YouTube Link

Here is a short video of my lion hunt. If you've read the story you may recall that we walked up on the lion in a thorn bush and were within 8 yards of her before one of the PHs' spotted her. After a rather rapid retreat we moved back in and I took the shot from 18 yards. Much like the bears I encountered in Alaska, these lions really aren't afraid of you. Sometimes they run, sometimes not. If you push them they will lay up and wait for you and that's when things can get interesting.

Most excellent, Gary!!

nice...good job!

that is a bada** video!

You weren't kidding when you said it was thick!

congrats again

Making that shot without a quality scope would have been impossible and good binos were equally important.

Fan"friggen"tastic........

Gary
Did you use a hard cast or expanding bullet for your lion and did you get a pass thru? What are the requirements for bullet and caliber for dangerous game?

WOW

I used a 300 gr Nosler partition HG on the lion. Perfect bullet for the job as would be the swift. 375 caliber for buffalo min. Yes it was a pass thru

Excellent everything Gary! Congrats!

That was awesome!

Excellent shooting

That was awesome. Congrats.

it was interesting seeing how excited you were before squeezing off the shot-that's the thrill trying to keep your composure and squeezing off a good shot-good shot on a nice trophy gary!

Things tend to get exciting in a hurry when you suddenly realize you're only 8-10 yards from a lion in a bush.

That is freakin AWESOME!!! I have to confess something though... I was on the edge of my seat, HOPING the lion would jump out of the bush and make it all scary!! HAHAHA!!!!

Very nicely done!!

I can only imagine that "ups the ante" just a bit - And to think I get anxious drawing down on something that can't eat me!

Great job in making a shot under pressure!

There is a difference between scary and terrifying.

I was standing just about where this arrow is pointing when we realized she was in that thorn bush.



We had gotten past the scary part. Hearing that growl though does something to you that is very primal.

Gary, I got a "woof" & a stare down from a brown bear I wasn't (and couldn't) hunting at about the same distance with only my mod 29 in my hand. The gun seemed VERY small! I know that primal feeling!
It's a wonderfully horrible feeling that you want to feel every day & at the same time never want to feel again...

Awesome video & I'm very happy for you. You are livin' the dream!

Gary, awesome video. Makes my desire for Africa even greater. Congrats.

Wow. The first thing that crossed my mind was that the lion was doing what a lot of folks do when hunting in a blind. Possibly waiting to see if you walk by, or waiting to ambush. Yikes.

We had the recent thread on brush guns, and discussed bullet defections etc. It looks like you had to clip one limb, and powdered through another. Clearly, a situation where you had one shot, and one shot only. Chalk one up for the "brush" gun ;^)

I am guessing that was your son holding your gun later in the video. Not sure if he was there for the entire stalk, but wondering what he thought about it?

Thanks for linking the video. That was enjoyable to watch.

Craig

Craig,

The brush that bullet hit was very small, dry and brittle. I don't believe in the idea of a brush gun/bullet. Of course it all depends on how close the brush is to the target and the angles but generally I try to avoid all brush.

That was one of the trackers holding my scoped gun. I switched over to one with open sights after the first shot. My son wasn't there but Trademark's son was; he also got a lioness.

Gary

Gary,

I agree, the lion was close to the brush so any deflection should have been minimal. I have no experience with that kind of brush, but it looked like some tough stuff. I only mentioned it as some would say they would never shoot where defelection was possible. It's pretty obvious that you and your guide knew what you and the cartridge could do.

I am guessing that you were all strung out in single file of some sort while moving along. Not sure whether everyone was armed, but had you all mostly moved past and she broke with bad intent, that could have been a really bad "going cowboy". It sounds like she growled to let you know she was there. So much could have gone so terribly wrong, no doubt that entire hunt will stick in everyones mind.

Your a better man than me, I would have not wanted an iron sighted pistol, I am thinking a shotgun and buck shot would have been my choice for a follow up gun.......

Leopards off limbs, elephants or hippos close, I can't imagine a more exciting hunt than yours. Not sure how you are going to top that one. WOW

Craig

Gary,
Great video.Got to love those 300gr.Partitions.Thats all I used on the last trip to South Africa except for the 300gr. Punch on the Eland. My PH said I could of used the Partition.Is that a Go Pro on your hat?How did that workout?

Bisley Bud

Hey BB,

Yes that was a GoPro being used for the 1st person shooter angles. They work ok for certain situations but for really making great video there is no substitute for a camera that you can manually focus, which we didn't have.

Gary

Awesome hunt Sir. I like hunts like that, where you get to share the experience with friends. It reminds me of the hunting trip to Kansas I went on with my son, father, and father-in-law. We went for a few weeks and got to hunt deer, ring neck, coyote, and prairie dogs. The antlers still hang on the wall, but the memories are what really make the hunt special. Thanks for sharing your hunt with us. Congratulations.

That video got my heart rate up and I wasn't even there.

Being that close to something that would in all likelyhood hunt you, and not know she was there, must have really got your heart pumping.

I kept expecting that she would bust out of the brush on a charge when you guys were starting to settle in for the shot. Yeah, that was an edge of my seat moment.

Your shot was dead on the money. Great shooting! I would bet the crosshairs were bouncing around a bit with all of the adrenaline in your system.

Congratulations on an excellent hunt and trophy!

That was.really awesome.Gary! Good.shooting and Con! grates on an exciting trophy! That is one of my dream hunts, thank you for sharing your dream with us.
Rupe

Thanks Rupe