In Memoriam - Zimbabwe Professional Hunter Owain Lewis killed by buffalo

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Very tragic and sobering experience. Owain was very respected in the PH community. Terrible for all involved including the clients. A friend of mine and his PH were hit by a wounded buffalo last year. He is feeling very lucky today.

I thought of better words to describe him: Consummate Professional

The friend of yours that was hit....are you speaking of the gent also known as Begno?

 

[Mike70560]

Yes, Butch lives about 20 miles from me. Good guy, avid hunter. The buffalo broke Nixon's rifle in two and tossed him. Butch was very lucky to end up just bruised and bloody.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Yes, Butch lives about 20 miles from me. Good guy, avid hunter. The buffalo broke Nixon's rifle in two and tossed him. Butch was very lucky to end up just bruised and bloody.

Yup, remember reading that story last year. To say Butch's are made of brass is wrong, more like case hardened steel!

 

[Ray Tafrate]

To my hunting friend, we will miss your visits with your lovely wife.
Thanks for being my PH on my 1st safari and my friend for these yrs.
You were a very pius gentleman & I hope you are with your lord above in peace. The hunting community has lost a wonderful human being.
Mike thanks for being there for my friend. Ray Tafrate

 

[BRICKBURN]

Since Mike brought this to the attention of AH I would also like to make sure those here have the opportunity to aid a hunting family in need.



Owain Lewis Memorial Fund

Most have heard the news of the tragic death of Chifuti's Senior PH Owain Lewis.

The needs of Owain's family have quickly become apparent, and cannot be overlooked or neglected.

If Owain would ask anything of his friends ... he would ask that we take care of his wife. There is no insurance, and little savings or resources.
Like most, they lost everything when they lost their farm.
This family was dependent on a PH's income. Robbie Lewis needs the help of friends and the safari community that loved them both.

Safari Classics has opened a memorial account in Owains name for just this purpose.
I leave for Harare in 6 weeks and will deliver to Robbie, the entire amount.

Please see the banking details below. A wire transfer from your bank to Owains account is most efficient. You may also send a check to either the bank directly or to the Safari Classics office.


Tamela Moss
Safari Classics and Chifuti Safaris


Wire Instructions

*** When wiring please MEMO: Owain Memorial Fund, FOB Robbie Lewis

Account Name: Safari Classics Productions LLC
Owain Lewis Mem. Fund
Account Number: 1440000453610
Account Address: 5206 McKinney Ave
Ste 101
Dallas, TX 75205

Routing Number: 111017694
BB&T Swift Code: BRBTUS33

Bank Address: BB&T Bank
717 N. Harwood Ste. 100
Dallas, TX 75201

 

[Baydog]

Terrible news.

 

[Storm1cloud]

Owain Lewis was a true outdoorsman and great hunter. We had just returned from hunting with Owain, Ian and Rex for buffalo in May. My prayers have gone out to Owain and to help the other PH's & hunters stay safe while enjoying Zimbabwe.
All 3 of these PH's carried mainly a 458 Win Mag with 4rd capacity. After reading what exactly happen makes me wonder What went wrong?? How can a buffalo take say 6 to 8 rounds of 458 Win Mag under 30yds and still be on his feet??? Goes back to hearing many times that the 458 Win Mag is only barely adequate on mad dangerous game and this appears to prove the point much too clearly!
This event has really been sad and my deepest condolences go out to his family. He was a fine gentleman.

David P. Vernon

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Owain Lewis was a true outdoorsman and great hunter. We had just returned from hunting with Owain, Ian and Rex for buffalo in May. My prayers have gone out to Owain and to help the other PH's & hunters stay safe while enjoying Zimbabwe.
All 3 of these PH's carried mainly a 458 Win Mag with 4rd capacity. After reading what exactly happen makes me wonder What went wrong?? How can a buffalo take say 6 to 8 rounds of 458 Win Mag under 30yds and still be on his feet??? Goes back to hearing many times that the 458 Win Mag is only barely adequate on mad dangerous game and this appears to prove the point much too clearly!
This event has really been sad and my deepest condolences go out to his family. He was a fine gentleman.

David P. Vernon

Welcome to AH David. In response to your post, I guess it would depend on where the .458 Win's hit.

 

[James.Grage]

David

Welcome to AH...

After a cape Buffalo and the initial hit it will take a considerable amount of lead before it goes down.

I shot a cape buffalo through the shoulder and both lungs, entry and exit holes with a 450 NE and 480 gr solid.

The buffalo was hard hit and we followed the blood trail for about 1 mile and into a thick dark thicket.

MY PH and i were able to walk to with in 10 yards and i proceeded to make swish cheese out of the front with 8 more bullet hole in and out of the animal. My PH was able to land 3 577 NE holes in the cape buffalo before he went down.
When we started shooting the cape buffalo, it just stood there and let the shooting continue until he fell.

