If you want to shoot dangerous game..

[Saul]

Nah if you INTEND to DELIBERATELY die on a DG hunt (maybe you're terminal?) that is selfish and unfair on the PH & Outfitter the amount of stress it would induce on the humans present during your death, witnessing it and being incapable of saving you at the hands of a dangerous animal which is their entire profession is the LAST LAST LASSST thing any of them wants & makes THEM not look "positive", let alone the media attention... CHRIST....

There are certainly much worse ways to go but this isn't a d*ck waving contest about who can have the most gruesome death of which I want NO part in.

Hopefully no one is intending to go out that way, except maybe Mark Sullivan.

 

[HankBuck]

I bet everyone that ever died on a DG hunt "regrets it" (well duhhh..) if you could ask them somehow.
I mean how can you go on another DG hunt.................. if ya dead.
There is a balance.

@Kharn - there are worse ways to die. Having hunted DG a couple times I told my Family (in advance) that in the highly unlikely event I “die” - I died doing something I loved. The older I get the more I appreciate that ‘Living Longer is Not always living better’…. Now, that might sound very Brave and its easier for me to write about then actually experiencing (I might be screaming like a baby if it ever happens).

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Can we have a civil discussion on this topic..?

To my mind, if you want to hunt dangerous game, let it be dangerous, otherwise you may as well just shoot deer. DG is to be shot at as close range as possible, either with a bolt rifle or a double..

A buffalo is not dangerous when you shoot him at 80 yards with a .375H&H from sticks.. I mean..if you hunt DG, isnt the taste of danger a part of the experience..?

I think you want a long range vs hunting debate. I shot my lion at 60 yards. That was close enough. I shot my hippo at 120 yards. Shot 2 cape buffaloes. One at 40 yards that was close enough. The other was 22 yards only because we lost him tracking him on a trail in tall grass and didn't realize he bedded right in front of us until he stood up. I shot 2 crocs this year. One 15 feet 6 inches, the other 14 feet 7 inches. The bigger of the 2 I shot at 72 yards. That was close enough thats as close as I could get. The other was shot at 35 yards. I killed an elephant around 40 yards in Zambia, that was really close enough. The buffalo at 22 yards was insane and my PH told me if I had hesitated to shoot him someone would have been injured or killed.

I'm not a long range hunter. I dont believe in shooting anything past 400 yards. That just my personal thing and I don't judge people who shoot past that, but I'm not going to try to get within bow range on dangerous game if I don't have to. My adrenaline was spiking through the roof 120 yards with the hippo to the 22 yards with the buffalo. Id rather not get too too close.

 

[Kharn]

@HankBuck - there are worse ways to die. Having hunted DG a couple times I told my Family (in advance) that in the highly unlikely event I “die” - I died doing something I loved.

You have a family can you still not see the selfishness of the potentiality in that statement?

I wouldn't be surprised if your family all unanimously THOUGHT the same THOUGHT after you tell them you're off to go risk your life over something you CHOSE to risk your life over..... "Then don't do it Dad please! To us you are worth more than all the Buffalo in that land!".... But there's a reason they don't (you'll probably argue / fight them over it, because this is what YOU want to do & you're the king of the castle)?

"We are a family, I need you, you need me, we need each other..... So I booked a Dangerous Game hunt with the potential to end my life....................okcoolbyecya!!!"

I would next to guarantee that if you did (I hope it never happens, I wouldn't wish it upon ANYONE) lose your life in a hunt and if I had the ""powers"" to temporarily bring you back for a little chat the FIRST thing you would say are "IT WASN'T WORTH IT! I'M A F'ING IDIOT! MY WIFE!... MY KIDS!... I...<turns back to dust>"

My mate died behind a boat in a BridgeToBridge Skiing race, he died about 100m from the finish line when the driver hit the straight at max speed but there was a little turbulence in the water that sent my mate cartwheeling and shattering his entire spine landing face down in the water not dead, but a vegetable, 4 days later life support was turned off he was 26.

The actual saddest part (aside my mates death) about it was he ..."HAD"... a family (Pregnant Wife & 2yr old son), EVERYONE (my deceased mates own parents included) unanimously agree that he had NO BUSINESS getting behind a boat to race whilst he had a family that NEEDED him (as all families need each other) and I'll bet my bottom dollar that if I could rip his soul back from where ever it is and slap his ragged decaying corpse across the face with it to bring back life in him the first words, the FIRST words he would say/scream are "I'M SORRY! I'M AN IDIOT!!! I'M SO F'ING SORRY!!!! I'M SO F'ING DUMB!!! TELL MY KIDS!!!! TELL MY WIFE!!!!" (aka nothing but regret).

Very rarely do I ever think of my life being some sort of singular thing, my life effects COUNTLESS of individuals around me.

I am NOT saying do not hunt dangerous game, (too me it's the pinnacle of the hunt!)
I AM saying that you do not need to put yourself in harms way to hunt dangerous game!

