American Hunter Killed in Uganda

[Chad Arnette]

I've read every one of the posts on this threat, and it amazes me how so many on this forum are so insensitive to what happened here. One US hunter is dead, and one fine PH is injured, and all you can do is speculate on what happened. It's easy to ASSume and play chair quarterback from the comfort of your desk or phone. If that is what you want to do, start another thread and respect the fact that this is tragic, and families are grieving.

Yep. Crazy. As mentioned below, I have hunted this same area with the PH involved. Anyone who has DG hunting experience should know this can and does happen - fortunately rarely - with experienced PHs and hunters. We should all pay our respects and keep speculation and non-relevant opinions to ourselves.

 

[WAB]

In Africa, for the masses, I agree.

In Alaska with daily rain and salt spray, I will completely disassemble my rifle every few days to keep it from rusting. A rusty safety, bolt, sear, etc… is asking for trouble on a long Alaskan hunt. I usually take care of the client’s rifle as well. I’m probably more skilled at this than the average hunter due to my job. Alaska poses the opposite problem due to the weather.

Agreed. Running the coast even stainless guns rust. If you don’t strip and clean every night, you’re asking for trouble.

 

[Certus]

All I know after reading this thread is if I ever make it over and get killed by an animal I’ll be bagged on by this forum

 

[375Fox]

All I know after reading this thread is if I ever make it over and get killed by an animal I’ll be bagged on by this forum

That’s the really unfortunate thing. Ontario Hunter really lowers the quality of this forum. Previous suggestions to ban him were not well received. This thread shouldn’t have been what he turned it into.

 

[Scott CWO]

Agreed. Running the coast even stainless guns rust. If you don’t strip and clean every night, you’re asking for trouble.

Yes, on the SE Alaska coastal boat-based brown bear and black bear hunts that I have guided, a rifle gets salt spray on it every day in the skiff. Once back onboard the big boat, we would unload the rifles and actually take a fresh water hose and spray the rifle, including the barrel. Then we would let them drip dry a bit on a vertical gun rack and then wipe them down and run a couple patches through the barrel. It’s a chore but necessary.

 

[John Wasmuth]

I’m pretty sure that if you even try to insert an M98 Mauser or its clones that has been reassembled incorrectly it will bind up and won’t even get the chance to chamber a round because it won’t fit. Some body drinks to much…….. this is a tragedy, a horrific tragedy.

 

[Excessexpress]

Thanks to this thread I discovered the forum has an ignore function.


Best wishes to the hunter’s loved ones and a rapid recovery to the PH.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I’m pretty sure that if you even try to insert an M98 Mauser or its clones that has been reassembled incorrectly it will bind up and won’t even get the chance to chamber a round because it won’t fit. Some body drinks to much…….. this is a tragedy, a horrific tragedy.

Actually, I experimented with my M98 and the bolt can be closed if the safety is left in position 2 which is necessary to put striker and bolt shroud together during reassembly. The gun can even be loaded on position 2 and then switched to full safe (to lock the bolt) with the shroud still essentially unattached to bolt. But when safety is disengaged the striker is released instantly. However, it won't fire because the firing pin cannot reach the primer. If the client was shooting a 98 Mauser or similar clone, he either didn't wound the buffalo or his rifle's shroud did not detach. If the shroud did not detach as reported, then there is no reason to believe he reassembled it improperly the night before. Any way you look at it, the report is wrong. Personally, I'm of the opinion the client put his gun together properly and wounded the buffalo. It ran into the thick stuff, charged, and gored client and PH in spite of PH's best efforts. A scenario that has been repeated many times before. It happens. I suspect the bit about finding the bolt shroud separated from the rifle is probably BS.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

All I know after reading this thread is if I ever make it over and get killed by an animal I’ll be bagged on by this forum

The only one possibly being "bagged on" is the person or agency who authored the incident report.

 

[Altitude sickness]

good to know thinking about Ripcord or Global rescue, but don't know anything about them other than what you read on their ads

I’ve used global rescue and Ripcord. I have settled on Ripcord. They use ex military Corpsman and Medics for advice over the phone and Evac. They also use ex military for a QRF to get you out of the country if need be. They will customize a plan for the particular area you are visiting.

Most world wide companies are simply a middle man to contact the local, nearest government search and rescue team. Nothing wrong with that. They have all the direct contacts and carry more sway getting results.

If you’re going off the beaten path like C.A.R. Or Somolia it’s important to be specific on the exact location you will be hunting. For example If hunting in South Africa they have a team in Joberg so no issue getting someone there quickly.

Hunting in the more remote areas it’s important to ask how you are covered. Who is coming and from where.

In the Himalayas I think Global Rescue had a larger footprint. But they still use the local helicopters and rescue teams. And they reimburse the locals.

Most GR and Ripcord rescues are by the same locals that would rescue you anyway. Buy with better coordination. I think the real value is them paying the locals and getting getting you to the best local care. And then home.

