Major Khan
AH legend
Following Up Wounded Gaur
During my career as a professional shikaree , l have had to follow up 3 gaurs which were wounded by my clients . 1 gaur had been wounded by a .458 Winchester magnum calibre 500 grain solid metal covered bullet , which had broken the right shoulder of the gaur , but failed to penetrate into the gaur's heart.
2 Gaurs were wounded by clients who were using .460 Weatherby magnum calibre Mark 5 Weatherby bolt rifles.
There is a point which l did not mention in my section " Shooting The Gaur " , which l felt should be mentioned in this section . There actually WAS a larger calibre than the .458 Winchester magnum , which was commercially available during our time . It was called the .460 Weatherby magnum and this is the rifle calibre which @Kawshik Rahman has been dreaming of trying for the last 50 years , since none of his clients ever brought a .460 Weatherby magnum calibre rifle for shikar to Darjeeling.
However , l have had no less than 5 of my clients bring a .460 Weatherby magnum calibre rifle to Nagpur for shikar and being brutally honest , l never thought too highly of it . The .460 Weatherby uses a 500 grain .458 calibre bullet , just like the .458 Winchester magnum. However , unlike the .458 Winchester magnum ( which lacks sufficient powder space ) the .460 Weatherby magnum actually has ample cartridge case capacity to use a charge of powder large enough to properly propel the 500 grain bullet . However , therein lies the problem. The .460 Weatherby magnum uses TOO much powder propellant . What this does , it that it causes excessively high velocities . The 500 grain solid metal covered bullets , when propelled at these excessively high velocities tends to deform and distort without providing proper penetration on thick skinned game ( which is EXACTLY the sort of game for which Mr. Roy Weatherby had designed the .460 Weatherby ) . True enough , both of my clients who brought a .460 Weatherby magnum Mark 5 bolt rifle for a gaur shikar in India , had their 500 grain solid metal covered bullets completely distort when they attempted to use their rifles to shoot 2 gaurs . This inevitably lead to me having to follow up the wounded gaurs and finish them off . Today , with the prevalence of hand loading and " Monolithic Solid " bullets , l do believe that better performance from the .460 Weatherby magnum calibre can be had , as my learned fellow forum member , @kurpfalzjäger can personally attest to. By hand loading the .460 Weatherby magnum cartridge case to a more predictable velocity and by using a solid brass " Monolithic Solid " bullet which will not distort ( on account of it's single piece construction . ) , the .460 Weatherby magnum can prove to be a remarkable performer on the largest of African cape buffalo .
When wounded , a gaur will react violently. If any of the members of the shikar party are visible to the gaur , then the gaur will immediately charge towards his tormentors , intent on inflicting grievous bodily harm upon them . If no members of the shikar party are visible to the gaur , then the gaur will quickly retreat into the thickets and lie in wait , to ambush his pursuers.
I can assure you all that following up a wounded gaur into the thickets is 1 of the most dangerous tasks , which a professional shikaree may ever need to carry out , 2nd only to having to follow up wounded panthers into the thickets . The gaur will invariably charge at the shikar party from very close range and usually the professional shikaree only has no more than 4 seconds to take aim at the gaur and get off a shot into the gaur's vital regions. Due to the immense nature of the size and weight of the " Grey Forest Ghost " and the dense nature of the Indian bush , an observant and alert shikaree can fortunately always hear the gaur closing in towards the shikar party , as it moves through the thickets . The shikaree should always keep a cool head and pay attention with his eyes and ears to any leaves being rustled , or the sounds of any twigs or branches breaking . These are tell tale signs that the wounded gaur is making it's way towards the shikar party.
The shikaree should then immediately snap up the rifle to his shoulder and refrain from firing until he has taken aim at the heart of the charging gaur which is located at the base of the brute's chest and tucked right between the gaur's 2 fore legs .
As l had previously mentioned , a .375 Holland & Holland magnum calibre 300 grain solid metal covered bullet is not capable of stopping a charging gaur wtith 100 % reliability. This is because the .375 Holland & Holland calibre 300 grain solid metal covered bullet makes for a very small hole in the heart of the gaur and the brute can some times keep charging members of the shikar party for up to 22 minutes , without displaying any tell tale symptoms of fatigue or weakening .
Therefore , a rifle calibre utilizing at least a 500 grain bullet would be my preferred choice to dispatching a wounded charging gaur , as it will not only punch larger holes in the heart and lungs of the gaur , but a well aimed heart shot taken from a broad side position with such a large calibre can often break both shoulders of the gaur and immobilize it on the spot .
