Who's Trophy is it anyway? Wounded Animals

[Ridge Runner]

An honest outfitter won’t charge the 2nd hunter.

I was once the 2nd hunter. The Outfitter said that’s an animal the previous hunter wounded. Would you mind putting it down, or letting me so we can send him the trophy? Now whether or not the outfitter told that hunter it was finished by another hunter or they “found it” I don’t know. It was only a day or two later w/ 1 broken leg on a hard quartering shot that missed all vitals and ended up in the guts.

That’s an outfitter I would like to hunt with’

Unfortunately the Case in point, I was referring to the outfitter/PH is the polar opposite of the outfitter @Mtn_Infantry had.

The animal was Cape Buff in Zimbabwe.

The implications I got, via our conversations and his actions, the outfitter/PH had no intentions on looking for the previous client's buff and subsequently putting the buff out of its misery.

Sadly we never found the previous client's buff.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Unfortunately the Case in point, I was referring to the outfitter/PH is the polar opposite of the outfitter @Mtn_Infantry had.

The animal was Cape Buff in Zimbabwe.

The implications I got, via our conversations and his actions, the outfitter/PH had no intentions on looking for the previous client's buff and subsequently putting the buff out of its misery.

Sadly we never found the previous client's buff.

Unfortunately I can see this and understand it if the outfitter/PH thought it would’ve come at the possible expense of Hunter #2’s safari/hunt experience being anything less than the best. Now I also believe there are a lot of hunters who respect the animal enough to say ok let’s try to find him.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Unfortunately I can see this and understand it if the outfitter/PH thought it would’ve come at the possible expense of Hunter #2’s safari/hunt experience being anything less than the best. Now I also believe there are a lot of hunters who respect the animal enough to say ok let’s try to find him.

In 1983 I was in Zimbabwe. PH Ian Lennox came into the camp with an old guy that was hunting with him. They had found a buffalo bull with a wire snare around his front leg and dragging a piece of log. The outfitter had no more buffalo on quota. Ian told the hunter to take him if he wanted, and he would straighten things out with the game department. Leaving the injured buffalo was inhumane and a danger to the local people. The old man killed the bull. The game department had no issue with putting the buffalo down and ending his suffering, the client got a buffalo, and everyone can feel that they did the right thing. I never asked who paid for the bull or if the hunter got to keep it, but to me it was people doing the right thing.

About three weeks before this a worker at the ranch where we stayed had surprised a buffalo bull with a wire snare around his leg. The bull punched the worker in the guts, spilling intestines. The poor guy had to hold himself together and walk about a mile back to the house. He told the property owners what had happened. Then he died. No one knows if this was the same buffalo.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Unfortunately I can see this and understand it if the outfitter/PH thought it would’ve come at the possible expense of Hunter #2’s safari/hunt experience being anything less than the best. Now I also believe there are a lot of hunters who respect the animal enough to say ok let’s try to find him.

The details are in my Zimbabwe hunt report.

This particular outfitter/PH I had, only had himself in mind.

There are good to lexcellent outfitter/PHs and PHs that actually want their clients to have a good experience.

As to the OP's question and experience he had a PH wanting to make things right.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

In 1983 I was in Zimbabwe. PH Ian Lennox came into the camp with an old guy that was hunting with him. They had found a buffalo bull with a wire snare around his front leg and dragging a piece of log. The outfitter had no more buffalo on quota. Ian told the hunter to take him if he wanted, and he would straighten things out with the game department. Leaving the injured buffalo was inhumane and a danger to the local people. The old man killed the bull. The game department had no issue with putting the buffalo down and ending his suffering, the client got a buffalo, and everyone can feel that they did the right thing. I never asked who paid for the bull or if the hunter got to keep it, but to me it was people doing the right thing.

About three weeks before this a worker at the ranch where we stayed had surprised a buffalo bull with a wire snare around his leg. The bull punched the worker in the guts, spilling intestines. The poor guy had to hold himself together and walk about a mile back to the house. He told the property owners what had happened. Then he died. No one knows if this was the same buffalo.

I think most of us hunters would have shot as the old man had. I think there’s a difference in spending your safari actively pursing/targeting another hunters wounded animal as your primary target vs coming across it by chance and shooting it, or pursuing it if blood/spoor is found on another stalk.