SOUTH AFRICA: Surviving A Lion Charge Lion In The Kalahari!!!

[JD Noblin]

Congrats @Rare Breed on a safe and successful lion hunt and thank you for sharing! What is the make of the optic (red-dot I assume) on your Merkel 140? Great photos too!

 

[Rare Breed]

This is true. Back when I was Chief Conservator of Forests of South Bengal, we enacted Project: Tiger Repopulation in 1999.

We released 8 pairs of zoo born & raised Royal Bengal tigers into the Shoronkhola forest range of the Sundarban mangrove forests and kept them under extensive surveillance. We observed that within 6 weeks of their release, all 16 of the animals were proficiently hunting Axis deer and wild boars. We did, however observe that these Royal Bengal tigers were noticeably more hesitant to attack tusked wild boars than Royal Bengal tigers which were born & raised in the wild.

As someone who has hunted a lot of lions over the years (mostly the wild variety in Tanzania but also one farm bred lion), I have this to say:
Captive bred lion hunting cannot compare to hunting real wild lion EVER. But if anybody says that all captive bred lions are inherently non-dangerous on mere principle of being captive bred, then they have no business making comments about any form of lion hunting.

If you can afford it, go for truly wild lion hunting. It's an absolutely regal thrilling experience unlike any other. But let's be honest. Hunting truly wild lion is quite hard on one's wallet and not all of us can afford it. So farm bred lion hunts offer a budget alternative to the real thing.

I still don't quite think of it as highly as I do about hunting wild lion. But I know and understand that it has it's place.

Hunter-Habib captures my thoughts as well! I wish I had $35-$40,000 on top of day rates of $14,000 to take a truly wild lion. I would never equate my experience with what he states. However he is and so many others have also stated if you think this is an easy slam dunk hunt with no danger just wait till I post the video…I had to clean out my pants before dinner!

 

[Rare Breed]

Congrats @Rare Breed on a safe and successful lion hunt and thank you for sharing! What is the make of the optic (red-dot I assume) on your Merkel 140? Great photos too!

Good eye…I have a Trijicon 1 MOA SRO. I find it gives me a greater faster field of view versus the RMR but both are awesome!

 

[Roller]

You are correct. It was a cow on her last year with 37 inch horns. She could not keep up with the herd

Congrats . Nice looking trophy . I have considered taking an old cow before and may do so on my next PG hunt if the right one comes along .

 

[Rare Breed]

Congrats . Nice looking trophy . I have considered taking an old cow before and may do so on my next PG hunt if the right one comes along .

She was on my bucket list. I always want to take out the oldest animal if I can before the hyinas get them putting them on my wall to live for at least my lifetime!

 

[Rare Breed]

@Rare Breed I AM SO PROUD OF YOU ! By the way, your .470 Nitro Express looks suspiciously like a Rizzini Rhino Express.

What ammunition were you using ?

Lion are my favorite of the African big 5 to hunt.
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I used 500 grain Barnes TSX my friend

 

[Art Lambart II]

Congrats on your lion, can't wait to see the video.

 

[John Wasmuth]

Outstanding!!!! Can’t wait for the video!

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Congratulations, looking forward to read the hunt reports

 

[BRICKBURN]

You certainly got your monies worth on that hunt. Daily laundry included.

 

[CBH Australia]

Congratulations the Lion, would like to hunt one myself.
Happy it pulled up before it got to you but it must add to the experience to have it charge. A once in a lifetime experience and a memorable one, allbeit a close call too.

 

[Vintageguy]

Awesome! I’m sure it was a rush you’ll always remember.

 

[Stetsonham]

Congrats!

 

[TKessel]

Beautiful lion, thanks for sharing

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I used 500 grain Barnes TSX my friend

Ah. I strongly discourage using Barnes X bullets for hunting lions. These monometal bullets need to be pushed to rather high speeds in order to expand rapidly/reliably and they will frequently fail to expand properly on lions (even more so for one that is shot over bait).

My preference is for old fashioned lead cored bullets with a copper/gilding metal jacket which will expand quickly on lions. But the bullets must still be well constructed (with bonded cores being even better), because the bullet must still be able to hold together so that it can penetrate well. The chest muscles of a charging African lion can best be compared to tyre rubber (which you now have personal experience with). My favorite lion bullet of all time is actually the Nosler Partition (but they have become virtually impossible to find now, as Nosler doesn't appear to have manufactured any new consignments in the last 2 years or so). Among currently manufactured bullets on the market, my choice would be for Swift A Frames.

If you decide to purchase another double rifle in the future with the purpose of lion hunting in mind, then I will strongly recommend a .500/416 Nitro Express. It launches 400Gr bullets at 2330fps. Lion you see, have a highly developed central nervous system that is extremely susceptible to hydrostatic shock. A slightly smaller caliber bullet travelling at a higher velocity is a better ticket for lion than a larger caliber bullet travelling at a slower velocity (all other factors being equal).

