Buffalo and shooting sticks

[Bushpig4Ever]

Recently I hunted buffalo, with me was another hunter, it was a 1 x 1 hunt. They found a single bull, standing 20 metres away, the PH put up the shooting sticks. I couldn’t trust my ears. 20 metres??? Who needs shooting sticks when a huge animal is standing this close? The client found it very ackward using the sticks, so he wounded it. 20 meters...

How far was the buffalo away when you guys shot it? Were you using sticks?

 

[Von S.]

Maybe.....

Could it be that the guide knew that the guy couldn't hit anything at any distance and that's why he put the sticks up?

There really are people who really can't hit anything living at any distance.

Did anyone put a gun to his head and make him use them?

My longest about 150+ with sticks and 460.

 

[Bushpig4Ever]

Maybe.....

Could it be that the guide knew that the guy couldn't hit anything at any distance and that's why he put the sticks up?

Did anyone put a gun to his head and make him use them?

Well, I wouldn’t have used them, even with a gun to my head...

 

[Ridgewalker]

I believe everyone is a bit different. Some can shoot well off sticks at 300 yards. Some cannot shoot off sticks well at 50 yards. “Buck fever” (or buffalo fever) may have struck if the shooter didn’t have much experience. Maybe a limb deflected it?
There’s just a lot of things involved of which the number one is the client should not have squeezed the trigger if the sight was not right.
Any wounded animal is not good, but sometimes stuff happens.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Recently I hunted buffalo, with me was another hunter, it was a 1 x 1 hunt. They found a single bull, standing 20 metres away, the PH put up the shooting sticks. I couldn’t trust my ears. 20 metres??? Who needs shooting sticks when a huge animal is standing this close? The client found it very ackward using the sticks, so he wounded it. 20 meters...

How far was the buffalo away when you guys shot it? Were you using sticks?

I can't answer your question, but even at 20 yards I'd be fine using the sticks. Took an impala on my African hunt, ram was at about that distance and I was on the sticks. Didn't need to be, but that's how it worked out.

I'm curious as to how that wounded buff hunt concluded.

 

[Bushpig4Ever]

Took an impala on my African hunt, ram was at about that distance and I was on the sticks.

I'm curious as to how that wounded buff hunt concluded.

I’m not talking about a small animal like an impala but a big buffalo bull. They got the bull the same day, it needed another couple of bullets...

 

[sierraone]

Only hunted buffalo once. 90 meters, frontal chest shot on sticks. One shot, ran 30 meters, then rolled over and died. No second shot.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I’m not talking about a small animal like an impala but a big buffalo bull. They got the bull the same day, it needed another couple of bullets...

Understood, but that impala wasn’t likely to hurt anyone wounded. I guess anyone who hunts buffalo should be able at short distance place a bullet in the vitals. Using the sticks would make it that much easier to me, but I guess not everyone. At the point you’re drawing down on an animal that can return the favor is not the right time to find this out.

 

[Red Leg]

They put up sticks because so many clients are atrocious shots. For buffalo in particular, the first shot is the single most important shot most clients will make in their lives. Get it right, everyone goes home happy - get it wrong and the client may have a real issue with his conscience for the rest of his life - no doubt worse for whomever the buffalo slams.

Four buffalo with three shots off sticks and one off my butt - 70 yards, 70 yards, 60 yards, and 30 yards. My first one, in the Caprivi, was in the marsh from termite mound to termite mound. Setting sticks wasn't really an option on the steep side of the mound, but sitting position worked perfectly. The next two were killed in the Zambezi Delta off sticks. The thirty-meter one was close to what you described. He was in-bound and at about 50-60 meters my PH set the sticks. I was as steady as a rock on the opening where I knew he would have to clear and drilled him cleanly as he did. I could have done it off-hand but not nearly as precisely in that tough spot.

That said, I have taken quite a bit of game without sticks in Africa - particularly in heavy cover for something like Suni, bushpig, or duiker. If hunting that terrain, I tell my PH that I'll let him know when to set them. But for buffalo - any aid in making that critical first shot is a good thing.

 

[Bushpig4Ever]

I’m living and hunting in Africa since almost 40 years, never used sticks. Just curious what you guys do regarding buffalo and sticks.

 

[BRICKBURN]

If I can use a rest I use it, no matter what the game animal is. Tree, bipod, sticks, mounds, shoulder, etc.

 

[cls]

1 shot 20 yds in the thick s&$t off the sticks. Wouldn't have wanted to do it any other way. Too much crap can happen in the heat of the moment.

 

[Royal27]

I try and improve my shooting position with every shot. If sticks are there and there is time I'm going to use them. To me, purposely not improving your shooting position is arrogance, and foolishness, especially on DG. A lot less can go bad with a wounded Impala than with wounded buffalo too.

