Lion Hunt that almost went wrong

[JakeH]

Totally different video of a Lion charge
Nobody on sticks. Everyone on their knee.

Good lord, I'd need new underwear after that.

As for the topic at hand, I'd have no issues hunting with either PH ever. Both remained cool, calm, and collected in an absolute nightmare scenario and came out alive because of it. Bravo to them.

 

[Graham Hunter]

So what happened that Reinhard was not able to take a shot.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

I can't figure out much from the video as far as what happened in the attack or regarding the jammed gun, certainly not enough to criticize the PH. As far as I can tell the jam happened after the acute problem was sorted. I can unequivocally state that the calmness and presence of mind displayed after the attack show true professionalism. Attending to the injured party while keeping an eye on the lion, calmly instructing someone else to shoot the lion again when it showed signs of life, and then calmly instructing him to stop shooting when no more shots were needed. What more could one ask or even hope for?

The reported bullet failure seems in line with other reports regarding the DGX.

I wasn't particularly familiar with the 416 Ruger, so I looked it up. It looks to have about 10% less case capacity than the 416 Remington, itself considered a high pressure cartridge. It also looks to have nearly parallel sides. It seems our forebears had it right when they designed dangerous game cartridges: generous case capacity to keep pressures low and a fair amount of taper to facilitate extraction.

 

[BRICKBURN]

So what happened that Reinhard was not able to take a shot.

Not a clue. I never asked Reinhardt. I was just happy he was alive and well and able to play 21 in Vegas the next year.

 

[Hank2211]

Good lord, I'd need new underwear after that.

As for the topic at hand, I'd have no issues hunting with either PH ever. Both remained cool, calm, and collected in an absolute nightmare scenario and came out alive because of it. Bravo to them.

I don't know Johann Calitz, but in the original tape of this hunt, he led the party and predicted what would happen and when. These guys have nerves of steel.

 

[IvW]

Plus unlike here they can not just walk in to a gun store and buy a new gun if they want to. They are also limited on how many guns they can even own.

Not true.

A registered Bona Fide hunter in South Africa has no limit on the number of rifles he can own or the ammunition for these rifles. Can walk into any gun store and buy what you want, the licensing of firearm process has now been smoothed out and can be done in about 6 weeks as long as the application was done correctly.

I own 17 firearms.

 

[peras]

Not true.

A registered Bona Fide hunter in South Africa has no limit on the number of rifles he can own or the ammunition for these rifles. Can walk into any gun store and buy what you want, the licensing of firearm process has now been smoothed out and can be done in about 6 weeks as long as the application was done correctly.

I own 17 firearms.

Agree with the section 16A that we can own quite a bit, I just got two shotgun licenses this week, took six months. To me that is not really smooth.

 

[IvW]

The reported bullet failure seems in line with other reports regarding the DGX.

I wasn't particularly familiar with the 416 Ruger, so I looked it up. It looks to have about 10% less case capacity than the 416 Remington, itself considered a high pressure cartridge. It also looks to have nearly parallel sides. It seems our forebears had it right when they designed dangerous game cartridges: generous case capacity to keep pressures low and a fair amount of taper to facilitate extraction.

I agree with your comments regarding cartridge choice.

I have always preferred non belted, non parallel sided, lower pressure cartridges for DG back-up. Therefore I have always used a 500 Jeff on DG and have never had any issues.

In 458 Caliber I would consider 450 Rigby or 450 Sabi.

 

[IvW]

Very good news that the person survived this attack.

It is quite easy to sit on the sidelines and make assumptions with regards to what happened and what did not.

In terms of surviving a Lion attack, odds are always in favour of the Lion when he gets hold of you that he will survive and you not. Lion attacks are fatal 80% of the time due to its great power, sheer size, massive claws and teeth. It is a voracious predator and attacks as such. In this case everybody survived and therefore they must have done what they did correctly otherwise it would have ended in disaster and somebody would have been killed.

In terms of difficulty in stopping a charge when comparing the big five, it would be a toss up between buffalo and lion for first place.

When a Lion charges he needs to be killed as he will very rarely break off the charge or change direction once he has committed. The speed at which this happens cannot be described unless you have experienced it yourself.

