HEy Huck.....
08-02-2008, 08:14 AM
#11
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Erie, Colorado
Posts: 1,530
RE: HEy Huck.....
Lol...Sorry Jeff, I have no stories to tellother than I've been real close and have some awesome pictures. Give me a few years. My cape is coming in 2010. Yes, what a formidable beast. I salute those that have been there.
I tipped toed up on a sleeping elephant in Namibia...pretty funny. He was sound asleep and leaning into a tree. His snoring could be heard for miles...I sufficed myself with an excellent photo. I'll see if I can dig it up. I actaully thought of wacking him in the nads with a stick and then running like hell! My better judgement took over.
The lionness I shot was pretty intense. Myself and four other PHs came in downwind andfrom behind her. I delivered an arrow from 28 yards. I was running on pure adrenaline. I cried like a baby when she was down and out. That, my friend, was the most spiritual hunt I have ever had.
I had a 9' black mamba 12 inches from either leg...
My leopard was shot from 12 yards. She charged me/us through a "wait-a-minute" bush immediately after the intial shot.She was snared by the thorns. Thank goodness for that! She would have been on us in seconds...the first shot wasn't all that good.
On this last hunt, my party surprized a sleeping hippo in the bushes along a river bottom. I have never seen four grown men move so fast!
I have been charged by two black bear (one is dead-the other lost), and I have aided in the defense of two hunters being charged by a brown bear.
Yeah, my shorts have seen some staining...Never under estimate a sleeping gaint. You'll die if you do! And finally, don't forget to pay attention (that's what killed Mr. Kaiser).
I tipped toed up on a sleeping elephant in Namibia...pretty funny. He was sound asleep and leaning into a tree. His snoring could be heard for miles...I sufficed myself with an excellent photo. I'll see if I can dig it up. I actaully thought of wacking him in the nads with a stick and then running like hell! My better judgement took over.
The lionness I shot was pretty intense. Myself and four other PHs came in downwind andfrom behind her. I delivered an arrow from 28 yards. I was running on pure adrenaline. I cried like a baby when she was down and out. That, my friend, was the most spiritual hunt I have ever had.
I had a 9' black mamba 12 inches from either leg...
My leopard was shot from 12 yards. She charged me/us through a "wait-a-minute" bush immediately after the intial shot.She was snared by the thorns. Thank goodness for that! She would have been on us in seconds...the first shot wasn't all that good.
On this last hunt, my party surprized a sleeping hippo in the bushes along a river bottom. I have never seen four grown men move so fast!
I have been charged by two black bear (one is dead-the other lost), and I have aided in the defense of two hunters being charged by a brown bear.
Yeah, my shorts have seen some staining...Never under estimate a sleeping gaint. You'll die if you do! And finally, don't forget to pay attention (that's what killed Mr. Kaiser).
08-02-2008, 01:31 PM
#13
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Erie, Colorado
Posts: 1,530
RE: HEy Huck.....
Jeff (early in),
It happened about two years ago while I was hunting in The Limpopo Province of S. Africa. My PH was having some health issues.He was consequently evacuated, in the middle of the night,by ambulance to a nearby hospital. He, beinga diabetic, crashed.
The following morning, I was without a guide. The head PH/Outfitter felt Iwas well prepared enoughto beon my own. He cut me loose with merely a radio. I was dropped off in the middle of nowhere armed with my bow and about six arrows. My efforts were to beon stalking gemsbuck.I was told to stay within the confines of an area surrounded by four roads (hit a road...dive back into the bush). I had some pretty simple rules to follow, right?Easy...
At around 11:00 am ( the temperature was hovering near 65 degrees F), I spied 7 gemsbuck working their way towards me. I maneuvred in for a shot. Theband (my all time favorite africananimal)stopped ten yards behind a bush. I made ready the bow. At the time, I thought "I'm either going to hit the bull, or miss competely". Hissweet spotwas partially blocked by a one inch diameter twig ten feet in front of him. Surely I could make and arrow go over or around this hindrance...so I thought. The arrow deflected over the bull's back-a 45 yard clean miss.
As the arrow crashed off the branch and over the bull, the sound caused the animals to seperate. Four gembuck ran at me-just out of range. The other three ran the oppose direction. I can tell you, my focus was on the gemsbuck and not on the ground. The four animals departed; I turn to find the other three. My heart raced when I saw them heading right for me! Apparently, they were trying to rejoin their buddies.
I ready the bow again. My attention was on the fast approaching orxy. I moved ten steps forward and came to full draw. My bull circled a thorn bush ten feet in front of me. I loosed my arrow; the bull slammed on his brakes! The arrow passed just in front of his chest. I looked down between my feet...Holy Mother of God! I jumped to the moon. Yep, there was the mamba coiled up between my legs. When I assumed my natural stance to shoot, unknowningly, I straddled the "black death".
At first, I wasn't sure which snake I was dealing with. I noted its length (about nine feet-it was in a barrel coil rather than a striking coil), its thickness (about 3 inches in diameter in the center of its body), its color (grey with a lighter grey belly), and its head size. I thought it wassome sort ofconstrictor coiled up around some unfortunate rodent (it was actually coiled up, that way,in an effort to stay warm). I though about killing the snake-shoot it with the bow. I grabbedthearrowI hadshot at the gemsbuck; it was stuck very close in a dirt bank. "No", I thought. I do not want to waste an arrrow on a snake. Then, I thought about using a stick to pinchthe snakeshead-I'd sever the body with my knife. At that point, it hit me. "Stupid", what if that's a mamba-the forth deadliest snake on the planet? I turned to the snake and spoke "if you're a mamba, I'm giving you the same respect you gave me-have a nice day". I walked away-still not truly knowing what had just happened. Talk about Karma!
