Most difficult and/or dangerous hunts in the world

[hunternyny]

After reading about some of the most expensive hunts I was curious about what each of you feel are the most difficult and/or dangerous. Whether the danger be from the animal your hunting or the weather or terrain your hunting in --- I personally do not have any "worldwide" experience and my yearly trip to Montana to hunt elk certainly is not difficult or dangerous. Probably my most frustrating hunts are for turkeys

 

[DrMike]

The most dangerous hunts, bar none, is the one conducted with a partner who has unsafe handling techniques. There are lots of animals that can hurt you very badly, and there is lots of terrain that will kill you if you make a misstep. However, I still contend it is the individual who fails to remember that he is carrying a weapon that can kill that makes for the most dangerous (and probably the most difficult) hunt imaginable.

 

[russ808]

+1 Mike. If the hunter is unsafe, he does not hunt with me....
Russ

 

[DrMike]

Unfortunately, Russ, I've had a few fellows who sounded good only to prove unsafe in the woods. They don't get a second chance.

 

[Elkman]

I have never been involved in a hunt that I would call really dangerous. Had so pretty cold temperatures a few times -20 or so, which makes one really careful. But thats about it.

I would think that Cape Buff or Lions would probably be near the top!!

 

[muleman]

The most dangerous hunt I've ever been on was when I was invited to a new elk camp by some (what I thought responsible) gentleman I had met when I first moved to Oregon 24 years ago. I have no bias toward those who like to drink just the people who like to shoot at the same time. After dinner and a fifth of Bourbon these fellows thought it would be a fine time for target practice so out came the the handguns and rifles. I tried to persuade them not to but the bottle was doing the thinking. I promptly got into my truck and drove to town - 42 miles away and spent the night at a motel. I went to back to camp at dawn and while they were sleeping it off I packed up my gear and moved 20 miles away. The only casualty of the night was one of my water jugs which had been used for target practice. :shock: It was this event which led me to take up bowhunting for the next twenty years. I've been known to sip a little scotch every now and then but the knives, arrows, bows and guns are all locked away by then. I sometimes wonder what they taught their kids. I've rediscovered my passion for firearms and kindled a new one with reloading and hope someday to find a hunting crew with similar views and respect.
Safe hunting to all,
Scott

 

[muleman]

I've heard one of the most dangerous animals to hunt is Hippo on dry ground especially when you get between them and their water. I'll probably never do that! The most amazing hunt I ever saw video of was a Brown Bear hunt with a bow. This guy shot his bear as it walked by at 7yds! He stayed absolutely still at the shot and the bear went after the arrow in it's side. That's way too much adrenaline for me.
My two most dangerous encounters with animals were noteworthy in that they were not with the animals that I was hunting. The first was in Idaho and I was trying to reach a couple of bull elk that were bedding above treeline in the rocks(think they were watching to many Mtn. goats) The plan was to ambush them when they went to play with the cows(being archery season and during the rut). We'd glassed them 3 days in a row and they always started moving down this draw at about 4:00 pm. The trick was to be in that draw before them and after the thermals switched and started blowing down hill. We were crossing this scree slope at about 10,000ft to get to this draw and I was in the lead. My eyes were on the tract about 10 -15 ft out plotting our course when a marmot or pika came flying out from under this rock and across my boot. It startled me so badly I lost my footing and slipped, fell and slid almost fifty feet and only managed to stop myself about twenty feet shy of a thirty foot drop off. I was almost done in by a charging marmot!
The next event happened a couple of years ago when I was in Africa. We were stalking zebra. We were after this nice stallion with a herd that was staying out in this veld area that had little to no cover(think antelope hunting on very flat ground). We had been putting every little thorn bush between us and them and we had approached within about 700yds but we weren't getting any closer unless we crawled. The PH asked me if I was up for a quarter mile crawl. I just smiled motioned him to take the lead. It was early in the morning and still quite cool and I didn't think it would be that bad. I put my leather gloves on and crawled after the PH with the tracker behind me. We had gone about two hundred yards when all of sudden the PH jumped up and yelled SNAKE! He had crawled right over a cobra and it was none to happy. I found myself nose to nose with a cobra at less than seven and he was up with his hood spread in all its glory. That six foot cobra looked about twenty feet long when your down on your knees and that close. :shock: The next thing I know I'm on my two feet backing up with the tracker over my shoulder and his eyes are bugging out like I've never seen. I've jacked a round into the chamber and I'm aiming at the cobra; the PH is yelling for me not to shoot - he's right on the other side of the cobra. I'm thinking that cobra isn't big enough to stop a 200gr NAB and I'm in a mexican stand off with a cobra in Africa. We all decided to back off, cobra included and gave each other a very wide berth. Well that stalk was blown so we took a break with lots of nervous laughter and headed back to the truck. The good news was that we had spooked the zebra back into the bush and a few hours later I was able to make a much easier 200yd shot and score my zebra. we were lucky in two other respects - one it was pretty cool out and the cobra was pretty slugish otherwise the PH might have been struck. If that snake had been a black mamba and not a cobra one of us could have been dead instead of changing our underwear. I hate snakes!!!!! :evil:

