Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Cape Buffalo Gored my PH

I just saw over on Accurate Reloading that my PH Bossie Mostert of Limpopo Big Game Safaris was gored by a cape buffalo. It happened on April 5th. From what I read he & his tracker "BitWell" were tracking this bull for 2 days. It had been arrowed and they were following the trail. Some how they got separated & the bull ambushed Bossie. He has a bad wound at the knee & he was gored in the abdomen. The punched a hole thru his diaphragm & broke 3 ribs. It missed his lungs. He's in ICU & infection is the biggest concern.

I can't believe it. I had killed a bull as it came out of the brush & then swung on the 2nd bull. I hit it in the shoulder. We checked on the 1st bull to make sure it was dead & then went after the 2nd one. We were loosing light fast & after tracking a short ways in the bush we decided to back out. We could hear the bull just a little bit in front of us---but we couldn't see it.

That night at camp we had a fine dinner & were drinking South African wine. Toasting each other on a great buffalo hunt.

Next morning Bossie knocks on my door at 5:30 AM. He's crying & shaking. The angels came that night & took Henriette to heaven. He lost his wife in bed that night. We still had to track down a wounded buffalo. I don't know where he summoned the strength from. We----He found the buffalo bull the next morning. After a long chase, we killed the bull. No one could figure what kept the bull going. He's shoulder was broken & the top of the lungs were shredded. But that bull still kept going.


Bossie has a 10 year old boy. There's a fund for him. there's a link on AR for it. If you can-- try to send some money---Bossie is a good man.

Bob






















7

Very sorry to hear this. Sounds like a good PH.

badd chit happens to the ones that don't need it . I hope for you and him he makes a full recovery

Speedy recovery wishes for Bossie. I never understood why people hunted Cape Buffalo with a bow

It's a stunt, bragging rights.

Almost always, they have someone with a gun backing them.
I always thought if you want to brag about bow killing dangerous game,
no rifles.

I hope your friend has a quick revovery.

I spoke with him last year about booking a hunt. He seemed like a good fellow and his reviews were great. If I remember correctly, they lost their house in a tornado as well

Did I read that right, people hunt Cape Buffalo with bows? Damn

Sorry for the loss of your friend.

And all manner of other DG as well...

I agree. If nothing else, we owe it the animal to use the best tools and methods to effect as quick a death as possible.

T.S.

a arrow with a well hand sharpened broadhead aimed right will go deeper into a animal`s body than a bullet will,try it even in a bucket of sand . i have seen elk,bear and deer die faster with a well placed broadhead - arrow over a bullet ,but the thing is you have to be a better hunter-shooter with a bow as Fred BEAR or HOWARD HILL were, not every one has that ability with a bow but some have that special ability with a bow,don`t forget bows are quiet too.

Update on Bossie-----He's out of the hospital & is at home. It happened on the 5th of April. He was released on the 15th. There is a hog hunt raffle over at AR with all proceeds going to Bossie if anyone is interested. Bob

Pete, I don't disagree. However, not all animals respond the same to trauma. The Cape Buffalo's ability to mount a deadly assault with it's heart completely destroyed is legendary. The Cape Buffalo in my avatar took four well-placed rounds from my 458 Lott and proceeded to charge. It took four more rounds as he charged to make him drop. I then placed a ninth round through his spine (between the shoulder blades) as insurance. Upon butchering him, we found his heart obliterated by the two 500 grain soft points I fired before switching to solids.

T.S.

I have always wanted to go on a Cape Buffalo hunt but I cannot for the life of me understand how any animal can do anything for more than 20-30 seconds without a heart to pump blood to all parts of the body. TexasShooter, I don't doubt what you say but in my mind just difficult to visualize.

Not called "DG" for nothing.

I've never hunted them, but know folks who have.

They bad dudes, tough and with an attitude, not to be trifled with.

Bring enough gun, don't mess up the shot.

DF

DLALLDER, Often the Cape Buffalo drops at the shot never to get up. The condition of the animal at the time it is hit determines the results.

The bull I mentioned was on high alert with adrenaline pumping. I had shot his "sidekick" and that one went down on the second shot. He was calm when I fired the first, well-aimed shot. Before the bull went down, bellowed for help and the second bull ran to him. (They will help each other hook the lions off when attacked by a pride.). Thus, the second one was stomping and snorting and looking for a fight.

Their endurance after being mortally wounded is nothing short of super natural.

T.S.

funds sent.

Thank you.

Pete,

Cape buffalo have the heaviest, hardest ribs of any big game animal of their size I've seen, and the ribs overlap like shingles. Which makes a BIG difference in how deeply an arrow will penetrate, along with requiring not only a more powerful bow than an Alaskan moose of the same size, but a REALLY tough broadhead.

And yes, they can live a long time with wounds that would drop other animals far quicker.

Seems like every rifle hunter has a backup gunner as well, I know I have while shooting a .458Lott in Tanzania on more than 1 buff. The stunt would be for the ph to carry a bow too.

Prayers on the way.