Posted By: WorldClassFishing&Hunting
Kalahari Lion Hunt Of A Lifetime - 08/11/14 02:47 AM
Returning from Africa with some great stories and a Lion down but almost a tracker and I down…
In brief, Lion was a wild lion taken from game reserve due to bad attitude i.e. fighting other lions, charging vehicles, and killing to many animals…2 PHs, one with over 250 lion hunts, one with 10 Lion hunts and extensive Big 5 experience, tracker many years experience tracking lions…Camera man was not allowed to come out on this hunt…only the four of us…took 1 hr to pick up definite fresh track, first stalk 200 yards and he bumped out with no warning…went 70 yards and circled back behind us and lay in heavy brush…Not normal! All three just in front of me walked past lion at 10 yards…I spotted him, started to get gun up and safety off when he made a direct charge at me with no warning. I got one shot in his upper chest, followed by 2 shots from PHs.. Within 1 second, the Lion was At 2 yards on full charge, I dove left and he turned…his tail slapped me across the chest as I was falling and knocked me for a loop. I thought I had been shot…he turned on tracker and chased, closing 8-10 yards in a second while eating 1 more shot from my PH, he literally came within inches of getting tracker from behind then turned to charge direct at me again... 3 more shots from PHs and two from me to stop him…Very horrifying, yet amazing!! Outfitter was in vehicle 1/8 mile away and heard 3 shots…thought it was done…however, when he heard the next 5 with pauses between them all he said he went completely numb and just knew things had gone wrong and that someone was dead or injured…In the debrief, we learned this was the first time a lion charged with no warning from such close range and got within a yard of a hunter or tracker in over 200 hunts…Clearly the Lion hunted us with his 180 degree turn to get in behind us…His actions of the circle back and charged with no warning are very rare…they normally bump straight out…[censored] was just plain crazy and everything went to hell in a split second…This all took place in less than 6 seconds...The tracker and I are extremely lucky! He was given the day off to return to his family after being very shook up. Truly a once in a lifetime hunt that will remain in all four of our minds forever!! Going to buy a 500 double riffle
In brief, Lion was a wild lion taken from game reserve due to bad attitude i.e. fighting other lions, charging vehicles, and killing to many animals…2 PHs, one with over 250 lion hunts, one with 10 Lion hunts and extensive Big 5 experience, tracker many years experience tracking lions…Camera man was not allowed to come out on this hunt…only the four of us…took 1 hr to pick up definite fresh track, first stalk 200 yards and he bumped out with no warning…went 70 yards and circled back behind us and lay in heavy brush…Not normal! All three just in front of me walked past lion at 10 yards…I spotted him, started to get gun up and safety off when he made a direct charge at me with no warning. I got one shot in his upper chest, followed by 2 shots from PHs.. Within 1 second, the Lion was At 2 yards on full charge, I dove left and he turned…his tail slapped me across the chest as I was falling and knocked me for a loop. I thought I had been shot…he turned on tracker and chased, closing 8-10 yards in a second while eating 1 more shot from my PH, he literally came within inches of getting tracker from behind then turned to charge direct at me again... 3 more shots from PHs and two from me to stop him…Very horrifying, yet amazing!! Outfitter was in vehicle 1/8 mile away and heard 3 shots…thought it was done…however, when he heard the next 5 with pauses between them all he said he went completely numb and just knew things had gone wrong and that someone was dead or injured…In the debrief, we learned this was the first time a lion charged with no warning from such close range and got within a yard of a hunter or tracker in over 200 hunts…Clearly the Lion hunted us with his 180 degree turn to get in behind us…His actions of the circle back and charged with no warning are very rare…they normally bump straight out…[censored] was just plain crazy and everything went to hell in a split second…This all took place in less than 6 seconds...The tracker and I are extremely lucky! He was given the day off to return to his family after being very shook up. Truly a once in a lifetime hunt that will remain in all four of our minds forever!! Going to buy a 500 double riffle