As to your friend, who knows? You seem to be implying that the sticks caused the bad shot, but it's much more likely that his shot would have been even worse without sticks.

Oh, and my buff was around 40 yards, with sticks.

 

[Von S.]

I’m not talking about a small animal like an impala but a big buffalo bull. They got the bull the same day, it needed another couple of bullets...

Bushpig,

A "small animal like .an impala"?

How about a small animal like a hare? Would you use sticks to shoot "at" that?

I don't shoot "at" the animal, I shoot at a SPOT on the animal and the bullet makes the same sized hole no matter what animal it hits. There are a whole bunch of good shots here who know that to stop a Cape Buffalo, dugga boy, black death, whatever you wanna call it, you gotta hit about a six inch circle regardless of distance, regardless of angle and blast it all to hell with something powerful enough to get the job done.

A person doesn't mysterously get less accurate as the animal gets smaller. The target is the same size.

I used to be an excellent shot, but if I could I would always use a rest, any kind of rest to use before the hammer got dropped and if at all possible I would shot prone off the bipod.

It's all about the one shot kill that makes all hunters giddy.

We all have rifles that can hit silver dollars at 100 yards, yet all so often we fail to prove it when shooting at live game in the field and the one reason is that we don't improve our position, or rest whenever possible to hit that 6 inch circle and put them down hard with one shot.

 

[Red Leg]

Bushpig,

A "small animal like .an impala"?

How about a small animal like a hare? Would you use sticks to shoot "at" that?

I don't shoot "at" the animal, I shoot at a SPOT on the animal and the bullet makes the same sized hole no matter what animal it hits. There are a whole bunch of good shots here who know that to stop a Cape Buffalo, dugga boy, black death, whatever you wanna call it, you gotta hit about a six inch circle regardless of distance, regardless of angle and blast it all to hell with something powerful enough to get the job done.

A person doesn't mysterously get less accurate as the animal gets smaller. The target is the same size.

I used to be an excellent shot, but if I could I would always use a rest, any kind of rest to use before the hammer got dropped and if at all possible I would shot prone off the bipod.

It's all about the one shot kill that makes all hunters giddy.

We all have rifles that can hit silver dollars at 100 yards, yet all so often we fail to prove it when shooting at live game in the field and the one reason is that we don't improve our position, or rest whenever possible to hit that 6 inch circle and put them down hard with one shot.

+1 Beat me to it.

 

[Royal27]

Bushpig,

A "small animal like .an impala"?

How about a small animal like a hare? Would you use sticks to shoot "at" that?

I don't shoot "at" the animal, I shoot at a SPOT on the animal and the bullet makes the same sized hole no matter what animal it hits. There are a whole bunch of good shots here who know that to stop a Cape Buffalo, dugga boy, black death, whatever you wanna call it, you gotta hit about a six inch circle regardless of distance, regardless of angle and blast it all to hell with something powerful enough to get the job done.

A person doesn't mysterously get less accurate as the animal gets smaller. The target is the same size.

I used to be an excellent shot, but if I could I would always use a rest, any kind of rest to use before the hammer got dropped and if at all possible I would shot prone off the bipod.

It's all about the one shot kill that makes all hunters giddy.

We all have rifles that can hit silver dollars at 100 yards, yet all so often we fail to prove it when shooting at live game in the field and the one reason is that we don't improve our position, or rest whenever possible to hit that 6 inch circle and put them down hard with one shot.

+2

Amen!

 

[Royal27]

One more comment.

Based on the information given by the OP, the shooter of the buffalo also committed a cardinal sin.

He purposely took a shot he wasn't comfortable with. The sticks didn't pull the trigger.

I'm basing this off of the "very awkward" comment.

 

[K-man]

Use sticks or any available rest WHEN TIME ALLOWS. I can shoot well offhand but am always better with a rest, but I practice probably more than most offhand and quickly. Most definitely would never look down on anyone that uses any rest to make a clean ethical first shot.

 

[nztimb]

The trouble with most who will try to shoot offhand is that they will mistrust the first sighting and then "AIM" which is where the misses occur as they can not hold still and fight the movement.
The other consideration for many is that the rifle does not "FIT" in the sense of the early English stalking rifles where they were designed for stalking and for the times where an animal may be up close and a 'shoot now' situation came about. If the rifle fits properly and the shooter knows how to shoot, the impact point will be picked as the rifle is being shouldered and the trigger tripped as the rifle sights come alignment.

 

[BeeMaa]

Aim small, miss small.
Do the absolute best you can to get steady and take a humane shot.
You owe it to the game you are hunting to be responsible as you can for the harvest of the game.
If you are not comfortable with the shot...don't take it.
Gotta be man enough to NOT pull the trigger sometimes.