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JPK
.375 member


Reged: 31/08/04
Posts: 734
Loc: Chevy Chase, MD
Elephant Charge
      #69154 - 09/01/07 02:56 PM

The photos that follow are of me stopping a charge from a cow elephant this year.

The photos were taken by Dave Hulme, a Zimbabwe photo journalist who happened to be in camp and asked if he could come along with us. Remember - he doesn't have a rifle!

By Will's figuring, I should have dropped the cow with the first shot, but what happens when you don't? Or when the PH's second shot - the first was a warning over her head - doesn't kill her either.

The first two shots are mine, then the PH's second barrel, then my right barrel after reloading just one, then the PH's right after he reloaded one and then my right after another reload of just one. I got four off, all hitting where I thought they should - my two frontal brain shots were low, as was the PH's. My first heart lung was right on and my second raking shot went the length of the left lung.

Here she is on her way.

About where the PH fired his warning shot.

The farther of the two trees is nine yards, the closer in seven yards. This is my second shot striking, my barrel is visible to the left. You can see the puff of dust from my bullet to the right of the right eye.( Actually, on these smaller pixel count photos you can't see the dust, its lost in the shadow)

She is wheeling to get outa dodge, PH Richard Tabor fires his second barrel about now.

I have reloaded just my right barrel and I make a good heart lung shot.

Richard gets in a heart lung shot after loading just his rght barrel, I'm just lowering my rifle after making a raking shot that ran the length of the left lung.

The calm quiet after the action

Continues...as we quietly contemplate the follow up.

Dave, who has a hell of a sense of humor lightens the mood.

Follow up. Fourty five minutes of tension. Relief is a physical sensation when we find her, dead, and only thiry yards from where we lost sight of her - though in a slightly different direction than she was heading.

Marcel Thys sidelock in 458wm shooting North Fork 450gr flat nose solids at 2190fps for me. $lots

Kreighoff 470NE shooting 500gr Woodleighs at 2250fps for Richard Tabor. $less

A cold beer afterwards - priceless!

Dave was the only one of four wearing a kahki shirt and both Richard and I got the sense that she had picked him out.

JPK

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mickey
.416 member


Reged: 05/01/03
Posts: 4647
Loc: Pend Oreille Valley, Idaho
Re: Elephant Charge [Re: JPK]
      #69155 - 09/01/07 03:44 PM

Great story and great pictures.

--------------------
Lovu Zdar
Mick

A Man of Pleasure, Enterprise, Wit and Spirit Rare Books, Big Game Hunting, English Rifles, Fishing, Explosives, Chauvinism, Insensitivity, Public Drunkenness and Sloth, Champion of Lost and Unpopular Causes.

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EricD
.416 member


Reged: 27/02/04
Posts: 4636
Re: Elephant Charge [Re: JPK]
      #69167 - 09/01/07 08:45 PM

Excellent picture series JPK!

This picture series is also a great way to show your family and friends back home, whom might not know what it's all about, just how thrilling your hunt was. Have you considered making a collague of the pictures, and hanging it up somewhere at home as a nice momento?

Erik

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bulldog563
.400 member


Reged: 21/10/05
Posts: 1153
Loc: California
Re: Elephant Charge [Re: EricD]
      #69172 - 09/01/07 09:27 PM

Very Cool Spread. How did this happen? Were you following a herd and this cow charged? Was this the only self defense shooting you had to do?

--------------------
Join the National Rifle Association:
https://membership.nrahq.org/forms/signup.asp

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Double_Trouble
.375 member


Reged: 27/04/06
Posts: 577
Loc: Canada
Re: Elephant Charge [Re: JPK]
      #69173 - 10/01/07 12:23 AM

A fantastic photo essay of a full blown charge ... thanks for sharing that!
Very well done .... fine shooting!


DT

--------------------
Double Trouble,
Speak not of what you do not know.
Listen up when it's time to.