Scott

 

[SJB358]

I've heard one of the most dangerous animals to hunt is Hippo on dry ground especially when you get between them and their water. I'll probably never do that! The most amazing hunt I ever saw video of was a Brown Bear hunt with a bow. This guy shot his bear as it walked by at 7yds! He stayed absolutely still at the shot and the bear went after the arrow in it's side. That's way too much adrenaline for me.
My two most dangerous encounters with animals were noteworthy in that they were not with the animals that I was hunting. The first was in Idaho and I was trying to reach a couple of bull elk that were bedding above treeline in the rocks(think they were watching to many Mtn. goats) The plan was to ambush them when they went to play with the cows(being archery season and during the rut). We'd glassed them 3 days in a row and they always started moving down this draw at about 4:00 pm. The trick was to be in that draw before them and after the thermals switched and started blowing down hill. We were crossing this scree slope at about 10,000ft to get to this draw and I was in the lead. My eyes were on the tract about 10 -15 ft out plotting our course when a marmot or pika came flying out from under this rock and across my boot. It startled me so badly I lost my footing and slipped, fell and slid almost fifty feet and only managed to stop myself about twenty feet shy of a thirty foot drop off. I was almost done in by a charging marmot!
The next event happened a couple of years ago when I was in Africa. We were stalking zebra. We were after this nice stallion with a herd that was staying out in this veld area that had little to no cover(think antelope hunting on very flat ground). We had been putting every little thorn bush between us and them and we had approached within about 700yds but we weren't getting any closer unless we crawled. The PH asked me if I was up for a quarter mile crawl. I just smiled motioned him to take the lead. It was early in the morning and still quite cool and I didn't think it would be that bad. I put my leather gloves on and crawled after the PH with the tracker behind me. We had gone about two hundred yards when all of sudden the PH jumped up and yelled SNAKE! He had crawled right over a cobra and it was none to happy. I found myself nose to nose with a cobra at less than seven and he was up with his hood spread in all its glory. That six foot cobra looked about twenty feet long when your down on your knees and that close. :shock: The next thing I know I'm on my two feet backing up with the tracker over my shoulder and his eyes are bugging out like I've never seen. I've jacked a round into the chamber and I'm aiming at the cobra; the PH is yelling for me not to shoot - he's right on the other side of the cobra. I'm thinking that cobra isn't big enough to stop a 200gr NAB and I'm in a mexican stand off with a cobra in Africa. We all decided to back off, cobra included and gave each other a very wide berth. Well that stalk was blown so we took a break with lots of nervous laughter and headed back to the truck. The good news was that we had spooked the zebra back into the bush and a few hours later I was able to make a much easier 200yd shot and score my zebra. we were lucky in two other respects - one it was pretty cool out and the cobra was pretty slugish otherwise the PH might have been struck. If that snake had been a black mamba and not a cobra one of us could have been dead instead of changing our underwear. I hate snakes!!!!! :evil:

Scott

Wow, great story Scott!

 

[Guy Miner]

Most difficult and/or dangerous hunts I've done are backpacking hunts up in the high mountains, where weather can change quickly, and the terrain is steep and treacherous. It can only be worse in some of the more extreme, remote mountains where people go for some of those sheep hunts... Here's a couple of photos of my high hunts here in the Washington Cascades. The terrain and weather can be difficult.

The backpacking in part, carrying camp, supplies, hunting gear, up, up and up into the mountains wears the hunter down. Just living up there on a limited diet, and working hard every day is tough, then there's the trip out - hopefully with a boned out mountain mulie...

As far as danger from animals - I've never been in serious danger except from a couple of rattlesnakes I guess. Had one wild hog charge after it had been wounded by a buddy with a .44 mag handgun. He killed it before it got to us. Followed up what we thought was a wounded bear at night a couple of years ago. That was a little ticklish, lantern and a .44 revolver. Hunting mule deer and coming across grizzly sow & cub tracks up in the Wyoming backcountry a couple of years ago provided some moments of wondering why we didn't have bigger rifles along. Fishing in Alaska, with a hooked salmon splashing and fighting, and a big brownie very interested in it...

What's the most difficult or dangerous hunt in the world? Don't know - those are some of the toughest I've done, or the ones that had a certain element of danger.