Your family at home shouldn’t have to sort all that out after something went wrong.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

No death is a good death (contrary to what films like “Legends Of The Fall” & “The Last Samurai” teach us), but if I had to choose one… it would be dying in my sleep, devoid of suffering. Not getting gored by a Cape buffalo. I nearly lost my life to an elephant bull during a hunt gone wrong in 2006 (what happened was entirely my fault but that’s a story for another day). My white hunter saved me. At that moment, all my bravado & arrogance went down the drain. It was probably the one time in my life that I have felt completely powerless. It’s not a very macho thing to admit to on an online forum, but I developed such a fear of elephants since that incident that I’ve subconsciously been avoiding any opportunities for elephant hunts ever since that incident (although I someday hope to overcome my fear & hunt a big Tanzanian bull).

It’s a real tragedy as to what happened. May God/Allah grant Mr. Cox heaven/Jannat and may he hunt eternally in the happy hunting grounds. He lost his life at 78. That’s only four years more than me. I don’t know what happens when we die, but I do know that the ones who love us… will miss us. May Mr. Trap be bestowed with a speedy recovery and be able to get “Back on the saddle” soon again.

I don’t want to speculate on what happened. I wasn’t there. But I have corresponded with two very credible sources who only divulged one piece of common information: That the rifle was chambered in .416 Remington Magnum. I will let you all know the rifle make when I know.

I don’t mean to sound cold hearted. But there is merit in finding out what went wrong with the rifle. It may stop another tragedy like this from occurring in the future. And if nothing else, we can potentially save one more hunter’s life. A few years ago, a white hunter named Ian Gibson got killed by a wounded elephant when his rifle malfunctioned during a charge. The rifle was a push feed Winchester Model 70 chambered in .458 Winchester Magnum.

 

[Shootist43]

Hunter Habib, I tried to express my similar thoughts yesterday especially the thought and wording of the last paragraph of your post but couldn't come up with a way to do it. We as humans can learn from the experiences of others. We need to learn / know the truth of this matter to preclude it from happening again. If we don't, Mr. Cox's demise will be in vain.

 

[roklok]

Absolutely agree. We should try to learn what went wrong. Trying to figure out what went wrong and being respectful and compassionate to the parties involved are not mutually exclusive. Mankind has done that for millennia, learned from mistakes and experiences of others, in fact that is how humanity has reached its current position. I do feel that conjecture that the deceased hunter (or his PH) is to blame is inappropriate given the limited amount of information. Its called dangerous game hunting for a reason, the animals may get a say in the outcome despite our best efforts. However I am very interested in the mechanical failure aspect referred to in the report. Am eager to hear more about make and model of rifle as/if it becomes available.

 

[cajunchefray]

No death is a good death (contrary to what films like “Legends Of The Fall” & “The Last Samurai” teach us), but if I had to choose one… it would be dying in my sleep, devoid of suffering. Not getting gored by a Cape buffalo. I nearly lost my life to an elephant bull during a hunt gone wrong in 2006 (what happened was entirely my fault but that’s a story for another day). My white hunter saved me. At that moment, all my bravado & arrogance went down the drain. It was probably the one time in my life that I have felt completely powerless. It’s not a very macho thing to admit to on an online forum, but I developed such a fear of elephants since that incident that I’ve subconsciously been avoiding any opportunities for elephant hunts ever since that incident (although I someday hope to overcome my fear & hunt a big Tanzanian bull).

It’s a real tragedy as to what happened. May God/Allah grant Mr. Cox heaven/Jannat and may he hunt eternally in the happy hunting grounds. He lost his life at 78. That’s only four years more than me. I don’t know what happens when we die, but I do know that the ones who love us… will miss us. May Mr. Trap be bestowed with a speedy recovery and be able to get “Back on the saddle” soon again.

I don’t want to speculate on what happened. I wasn’t there. But I have corresponded with two very credible sources who only divulged one piece of common information: That the rifle was chambered in .416 Remington Magnum. I will let you all know the rifle make when I know.

I don’t mean to sound cold hearted. But there is merit in finding out what went wrong with the rifle. It may stop another tragedy like this from occurring in the future. And if nothing else, we can potentially save one more hunter’s life. A few years ago, a white hunter named Ian Gibson got killed by a wounded elephant when his rifle malfunctioned during a charge. The rifle was a push feed Winchester Model 70 chambered in .458 Winchester Magnum.

@Hunter-Habib, thank you Sir for the information on the rifle caliber and the human perspective of DG hunting.

The information on the rifle malfunction and what happened may one day save the life of another PH or hunter.

i remember watching Africa hunting shows with Ian Gibson. He seemed like a great guy, a helluva way to go to the Lord because of a rifle failure, but as my grandfather, farmer and rancher would say, " if it's a machine, it can break."

As of yet, we don't know what rifle failed Mr. Cox. I will not speculate on his work on his rifle, I wasn't there. Firearm malfunctions, though rare happen.

I am a big fan of the Winchester Model 70 platform, and still own a couple, but have had two failures:

First, a late model New Haven Classic Safari Express, .375 H&H that failed to extract a fired case with factory ammo, due to a substandard factory extractor.

Second, a bolt stop spring failure on a USA BACO FN made 7x57 Mauser Featherweight, made in Columbia South Carolina. I worked the bolt to reload from the shoulder and ended up holding the bolt in my hand and a nonfunctioning rifle. A finely machined and fit rifle with a $5 spring that failed.

Perhaps this sad and tragic event will lead to some reliability and safety enhancements.

Continuing prayers that the Cox family will sustain the grief with God's grace, and prayers for Mr. Trap and his family for his full recovery.