You and a Man Eating Tiger - What Rifle?

Demonical said:
Wasn't he doing most of that from an elevated blind?

On majority ocassions, he did sit on the 'machan' (which was usually an elevated plain platform on a tree without any attempt at camouflage....provided he had villagers available to make him one). A variant was somewhat demonstrated in the Ghost and the Darkness.

However, he almost always simply sat on a branch, sometimes with his legs dangling close enough for the carnivore to reach.....as there were no higher branches/trees available.....either over a live bait (cow) or a kill.

There are narrations where he has also sat on the ground to await the man-eater (much like a turkey hunter!) due to absence of a tree that offered clear visibility of the the stashed "kill" (a partially eaten corpse or carcass).

Most of his man-eaters were shot while he was standing on the ground.
 
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PeakXV said:
motz.gif


JC just officially rolled over in his grave. ;)

He finished the temple tiger with his last .500 bullet ....."a very angry tigress was coming straight at me; so, waiting till she was 2 yards away, I leant forward and with great good luck manged to put the remaining bullet in the rifle into the hollow where her necked joined her shoulder."
beerchug.gif

True......however, think it was actually the "Thak Man-eater" (the Temple tiger wasn't a man-eater but was taking a heavy toll on the village cattle....Corbett never managed to shoot it despite his numerous attempts/close encounters :)......that graceful animal had truly nine lives and deserved to live :)

PeakXV said:
There are still Man-eaters in Sunderbans that kill 50-60 people a year:eek: - they grab the fishermen right out of there boats. I don't think even Corbett would be crazy enough to venture into that labyrinth of mangrove and swamp - a sure ambush waiting to happen - 50 yards would be a dream there. I think the Sunderbans Tigers will be the last to go.

Oh yeah, the Sunderbans......forms part my native country (Bangladesh) and partly in India. Tigers in there are ALL considered man-eaters and take fishermen, honey collectors whenever the opportunty presents. That is one geograhical region where you see the most unique collection of poisonous snakes and tigers on the ground......the numerous #####-cross network of salt water canals fed into the mangroves (from the Bay of Bengal) bring in the sharks and crocs. I have never ceased to be amazed at the bravery of the locals as they venture in daily for their livelihood despite the threats. On the other hand, the sad part is that poaching is taking a heavy toll despite many attempts, albeit weak, at conservation.
 
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Longshot said:
I'm sure it wouldn't be pleased...however I was on a 1 shot 00 buck and the follow up a slug.
I can't see how it wouldn't at least put a little damper on his day.

"Chacun a son gout", as they say (darn... no accents available on this system), but frankly I woud take the African Hunter magazine quote pretty well as gospel since those folks (such as Ganyana, who wrote the previously-quoted article) deal with these animals regularly, unlike us over here, who only read (enviously) about it. It's worth having a look on their website (http://www.african-hunter.com/archives.htm) Here's another one from the archives:

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Four Jammed Weapons and an Angry Lion

by Ant Williams

Africa's king of beasts is a force to be reckoned with. The spirited African lion is a most awesome creature to come face to face with, especially when wounded. What follows is testament to its tenacity, and greater proof of the role fate can play on the Dark Continent.

During the dry, cool month of June in 1982, Scout Petros of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management was asked to accompany other staff members to the Mandiboni Pan on the lookout for lion who had been causing havoc, preying on cattle in the surrounding communal area.

They left at mid-morning, soon after receiving their instructions and got to Mandiboni Pan at half past ten at night, where they set up camp. The following is an account of their adventure extracted from a report made by Scout Petros.

"Early in the morning, just close to our base, we spotted the lion's spoor which was a day old. We then went to the kraal and asked about the lion. We found that the lion had arrived at night and there was fresh spoor. We set off on their track and by mid-morning we found them fast asleep.

"Ranger Adams shot the biggest lion with the .375 rifle, hitting the lion on the front leg. It ran away but we managed to follow the trail of blood and soon caught up to the wounded lion lying under a tree.

"Ranger Adams shot the wounded lion with two rounds of .375, when the gun jammed. Just then the lion charged us. Ranger Adams grabbed the shotgun from Game Scout Wilson, who was closest, tried to shoot the lion again, but that shotgun also jammed! He then took the .270 from me and tried to shoot, but it also jammed. By this time I had aimed my shotgun at the lion which was just a few yards from us, but it also jammed.

