Brilliant! Practice For A Charging Buffalo

[Tbitty]

With a little evening time wasting on the inter-webs, I came across a video that made me think "what a brilliant idea." For those of us who have ever wondered how well we might handle a charging buffalo (or bear / lion / etc.), this may be the best way to test yourself.

I couldn't pull the video, sorry, but I grabbed a few screenshots that should illustrate the concept.

Step one: attach a silhouette target to a remote control car.

Step 2: with a partner operating the remote control, the target "charges" you. Ideally with some simulation of surprise, but thats probably very difficult to set up in a manner where the car still has to be operable.

Step 2b: when the charge is on, shoot the target as quickly/accurately as possible. Bonus points for multiple kill shots.

Step 3: inspect the target for results, repair, and repeat.

The clip I saw used a grizzly bear target, but my first thought was to put a buffalo on there.

Seems like something I'd want to try. Anyone seen/done something like this?

 

[matt85]

Looks like fun! But that RC car looks like a very expensive accident waiting to happen. Ive seen electric zip lines used to good effect for this sort of practice. Another good practice idea is to have someone run you to a point, then have the target charge. This would get your heart rate up and mix-up the distances and angles each time.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I cannot believe a remote control vehicle could move at a speed anywhere close to a charging buffalo or elephant.

 

[Badjer]

common Speed Ranges by Type

• Brushed Electric: 30–60 km/h (19–37 mph).
• Brushless Electric: 60–100+ km/h (37–62+ mph).

Looks doable,. The bracket might take some work. Just don't shoot low.

 

[Badjer]

With a little evening time wasting on the inter-webs, I came across a video that made me think "what a brilliant idea." For those of us who have ever wondered how well we might handle a charging buffalo (or bear / lion / etc.), this may be the best way to test yourself.

I couldn't pull the video, sorry, but I grabbed a few screenshots that should illustrate the concept.

Step one: attach a silhouette target to a remote control car.

Step 2: with a partner operating the remote control, the target "charges" you. Ideally with some simulation of surprise, but thats probably very difficult to set up in a manner where the car still has to be operable.

Step 2b: when the charge is on, shoot the target as quickly/accurately as possible. Bonus points for multiple kill shots.

Step 3: inspect the target for results, repair, and repeat.

The clip I saw used a grizzly bear target, but my first thought was to put a buffalo on there.

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Seems like something I'd want to try. Anyone seen/done something like this?

Quick search found a 4WD all-terrain truck at Walmart... $106 USD for 40+mph
Any info on how they mounted the target?

 

[zephyr]

following

 

[Altitude sickness]

That looks like a cheap way to have a lot of fun.

Now to act like the Karen or fun police. Sorry there has to be one in every crowd

Don’t burn into your memory shooting those first two, long distance shots. You might get in the habit of using your one chance at too far distance.

Especially for bear hunts. Those first two shots may be at an illegal distance for shooting a bluff charge.

 

[John the Electrician]

I’ve been trying to figure out how to replicate a charging buffalo for a while. The RC car would be great once you figure out how to mount a target to it.

Not so great if you shoot low.

 

[Doug3006]

Shooting low and taking out your $100 Walmart-purchased RC car would be a bummer. However, with a cheap box of 458 Lott ammo costing $120…..

 

[Altitude sickness]

Shooting low at hitting your RC car is a good penalty. And puts some simulated pressure on your shot.

 

[MauserDuff]

I've hooked up bear targets to a fixed bicycle and a pulley system. Pull the rear tire off the rim and add rope. It's fun. Lots of guys got et on the first run. They got better.

 

[Bandera]

Looks like hoot.
The target sled is what I want to know about.

 

[Bandera]

Could you post the link to the video?

 

[MacJenkins]

I cannot believe a remote control vehicle could move at a speed anywhere close to a charging buffalo or elephant.

Your behind the times. Look up X-Maxx truck. For roughly a grand you can get a 20lb 4 wheel drive truck that does 45mph. And it does it in less than 2 seconds.

 

[Tbitty]

#throwback to a bear spray training this summer with our #remotecontrolled charging #grizzlybear . Our simulation, created by @gnatwarfare can reach speeds of 23-25 miles per hour! Impressively, a bear can run at 30-35 miles per hour at top speed. T

#throwback to a bear spray training this summer with our #remotecontrolled charging #grizzlybear . Our simulation, created by @gnatwarfare can reach speeds of 23-25 miles per hour! Impressively, a...

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With a Google search, this is the closest video I could find to the one I saw yesterday. Practicing with bear spray instead of bullets, but same idea. I will try to find the other one.

For sure the challenge would be building a bracket that can hold the target to the car, with enough support to keep it a full face target and not catching too much wind to slow down the car.

 

[Tbitty]

Quick search found a 4WD all-terrain truck at Walmart... $106 USD for 40+mph
Any info on how they mounted the target?

Unfortunately not, just had a 5-10 second video to watch. No description of the setup

 

[shootist~]

How fast is a startled bull from a dead stop?
How long do you have to reload and get back on target - including coming out of recoil?
Assume the timer starts at the first shot.

Just my $.02 guess at how to set up a scenario where shot #2 is the only one that matters. ~2.7 seconds if starting from 25 yards and breaking the shot at 5 yards. (Or let Google AI estimate from some random distance and speed.)

AI Overview:
It takes approximately 2.73 seconds to travel 20 yards at a speed of 15 mph.

 

[Beck]

I cannot believe a remote control vehicle could move at a speed anywhere close to a charging buffalo or elephant.

Some of those RC's can go 60 mph

 

[mdwest]

We did something similar years ago in the army to practice shooting at movers while the shooter was also on the move…

We just duct taped E-Type silhouette targets onto cheap dowel rods and one of the guys built little pvc mounts that were screwed into the bed of some cheap rc “monster trucks”.. and then you just inserted the 3/4” dowel into the 1” ID pvc.. and off we went…

 

[meigsbucks]

I agree that this system isn’t perfect. However, it still would be more “charging beast” practice than you would otherwise get.
Even with a. RC car that could go 60mph, with the target mount and wind resistance of the target itself, I’m not sure what speed to expect.
Several years ago I saw where a guy mounted a target to a kid’s wagon. Mounted a pulley to a tree and ran a rope from the wagon, thru the pulley and then to an ATV. The shooter was by the tree and the ATV drove perpendicular to the shooter, pulling the wagon / target toward the shooter.
On the TV show, Alaska the Last Frontier, they set up a system where the target came at the shooter on a gravity feed rope system. It was slower, but it was a short system and the idea was to get as many hits as possible in a short amount of time. They were using handguns, but it would be a challenge for a rifle.