An interesting field observation of mine regarding the terminal effects of different calibers being used on different big game (which might be of some benefit to you for future hunts) is this:

For body shots on Cape buffalo, a freshly loaded .458 Winchester Magnum (with velocities actually chronographing at the desired 2130 fps or thereabouts with 500Gr bullets) has noticeably more terminal effect than a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum (with velocities actually chronographing at the desired 2530 fps or thereabouts with 300Gr bullets)- Assuming of course, that all other factors are equal.

For body shots on lion, a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum (with velocities actually chronographing at the desired 2530 fps or thereabouts with 300Gr bullets) has noticeably more terminal effect than a freshly loaded .458 Winchester Magnum (with velocities actually chronographing at the desired 2130 fps or thereabouts with 500Gr bullets)- Assuming of course, that all other factors are equal.

But the .458 Lott (with velocities actually chronographing at 2350 fps or thereabouts with 500Gr bullets) is superior to the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum and .458 Winchester Magnum for body shots on both Cape buffalo and lion- Assuming of course, that all other factors are equal (and that the recoil doesn't bother you). Whatever I said about the .458 Lott, also applies to the .450 Rigby Rimless Magnum and the .450 Dakota.

Similarly, for lion hunting... I would personally opt for a .500/416 Nitro Express over a .470 Nitro Express.

 

[Frederik]

Well done and congrats on a great lion.
Will keep an eye out for the video.

That Trijicon SRO in one MOA works like a charm I am enjoying mine tooo much.

 

[cpr0312]

Wow! Congrats and thanks for sharing!

 

[Rare Breed]

Thank you. I agree, it would be nice if this doesn’t turn into yet another argument about CBL. But I’m sure Rare Breed knows this may be a bit of a hot button topic.



This is not the case, at least not as a blanket statement. Although there may be some validity in that it takes practice to become proficient at anything, whether man or beast. Cats in general are born with a hunting instinct and released lions do hunt and catch available prey animals. Success depends on many factors. Released lions will also join up and hunt together which may increase

Ah. I strongly discourage using Barnes X bullets for hunting lions. These monometal bullets need to be pushed to rather high speeds in order to expand rapidly/reliably and they will frequently fail to expand properly on lions (even more so for one that is shot over bait).

My preference is for old fashioned lead cored bullets with a copper/gilding metal jacket which will expand quickly on lions. But the bullets must still be well constructed (with bonded cores being even better), because the bullet must still be able to hold together so that it can penetrate well. The chest muscles of a charging African lion can best be compared to tyre rubber (which you now have personal experience with). My favorite lion bullet of all time is actually the Nosler Partition (but they have become virtually impossible to find now, as Nosler doesn't appear to have manufactured any new consignments in the last 2 years or so). Among currently manufactured bullets on the market, my choice would be for Swift A Frames.

If you decide to purchase another double rifle in the future with the purpose of lion hunting in mind, then I will strongly recommend a .500/416 Nitro Express. It launches 400Gr bullets at 2330fps. Lion you see, have a highly developed central nervous system that is extremely susceptible to hydrostatic shock. A slightly smaller caliber bullet travelling at a higher velocity is a better ticket for lion than a larger caliber bullet travelling at a slower velocity (all other factors being equal).

An interesting field observation of mine regarding the terminal effects of different calibers being used on different big game (which might be of some benefit to you for future hunts) is this:

For body shots on Cape buffalo, a freshly loaded .458 Winchester Magnum (with velocities actually chronographing at the desired 2130 fps or thereabouts with 500Gr bullets) has noticeably more terminal effect than a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum (with velocities actually chronographing at the desired 2530 fps or thereabouts with 300Gr bullets)- Assuming of course, that all other factors are equal.

For body shots on lion, a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum (with velocities actually chronographing at the desired 2530 fps or thereabouts with 300Gr bullets) has noticeably more terminal effect than a freshly loaded .458 Winchester Magnum (with velocities actually chronographing at the desired 2130 fps or thereabouts with 500Gr bullets)- Assuming of course, that all other factors are equal.

But the .458 Lott (with velocities actually chronographing at 2350 fps or thereabouts with 500Gr bullets) is superior to the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum and .458 Winchester Magnum for body shots on both Cape buffalo and lion- Assuming of course, that all other factors are equal (and that the recoil doesn't bother you). Whatever I said about the .458 Lott, also applies to the .450 Rigby Rimless Magnum and the .450 Dakota.

Similarly, for lion hunting... I would personally opt for a .500/416 Nitro Express over a .470 Nitro Express.

Thanks! That must explain why the lion got back up after my first shot

 

[Tucketed]

Sounds like you enjoyed the hunt and I am sure the lion will be a lasting memory for life.
Congratulations

 

[AZDAVE]

Congratulations on a nice cat, and being able to hunt with your double makes it all the more rewarding. Look forward to the video.