Professional Hunter shot by client: update on Stu Taylor

[tarbe]

All I can say is Bravo!

Tim

 

[Newboomer]

I also generally agree. I no longer take a scope to Africa that cannot be instantly dismounted. Learned behavior during a leopard follow-up which is another story for another discussion. Could not disagree more with the unchambered rifle. If I am participating in a follow-up (and I have on many) I will have a rifle with a round in the chamber. The weapon will be on safe and my finger will be outside the trigger guard. The PH is certainly within his rights to order me to stay put, but if I am coming along it will be with a ready weapon. That said, I have spent a lifetime in the profession of arms, and what can be seen in the video is typical of what occurs with untrained soldiers in a close combat scenario. An excited, scared member of a fire team let's loose with a round, and afterwards has no clue how it happened (not surprisingly, this tends to happen in National Guard formations rather than full time infantry units at about a ten to one incident rate.) Close combat awareness takes an enormous amount of training (and what else is an encounter with a wounded buffalo in dense cover) - and it is not the same as simply having lots of experience going hunting. Were I a PH, I would probably order any client to stay put even if following up a dik-dik. As a client, I personally would not like it one little bit, but as a PH, I have enough to worry about without adding friendly fire.

Agree 110%, Velo Dog. As a longtime soldier, I always told my troops,"Keep that damn thing pointed to the outside of the patrol, squad, etc. and your finger off the trigger til you actually see something to shoot at!" Also, in competition shooting(3 gun) don't step back or cross your feet when moving. If you, it's almost guaranteed you'll slip, trip, or something that will cause a mess.

 

[sestoppelman]

Glad he is back on the job, good on him! As to the incident. Any time a gun fires without specific intent, its an accidental discharge, regardless how it happens. I doubt there is a member here who has not had at least one in their lifetime, I have had a couple myself and it shakes one to the core, we try to do better. I have not however shot anyone and I can only imagine how hard that is to deal with. But accidents happen, that's why we call them accidents, no intention. I too saw the episode on TV, and I have no doubt that Tim felt just horribly about it, have to give him the benefit of the doubt there, how else could any reasonable person feel? Go get em Stu!

 

[Sideshow]

I hope Stu got paid out for this. No it’s an old thread but just re-read after the reading the hunting report with Stu as PH

 

[Mark haynes]

Tough young man. Good for him overcoming any and all.

 

[Sideshow]

No news then on if it came to an amicable resolution.
Saw on another post where the shooter wanted to start a go fund page. Looks as though that may have been all talk.

 

[Franco]

Stu was one of my PHs in my recent hunt in Zimbabwe. We hunted the Matetsi, primarily for elephant.