#FAMILY

 

[Flipper Dude]

If you don’t put yourself in harm’s way to hunt dangerous game, it really isn’t dangerous game then, is it? I’m so confused by that last post. I’m off to bed.

 

[Kharn]

If you don’t put yourself in harm’s way to hunt dangerous game, it really isn’t dangerous game then, is it? I’m so confused by that last post. I’m off to bed.

Hunting dangerous game is inherently dangerous already without putting yourself in harms way deliberately.

I wonder how many of you are LEADING (implying man in front) a follow up shot on a Leopard? I wonder if the PH will even allow it? AND I wonder why the PH won't................................................? (I don't think I've ever seen a client do a LEADING follow up shot on a wounded Leopard).

Any plains game species can be hunted in ways that are dangerous.

Watch me go and hand-to-hand / toe-to-toe with this Alpha Baboon and my trusty rusty box cutter knife with a .5mm thick blade.....!

 

[farmer_john]

So completely on topic for a change. Albiet deer vs DG. Went for a stalk today partly to go somewhere i hadnt been on the farm typically. Me and a buck almost walked into each other. About 10m away. I had laid down when i hear him approach walked out in front of me saw me start to aim. He started to run so I stood up he paused for a half second. and I fired a quick shot off.

He made it another 50ft and that was it. Nice little 6 pointer for the fridge. But thats the closest ive ever gotten stalking was nice.

Dragging out of the hills to the field was a pita. But its life. My dog got some practice as well. Trying to train her to track. Its her second in a week.

 

[Creigh]

We're at the CAPS LOCK phase of the thread.

 

[Creigh]

There are certainly much worse ways to go.

Like my dad, bed ridden for over a year dying of cancer. I hear ya.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

You have a family can you still not see the selfishness of the potentiality in that statement?

I wouldn't be surprised if your family all unanimously THOUGHT the same THOUGHT after you tell them you're off to go risk your life over something you CHOSE to risk your life over..... "Then don't do it Dad please! To us you are worth more than all the Buffalo in that land!".... But there's a reason they don't (you'll probably argue / fight them over it, because this is what YOU want to do & you're the king of the castle)?

"We are a family, I need you, you need me, we need each other..... So I booked a Dangerous Game hunt with the potential to end my life....................okcoolbyecya!!!"

I would next to guarantee that if you did (I hope it never happens, I wouldn't wish it upon ANYONE) lose your life in a hunt and if I had the ""powers"" to temporarily bring you back for a little chat the FIRST thing you would say are "IT WASN'T WORTH IT! I'M A F'ING IDIOT! MY WIFE!... MY KIDS!... I...<turns back to dust>"

My mate died behind a boat in a BridgeToBridge Skiing race, he died about 100m from the finish line when the driver hit the straight at max speed but there was a little turbulence in the water that sent my mate cartwheeling and shattering his entire spine landing face down in the water not dead, but a vegetable, 4 days later life support was turned off he was 26.

The actual saddest part (aside my mates death) about it was he ..."HAD"... a family (Pregnant Wife & 2yr old son), EVERYONE (my deceased mates own parents included) unanimously agree that he had NO BUSINESS getting behind a boat to race whilst he had a family that NEEDED him (as all families need each other) and I'll bet my bottom dollar that if I could rip his soul back from where ever it is and slap his ragged decaying corpse across the face with it to bring back life in him the first words, the FIRST words he would say/scream are "I'M SORRY! I'M AN IDIOT!!! I'M SO F'ING SORRY!!!! I'M SO F'ING DUMB!!! TELL MY KIDS!!!! TELL MY WIFE!!!!" (aka nothing but regret).

Very rarely do I ever think of my life being some sort of singular thing, my life effects COUNTLESS of individuals around me.

I am NOT saying do not hunt dangerous game, (too me it's the pinnacle of the hunt!)
I AM saying that you do not need to put yourself in harms way to hunt dangerous game!

#FAMILY

I’d wager the statistical chance of dying in a vehicle accident is higher than dying while hunting dangerous game. Does this mean you have no business getting in a car if you have a family? I guess once you have a family you should get a work from home job and start living in a bubble only shopping online to avoid driving to work or the grocery store? If you’re a first responder, or serving in the military once that kid pops out you should hang it up? If you’re a PH you should call it quits or just switch to Plains Game?

We probably have different views on life and death, but I strongly believe when it’s your time, it’s your time. Death comes to people of all ages at any time in a variety of ways regardless of what you’re doing, how old, or how fit you are. Life’s short and tomorrow isn’t guaranteed to any of us (including your family) so I’d argue the opposite. You owe it to your family to live every day to its fullest and do what you love. Make the memories and the stories, because when you’re gone, that’s all they’ll have.