There were 3 holes in the heart, 6 holes in the lungs, 2 in the liver and 1 in the rear end.

All bullets passed through the animal.

So the 6 to 8 rounds that you mention are very realistic and the cape buffalo would have enough steam to continue it rampage...

Owain Lewis was a true outdoorsman and great hunter. We had just returned from hunting with Owain, Ian and Rex for buffalo in May. My prayers have gone out to Owain and to help the other PH's & hunters stay safe while enjoying Zimbabwe.
All 3 of these PH's carried mainly a 458 Win Mag with 4rd capacity. After reading what exactly happen makes me wonder What went wrong?? How can a buffalo take say 6 to 8 rounds of 458 Win Mag under 30yds and still be on his feet??? Goes back to hearing many times that the 458 Win Mag is only barely adequate on mad dangerous game and this appears to prove the point much too clearly!
This event has really been sad and my deepest condolences go out to his family. He was a fine gentleman.

David P. Vernon

 

[Storm1cloud]

Yes, but these are PH's and should be able to place shots. All I can think of that might have happened is after all that tracking and finally seeing the buff... it jumps up and they shoot fast to stop it....more days of tracking and got wild with the shots just trying to do damage, Then the table is turned on them.
Rex and I had a buff hit hard in the lungs, but went into heavy cover -- very intense, spotted it at maybe 20yds with the end of one horn sticking out from behind a hugh tree in tall grass. Second shot and still going, stopped behind thick tall grass and we could it breathing, tracker having fit for us to shoot it, could see nothing. Runs again into 10ft tall grass, we track short distance knowing this is super dangerous and sure enough buff was waiting on us. But we noticed a downed tree and tracker climbed up for a look and there was the buff---faint gray image just off his trail waiting to kill us. We climbed up and got tracker to throw big stick at him so we could tell which way he was standing, he blasted out right by us and I knocked him down. but could have gone the other way if he had charged---- This is a Big Wake Up Call. Just feel alittle bigger power might have turned the odds in the hunters favor. This should not have happened and need to look into all the ways to prevent it if possible.

 

[James.Grage]

David

I am sure that we have many PH who have shot a charging Cape Buffalo or other big 5 animal.

The only way to put a charging animal down that i am aware of is a brain or spine shot. Maybe you have this shooting ability at a charging animal, however i would not put my life in your hands.

The only ones that i have seen on DVD belong to Ivan Carter (elephant) and Mark Sullivan (cape Buffalo). I have seen some for lion however have forgotten there names. Leopard now is another story all together.

I have been in some real thick stuff where you have difficulty seeing 30 feet. Africa have varied terrain and with that conditions change from area to area.

The real issue we have here is the hunter making a very poor shot, and the PH's are duty bound to follow up and take care of the wounded animal.

 

[Storm1cloud]

Hi James,
Thanks for the reply. Wanting to hear others experiences on buffalo ---that was alot of damage to be still standing.
To bad that folks really do not learn to really shoot good before going after these dangerous ones and get someone hurt or killed. Most of the PH's there had been mauled by wounded leopard. This is the main problem.

 

[Mike70560]

Goes back to hearing many times that the 458 Win Mag is only barely adequate on mad dangerous game and this appears to prove the point much too clearly!

I do not believe the 458 Win Mag is barely adequate. Back in the late 1898 JR Rigby and Company introduced the 450 NE. It fired a 480 Grain bullet at supposedly 2150 FPS (although in reality probably in the range of 2050 to 2100 FPS. This set the standard for big game rifles. The are many other very similar NE rounds that fire a 480 or 500 grain bullets at the 2100-2150 FPS mark. Nobody doubts these rifles as "stoppers". The 458 Win Mag ballistics are very similar to these rifles. Most handloaders easily top the 2150 FPS with 500 Grain bullets. Hornady claims 2140 FPS from their factory loads.

I have chrono'd some very old Remington 510 grain factory 458 Win Mag and there ran about 1800 FPS. Definitely too slow for my taste, but these were very old. Maybe ammo from 40 years ago was inadequate.

Is a 500 Nitro, 505 Gibbs, etc better? Depends who you ask. They hit harder, have more recoil, and have more recovery time between shots.

Wanting to hear others experiences on buffalo ---that was alot of damage to be still standing.