I'd suspect that the most dangerous are those where someone has to go into close quarters with a truly dangerous beast, such as a grizzly, a big brown bear, or one of the big ill-tempered brutes from Africa that can grind a hunter to mud, or simply eat him... :shock:

When I see some of those hunting shows where the guys stalk within yards of a huge elephant then brain him as he's charging... Yikes!

Guy

 

[Africa Huntress]

I agree with Dr. mike and the other gentlemen who refuse to hunt with an unsafe hunter, whether it is alcohol induced, bravado, or just stupidity, I wont hunt with them. I left a ten day hunt after the first day on one occasion and like Dr. mike, I never give anyone a chance to make a repeat performance. If it is an unsafe hunter or camp, it is one and done for me.

In reference to difficult or dangerous hunting of four legged animals. I believe I would have to break them down a bit

Hunting conditions and terrain --Stone, Dall, Marco Polo type hunts
Hunting conditions, terrain and a dangerous animal--Polar Bear
Dangerous game, animals who can hunt you, as you hunt them. Female Lion, Elephant, Cape buffalo, Hippo and a coastal brown bear in thick alders.

For me personally, the Female Lion and Cape Buffalo are the best adrenaline hunts for me

Muleman, enjoyed your story and I share your sentiments toward snakes. I do not like them. My first "hunt" in Africa was when I was eight, with my mother and father. We encountered a black mambo and I ask, what do I do if one bites me and was told --you die. NOT what I wanted to hear LOL

Guy, I see you posted, while I was typing. as you see above I agree with you in reference to the difficulties involved in hunting at high elevations. If the bear wants the salmon--give it to him LOL

 

[pre6422hornet]

Muleman, enjoyed your story and I share your sentiments toward snakes. I do not like them. My first "hunt" in Africa was when I was eight, with my mother and father. We encountered a black mambo and I ask, what do I do if one bites me and was told --you die. NOT what I wanted to hear LOL

I also can't stand snakes at all. What a way to tell anyone about the dangerousness of them, especially when poisonous. I bet you didn't sleep that night!

I have never been on a dangerous hunt per se, unless you count mulie/elk hunting at 9,500 feet with a tent as your only shelter. Doesn't take much to get into a rough spot when you are 5+ miles back in the wilderness pre cell phone days.

Enjoying all of your stories. I am living vicariously through you all as I will probably never get a chance for Alaska or Africa.

 

[DrMike]

Aleena, appreciate your insight and likely agree.

Scott, truly enjoyable accounts that are helpful.

I've hunted some high mountain areas with extreme grades and poor footing. I was aware of the potential, but I didn't feel particularly threatened. The closest I've come to falling was while fishing one day when I slipped on some very slick rocks about fifty feet above a raging stream. I was fully aware that if I wasn't able to halt my slide, I would (hopefully) go in the water and it would be deep enough to ensure I didn't break something. Moreover, I was fully cognizant of the fact that it was at least a half-mile downstream before I could find a way out. I was able to halt my slide a matter of inches from the edge, allowing me to gingerly work my way back up the rock to a secure footing.

I've gone into thick alder looking for grizzlies and tracked wounded black bears in thick bush. I've been charged twice by agitated grizzlies, though each was a bluff charge that did not necessitate killing the animal. I have on at least three occasions had wounded black bears (shot by others, I might add) turn and watch their back trail. Twice, we discovered the fact after the fact and once, a friend shot the bear as it came toward me. I felt threatened on one occasion by a rut-crazed bull elk; I was unarmed at the time. The charge was broken off when the cows ran away, though the elk came within three or four feet. On one occasion, I startled a sleeping grizzly in thick alders when I kicked it as I moved incautiously through the alders. Fortunately, he bolted (as I did). We checked out tags as we circled one another. I knew I didn't have a tag for grizzly, and I suppose he realised he didn't have a tag for incautious hunter, and so we each hied it the opposite direction. None of these encounters have deterred me from going into the bush or into the mountains, though I am perhaps more inclined to move cautiously and deliberately today than I did as a younger man.

 

[Gm weatherby man]

LOL,all these stories brought a old memory up, and had to share.It is not a hunting story, but a butchering tale from when i was about 9 years old and the old man decided to butcher a stubborn old cow. We had entered end of large pen,me holding knives and such, old man with iron sited 303 brit.Well the old girl must of relized the end was near, for she started working the pen for a way out when the dad hit her with the first shot at the far end of corral. She then proceeded to charge in my direction, the gate,witch she must of felt was the only way she could get out, at the time i believed she was out to get me. Two more quick shots and she slide to the base of my feet and expired with one last breath of blood on my feet.That was my first tast of what could go wrong when taking a animal, for all other butchering was done with a 25-35 win to the head, except one time i bet the old man i could put down a animal down with a 22 lr at 50 yards, which i did with ease, but that is another story. :roll: :lol:

 