Lot's of information and books suggest soft(not meaning soft nose or expanding rather rapidly expanding) bullets for lion. For lioness and lion on bait waiting for that perfect broadside shot this may be true. However for tracked lion hunting or when following up a wounded lion a premium grade expanding bullet is a much better choice. When a Lion charges his muscles are all pumped up and the frontal chest part is surprisingly hard muscled. If wounded or being pushed he will be pumped up big time on adrenalin and this makes them much harder to stop. Only a premium grade bullet will do.

I won't expand on the ammunition used except to add that it is one brand that I have and never will use.

Under the circumstances I cannot see that they could have done anything other than what they did. Staying calm in the face of death takes courage and nerves of steel. Shooting a Lion off of somebody takes guts and confidence to do so without shooting somebody in the process. Any lessor experienced PH could have resulted in a catastrophic outcome.

As for the jammed rifle, it appears to be a pressure related issue for some reason(cartridge design, high pressure due to 2nd round being pushed back into the case under recoil from the first shot, high ambient temperature, high operating pressure cartridge etc...), I am sure whatever the reason was that it has been sorted or the rifle replaced.

Cartridge and bullet selection used are always a personal choice. I am a believer in non-belted, non straight wall cased low operating pressure cartridges in the largest caliber that can be competently shot. Needless to say that this should be accompanied by a reliable rifle as a platform.

Having said that my first back-up rifle was a 375 H&H Magnum. It does have a belt but due to the very tapered case this in no way hampers the feeding or loading of this cartridge. It however has it's limitations when used against DG. If used within these limitations it is very effective.

In 400 caliber the 404 Jeff or 416 Rigby and in 458 caliber the 450 Rigby or 458 Sabi would be my choice.

My mentor when I started hunting used a 500 Jeff and after seeing it's devastating effectiveness I acquired a custom built 500 Jeff on a ZKK 602 Brno action and have never had any regrets since.

A rifle on it's own cannot do anything, it is the person behind the rifle that can make it happen. Luckily the PH who shot the lion off the attacked person did so in a cool calm and collected way and saved the life of the person being attacked.

 

[jpr792]

We wish Reinhard speedy recovery.

 

[IvW]

Not a clue. I never asked Reinhardt. I was just happy he was alive and well and able to play 21 in Vegas the next year.

We wish Reinhard speedy recovery.

Sounds like he recovered quite well, if not I also wish him a complete recovery and many more happy hunting day's, not many survive to show the scars.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Gents,

I've spoken on this subject a few times since the incident which took place in 2015. I've held back details for a number of reasons. Quite frankly I'd hoped that this would've been a subject that would have been put to rest by now, but alas a second video of the incident came back out in the last couple of months. A fair amount of speculation is out there now and so it is with some reluctance that I'll respond to this one more time and shed a little more light. Jacques @AAA Africa Serapa Safaris has had I think one day off from hunting in the last couple of months, which was a couple weeks ago, and won't have another one until at least September. So he is not likely to respond anytime soon to this thread. So, a few more details and/or rehash of what has been known to the best of my ability to recall:

1. This hunt took place in March, 2015. There had been rain and the ranch on which this hunt took place was thick with the growth in cover.

2. Reinhard was not the primary PH. Jacques was the primary. The two clients were that of Reinhard's.

3. There were at least two male lions on the ranch. The two in particular that I'm mentioning were both to be hunted, one by each client. Both of these lions were exhibiting aggressive behavior for not having been provoked.

4. The lion that charged was tracked into thick cover. Jacques had spotted the lion in the cover prior to the charge. The client was on the sticks and being instructed to shoot. For whatever reason which I don't know, the client hesitated to shoot. It was during this hesitation that the lion decided to charge. The lion was NOT wounded prior to the charge.

5. Jacques was able to get off a shot which hit the lion in the shoulder. The lion only had a very small reaction to the shot which you almost need to play the original video in slow motion to see.

