21 days with Mark Sullivan

[Safari Dave]

I'm in the camp of not wanting to hunt with Sullivan, because of SO MANY bad shots by clients, only to be finished off by Sullivan.

I'm surprised by the number of his clients who can't make a good shot. (IMO, he should spend much more time in camp teaching them how to shoot.)

I guess, I'm also surprised by the number hunters who go to Africa who don't know how to place killing shots on DG animals.

On my buffalo hunt, I had to "prove" my proficiency with a big rifle, before we ever stepped foot on a hunt. I even had to "prove" myself before we hunted PG in RSA.

Maybe, he doesn't care, because he wants the kill (IDK).

I can understand an inexperienced fisherman might want to do a guided flyfishing trip, but can't even fathom why an inexperienced hunter would want to go on a DG hunt.


Ignorance, maybe???

 

[Wildwillalaska]

Valid point, but have to believe the hunter’s struggles in the video were from lack of practice. When he had to go and prove his abilities on paper before stepping foot on the hunt, he shot well enough…and leaps and bounds above the shots made on game.

Talking about proving proficiency, how many folks have their PH do the same? Saw it on some video with Buzz C I think and made me laugh initially…then I’d made me think, yah, fair request. I’ve had a PH sight in beside me to ensure he was perfectly on, but most other times I run a couple few rounds to check zero and prove shooting capabilities but PH doesn’t.

I wonder how many shots some of these PH’s take a year. Learned in Botswana folks can only buy 100 rounds a year for each rifle they have on license. There is not a PH provision for additional ammunition, almost encouraging lack of regular practice.

 

[Safari Dave]

I believe that absolute ignorance is to blame for a "hunter" to go on a DG hunt, who has no idea about proper shot placement with proper DG chamberings/bullets.

If Mark Sullivan caters to this type of client, then whatever...

It seems like he does.

I won't be hunting with him...

 

[Safari Dave]

Maybe being "rich" with money is Sullivan's main motivator.

Being "rich" with experience, apparently, makes a hunter less desirable, in his book.

No thanks.

Based on decades of looking at his videos, I'd rather hunt with my PH that no one has ever heard of.

 

[Wildwillalaska]

I believe that absolute ignorance is to blame for a "hunter" to go on a DG hunt, who has no idea about proper shot placement with proper DG chamberings/bullets.

I must have missed or misread part of your original post, that you contributed the hunter’s poor shooting to not knowing where to place his shots on the target animals. I didnt get that from the video, but maybe missed it, kind of like some shots missed vitals. I got the sense the gent just had difficulty with the pressure and excitement of shooting on game, not a lack of understanding as to vitals and key joints to break them down.

The one shot that really stood out, even more than the shot on the first buffalo that was rear of the liver, just guy/rumen, was when Sullivan told him just below the boss on the last buffalo, at like under 10 yards. He shoots, buffalo moves head/neck around in slow, circular motion, and then cuts to a slow zoom out starting at the front of his bosses…and didn’t see a hole at all. Coulda been one and I missed it, but just seemed the gent shot animas opposite of how he shot paper, even with clear direction on shot placement.

I’m in no way excusing any issues you have with Sullivan, also not excusing the gent’s difficulties with accurate shots to vitals yielding quick dispatch of target animals. Some folks struggle more than others, but nevertheless if they intend to hunt live game, they owe the animal as quick of a dispatching shot as possible, which is something the hunter here has ample room for improvement. And as hunters, we damn sure owe our quarry the advanced practice and studied attention to anatomy.

 

[mark-hunter]

I'm surprised by the number of his clients who can't make a good shot. (IMO, he should spend much more time in camp teaching them how to shoot.)

Even now I am surprised with number of hunters in my circle who are poor shots.
I am member of sport shooting club, and train regularly, and very very rare I could see a hunter on the range zeroing the rifle.
I never saw a hunter on the range, "just to train", or god forbid trying to shoot from stick, with all that expensive ammunition
Local community that orbits local ranges is about 4000 registered hunters.