At two o'clock, when I was finally plucked from the bush, I discribed the snake encounter to another PH (Louie from Adansonia Safaris). He went white as a ghost. When I pointed to the dashboard of his Toyota, "It was this color here Louie and Lighter on the belly". He told me only one snake fits that description-the mamba. "But it wasn't black Louie", I argued. "They get their name from the black color within thier mouth", he replied.
Had this aggressive snake sank his fangs, had the anti-venom been administered, and had I survived, I would have been on life support for six to eight weeks while mybody's nerve systemreconstructed itself. I was incredibly luck!
I Googled "Black Mamba" upon my return to the US. There in the photo, staring me straight in the face, was the snake that spared my life!
I guess it wasn't my time.
It happened about two years ago while I was hunting in The Limpopo Province of S. Africa. My PH was having some health issues.He was consequently evacuated, in the middle of the night,by ambulance to a nearby hospital. He, beinga diabetic, crashed.
The following morning, I was without a guide. The head PH/Outfitter felt Iwas well prepared enoughto beon my own. He cut me loose with merely a radio. I was dropped off in the middle of nowhere armed with my bow and about six arrows. My efforts were to beon stalking gemsbuck.I was told to stay within the confines of an area surrounded by four roads (hit a road...dive back into the bush). I had some pretty simple rules to follow, right?Easy...
At around 11:00 am ( the temperature was hovering near 65 degrees F), I spied 7 gemsbuck working their way towards me. I maneuvred in for a shot. Theband (my all time favorite africananimal)stopped ten yards behind a bush. I made ready the bow. At the time, I thought "I'm either going to hit the bull, or miss competely". Hissweet spotwas partially blocked by a one inch diameter twig ten feet in front of him. Surely I could make and arrow go over or around this hindrance...so I thought. The arrow deflected over the bull's back-a 45 yard clean miss.
As the arrow crashed off the branch and over the bull, the sound caused the animals to seperate. Four gembuck ran at me-just out of range. The other three ran the oppose direction. I can tell you, my focus was on the gemsbuck and not on the ground. The four animals departed; I turn to find the other three. My heart raced when I saw them heading right for me! Apparently, they were trying to rejoin their buddies.
I ready the bow again. My attention was on the fast approaching orxy. I moved ten steps forward and came to full draw. My bull circled a thorn bush ten feet in front of me. I loosed my arrow; the bull slammed on his brakes! The arrow passed just in front of his chest. I looked down between my feet...Holy Mother of God! I jumped to the moon. Yep, there was the mamba coiled up between my legs. When I assumed my natural stance to shoot, unknowningly, I straddled the "black death".
At first, I wasn't sure which snake I was dealing with. I noted its length (about nine feet-it was in a barrel coil rather than a striking coil), its thickness (about 3 inches in diameter in the center of its body), its color (grey with a lighter grey belly), and its head size. I thought it wassome sort ofconstrictor coiled up around some unfortunate rodent (it was actually coiled up, that way,in an effort to stay warm). I though about killing the snake-shoot it with the bow. I grabbedthearrowI hadshot at the gemsbuck; it was stuck very close in a dirt bank. "No", I thought. I do not want to waste an arrrow on a snake. Then, I thought about using a stick to pinchthe snakeshead-I'd sever the body with my knife. At that point, it hit me. "Stupid", what if that's a mamba-the forth deadliest snake on the planet? I turned to the snake and spoke "if you're a mamba, I'm giving you the same respect you gave me-have a nice day". I walked away-still not truly knowing what had just happened. Talk about Karma!
At two o'clock, when I was finally plucked from the bush, I discribed the snake encounter to another PH (Louie from Adansonia Safaris). He went white as a ghost. When I pointed to the dashboard of his Toyota, "It was this color here Louie and Lighter on the belly". He told me only one snake fits that description-the mamba. "But it wasn't black Louie", I argued. "They get their name from the black color within thier mouth", he replied.
Had this aggressive snake sank his fangs, had the anti-venom been administered, and had I survived, I would have been on life support for six to eight weeks while mybody's nerve systemreconstructed itself. I was incredibly luck!
I Googled "Black Mamba" upon my return to the US. There in the photo, staring me straight in the face, was the snake that spared my life!
I guess it wasn't my time.
08-02-2008, 01:48 PM
#15
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location:
Posts: 1,796
RE: HEy Huck.....
Yeah, my shorts have seen some staining
Glad you didn't have to go thru the antivenin thing. Or worse.
LT
08-02-2008, 01:49 PM
#16
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Mont County, Pa
Posts: 7,368
RE: HEy Huck.....
WOW!! Great story. Huck,that was your lucky day! I'm surprised he didn't react to you. Everything I've ever read about them, has them being very agressive. In fact, I've even read of them actually pursuinga human, and that they often willstrike multiple times. One BAD actor!
08-02-2008, 04:54 PM
#17
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Erie, Colorado
Posts: 1,530
RE: HEy Huck.....
Jeff,
I hear ya. It was cold that day. I honestly feel the weather was the only reason the snake left me alone. Louie's brother was chased down by a mamba and struck on the hip while riding past on an ATV. Can you imagine? The life support stuff was given to me from Louie's first hand experience with a family member.
Can you imagine crawling through the grass, while elephant hunting,and coming face to face with a cobra? Talking about spiritual!
I hear ya. It was cold that day. I honestly feel the weather was the only reason the snake left me alone. Louie's brother was chased down by a mamba and struck on the hip while riding past on an ATV. Can you imagine? The life support stuff was given to me from Louie's first hand experience with a family member.
Can you imagine crawling through the grass, while elephant hunting,and coming face to face with a cobra? Talking about spiritual!