 

[Kharn]

I’d wager the statistical chance of dying in a vehicle accident is higher than dying while hunting dangerous game. Does this mean you have no business getting in a car if you have a family? I guess once you have a family you should get a work from home job and start living in a bubble only shopping online to avoid driving to work or the grocery store? If you’re a first responder, or serving in the military once that kid pops out you should hang it up? If you’re a PH you should call it quits or just switch to Plains Game?

Never entered here to argue just share my perspective on the subject at hand and I'm known for my "emphasis" when expressing myself, I still encourage individual choice above all else.

Can drive the safe speed limit set by the government or I can choose to drive my car at a higher speed, I'll get too my destination quicker (potentially even increase my own personal entertainment whilst doing so) but increase the risk of personal injury to myself & potentially other drivers/people perhaps even render the destination obsolete due to never arriving.

Can operate my manufacturing facility at the rate that my experience tells me is safe, profitable & enjoyable or I can choose to increase operational output from the facility which will increase profits but also worker fatigue, injury, people leaving, new people having to come in, new people having to be trained, more frequent injuries because of the now rushed training & or cutting corners for profits, more staff leaving... not happening.

I do drive & I do work but in respect to the PHs, Service men & women I won't attempt to pretend to fully understand or know what or how they operate to the degrees that they do nor the challenges that they face for I'm neither but... I would expect the same courtesy in return if they did not drive or own a large operational manufacturing facility.

I'd actually love to live forever (but not at the expense of living an exciting and fulfilling life...) I'd love to see WTF we're doing in a thousand years, ten thousand years are we still here what are we even?

Too many reasons not to be X'd hunting than being "unphased by it's potentiality".

 

[Hagler.450Ex]

I've come very close. It doesn't sink in FULLY until much later. Like days later, or even a month. Seconds after the event, and still standing there, it's as 'surreal' as it gets. And if that is the thrill one seeks, then go for it, but as for myself, I'll not make it a habit. Let me tell you, when I look back on things, I'd rather have a good day of deer hunting. The funny thing is, I was not expecting anything that day, it was not in the plans, so it really doesn't matter if you're seeking it or not sometimes. If you're out there, sometimes it seeks you. And especially if hunting alone, nobody is going to know where you are, and you may have to just lay there and bleed out if you're still alive. Nothing romantic about that. Yes, cars are dangerous too, more-so than airplanes. I quit driving over 15 years ago.

 

[Hagler.450Ex]

Exactly. It’s simply using animals for target practice. I know this topic has been beat to death, but it’s one of the few I have a strong opinion on, so I’ll lay on a few more licks for good measure.

Your 700 yard shot won’t impress anyone that’s a hunter. Your 7 yard shot would.

This needs to be written in stone.

 

[Altitude sickness]

The Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset, "One does not hunt in order to kill. One kills in order to have hunted." Is relevant here.

I think hunting Dangerous Game is similar to the quote above. You don’t hunt DG to get hurt or killed. But you hunt them because you could be hurt or killed.

As a non hunter asks why you hunt. In the beginning we hunt to kill. As we mature and have killed many of that species or species. We choose a more difficult method or get more choosy on the age or trophy size.

Killing something that actually has the upper hand and can easily kill you is more of an unexplainable respect thing. That is far more complicated than merely getting a thrill.

 

[DaddyFlip]

The Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset, "One does not hunt in order to kill. One kills in order to have hunted." Is relevant here.

I think hunting Dangerous Game is similar to the quote above. You don’t hunt DG to get hurt or killed. But you hunt them because you could be hurt or killed.

I'm not sure that's accurate. I think it would be more accurate to quote George Mallory, "Because it's there." George Mallory on Mt. Everest

 

[JG26Irish_2]

DG hunting is not statistically all that dangerous. But, the potential to be very dangerous is still there and very real. Lots of things in life are dangerous. Driving a car is one of the most dangerous things most of us do if we are not Fire Fighters, Cops or Airborne Soldiers. The illusion of safety and control is there but when things go sideways, well just be ready. I have seen Buffalo drop in 10 paces after only two shots and have also seen one that was shot twice and down, get back up a rage for several minutes all while lifting the front end of a Toyota Land Cruiser off the ground repeatedly. That one took 8 shots at close range to kill. It had a hole in its heart you could stuff your fist through. It was dead on its feet but failed to get the memo. Those unknown variables are what make it exciting. That last one was a bull that an acquaintance of mine shot in 2023. It made a memorable impression on him.

When my bull stopped at close range after two well placed hits. OK, the first shot was well placed. The 2nd just hit the bull. But, when he stopped and turned toward me and put his head down, for just a heartbeat, I thought he might be coming at us. I looked into his eyes and pulled the trigger. Instead, he wheeled away and went three or four steps and gave me a full broadside, which I hit him the last time with another well placed shot and down he went. It was all over in about 20 seconds but it seemed like slow motion and about ten minutes at the time. That is what makes it interesting.

I guess it is because most DG do not like to be f**ked with too much and if you piss them off they can and will retaliate, each in their own way and that is the difference between them and PG hunting.