Ridge Runner
AH legend
- Joined
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- East Cape, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Another enjoyable article of yesteryear.
Nevertheless , l still do not picture an over-under shot-gun or a magnum.458 Winchester calibre rifle , when l think of a visiting English Hunter. But , perhaps many of my brother sportsmen feel differently
ClrEnjoyed the article, thanks so much for all the stories.
JeffroMr. Rahman, you are at the top of my list of people I'd love to meet!
Ridge WalkerAnother exciting story! Thanks!
Mark HunterDear Sir,
Thank you so much, for your reflections of era gone by.
This last of your notes, is similar to what I can imagine, and it really reflects the time.
I am of younger generation, and I have never participated in high volume, high class bird shooting, standing on the peg - as my bird hunts are all - rough shooting, walking in the field after the dogs.
But what I have read and noticed in various hunting historical texts, by British authors, is that until not so long ago, in many of the high class bird shooting, using an over-under shotgun, was not considered within etiquette of the time.
Thus a proper gentleman of higher class will always use side by side, and preferably of smaller bore then 12 GA, although not necessarily.
This is possibly due to few ergonomic advantages that O/U shotgun have when compared to standard S/S shotgun, not to give a sportsman an advantage to another gentleman at shooting peg.
However this part of shooting etiquette, today is somewhat blurred. Modern times, I believe..
Once again, dear mr Rahman, I do hope you will keep sharing your experiences with us!
Over -under is a science , but the side by side is an art "
Ridge RunnerAnother enjoyable article of yesteryear.
Co Elk HunterKawshik,
Another great personal account of your many hunting adventures! Great photos also! I was just curious if the shotgun cases used were made of cardboard? When I started reloading in the early ‘70s, most of my 12 gauge cases were cardboard. I would seal the top crimps with candle wax. I reloaded both those and the newer plastic cases. Thanks
CEH
rinehart0050Mr. Rahman, thank you for sharing another riveting story. I really appreciate your frank and forthright writing style.
Please keep the stories coming!
Dear Sir,
Thank you so much, for your reflections of era gone by.
This last of your notes, is similar to what I can imagine, and it really reflects the time.
I am of younger generation, and I have never participated in high volume, high class bird shooting, standing on the peg - as my bird hunts are all - rough shooting, walking in the field after the dogs.
But what I have read and noticed in various hunting historical texts, by British authors, is that until not so long ago, in many of the high class bird shooting, using an over-under shotgun, was not considered within etiquette of the time.
Thus a proper gentleman of higher class will always use side by side, and preferably of smaller bore then 12 GA, although not necessarily.
This is possibly due to few ergonomic advantages that O/U shotgun have when compared to standard S/S shotgun, not to give a sportsman an advantage to another gentleman at shooting peg.
However this part of shooting etiquette, today is somewhat blurred. Modern times, I believe..
Once again, dear mr Rahman, I do hope you will keep sharing your experiences with us!
SmokepoleWhat a wonderfully written story. I have always thought a tiger to be the most beautiful of animals, Thanks for sharing.
Larry4831486 pounds, wow that’s a big cat! Do they ever get over 500 pounds?
Friend KawshickI know that l have said that Royal Bengal tigers are not scavengers , but this Royal Bengal tiger was certainly an odd one. He had clawed and bitten the dead Gaur in several places. Our client’s hard earned trophy was desecrated. The next day , we gave this news to Sundar Raj sir and our client. Sundar Raj sir was furious at us for leaving the cookies unattended . He said “ Tora ki ato boro opodartho je tora coolie derke eka rekhe jabi ? “ ( Are you incompetent buffoons so stupid that you will leave the coolies alone ? All they had to do , was kill a Royal Bengal tiger and they could not even do that ) . He immediately told our client that the percentage of his payment which comprised Karim and my fees , would be forfeited and returned to him. Karim and l hung our heads down , in shame. However , our client felt for us and gave a new proposition. Karim and l could keep our fees. He wanted to shoot the Royal Bengal tiger which had damaged his Gaur trophy. Since we now saw a possibility of keeping or fees , Karim and l had immediately agreed. Sundar Raj sir would obviously need to handle some formality with the Nilgiri Wild Life Association , to allow our client to have his Shikar license amended to allow a Royal Bengal tiger. But that was his work , not Karim’s or mine. Our work was to guide our client to hunt that Royal Bengal Tiger.
So , after two days, a massive macchan was erected on top of a dead tree , to allow our client to safely shoot the Royal Bengal Tiger from above. This was done with the assistance of our coolies and our redoubtable Garo trackers who were able to narrow down the area where the Royal Bengal tiger would frequent Karim and l were to wait in a nearby tree with our Ishapore shot-guns , loaded with SG in each barrel . We made Rishi purchase a goat and tie it to a tree , as live bait . Everything was arranged . We were all ready . It was a very long and quite night . Occasionally , we would quietly call out to the macchan to see if our client was alright. However , he was a perfectly accommodating gentleman , no stranger to the sport. His magnum .458 double barrel rifle was loaded with 510 grain soft nose cartridges. It was at 1:30 at night that the goat began bleating more and more intensely. I have often read that animals have a sixth sense. I do not know how true that is , but experience certainly seems to indicate so. We knew that the Royal Bengal tiger was nearby . Rishi had a very powerful torch light in his hand. It was a big model. It was a moonless night and our client was relying on us , to illuminate the tiger long enough for him to shoot it. Rishi was , perhaps the best accustomed out of all of us to seeing in the dark. He pointed at a figure in the foliage slowly creeping towards the goat . It was the tiger. What happened next , occurred in maybe three seconds , but was unforgettable.
Rishi suddenly turned the light on and the destroyer of our client’s beautiful Gaur was visible. In the fraction of a second , our client let off a quick right and left , at the great cat. It was over. Those two 510 grain soft nose bullets completely made short work of the creature . What is more remarkable was that he had hit the animal in the base of the chest between it’s two fore legs, penetrating it’s heart.
View attachment 308715
Happy client with 486 pound Royal Bengal tiger
And thus , comes the conclusion of this account of a most eventful two weeks of 1966. Our client came to India , looking for a Gaur and went back with a fine Royal Bengal tiger. Karim and l got to keep our fees and l was able to see what an over-under can do. Nevertheless , l still do not picture an over-under shot-gun or a magnum.458 Winchester calibre rifle , when l think of a visiting English Hunter. But , perhaps many of my brother sportsmen feel differently