Cape Buffalo Charge
Contributors to this thread:International
From: Ken Moody Safaris
21-Apr-21
Ken Moody Safaris's Link
This buffalo charge occurred this past Sunday. Listen to the PH implore his client to reload. It’s tough to remain calm during these types of situations but calm you must be and deliver the lead on target. This hunt could have ended badly.
From: drycreek
21-Apr-21
The link doesn’t work for me Ken.
From: Pyrannah
21-Apr-21
holy smokes!
From: Beav
21-Apr-21
Wow! That could have been bad!
From: 12yards
21-Apr-21
Yup! Change of underwear needed!
From: altitude sick
21-Apr-21
This points out how important it is to know who is backing you up on the gun. Before your mashed into a wet spot in the sand
From: altitude sick
21-Apr-21
Looks like neither of the first two shots turned him. Luckily One of their second shots moved him off.
From: Ken Moody Safaris
21-Apr-21
Sorry about the link. It’s a FB copy/past. If you don’t have FB you won’t be able to see it. Not sure how to post a video directly here.
From: Ken Moody Safaris
21-Apr-21
Both client and PH were using double rifles which I prefer and fortunately, one of the first four rounds wobbled the buff a bit.
From: woodguy65
21-Apr-21
WOW!
From: drycreek
21-Apr-21
Well, I don’t do facebook so that leaves me out.
From: GF
21-Apr-21
So each Gun fired twice?
I guess if you’re empty and your PH is shooting, that means that YOU are now the back-up.
From: Bou'bound
21-Apr-21
anyone want to sign up for a bowhunt?
From: Buffalo1
21-Apr-21
Time to check underwear !!
From: Adventurewriter
21-Apr-21
Awesome it is supposed to be dangerous
From: JLeMieux
21-Apr-21
Disregard...
Yeah, that was way too close.
From: JohnMC
21-Apr-21
Crazy video! FYI... I don’t Facebook but could still see it.
From: altitude sick
22-Apr-21
Same here JohnMc
From: Kevin Dill
22-Apr-21
Looks like that one could have gone either way. Buff at 5 yards or less and broke off the charge. Makes a 500 pound grizz seem like a patsy.
From: altitude sick
22-Apr-21
Kevin can you imagine trying to stop that with the relatively low power of a handgun.
From: DanaC
22-Apr-21
Who still wants to fight off grizzlies with their Glock 9mm ? ;-)
From: Ken Moody Safaris
22-Apr-21
If you watch closely you’ll see the buffalo expelling blood from his nose and mouth before the filming ends. One or more of the four shots was fatal.
From: altitude sick
22-Apr-21
Comparing this to the bear topic. Bears are much smaller and kill a small fraction of people killed by Buffalo.
However, This does show the speed of a charge. Bear or other game. These two gents were on their guns and ready. Perhaps it was a wounded bull they were tracking.
But it really emphasizes how little time someone would have to get spray or a gun in play before a bear was on them. And would most likely get one pistol shot off.
Perhaps instead of debating what caliber of pistol, maybe the argument should be made that if you are bow hunting in Wyoming, Montana grizzly country, Where bears do not fear humans. Maybe you should have a very good rifleman back up doing nothing but carrying his rifle in the ready position. Just another idea to ponder. I don’t pretend to have the answer.
From: Ken Moody Safaris
22-Apr-21
I posted this before but thought it might be appropriate again. DG animals are quick. Some think of a cape buffalo as a lumbering beast but when charging, they move with purpose.
From: bowonly
22-Apr-21
It would be interesting to hear what lead to the charge since the the video only begins with the buff at close range. As mentioned above, was it already wounded? Had it been stalked to close range which prompted the charge?
From: Dale06
22-Apr-21
The camera guy had some “nads” to stand there and film that. I would have been a zip code away and running.
From: gobbler
22-Apr-21
My friend and PH Claude Kleynhans got killed by a Buffalo while guiding a hunter a couple of years ago. Got hooked in femoral artery and died before anything could be done. Great guy and awesome hunter
From: AZ8
22-Apr-21
Dang, wish I could see it. No FB for me.
From: Bou'bound
22-Apr-21
Bou'bound's Link
Here is the story on the PH that was killed as noted above. Very sad. The reams of comments following the article are equally sad.
From: GF
22-Apr-21
I guess at the end of an article that is is that biased to begin with, you shouldn’t expect much in the way of rational thought.
From: gobbler
23-Apr-21
He was a great guy. I first met him hunting in 1994. I hunted again with him in 1999. Him and his wife came to visit us a couple of times when he was in the states. He was amazed with the tanned raccoon hides I had so I gave him some to take back home with him. He had an immense knowledge of all the local flora and fauna of Southern Africa . I do miss him .
From: LBshooter
23-Apr-21
Link not working for me
From: Live2Hunt
23-Apr-21
Like they said, he died doing what he loved. But, where was that article from? Did any of you read the comments in the article? I tell ya, this is an F'd up world nowadays for sure. It's really sad and angering.
From: drycreek
23-Apr-21
Well, I had to open Bou’s link. Wish I had left it alone. Such vile hatred from the ignorant masses assures me that this world is truly lost. The worst part is, the poor bastards don’t even realize that they are ignorant.
