation. The two critical pieces of information are that the client took a poor shot, and that Greg's shot didn't stop the buff. But the real value is in filling that out a bit. What rifle was the client using? What calibre and from what distance was the shot taken? Did it hit too high or too far back? Did Greg's shot connect? What was he using?

My sole takeaway is in agreement with @Red Leg , if you can't make the first shot perfectly, don't take it at all.