Mickey Donahue’s Charged!

My thanks go to authors like Robert Ruark and Peter Capstick for communicating their love of Africa and all its excitement. They influenced my decision to seek a hunting adventure that would shoot to the top of the list of my hunting experiences that, until then, ranged only from Georgia to Montana and from Mexico to the Yukon.

42-inch Cape buffalo we took in the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania at about 12 yards in very thick bush. He did not charge, but he sure was thinking about it.

Ruark* painted a dream of a faraway, mysterious land that, in all likelihood, would remain out of reach for me except in my dreams. Later, Capstick entered the scene and made Africa seem much closer. Still, a big-game safari remained only a dream until the day I met Capstick personally. With his parting words – ''I hope to see you in Africa before too long'' – it dawned on me that this dream could become a reality.

It was PH Jason Stone who gave me the opportunity to realize my fantasy of being charged by a dangerous animal and living to tell about it. All my wife and I had to do was to hock the family jewels and head off to Zambia.

We had already experienced South Africa, but something was missing: I had not confronted a dangerous animal in a dangerous situation. During our safari in the Luangwa Valley, I had got my first taste of this when the buffalo I’d wounded lay in ambush for us and started his charge at about 40 yards. The situation never really turned ugly because the old boy decided he really needed to be elsewhere after the first shot. When the dust settled though, I not only had my buffalo, I had the story of my charge to talk about for years to come.

Later, a search in the dark for a possibly wounded leopard got the adrenalin up, but fortunately for everybody, the cat had already expired when we reached him.

A view of the big lion taken from the front. This lion is typical for the Selous Game Reserve - a huge body. but not a lot of mane.

While still in camp in Zambia, Jason discussed our future safari plans with us, and this evolved into a trip to Tanzania a few weeks after 9/11, 2001. Our family and friends tried to talk us out of it, but we assured them that we’d be as safe in the African bush as driving around Houston, Texas – a fairly sure bet.

We flew into the camp on the Kilomboro River, somewhere in the Selous, somewhere in Tanzania. Jason met us and immediately began discussing plans for our first day’s hunt – the target, a hippo. I actually had no desire to shoot a hippo, but Jason said lions love the ‘river horse.’ We still had not finished unpacking when we were headed into the bush for a nice bull in one of Jason's ‘spots.’

The pool seemed peaceful enough until the hippo erupted from the water and attempted a hippo-sized bite at Jason, who was standing on a small vertical bank. Jason moved – fast! The hippo fell back into the pool, and when he broke the surface again, he was 20 yards away and making a beeline for me. All I was aware of was three tons of displeasure bearing down on me - intent on cancelling the rest of my safari - and people running everywhere. Jason meanwhile had taken his gun, and we fired at the charging bull at the same instant. The hippo dropped less than six feet in front of me. Now I could add a full charge to my hunting résumé.

We delivered the hippo to Mr. Lion, and checking later we saw that he was enjoying this handout. However, he also showed a great deal of displeasure in our visit. But as he had not much more hair on his head than I had, I didn’t want him. Jason said it was a mistake to pass up a huge, old lion, but I informed him that I was prepared to go home empty-handed unless I got a ‘pretty’ MGM lion.

A couple of days later we revisited Mr. Maneless to see if he might have a hairier friend dining with him. While we were still 60 yards from the bait and probably 100 yards from Mr. Maneless, he very convincingly let us know we weren’t welcome with his loud roars, although we couldn’t see him in the thick bush. At 50 yards he suddenly decided that talking loudly was not having its desired effect on us, so he came at us – silently - with his stiff tail straight in the air. Believe me, lions are pretty impressive running wide with their eyes locked on you.

Well, I guess you could say that the matter of ‘hair or no hair’ immediately became inconsequential, and the matter of continuing the safari took priority. He appeared to have enough teeth to offset the lack of head covering, and as he cleared the last bush at 20 yards, I let him experience the working end of my .416.

This old maneless lion had only a few teeth left in his mouth and weighed in at just over 430 pounds. Note the dark color of his skin that is a sign of age..

We now had a wounded lion in the thick bush on our hands. We waited for about 30 minutes, and then went in after him. The bush was so thick we could only travel in single file. Well, the ending was obviously successful on our part because I'm here to write this story.

With three charges under my belt - who could ask for anything more? - we headed into the hills in search of elephant. We were rewarded with another hippo charge, as well as a mock charge from a bull elephant that Jason said was not big enough to meet Tanzanian requirements, though to me he looked like the biggest elephant in the world.

Up until this time I had been left rifleless in one elephant and one hippo charge, as my gunbearer had decided he’d forgotten something back at camp and had hurriedly left along with my ‘insurance policy’ (sans scope). So my bit of obvious advice to you is: If large, ill-tempered animals that might wish to stomp, scratch or bite you are present – carry your own gun!

We continued looking for elephant and spotted a good one the next day. Off we went on foot into the forest for a better look. This time the ivory was big enough. Jason said I was to make the heart/lung shot because I wasn’t competent to make a brain shot, and he had clients coming later who depended on having their PH in one piece.

We dropped this elephant bull on a full charge at 10 pacest.

Meantime, the elephant had decided he really didn't have to put up with all this badgering, so he swivelled around and came at us at a rather frightful pace, ears back, trunk tucked away, no trumpeting, and eyes very red. At times like these, one can’t be choosey, and a frontal brain shot at nine steps settled the issue. Still, even today, I am convinced that God aimed my rifle, because I hardly remember what happened. It supports my philosophy that God looks after idiots

We only experienced two other charges on this safari - one from African honeybees, which was painfully successful on their part, and one from a brain-shot croc that didn't know exactly where he was, but made a very good guess. The rest of the safari in the Selous and in Masailand was very enjoyable, with several more trophy animals taken.

Thinking back to the charging buffalos and hippos in Mark Sullivan's videos, before my two dangerous-game safaris I had sometimes wondered whether I would have what it takes to stand and shoot in a life-and-death situation. Well, I stood my ground and shot. But this has only raised new questions in my mind. Am I really brave enough to face the challenge, or too dumb not to try an alternative?

This hippo bull  was intent in inflicting some serious damage on us. We stopped his charge way too close for comfort!

I look forward to a return trip for my ‘pretty’ lion in the very near future, but the boss says it will wait until after a new house is built.

Hope to see y'all in Africa before too long.

Mickey Donahou is a retired engineer from Houston Texas who, when he’s not out hunting, runs his taxidermy business. With safaris to South Africa, Zambia and Tanzania, he has hunted four of the Big Five.