Unprovoked Cape Buffalo Charge

[BenKK]

Tremendous bull! And wonderful footage!

 

[BenKK]

Looks like the client got the first shot away into the chest but the bull kept coming. Is that right?

 

[Lance Hopper]

Awesome footage, and experience for the hunter! I've only been buffalo hunting twice, but it looks to me that it went down exactly as it should have. PH was waiting to see if the buff was hard bossed, and/or old enough. Then the animal turned and said enough is enough. If any PH I ever hunt with does NOT put in a follow up in those circumstances I would be very unhappy. If my PH let me shoot that Buff broadside and it turned out to NOT have hard bosses, I would be even more pissed! Congrats on a great hunt for both the client and the PH!

 

[BeeMaa]

It's easy to "armchair quarterback" this to death.
In the end, the client will be the judge if the PH acted incorrectly.
Regardless of what anyone here thinks.
If he was unhappy, it was surely hard to tell from the footage.

Am I in agreement with how the hunt was conducted?
Not 100%, but I (as stated earlier) don't think my opinion really matters after the fact.
I wasn't there.

That said, it was a very good video.
Thank you for sharing.

 

[Albert GRANT]

Ok, so I have zero experience hunting buffalo and I'm only going by what I have heard other saying on here, so if I'm incorrect please let me know, but with tips that far below the boss isn't it almost a given it's an old hard boss bull?

Also if they were truly only trying to judge it, it could have easily been done from behind the bush, like the PH was already doing with his binos, rather than stepping out in the open when that close. In addition to that once the bull looks at them, they had a full 3 seconds broadside before he turns. I think the objective was to get a charge. That's just my opinion

 

[BigSteve57]

I hope to get back to Africa to hunt Cape Buffalo. I literally devour any realistic recounting or video that shows their range of behavior. Thanks for an informative post.

 

[Newboomer]

I'd call it unprovoked. The hunters were standing still watching the buf. 9 times out of 10 as soon as a buf senses humans they will turn and run away. This one didn't. Instead it turned to the hunters and charged. Good shooting and great camera work. Good looking old bull, too.

 

[Von S.]

Firehuntfish

Nice flick.......I enjoyed it.

I feel that both men shot well and acted courageously.

Thanks

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

In terms of hunting Cape Buffalo, this is unprovoked. A charge came without firing a shot.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

I hope to get back to Africa to hunt Cape Buffalo. I literally devour any realistic recounting or video that shows their range of behavior. Thanks for an informative post.

Steve, this is certainly not a normal reaction from a Cape Buffalo.
Many people and old legends make them out to be blood thirsty killers.
Can they become aggressive once wounded, you bet. Do they kill hunters every year, yes.
The unltimate thing to remember is, and this might sound stupid, but it might be as simple as a buff waking up with a sore tooth on the day. Now he's in a bad mood, which happens to be the same day that you are in his territory.

 

[sestoppelman]

...... Do they kill most hunters every year, yes.
..........

Geez, I hope not!!

 

[sambarhunter]

I had another look at the buff and the way his head was hanging down suggests he is feeling very sorry for himself and either ill or previously wounded. Cattle are not Buffalo yes yes yes but they don`t hang their heads like that unless sick.
I am not denigrating the actual shooting,it was first class,just that the bull has a "not quite right something" about him...senses were about as bright as a brick.

 

[Pondoro]

were you standing next to him or did he tell you that ?

He has pics and witnessess to prove it...and God knows how many buffalos has been shot with 7x57, .303, 8x57 etc. etc. by meathunters in Africa, professionals or not..they used what they had..

 

[Foxi]

He has pics and witnessess to prove it...and God knows how many buffalos has been shot with 7x57, .303, 8x57 etc. etc. by meathunters in Africa, professionals or not..they used what they had..

I ment the hunting tourists and their heroes-stories .
Nothing else.

 

[Timbo]

And the client/paying hunter ends up not killing his own buff....

Maybe the client wasn't experienced enough to get the second shot off quick enough? Under those circumstances, maybe the PH acted decisively and appropriately in preventing someone getting injured?