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500grains
.416 member


Reged: 16/02/04
Posts: 4732
Loc: Salt Lake City, Utah USA
Re: Elephant Charge [Re: Double_Trouble]
      #69179 - 10/01/07 01:39 AM

Fantastic photos!

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NitroXAdministrator
.700 member


Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 39897
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
Re: Elephant Charge [Re: 500grains]
      #69187 - 10/01/07 04:03 AM

Very impressive. Even better to have experienced it I think.

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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hoppdoc
.400 member


Reged: 02/03/06
Posts: 1791
Loc: Southeastern USA
Re: Elephant Charge [Re: 500grains]
      #69190 - 10/01/07 04:06 AM

Great Photos!!

Fantastic moments to remember!!

--------------------
An armed man is a citizen of his country, an unarmed man just a subject.

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JPK
.375 member


Reged: 31/08/04
Posts: 734
Loc: Chevy Chase, MD
Re: Elephant Charge [Re: hoppdoc]
      #69233 - 10/01/07 02:56 PM

Bulldog,

We were out for an afternoon scout in the riverine bush near the intersection of the Turgwe and Save Rivers. The Llola palms were carrying ripe nuts and the elephants would lean their heads against the palm and wrap their trunks and shake like all get out. You could hear this from 400yds or more. We investigated every shaking palm or elephant trumpet. The elephants were spending their afternoons in the shade of the thick bush and feeding on the nuts and other still green vegetation. There were lots of elephants in the area but few tuskless. To add to the surereal environment, we could here the drums from the nearest settlement beating their cadence. It was right out of Jurassic Park.

Near where we'd had a quick glimpse of a tuskless the prior day we heard some elephants and went to take a look. We were hoping it would be the same group. We were looking at some elephants to our left from the corner of the clearing in the photos, about where the cow started her charge, when we saw some elephants making their way toward us from the right.

The elephants didn't know we were there and were probably heading to the Turgwe for water. We retreated twenty yards, about five yards in front of where we are standing in the photos. The first cow into the corner smelled where we had been and took a look for us. You could tell she was thinking of giving us a rush, and we retreated the remaining five yards to our rear to the end of the clearing. That cow passed and so did her half grown youngster. The next elephant into the clearing was the matriarch, we think, and she turned her head and, a couple of quick seconds later, just came on.

The rest is in the photos. There was no room or time for an orderly retreat. The Humani elephants are in a league of their own when it comes to agressiveness.

Richard had to shoot a warning shot over the head of a bull the day before, and we did some really fast retreating, but this was the only shoot to kill defense. Richard had to shoot a cow in Chewore this spring in self defense and I had my rifle up one another Chewore cow earlier in the trip as Richard was retreating from ten yards in front, but in my experience, the chewore cows don't compare in agressivness to the Humani elephants and the Chewore bulls are tame in comparison.

JPK

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DPhillips
.375 member


Reged: 09/10/03
Posts: 819
Loc: Alaska
Re: Elephant Charge [Re: JPK]
      #69513 - 15/01/07 05:19 PM

Pardon my Alaskan hillbillyness, but:
YeeeHaaaaa!!!

Good show.

Thanks for sharing. We had a small bull to take offense of us sharing the same small acre of earth in Zimbabwe with him, but it ended quite tame in a flurry of dust a bit further away without shots being fired. I thought that was exhilirating, but it was nothing like you experienced. My goodness.

Thank you for sharing.

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eljefedouble
.300 member


Reged: 23/04/06
Posts: 189
Loc: Vic, Australia
Re: Elephant Charge [Re: DPhillips]
      #69834 - 20/01/07 07:09 AM

JPK
A picture is truly worth a 1000 words.Awesome!
Axx

--------------------
"it dont mean a thing, if it aint got no zing"
"Toa bunduki mkubwa"

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deadeye
.224 member


Reged: 06/03/03
Posts: 8
Loc: Idaho,,,,U.S.A.
Re: Elephant Charge [Re: JPK]
      #70278 - 27/01/07 02:00 PM

bet that got your blood going guys.........

--------------------
DEADEYE

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