The culture that I am seeing at my place is: ammo is expensive. It should not be wasted on paper.
Hunting course and exam, do not teach zeroing the rifle procedure, and for majority of hunters zeroing is necessary evil, done by gunsmith, once and done, and once done it is "zeroed for ever" regardless of ammo used later.

PHs on the forum are confidential, and most probably they will never comment on average clients, or specific clients ability to shoot, but I think they have seen it all.

But I am not bound by PH-client confidentiality clause.
Once in a hunting camp, with large group of hunters I observed one in five animal wounded and lost including sable, by other clients. They were average hunters, first timers on PG hunt.

Having said that: I think this forum is far above average hunter skills.
Many forum members pay for high dollar hunt, and high value guns and equipment.
This makes them cautious on their investment, and they make sure they have the best out of the experience, which includes training, preparations, zeroing, etc....
This is when the dollars involved improve ethics.

And as a result they have high success rate.

 

[Safari Dave]

Even now I am surprised with number of hunters in my circle who are poor shots.
I am member of sport shooting club, and train regularly, and very very rare I could see a hunter on the range zeroing the rifle.
I never saw a hunter on the range, "just to train", or god forbid trying to shoot from stick, with all that expensive ammunition
Local community that orbits local ranges is about 4000 registered hunters.

The culture that I am seeing at my place is: ammo is expensive. It should not be wasted on paper.
Hunting course and exam, do not teach zeroing the rifle procedure, and for majority of hunters zeroing is necessary evil, done by gunsmith, once and done, and once done it is "zeroed for ever" regardless of ammo used later.

PHs on the forum are confidential, and most probably they will never comment on average clients, or specific clients ability to shoot, but I think they have seen it all.

But I am not bound by PH-client confidentiality clause.
Once in a hunting camp, with large group of hunters I observed one in five animal wounded and lost including sable, by other clients. They were average hunters, first timers on PG hunt.

Having said that: I think this forum is far above average hunter skills.
Many forum members pay for high dollar hunt, and high value guns and equipment.
This makes them cautious on their investment, and they make sure they have the best out of the experience, which includes training, preparations, zeroing, etc....
This is when the dollars involved improve ethics.

And as a result they have high success rate.

You are absolutely right.

The best PH's are the ones most of us have never heard of, because they instruct (and oversee) their clients on how to take their animals with one proper shot to the vitals.

The professional wounders seem to enjoy making videos of themselves killing their client's animals.

I don't get it.

 

[Wildwillalaska]

I may also just expect too much from my hunting brethren. I love to shoot a practice often. Taught my youngest daughter the same, not just zero and go, but all the proper elements of repeatable, predictable accuracy and impact on same for various shooting positions…include sticks for Africa. Few months before her first moose hunt at 9, dall sheep hunt at 10 and Africa at 13, she had weeks of 1-2 trips to the gun club to shoot and practice aspects of everything she needed confidence in before allowed to point a gun at living animal with intents of killing it.

On her African trip, for the flights over, while she got screen time and watch movies, she also had to study her perfect shot mini book for each animal she had on her list as well as any she might want to convince me to add. I think as hunters we owe it to our targets to show up both as safe and lethally prepared as possible.

Easiest trick to get around d expensive ammo is hand load. Even just working up a load teaches folks so much about ballistics and accuracy vs the gunsmith sighting it in and you grabbing a couple rounds to verify and call it good…not good at all.

 

[txtrout75218]

I'd rather be kicked in the head than hunt with someone like MS...

 

[Shaw]

I finally broke down and watched this video. I have seen clips over the years of him but, DAMN. What an arrogant prick. We would not get along and seems like the guy was just ecstatic to hunt with him, based on what I saw he pretty much didn't care about the leopard because he definitely doesn't want one of those to charge him, lol. To each is their own but I have no desire to hunt with a guy like that. I could understand if buff was charging for him to shoot but was not necessary at all, the shots he made buff weren't going far.