"By now the lion was just 20 yards away and both Ranger Adams who had a .270 and game scout Wilson who had a .375 ran away. Myself, I was busy trying to fix the jammed rifle when the lion jumped at me. I jumped backwards as it charged, so the lion proceeded to chase Game Scout Nemangwe and Ranger Adams who were trying to run away. The lion smashed Nemangwe to the ground and went on to attack Ranger Adams who hit the lion on the back with his .270 rifle. But the lion jumped on him and smashed Ranger Adams to the ground.

"As he managed to get up, the lion also got up. Ranger Adams ran to a tree with the lion running after him. Soon they were both running around the tree and Ranger Adams kept shouting at me saying: "Petros, shoot it! Petros, shoot it!" and I replied: "The *#$! rifle has jammed."

It would seem that at this point, the lion had again pinned Ranger Adams down, and in desperation he was trying to fend the lion off using his arms in an attempt to stop it mauling his head, explained by Petros as "trying to catch the tongue with both hands."

"I then shouted across to Game Scout Wilson not to shoot as he was very far away. Instead, I ran up to him, took the rifle from him and ran back to the scene. "By now the lion had caught Ranger Adams by the leg. I shot the lion and it fell down. Ranger Adams got up to run away but the
lion also got up and once again they were face to face. Ranger Adams dropped down and the lion opened its mouth and caught his head. I shot at the lion again and it made a small cut in his head.

"All I could hear was Ranger Adam's voice coming from inside the mouth of the lion. Just as I managed to pull him out, another two lion charged straight at us, but we managed to frighten them away with one of the rifles that had jammed.

"I then gave first aid, using his shirt and that of Wilson, after which I made my way back to our base to collect the radio, but I had a breakdown on the way. I then took the radio with me to the scene because there was no communication with Hwange. It was only at two o'clock that afternoon that I managed to raise Hwange Main Camp to contact Warden Conway at Chirisa Safari Area and make arrangements to collect Ranger Adams.

"We then carried him to the nearest village - at least 7km away where Warden Conway met us. Ranger Adams was taken to Chirisa."

It seems impossible that these men, especially Ranger Adams survived their ordeal. So many jammed weapons, repeated attacks, broken down vehicles and a seven kilometer trek to the nearest village, with several hours wait before being evacuated. In spite of the odds stacked against them, the scouts can count their blessings.

Apart from being shaken up, all except Derek Adams escaped without physical injuries. Dereck sustained wounds to his legs, arms and head with a bad scratch down his back. He also dislocated his one shoulder and had several wounds inflicted to his head by the lion's teeth. After some four weeks in hospital, Dereck was released and after spending six years hunting in East Africa, still operates today as a professional hunter in Zimbabwe.

It was never clear what happened to the weapons, although it is possible that in the confusion, a combination of things contributed to the weapons not firing.

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I think this gives new potency to the expression, "s**t happens".

:) Stuart
 
Pump shotguns can be problematic (flameproof suit on) especially when under pressure with an adrenaline dump happening. Gary Shelton observes plenty of short stroking and FTF's with pump shotguns when he gives his wildlife defense course in BC.

Shelton recommends rifles.

There's a good reason that the weapons of choice by experienced guides and PH's for dangerous game are double rifles or CRF bolt actions.
 
I think we love these romantic , exotic stories , mostly from days gone by precisely because they are so far from most of our personal experiences . The danger , the adventure , the allure of hunting something , that is quite capable of hunting us . Does a tiger have a greater tenacity to life than a grizzly ? While i haven't heard of maneating grizzly's with 100 or 200 human kills , does it mean they are less tough than a tiger ? I think not . Many refrences to the 500 pound tiger but is a 500 pound tiger in possession of some supernatural ability to live and sustain damage well over the capability of a 500 pound grizz or a 500 pound polar or even a 500 pound black bear ? I have no personal experience shooting grizz or polar bears or tigers but i've put many , many black bears away . 4 in the un-weighed , guesstimated 500 pound range . I've shot them from a few feet to a bit over 100 yards away with a pump 12 guage loaded with 3 inch mag Brenneke slugs and they get killed , dead . I'd think that the course fur of a polar , a blackie or a grizz is thicker than that of a tiger . The skin may be of comparible thickness but if we're looking at 500 pounders , the fat and maybe the muscle of a bear will probably be thicker than that of a tiger . Don't know that for sure . The seperating factor may very well be tenacity , like a 500 pound wolverine but i don't short stroke my shotgun and 3 inch mag Brennekes remove tenacity , and life very well . I don't think i'd feel undergunned with my trusty old 870 loaded with Brennekes against a 500 pound cat . Of course i'd want a big rifle for very large , thick skinned game , but a tiger isn't a cape buffalo or a rhino or an elephant and in comparisson to those , the tiger is a medium sized thin skinned game . I've shot moose over double the size of the 500 pound tiger with Brenneke slugs and although moose are a fairly easy kill , they do have a more massive structure than a cat of half the size and the Brenneke slugs break them down and kill them just fine . I love those double rifles chambered in anti-aircraft calibers , and if i could afford one , i'd have one , but i don't think i'd need one for tigers .:eek: Burn the heretic .;)
 