6. As mentioned Reinhard did not get a shot off. I don't know why. I have been to two show seasons since this incident, both of which Reinhard was at. Particularly in Dallas, 2016 it was sufficient for me that Reinhard was present, walking and talking. Outside of questions regarding his physical health, I've not asked him any other questions regarding the attack. If you wish to do so, you'll likely be able to find him at the Kwalata Safaris booth at DSC or SCI in a few months. Personally I don't think I would do that, but that is your choice.

7. As mentioned the rifle used is a Ruger in .416 Ruger. The rifle had functioned fine on a number of hunts prior to this and has since. It was used just recently by @lwaters to take a buffalo at Serapa. Jacques now also has a .470 DR that he carries. To my knowledge he picked up this rifle because it was being offered at a price he couldn't turn down. I've never had the impression nor has Jacques said to me that it had anything to do with this incident.

8. As also mentioned, the ammunition being used was factory loaded Hornady. I'm not sure how one pre-screens all of the ammo taken on a hunt. Shoot a box or two to see how it works, for certain. But once this has happened, what are you supposed to do? Shoot one round out of all future boxes purchased? What good would that do I can't imagine.

9. @BRICKBURN, the Johan Calitz video you posted has one very important difference. In that video the hunters were following a wounded lion. This of course totally changes the situation. The lion in Jacques/Reinhard hunt while acting aggressive was not wounded. As you know first shots are normally taken off the sticks, and so it was for this hunt.

For personal reasons, I wish this subject would die. It brings back memories of a troubling morning when I first became aware that something had gone wrong on this lion hunt. At first I only had a few details which in some respects is worse than knowing the full story. Having said that, one cannot simply wish history away. And as the saying goes, those who refuse to learn from history are destined to repeat it. There are lessons to be learned.

But lofting criticism at those who were on the ground at that the time and doing so with limited knowledge of the events is something I don't understand.

For those concerned about Reinhard, he has as far as I can tell made at least a nearly complete recovery. I know in 2016, he still had some limitations in movement of I believe it would be in his right arm, but I think that has been worked through in time.

 

[BRICKBURN]

We wish Reinhard speedy recovery.

He recovered enough to be sharing a few drinks last year at SCI.

 

[BRICKBURN]

............

9. @BRICKBURN, the Johan Calitz video you posted has one very important difference. In that video the hunters were following a wounded lion. This of course totally changes the situation. The lion in Jacques/Reinhard hunt while acting aggressive was not wounded. As you know first shots are normally taken off the sticks, and so it was for this hunt.
...........

No criticism. Of course people are going to use sticks. It helps steady the shot.
It was a personal observation that the hunter could not follow the Lion as the sticks got in the way of lateral movement.
It made me reconsider how I might proceed with regard to DG and Sticks.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Agree with the section 16A that we can own quite a bit, I just got two shotgun licenses this week, took six months. To me that is not really smooth.

Little different for us in North America (at least many jurisdictions):
I'm licensed, walk in to store, select rifle, pay, walk out, go shooting.

A little smoother.

 

[BRICKBURN]

......................
4. The lion that charged was tracked into thick cover. Jacques had spotted the lion in the cover prior to the charge. The client was on the sticks and being instructed to shoot. For whatever reason which I don't know, the client hesitated to shoot. It was during this hesitation that the lion decided to charge. The lion was NOT wounded prior to the charge.
.........

You can see in the video that someone ( I did not pay attention to whom. Reinhard?) , after the hunters initial hesitation reaches over the hunters right shoulder and does what appears to be switching the safety off for them. I think that was the delay.

 

[Graham Hunter]

I was not trying to insult or offend anyone or their ability. I thought from the video it was a legitimate question. Why did Reinhard not get off a shot. Surely with all of you who are close to him someone must have asked. I know if it was my close friend I would have asked the question.

 

[CTDolan]

I think those involved are wanting to put this one to rest and I say we respect their wishes.

 

[Graham Hunter]

I apologize. I was hoping to learn something that might help the rest of us should we be in a similar situation. Guess some questions are better left unanswered.

 

[CTDolan]

There's nothing wrong with your question but if you read Phil's reply above he mentions wishing that the subject would die, and this I can understand.

Take care, I hope you have a wonderful evening.