LGF

How close depends on the circumstances.

1. Is the charging animal one you have previously shot?

2. Is the charging animal one that you WANT to shoot, or are ALLOWED to shoot?

3. Or is it one that will cause some DRAMA if you shoot it?

4. What kind of rifle are you using, Bolt, Single Shot, or Double?

Hunting elephants in Zim I have had several false charges from cow and young bull elephants where they stopped at 10 to 12 yards.

Durring there rush foward they showed all the "normal signs" of a false charge, the easiest factor to see is the ears flared out.

Even with their ears flared out my comfort zone stops at @ 6 yards. None came that close.

I have buff try to get up and get me, but they were hamered before they could regain their feet.

I hunt with a double rifle, which I FEEL gives me the ability to wait a little longer before shooting in a "charge" of an animal I do not want to shoot.

If it is an animal that I WILL be shooting, then if the charge is "danger close" ie within 20 yards I would probably shoot at around 12 yards and again at around 6 yards.

I did shoot a bull elephant at 120 yards, twice with my 450 No2, he spun around and immediately charged us, but fell down [my second shot had broken his front leg] after 2 or 3 elephant lengths.

I ran toward him, and he got up, I stopped at about 50 yards and brained him at the insistance of the PH. At that distance I felt I had time to shoot 2 shots and get in a reload before he got "danger close", especially as I had seen that he had a "bad leg".

I think in most charge situations the tendency is to shoot when the animal is too far away and the shot[s] are not properly placed, then he is too close to reload/rebolt, and the hunter is "savaged".

I HIGHLY recommend you watch ALL of Mark Sullivans videos. As he has perfected the proper way to handle a charge that developes from "Danger Close".

Watch them in the order they were filmed, and you can see how he learns, and perfects the technique.

There is a BIG difference in how he does and reacts to the first charge in "Black Death" and the charges in his later videos.

Whether you agree with his hunting philisophy or not, it does not matter, IF YOU WANT TO SURVIVE YOUR FIRST charge, then look at his videos. Study his technique, and practice it.

There is NO DOUBT in my mind, that watching his videos, and practicing his technique, saved my life in 2004 when was charged by a 350lb Gorilla from 12 yards, hitting him in the head at 6 yards. I had a bolt 458 Win Mag.

A gorilla is faster out of the blocks than ANY cape buff or elephant, I guarentee.

His techniques also gave me the confidence to stand firm on those elephant false charges that stopped 10 yards away, with the confidence that I was in complete control of the situation.

And gave me the confidence, and ability to kill several elephants at 6 yards or less.

It is nice walking "through the woods", having comfort in feeling, that ANY animal that charges you has just commited suicide, and that the extreme danger is theirs, not yours.

Study Sullivans videos, practice your shooting/reloading.

You have no time to be scared, no time for fear, you only have time to place your bullet in the proper spot.

THAT is the only thing that will save you, when HE COMES.