Were l to name my ideal rifle for having to follow up wounded gaur ( based on all the rifle calibres which l have actually seen being used on Gaur during my career ) , then l would doubtlessly opt for a .476 Westley Richards calibre side by side double barreled rifle , built by Lebeau Courally . Such a rifle would be equipped with double triggers , 24 inch long barrels and no automatic safety . The rifle would be regulated for the new Kynamco 520 grain cartridges , which ( l understand ) are extremely close in performance ( if not better ) to the old ICI Kynoch cartridges for the .476 Westley Richards calibre .
Unlike the task of following up a wounded panther , where a double barreled weapon is an actual necessity ( on account of the sheer speed of the panther . ) , there is no such hard and fast rule when it comes to following up wounded Indian gaur . This is because most shikarees ( of average competence ) can easily operate their bolt rifles swiftly enough to chamber 3 cartridges and get off at least 3 shots at a charging gaur's heart .Thus , any shikaree who prefers to follow up a wounded gaur with a bolt rifle may easily do so without any risk to his person. I should think that any rifle chambered for a calibre including or larger than the .458 Lott , would do marvellously on a charging gaur of the largest size.
Below , is a photograph taken by myself of a gaur which was killed by my good friend , the late Tobin Stakkatz and l when the gaur had charged at us 1 day , while we were out in the forests of Nagpur , hunting small game . The brute weighed above 2000 pounds.
I would like to add that it is technically possible to dispatch a charging gaur with a frontal brain shot . You see, dear readers ... When a gaur charges at it's miserable victim , it's head will stay raised until it is roughly within 10 paces of it's intended target. At that point , it will lower it's head to engage his victim with his sharp , curved horns. A shikaree armed with a rifle of at least .338 Winchester magnum calibre , using a 250 to 300 grain solid metal covered bullet can actually fire at the gaur's head and kill it instantly with a frontal brain shot. However , l do not recommend this practice in the slightest , because I find it extremely risky . There is practically NO margin for error whatsoever. If a gaur gets to within less than 10 paces of you and you are using a bolt rifle , then you better pray that the bullet strikes true . Because , if there is even a slight miss , then you shall be gored to death . There will not be enough time , at this range for most shikarees to chamber a 2nd cartridge into their bolt rifle.
Thus , l am always an advocate of the frontal heart shot for dispatching charging gaurs .
During my career as a professional shikaree , l have had to follow up 3 gaurs which were wounded by my clients . 1 gaur had been wounded by a .458 Winchester magnum calibre 500 grain solid metal covered bullet , which had broken the right shoulder of the gaur , but failed to penetrate into the gaur's heart.
2 Gaurs were wounded by clients who were using .460 Weatherby magnum calibre Mark 5 Weatherby bolt rifles.
There is a point which l did not mention in my section " Shooting The Gaur " , which l felt should be mentioned in this section . There actually WAS a larger calibre than the .458 Winchester magnum , which was commercially available during our time . It was called the .460 Weatherby magnum and this is the rifle calibre which @Kawshik Rahman has been dreaming of trying for the last 50 years , since none of his clients ever brought a .460 Weatherby magnum calibre rifle for shikar to Darjeeling.
However , l have had no less than 5 of my clients bring a .460 Weatherby magnum calibre rifle to Nagpur for shikar and being brutally honest , l never thought too highly of it . The .460 Weatherby uses a 500 grain .458 calibre bullet , just like the .458 Winchester magnum. However , unlike the .458 Winchester magnum ( which lacks sufficient powder space ) the .460 Weatherby magnum actually has ample cartridge case capacity to use a charge of powder large enough to properly propel the 500 grain bullet . However , therein lies the problem. The .460 Weatherby magnum uses TOO much powder propellant . What this does , it that it causes excessively high velocities . The 500 grain solid metal covered bullets , when propelled at these excessively high velocities tends to deform and distort without providing proper penetration on thick skinned game ( which is EXACTLY the sort of game for which Mr. Roy Weatherby had designed the .460 Weatherby ) . True enough , both of my clients who brought a .460 Weatherby magnum Mark 5 bolt rifle for a gaur shikar in India , had their 500 grain solid metal covered bullets completely distort when they attempted to use their rifles to shoot 2 gaurs . This inevitably lead to me having to follow up the wounded gaurs and finish them off . Today , with the prevalence of hand loading and " Monolithic Solid " bullets , l do believe that better performance from the .460 Weatherby magnum calibre can be had , as my learned fellow forum member , @kurpfalzjäger can personally attest to. By hand loading the .460 Weatherby magnum cartridge case to a more predictable velocity and by using a solid brass " Monolithic Solid " bullet which will not distort ( on account of it's single piece construction . ) , the .460 Weatherby magnum can prove to be a remarkable performer on the largest of African cape buffalo .
