Indians For Guns

British hunter killed by buffalo he was trying to shoot
A British man working as a professional hunter on a private game reserve in Zimbabwe has been killed by a wounded buffalo he was trying to shoot.


The Cape Buffalo can grow up to 1.7 metres in height and 3.4 metres in length Photo: REX

By Peta Thornycroft, Aislinn Laing in Johannesburg

2:45PM BST 11 Jun 2012

Owain Lewis, 67, had been tracking the animal for three days to finish it off after it was shot and injured by a visiting American hunter he was escorting.

Paul Smith, the owner of Chifuti Safaris in the lower Zambezi Valley, said Mr Lewis was "very tough and experienced" but had been caught unawares when the buffalo charged from the undergrowth and tossed him in the air.

"It turned on him and attacked him and unfortunately the apprentice hunter with him could not shoot the animal as Owen's body was in the way," he said.

"It was a very tough fight. Owain's neck was broken but the apprentice did manage to kill the buffalo.

"We are very shocked. This is the first time we have had an incident like this.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... shoot.html

Hats of to the man..! Despite the growing favor towards the 'hands off' type of hunting where the so called hunter takes pot shots at animals that arnt even aware they are being hunted with high power scopes and long range weapons, This is what I really call hunting! The kind of hunt I am comfortable with.. putting yourself in harms way while you challenge your wits and guts with that of the animal you are hunting! and yes may his soul rest in peace.

11 June 2012

SOME INFO FROM ZIM - I am currently in camp with Mr. Owain's clients, they arrived about 6 days ago or so. To say I know Mr. Owain well would be a gross over-statement, but over the past 6-7 days I did chat with him numerous times around the fire. He was a TRUE gentleman of the first order for sure!!!!!

Saturday afternoon at 2:30pm, Ian Gibson (My PH) ran to my room and yelled to me that he thought Owain had just been killed by the wounded buff, and we need to get there now. So, I grabbed the .600NE, my bullet belt, jacket and head-lamp, and was off like a shot.

Mr. Owain's clients were all first-time African hunters - a father and two sons. The father hunting buff, the sons - plains game. The father wounded the buff on day one, they all followed again on day 2, but on day 3 only one of the son's could continue, as the father was done for, and one of the son's got sick.

Ian and I arrived at the scene at 5:30pm, Mr. Owain lay only 8 feet from the buffalo bull. I can assure you, the wounds were severe and he did not suffer at all. As only the apprentice and young client were there, Ian wanted to get there asap. Problem was, we were now 2.5 miles from the closest road, dark was just minutes away, and I honestly have NEVER gone over and through such rough/rugged/nasty country to get to the scene. How this bull got there in the first place is beyond me?

So now, we had little choice but to build a fire, and spend the night right there. Leaving the body un-protected was not an option, and getting out of their in the dark, was gonna be impossible anyway. A cold night it was, as I gave the Apprentice my jacket, so Ian and I had just shorts and short sleeve shirts.

At 7:30am the following morning, PH's Pete Barnard & Rex Hoots, my cameraman - Renz, and a bunch of the road crew arrived. Since Renz and I had the most medical experience (I was certified EMT long ago) we fastened a pole carry, as getting a vehicle more than 100 meters off the road was impossible. Renz really took control of the scene, doing an EXCELLENT job! So, as the PH's found a better path to the road, and cut bush, Renz & I, along with various rotations of guys in the back, carried Mr. Owain's body the 2.5 kms to the closest place a road/vehicle could get.

Seeing the scene first-hand, I can assure you - Mr. Owain did his job correctly, and bravely! Owain and the Appie spotted the bull lying down just 20 yards in front of them, and started shooting! It got up, went 10 yards left into another small opening, and they shot some more. By then, they were out of ammo and the bull decided to come. The appie was bumped and rolled to the side, the client was getting out of the way, trip and fell, then ran about 15 yards away, as he was reloading his gun. It was obvious that Mr. Owain was out of ammo, as his gun was empty on the ground. But, like any good PH should do - he bravely stood his ground, tried quickly to reload, but could not in time. He kept the bull's attention, and the other's were able to get out of harm's way, he died saving their lives for sure. Finally the client, shot the bull 3 more times, and it died with Owain's arm lying underneath its head.

From what I was told, and the scene I could see - bad luck was obviously a culprit. The bush was thick, the bull did not come immediately while they were still loaded, and the volley of shots prior to, did not put him down.

A huge reminder of what a truly dangerous game we play, and the PH - what a dangerous life he leads!! As I write this, 2 other Chifuti PH's are following another wounded buff right now. And to Mr. Owain's family - my condolences, he was a very nice man.


Aaron Neilson
Global Hunting Resources
www.globalhuntingresources.com
[email protected]
303-619-2872

I don't think he had any regrets when his end came.
Died doing something he was passionate about.

Good find there Haji,
Interesting read for sure. Show's one how uncertain fate can be.

well he's in happy hunting grounds now.
/S/