 

[Grandpa Moose]

I too finally started the video. Didn’t take long for me to stop listening to the arrogant jack ass. No need to shoot a clients trophy that is not charging. Might consider using his private parts as next target it would really piss me off

 

[gearguywb]

Poor shots by hunters happen far too often.

I am a member of a large local range, and can count on one hand how many times over the years I saw someone working on shooting from other than the bench.

When we lived in W. CO., my wife wanted to do her first big game hunt. I thought "antelope". Should be a great point to start.

We bought a rifle that fit her, set up with a decent scope, etc. Went to the range and she zeroed it. She was prepping to shoot more off the bench when I said "nope, not unless you are going to carry that bench with you into the field." Worked on field positions, supported and non, then on the timer. It paid off....

 

[Flipper Dude]

“Just spell my name right. “

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

I'm in the camp of not wanting to hunt with Sullivan, because of SO MANY bad shots by clients, only to be finished off by Sullivan.

I'm surprised by the number of his clients who can't make a good shot. (IMO, he should spend much more time in camp teaching them how to shoot.)

I guess, I'm also surprised by the number hunters who go to Africa who don't know how to place killing shots on DG animals.

On my buffalo hunt, I had to "prove" my proficiency with a big rifle, before we ever stepped foot on a hunt. I even had to "prove" myself before we hunted PG in RSA.

Maybe, he doesn't care, because he wants the kill (IDK).

I can understand an inexperienced fisherman might want to do a guided flyfishing trip, but can't even fathom why an inexperienced hunter would want to go on a DG hunt.


Ignorance, maybe???

Just out of curiosity, how did you prove your proficiency? Which I think is a good idea. I sight my rifles in at 100 yards when I get there, but that is most often on a bench.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Just out of curiosity, how did you prove your proficiency? Which I think is a good idea. I sight my rifles in at 100 yards when I get there, but that is most often on a bench.

The PH watches his client at the range when checking zero or familiarizing with rental rifle. He can usually tell if the client has a handle on things. Doesn't matter if shooting from a bench or not.

My first safari I had shot all but kudu of package deal by second day (+ two extra animals). An opportunity to cull a very nice cow buffalo came up the third day. I was finally persuaded to accept and we went to the range to shoot the lodge's rental 375. One shot off the bench in the bull at 100 yards and I handed it to my PH.
"Go ahead and shoot it some more if you want."
"That would be a waste of ammo. Do you think I need to shoot it more?"
"Oh no. You were good to go before you got here."

 

[Safari Dave]

Just out of curiosity, how did you prove your proficiency? Which I think is a good idea. I sight my rifles in at 100 yards when I get there, but that is most often on a bench.

For the buffalo, we just drove out of camp and the staff put up a piece of cardboard on a tree at about 80 yards. I shot standing up the the back of a Landcruiser with my forehand resting on the roof. I put 3 shots in a 3" circle and they thought I was "good to go."

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

For the buffalo, we just drove out of camp and the staff put up a piece of cardboard on a tree at about 80 yards. I shot standing up the the back of a Landcruiser with my forehand resting on the roof. I put 3 shots in a 3" circle and they thought I was "good to go."

Makes sense.

Every time I get to camp, I check Zero. Then sight in if required. I’m always stunned to hear when someone doesn’t check their Zero! Then they just start hunting.

On my first Safari for (PG), after we checked my Zero, we when out and shot a nice Blesbok at about 150 yards off sticks, and the young PH said “you shoot good, shouldn’t be a problem”. That was it.

I’ve never really had to “ prove” proficiency, but like the idea of it…

 

[Dhutson]

He did shoot the first buffalo square in the guts, so that backup was warranted.

As usual the client wasn't very proficient with a double...

Or anything else for that matter.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

How old is this hunt ? Mark is using his Marcel Thys .600 Nitro Express sidelock ejector in the video… a rifle which he sold in 2007.