When wounded , a gaur will react violently. If any of the members of the shikar party are visible to the gaur , then the gaur will immediately charge towards his tormentors , intent on inflicting grievous bodily harm upon them . If no members of the shikar party are visible to the gaur , then the gaur will quickly retreat into the thickets and lie in wait , to ambush his pursuers.
I can assure you all that following up a wounded gaur into the thickets is 1 of the most dangerous tasks , which a professional shikaree may ever need to carry out , 2nd only to having to follow up wounded panthers into the thickets . The gaur will invariably charge at the shikar party from very close range and usually the professional shikaree only has no more than 4 seconds to take aim at the gaur and get off a shot into the gaur's vital regions. Due to the immense nature of the size and weight of the " Grey Forest Ghost " and the dense nature of the Indian bush , an observant and alert shikaree can fortunately always hear the gaur closing in towards the shikar party , as it moves through the thickets . The shikaree should always keep a cool head and pay attention with his eyes and ears to any leaves being rustled , or the sounds of any twigs or branches breaking . These are tell tale signs that the wounded gaur is making it's way towards the shikar party.
The shikaree should then immediately snap up the rifle to his shoulder and refrain from firing until he has taken aim at the heart of the charging gaur which is located at the base of the brute's chest and tucked right between the gaur's 2 fore legs .
As l had previously mentioned , a .375 Holland & Holland magnum calibre 300 grain solid metal covered bullet is not capable of stopping a charging gaur wtith 100 % reliability. This is because the .375 Holland & Holland calibre 300 grain solid metal covered bullet makes for a very small hole in the heart of the gaur and the brute can some times keep charging members of the shikar party for up to 22 minutes , without displaying any tell tale symptoms of fatigue or weakening .
Therefore , a rifle calibre utilizing at least a 500 grain bullet would be my preferred choice to dispatching a wounded charging gaur , as it will not only punch larger holes in the heart and lungs of the gaur , but a well aimed heart shot taken from a broad side position with such a large calibre can often break both shoulders of the gaur and immobilize it on the spot .
Were l to name my ideal rifle for having to follow up wounded gaur ( based on all the rifle calibres which l have actually seen being used on Gaur during my career ) , then l would doubtlessly opt for a .476 Westley Richards calibre side by side double barreled rifle , built by Lebeau Courally . Such a rifle would be equipped with double triggers , 24 inch long barrels and no automatic safety . The rifle would be regulated for the new Kynamco 520 grain cartridges , which ( l understand ) are extremely close in performance ( if not better ) to the old ICI Kynoch cartridges for the .476 Westley Richards calibre .
Unlike the task of following up a wounded panther , where a double barreled weapon is an actual necessity ( on account of the sheer speed of the panther . ) , there is no such hard and fast rule when it comes to following up wounded Indian gaur . This is because most shikarees ( of average competence ) can easily operate their bolt rifles swiftly enough to chamber 3 cartridges and get off at least 3 shots at a charging gaur's heart .Thus , any shikaree who prefers to follow up a wounded gaur with a bolt rifle may easily do so without any risk to his person. I should think that any rifle chambered for a calibre including or larger than the .458 Lott , would do marvellously on a charging gaur of the largest size.
Below , is a photograph taken by myself of a gaur which was killed by my good friend , the late Tobin Stakkatz and l when the gaur had charged at us 1 day , while we were out in the forests of Nagpur , hunting small game . The brute weighed above 2000 pounds.
I would like to add that it is technically possible to dispatch a charging gaur with a frontal brain shot . You see, dear readers ... When a gaur charges at it's miserable victim , it's head will stay raised until it is roughly within 10 paces of it's intended target. At that point , it will lower it's head to engage his victim with his sharp , curved horns. A shikaree armed with a rifle of at least .338 Winchester magnum calibre , using a 250 to 300 grain solid metal covered bullet can actually fire at the gaur's head and kill it instantly with a frontal brain shot. However , l do not recommend this practice in the slightest , because I find it extremely risky . There is practically NO margin for error whatsoever. If a gaur gets to within less than 10 paces of you and you are using a bolt rifle , then you better pray that the bullet strikes true . Because , if there is even a slight miss , then you shall be gored to death . There will not be enough time , at this range for most shikarees to chamber a 2nd cartridge into their bolt rifle.
Thus , l am always an advocate of the frontal heart shot for dispatching charging gaurs .