From: GF
23-Apr-21
“ The worst part is, the poor bastards don’t even realize that they are ignorant.”
It’s hard to know what you don’t know!
Personally, I do not view honest Ignorance as a bad thing, so long as people are willing to learn. Every last one of us is hugely ignorant on all manner of subjects simply due to a lack of exposure. Big deal! Teach me something new, and I will thank you for it.
Willful Ignorance is a problem, but it absolutely pales in comparison to Willful Stupidity.
From: Ken Moody Safaris
03-May-21
Ken Moody Safaris's Link
Another buffalo charge. These animals are like tanks and require precise bullet placement when trying to stop a charge. If you plan on hunting them, practice a lot with your rifle. You can hear one of these shots ricochet off the animal or pass thru and keep on flying. It’s an anxious situation during a charge but continuous practice and muscle memory development helps a lot. If you’re bowhunting buffalo, make sure of the first and likely only shot. If you F it up, listen to your PH and hope he has the experience necessary to see the hunt to a successful conclusion.
From: Ken Moody Safaris
03-May-21
7 shots fired but likely only two or so did the work. If this had been in the jess and not in the open, could have been disastrous.
From: RK
03-May-21
One thing for sure. They need a braver cameraman :)
From: Ken Moody Safaris
03-May-21
Or a dumber one.
From: Ken Moody Safaris
03-May-21
Also, watch the client fumbling around with his bolt as he tries to jack another round in. I’m a huge proponent of double rifles for backup. In times of stress, you need to know that the second shot is ready to go because it will likely be needed. Doesn’t matter how smooth you can run the bolt on the range. When the big man’s coming, and the shit’s almost in the fan, Murphy is fully in attendance. In thick bush, you’ll battle to get off a second shot with a bolt gun.
From: RK
03-May-21
Yep I agree with you Ken
Some of the older PHs would disagree but the circumstances and conditions and history dictated a different approach. Different times and experiences
In the charge you can see the Ph next to the client that shot first wait for the animal to get close before firing and shoots his second barrel as the buff is turning. He was saving # 2 for point blank, as he should
From: Ken Moody Safaris
03-May-21
With a double you know you must wait with the second shot. A bolt action is too slow I’ve found and gives a novice a false sense of security. You can load five rounds in a bolt depending on the make and caliber and many think that’s a better option but all the ammo in the world won’t do you any good sitting in the magazine. You’ll rarely get past two shots in a desperate situation unless you turn the buff with the first or second shot and normally if it’s not dead by the second shot, theres trouble. A seasoned PH with a few encounters under his belt can handle a bolt when needed but you’ll find almost all of the guys that do a lot of DG use a double for backing up. I’ve used both and honestly would never want to again take a bolt action into a potentially dangerous encounter.
From: Altitude Sickness
04-May-21
How often do you have the luxury of this many guns blazing away as this hunt did. If it’s one inexperienced DG Hunter and one PH. If it goes sideways hopefully you’re standing next to a guy with some experience and can keep his cool.
From: Ken Moody Safaris
04-May-21
Too many guns is as dangerous, sometimes more so, than too few. Best case when following up a wounded buff is two PHs abreast of the track moving slowly and the client to the left and adjacent to or one step ahead of the primary PH. Getting shot by the client is a real danger but he can’t shoot you unless he’s behind you. Of course rarely do you get a perfect set up.
From: Altitude Sickness
04-May-21
I know an Elk guide that was shot by his client. The Hunter was following and had an AD. The 300 Win mag bullet hit him in the shoulder and destroyed the whole upper arm. Almost lost his life and arm. They Airlifted him and saved both.
From: Ken Moody Safaris
04-May-21
Yep. It’s bad enough to have to worry about the buffalo. Sometimes it’s hard not to get out in front of the client but you have to force yourself to be wary of everything.
From: wkochevar
04-May-21
Ken, what is your preferred caliber and bullet configuration (solids ??) in a double gun for Buffalo ? Thanks Kip
From: Ken Moody Safaris
04-May-21
I’ve owned four doubles and currently have two. My primary is a .470 Nitro. I hand load 106gr of IMR4831 and set the overall cartridge length to 3.92”. With this load I get 1.5” groups at the regulated range of 60 yards and a muzzle velocity of just over 2100fps. Fast enough. I prefer softs not solids for buffalo. Solids are for elephant. Best bullets are Swift A frames, Trophy Bonded Bearclaws, and Barnes TSX but the Barnes are a long bullet in .470 and I don’t like that. Woodleigh Weldcores are also decent bullets. I like the.470 as it’s not too much to handle. I have a .458 Lott bolt gun and it’s a beast and bulky and doesn’t come to shoulder naturally for me. The double fits me perfectly. Another good double caliber is .500 Nitro which is ballistically similar to the .470 with a fatter bullet. It’s also a bit shorter which can aid in quick reloading even though it’s not shouldered. Another great double caliber and one I’ve owned is .450/400. Super buffalo round.
From: GF
04-May-21
Looks like FB doesn’t like that clip anymore than the Buff liked the hunters....
From: Ken Moody Safaris
04-May-21
It’s up on my page.