I have shot eight buffalo. No shots (on my buffalo) have been fired by my PH. First two were one shot kills with a 416 Remington Magnum. (Both had insurance shots, but were not needed). The third took five shots in very close quarters with a 470 Nitro, I felt the first shot was very good, it just did not want to die. The Fourth received a marginal shot on the first shot (single lung facing me), second shot was too high, the third shot was solid, the fourth shot missed. This was all with my 470. We tracked it for quite a ways and found it layed up, we got reasonable close and I shot it 7 more times, it was still trying to get up until one of the last shots. The fifth one was assisting another hunter on a follow up on their third day of tracking. We bumped in to it accidently, joined their group. My PH and myself both shot it with 470 doubles at close range with seemingly little effect. Thankfully it did not charge. The sixth two a double lung shot from a 375, we trailed it for a while and I put another good shot in it with my 470. We found it dead on the edge of some 12 foot tall grass. The next one was with a 375 with a quick follow up second shot from the same rifle. It ran about 100 yards in the opposite direction we were, and died. The last one was shot with a 470 at about 25 feet. It was a high heart shot and never took a step. It is the only one I ever dropped in its tracks.

Once they are wounded all bets are off. I do not know if it is adrenaline or a will to live or revenge, but than can get tough. Shoot them properly with a 375 and it is all over after the first shot. Buffalo are tough and are not impressed by foot pounds of energy.

To bad that folks really do not learn to really shoot good before going after these dangerous ones and get someone hurt or killed.

I think we owe it to ourselves, the PH, the trackers, and the game to be prepared as possible physically and in our shooting abilities. However not being involved in the incident I am unwilling to lay any of the blame on the client, the PH, the rifle, the tracker, the appy, or anything else. Once Mr Owain is laid to rest there will be plenty of internet discussion about what should have/could have/would have happened. Sometimes things just happen.

RIP Mr. Owain

 

[RogerHeintzman]

Mike70560.

Your right, things just happen. With out being there everyone is just speculating on guns, loads, what ever.

It is just sad that a great person who loved what he did had to die.

 

[Storm1cloud]

Look at all possibilities!

Thanks Mike,
Good to learn what we can when something goes wrong and provide a bigger safety margin in the future. I plan to do some testing on penetration/bullet performance and see if anything useful is discovered.
Shoot Straight,
D

I do not believe the 458 Win Mag is barely adequate. Back in the late 1898 JR Rigby and Company introduced the 450 NE. It fired a 480 Grain bullet at supposedly 2150 FPS (although in reality probably in the range of 2050 to 2100 FPS. This set the standard for big game rifles. The are many other very similar NE rounds that fire a 480 or 500 grain bullets at the 2100-2150 FPS mark. Nobody doubts these rifles as "stoppers". The 458 Win Mag ballistics are very similar to these rifles. Most handloaders easily top the 2150 FPS with 500 Grain bullets. Hornady claims 2140 FPS from their factory loads.

I have chrono'd some very old Remington 510 grain factory 458 Win Mag and there ran about 1800 FPS. Definitely too slow for my taste, but these were very old. Maybe ammo from 40 years ago was inadequate.

Is a 500 Nitro, 505 Gibbs, etc better? Depends who you ask. They hit harder, have more recoil, and have more recovery time between shots.



I have shot eight buffalo. No shots (on my buffalo) have been fired by my PH. First two were one shot kills with a 416 Remington Magnum. (Both had insurance shots, but were not needed). The third took five shots in very close quarters with a 470 Nitro, I felt the first shot was very good, it just did not want to die. The Fourth received a marginal shot on the first shot (single lung facing me), second shot was too high, the third shot was solid, the fourth shot missed. This was all with my 470. We tracked it for quite a ways and found it layed up, we got reasonable close and I shot it 7 more times, it was still trying to get up until one of the last shots. The fifth one was assisting another hunter on a follow up on their third day of tracking. We bumped in to it accidently, joined their group. My PH and myself both shot it with 470 doubles at close range with seemingly little effect. Thankfully it did not charge. The sixth two a double lung shot from a 375, we trailed it for a while and I put another good shot in it with my 470. We found it dead on the edge of some 12 foot tall grass. The next one was with a 375 with a quick follow up second shot from the same rifle. It ran about 100 yards in the opposite direction we were, and died. The last one was shot with a 470 at about 25 feet. It was a high heart shot and never took a step. It is the only one I ever dropped in its tracks.

Once they are wounded all bets are off. I do not know if it is adrenaline or a will to live or revenge, but than can get tough. Shoot them properly with a 375 and it is all over after the first shot. Buffalo are tough and are not impressed by foot pounds of energy.



I think we owe it to ourselves, the PH, the trackers, and the game to be prepared as possible physically and in our shooting abilities. However not being involved in the incident I am unwilling to lay any of the blame on the client, the PH, the rifle, the tracker, the appy, or anything else. Once Mr Owain is laid to rest there will be plenty of internet discussion about what should have/could have/would have happened. Sometimes things just happen.

RIP Mr. Owain