 

[Timbo]

Why the PH waited so long is maybe because what every PH I've been with has told me. That they always wait for the buff to give them a frontal view of the horns and bosses. This is an essential part of their judgement, in deciding to take the buff or not.

The frontal view determines if the the bosses and horns are acceptable for what the client is looking for, AND, to make damn sure that the off side horn is there!! Since some clients would not be happy in paying all that money for a lop-sided buff with only one horn!!

IMO the PH did his job in waiting for that moment to sum up and confirm the overall trophy, before giving the go ahead for the client to fire.

 

[IvW]

Maybe the client wasn't experienced enough to get the second shot off quick enough? Under those circumstances, maybe the PH acted decisively and appropriately in preventing someone getting injured?

Should never have gotten himself or the client in that situation to start with. There was more than enough time to asses and shoot before the charge started.

PH not communicating with client either, he looks confused as a result....should have been told to get ready long before and then not get told to wait wait wait after the charge starts....

 

[IvW]

Why the PH waited so long is maybe because what every PH I've been with has told me. That they always wait for the buff to give them a frontal view of the horns and bosses. This is an essential part of their judgement, in deciding to take the buff or not.

The frontal view determines if the the bosses and horns are acceptable for what the client is looking for, AND, to make damn sure that the off side horn is there!! Since some clients would not be happy in paying all that money for a lop-sided buff with only one horn!!

IMO the PH did his job in waiting for that moment to sum up and confirm the overall trophy, before giving the go ahead for the client to fire.

If you watch the video again from the start you will see the buff is initially spotted to their right hand side, they move off to the left, so this means they saw the buff from the front when starting the stalk. The buff never moved during this time.

First views from behind the bush you can see the horns and confirm both are there, age and drop is also clearly visible.

Client should have been told to get ready. As soon as the buff turned his head the PH could have instantly confirmed and told the client to shoot, which would have resulted in a shoulder shot which in all likelyhood would have had the buff charging away to the right.

After the buff snorts and turns it stops, again offer a shot, not taken, charge starts, wait wait wait!!!For what??? and then only take him.....

Been there a few times trust me this is not the way I would have done it and unless there is some other underlying reason I cannot justify how this went down.

Of course this is my opinion....

 

[mark-hunter]

The two reasons I might think of for loosing time and opportunity of good shot is:

1) adjusting for best position of cameraman, for best possible filming, of buffalo, hunter, landscape etc...

2) not having intention to shoot that particular buffalo, but once the charge started, they had no other option.

 

[Timbo]

If you watch the video again from the start you will see the buff is initially spotted to their right hand side, they move off to the left, so this means they saw the buff from the front when starting the stalk. The buff never moved during this time.

First views from behind the bush you can see the horns and confirm both are there, age and drop is also clearly visible.

Client should have been told to get ready. As soon as the buff turned his head the PH could have instantly confirmed and told the client to shoot, which would have resulted in a shoulder shot which in all likelyhood would have had the buff charging away to the right.

After the buff snorts and turns it stops, again offer a shot, not taken, charge starts, wait wait wait!!!For what??? and then only take him.....

Been there a few times trust me this is not the way I would have done it and unless there is some other underlying reason I cannot justify how this went down.

Of course this is my opinion....

Quite, but as you say it's your opinion. My post was not to denigrate anybody's view, or professional opinion: but to provide some information speculating why this hunt took the course it did. Only the PH himself, on the spot, can answer this. Maybe he hasn't as much experience as you, but every PH has to start from some level of inexperience - as no PH was ever born with +10yrs DG experience.

Though I respect you as a very experienced PH, IMO it's a bit unfair to knock this PH or his methods since none of us were there. But he nevertheless waited that split second for the client. But when his second was not forthcoming, the PH put in an immediate, superb back-up shot which stopped a potential risky situation developing.

Post event armchair assessments won't change the outcome I first made: buffalo in the salt, all safely home, and celebrating a magnificent trophy around the braai.