PeakXV said:

Jim Corbett was born of English ancestory in the town of Naini Tal in the Kumaon foothills of the Himalayas. He was a hunter and fishing enthusiast in early life but took to big game photography later. Between 1907 and 1938, Corbett hunted down at least a dozen man-eaters. His gun of choice was a 450/400 Double Rifle.


<read more>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Corbett_(hunter)


He....Was.....A.....God!


That being said I would want something with a bayonet so when yo miss and are cowering with your gun facing forward you still have a chance.
 
tony238 said:
He....Was.....A.....God!


That being said I would want something with a bayonet so when yo miss and are cowering with your gun facing forward you still have a chance.
He did not hunt his first maneater until he was about 30 yo!
 
atr said:
Many refrences to the 500 pound tiger but is a 500 pound tiger in possession of some supernatural ability to live and sustain damage well over the capability of a 500 pound grizz or a 500 pound polar or even a 500 pound black bear ?

didn't jack o'connor write something about a grizzly (minus the skin) making a lion or tiger look "feminine" in comparison?
 
tony238 said:
...That being said I would want something with a bayonet so when yo miss and are cowering with your gun facing forward you still have a chance.

Yes, indeed. I can hear the cry go up now: "Tiger ahead! Fix bayonets! Fire!"

:p Stuart
 
MiG25 said:
didn't jack o'connor write something about a grizzly (minus the skin) making a lion or tiger look "feminine" in comparison?

If he did .... he probably never hunted man-eaters at night in the jungle.:eek: .... maybe he meant/knew alot of those killer cats were tigresses.:D

I think your really talking apples and oranges if comparing the big carnivor's foot-pounds of killing power .... without considering their ability to stalk, ambush, & eat humans for sustenance.
 
PeakXV said:
If he did .... he probably never hunted man-eaters at night in the jungle.:eek: .... maybe he meant/knew alot of those killer cats were tigresses.:D

I think your really talking apples and oranges if comparing the big carnivor's foot-pounds of killing power .... without considering their ability to stalk, ambush, & eat humans for sustenance.

Actually Jack O'Connor did hunt a man eating tiger once while in India. He used his .375 H&H and while all went well he said that if he was to do it again he would consider using a .416 Rigby.

As an aside a friend of mine was born in Burma and his father was a friend of Corbett's - apparently had dinner with him off and on. In fact he apparently helped type the manuscript of one of Corbett's books and has a signed copy at home.

Chuck
 
PeakXV said:
I think your really talking apples and oranges if comparing the big carnivor's foot-pounds of killing power .... without considering their ability to stalk, ambush, & eat humans for sustenance.


Grizzly lack the ability to stalk and or ambush? Hell,I'll pay you to carry the Bacon and Salmon into my sheep camp this year, just so you can prove your point.
 
Lazy Ike said:
Grizzly lack the ability to stalk and or ambush? Hell,I'll pay you to carry the Bacon and Salmon into my sheep camp this year, just so you can prove your point.

That was stalk, ambush, & eat humans for sustenance.

No doubt grizzlies are more than capable of the first two skills ... but a man-eater excels at the third skill.
 
If you read corbet closely, you will read numerious incidents of maneaters uncanny ability, both tiger and loepard, to avoid those hunting them! They may not have the strength or muscles of a grizz but how many have killed and eated in excess of 400 people?
Corbett killed two maneaters, one a tiger and the other a leopard, which ran up those incredible totals!
 
PeakXV said:
That was stalk, ambush, & eat humans for sustenance.

No doubt grizzlies are more than capable of the first two skills ... but a man-eater excels at the third skill.


I'm sure Timothy Treadwell would agree with you.
 
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