SHOOTING BIG GAME

Hokitika Guardian, 19 September 1925, Page 4

SHOOTING BIG GAME

(Fulnhn.iu "Daily Mail.”) Describing the vast- herds of eland, wildebecste, and harteheeste which roam the Rhodesian veld, where the Prince ol Wales was recently big game hunting. Mr G. Wail'd Price observed. "They are by no means easy to shoot!" He voices every big game hunter's experience. Despite the target that the great antelopes oiler. Ihe bullet must be put in a vital spot or Habeast will get away. 'I he only certain shut; with which to drop a big antelop..' in its tracks is that known as "Selous shot.” it is a bullet to the shoulder blade: this stops the heart and brings the beast to its knees. The massive heads of the horned antelopes oiler tempting targets to the novice, but nine times out of ten a bead shot sends the beast galloping away. The great bones of skull armour the tiny brain. Even with a bullet in its brain an eland will gallop fur ten or linin' miles before it fills d".a I. ami since it takes refuge in the densest "lush." the trophy i> invariably lost. With heavy game such as elephant, hippo, and rhino the surest shot is the Idler. They seem clumsy beasts. Iml when they (barge they can overtake a galloping pony. A bullet m the knee brings them in earth and .gins Ijinic for a linisb.iiig shot. You could put a dozen bullets into an elephant's head and merely make him twitch as though his pet aversion, the I'ci'dle-tongueil nzogti-lly were biting him : hut, pul mir bullet into t lie third wrinkle between his eyes and earhole, and crashing down he conus, j Riiti these spots are ilillielllt to pick j wlien the elephant, trumpeting, trunk ! up and ears a-siiil. is on your heels at forty miles an hour! i In a tight corner with a charging i lion the novice is sorely tempted to aim point blank at the furious beast's head. This shot has proved fatal to many hunters. The frontal hone ot a lion s skull slopes very sharply backwards, and a Mini on it will ricochet without penetrating or curbing for one second ihe lion’s onrush. Since he charges at tv.'eiitv yards ami covers that distance in two seconds the hunter must put in a "stopping” .-.lii it. The chest is the spot to aim ah. Most big game will charge when j wounded, 'i he sa.l;!c w ith his swordlike horns is i lie ni" -! dangerous ot the antelopes. The writer mice saw one charge repeatedly although a build through its heart hud gone up Hi" spine and through t l '-' brain. (Inn, or u ildheeste. < barge by dropping mi their knees and shuH'liiig f tuard in lieree rushes. Rush-bucks, with their dagger-like pointed Imrns, have killed more hinders in South Africa than have lions. Even zebra will attack liercelv with teeth and hnolo.