[hunternyny]

Interesting information. I appreciate the responses. thank you all

 

[PJGunner]

I guess it was around 1970 and nevada deer tags were still OTC and you could hunt where ever you wanted. I'd read in Ourdoor Life that the Jarbridge Nevada area north of Elko was supposed to be good for big Mule Deer. It was also great for California hunters too. I took my two oldest stepkids with me to introduce them to hunting and camping with maybe a little fishing thrown in. On the first day we ran ito some dudes from california armed with twin holtsers holding Ruger Balckhawks in .44 magnum and carrying Winchesters chamber to .264 Win. Mags. I'm not kidding, these guys were serious. :shock: Turned out their camp was about 300 yards away from ours. Well they partied well into the night and from the sounds of things the booze was flowing quite freely. Needless to say sleep was impossible with all the noise. About one in the morning one of the guys starts yelling to another telling him to take his hands off his wife and the next thing I know, there's literally an old fashioned gunfight. Our camper was made from an old VW bus so all I had to do was pick up the Coleman stove which was outside, and boogie the hell out of that madhouse. I guess they were too drunk to hit each other as I never heard of anyone being shot. I never hunted that area again as long as I lived in Nevada. No wonder California hunters had such a bad reputation.
There was a good thing that came out of that mess though. I was working for the national Weather Service at the time out of Winnemucca and we had a contract observer in battle mountain that called in their hourly weather report for us to trasmit to the world. I stopped off at the Battle Mountain airport on the way home just to meet the guy I'd been talking to for almost a year and we hit it off quite well. I ended up with a great hunting partner for the next nine years before I got transfered to Tucson. Kind of ended up with an unholy three as the kid I inroduced to hunting, even gave him his first real deer rifle, a Remington 600 Mohawk I got as part payment on a rifle I sold, my Batttle Mountain buddy and I hunted together the rest of the time I lived in Nevada. I do miss those days. If I could afford to move back I certainly would.
Paul b.

 

[big rifle man]

Dr. Mike, totally correct on unsafe partners or other unsafe hunters in the woods. I've been hunting with the same partner for 40 years and would never trade. On another note, many years ago I deer hunted in Northwestern Pennsylvania and had a hunter walk by me at a distance of roughly 25 yards. He looked at me, I waved, and then he pointed his rifle at me, obviously looking through his scope to see what I was. I yelled some expletives and ducked praying I wouldn't hear a loud noise. The last I saw of him he was double timing it back to where he came from. Talk about getting grey hair. Definitely treasure the people you trust.

 

[Oldtrader3]

My worst and most dangerous hunt was while drinking a Coke with my friend (a LAPD-SWAT Sgt) sitting on my 4WD fender at 10:30 in the morning in southern Utah. We were parked off a fire road just having driven down from about 8500 feet above where we had been hunting Mule deer since dawn.

All of the sudden, a yearling fawn (spike) ran to the road and jumped the fence out of an alfalfa field. At that very moment, two LA hunters in a Honda Civic (with a Cal. plate and LA dealer frame) slid to a stop sideways in front of us and came out shooting at the fawn who happened to be running in between my 4WD and their Honda, towards us.

They each had Rem 760's in .30-06 and emptied both rifles (10 shots) in about 3 seconds each. I still can't believe that we weren't hit as I could hear snapping bullets on both sides of me. My rifle was in the case in the truck.

I lost my temper badly, went into combat mode and got into the driver's face before I even thought about it! He lost his temper and started to draw a .32 Walther auto on me which I slapped out of his hand with my Colt barrel and pointed the cocked .45 Peacemaker at his belly instead. His buddy was carrying also but stood down. My buddy drew his service pistol and backed my action. Glad that I was not one on two with them!

Then we talked it down from there. Nobody got hurt but it was pretty close to going there! Give me a dangerous animal every time, at least they are somewhat predictable!

 

[PJGunner]

Oldtrader,and we wonder why california hunters have such a bad reputation. :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: It's those, most likely very few that give them the bad name.
Paul B.

 

[Oldtrader3]

I think it is city folk. I lived in Northern and Southern California for 15 years and had lots of shooting and hunting friends there, all normal, never shot at anybody! It is the same here, with Vancouver BC so close by. Nearly all of the craziness here is immigrants who either resent American's (despite being visiting our country), ignore our traffic laws or they just don't understand how things work here (like round-abouts) and we live with the consequences.

This incident was a really stupid thing to nearly get killed over!

 

[muleman]

I always thought a Polar bear hunt using yourself for bait would be pretty exciting :shock: . Put yourself in a big cage in a popular bear hang out like Barrow Alaska and get their attention.... Kind of like those Eco-tourists do when they go out out in a really tall ski-bus. I wouldn't do that unless I had a .375 under my arm!
Scott