I’ve taken the time to break down ALL of Mark’s Cape buffalo charges on video over the last 35 years of his career. Hopefully, it will provide a three dimensional perspective on his hunting videos. The six charging hippopotamus which he shot, were all COMPLETELY unwounded prior to the charge. So nobody can claim that he or his clients wounded them just to instigate a charge. They weren’t wounded at all.
Out of the nine of his client’s Cape buffalo, which Mark shot on video… three were at departing animals while the client was also simultaneously firing away (and in at least one of the videos, the client specifically told him to step in if he thought that the animal was going to get away).
Here are the other six, as well as the films where they occurred.
Africa’s Black Death- One charge. Client (Mr. Barnes) was in very poor health and had only one arm. He fired from the truck several times and finally wounded the Cape buffalo. Mark walked up to the wounded animal and fired his first barrel into the buffalo (an attempted brain shot) while it turned to face him whilst simultaneously standing up. His second shot kills the buffalo mid-charge. Critics often like to claim that Mark prolonged it’s suffering just so that it could charge. But that’s impossible considering that he fires his first shot into it’s head even before it had begun to charge. And NOBODY (except for a psychic with a crystal ball, perhaps) in that situation could tell that the Cape buffalo would survive the first shot long enough to charge.
MBOGO- One charge on hunt five. Client wounds the buffalo and it runs off into grass that must be eight to ten feet high and very thick. The group enters the grass in a truck and the buffalo charges immediately. Mark and client shoot together with Mark’s first shot in the eye that stops the buffalo.
Sudden Death- One charge which happened shortly after the first shots (put in by the client) and then Mark, his son, Shawn, and two hunters all emptied their doubles into the buffalo.
Death On The Run- Mark and the client walked through some open land to some brush where a wounded buffalo was waiting. As they came around to the left the buffalo charged instantly and totally unprovoked. The client’s shot missed and the buffalo came on to Mark. With his .600 Nitro Express, the first shot was low but stunned the buffalo and when he dropped his head … Mark put a second shot down through the top of the boss.
Death At My Feet- One charge and Mark only stepped in because the client ran out of cartridges without being able to stop the Cape buffalo.
Mark Egger’s Safari DVD- The client fires at a Cape buffalo which is in a patch of terrain where the only way out is through Mark & his client. So it charges/tries to escape and the client fires more shots into the Cape buffalo and temporarily downs it. The client begins to reload. The Cape buffalo stands up again and pushes forward. Mark sees his client reloading and so fires off one shot into the Cape buffalo’s head. Which stuns it but misses the brain. The client then brains the Cape buffalo himself.
Finally, I recently had a conversation with Mark and he gave me a statement which I’ve copy pasted here:
“ I’m actually quite surprised that people can accuse me of delaying in putting an animal out of it’s misery just because I said something about letting the buffalo decide how it’s going to die. If anything, I actually think I put them out of their pain the fastest. After a client shoots an animal (especially buff) on safari and the critter makes off, a lot of phs will actually tell their clients to allow the buff some time to “stiffen up” before they do tophe follow up. When they find it, the buffalo is dead. During the time it takes for the buff to “Stiffen up”, isn’t it suffering ? Isn’t the phs policy purposefully increasing the duration of time for which the animal’s in pain ? The hypocrisy in our industry is that somehow this is okay. But when I immediately follow up a wounded buffalo with the firm intent of finding it still alive and killing it, I’m the one accused of delaying the chance of a quick death for the animal”
