Mountain Bug
Well-Known Member
I've managed to find a picture of that old non typical bull. Apologies for the quality, it was photographed from my computer screen many years ago.
Scott
Scott
Being close is a true thrill.
- Thread starter John Gryphon
- Start date
There are some fantastic experiences being remembered. Good on you guys for posting...thanks. 
Being close to large wild animals is one of the best things that can happen to a hunter. It certainly livens up the day and gets the Adrenalin flowing. One can never predict that when close just what it will do. If it discovers you will it run off, come to investigate further or.......? Over the years the hunt and the close encounter has become more important to me than the kill. I've been lucky and had a lot of close encounters but a couple stand out well above the rest. One morning went like this......
Mid morning I had found a small treeless clearing of about 12/15 yards diameter and covered in waist high dried grass. From the surrounding thick cover I could see parts of several sambar lying down asleep but as it turned out they were not all of the group. I decided to try and get in amongst them which surprisingly I did. I stood there for a while just staring at my sleeping companions and marveling at my situation. On a whim I decided to wake them so I cycled the action of my lever rifle. All hell broke loose with half a dozen sambar rocketing around in panic. One hind hurtled past me then she stopped, reversed direction and came back at a fast trop. She was within touching distance as she went past so I just extended a flat hand and touched her flank. Big mistake...huge idiocy. Every thing happened in a blur. She immediate swung both back legs in an arc in an attempt to clobber me. By incredible luck she missed and in one more second she was out of sight as were all her mates. If she had connected then quite simply I would be dead. Lesson for me was that only a sambar can touch another sambar and get away with it.
Being close to large wild animals is one of the best things that can happen to a hunter. It certainly livens up the day and gets the Adrenalin flowing. One can never predict that when close just what it will do. If it discovers you will it run off, come to investigate further or.......? Over the years the hunt and the close encounter has become more important to me than the kill. I've been lucky and had a lot of close encounters but a couple stand out well above the rest. One morning went like this......Mid morning I had found a small treeless clearing of about 12/15 yards diameter and covered in waist high dried grass. From the surrounding thick cover I could see parts of several sambar lying down asleep but as it turned out they were not all of the group. I decided to try and get in amongst them which surprisingly I did. I stood there for a while just staring at my sleeping companions and marveling at my situation. On a whim I decided to wake them so I cycled the action of my lever rifle. All hell broke loose with half a dozen sambar rocketing around in panic. One hind hurtled past me then she stopped, reversed direction and came back at a fast trop. She was within touching distance as she went past so I just extended a flat hand and touched her flank. Big mistake...huge idiocy. Every thing happened in a blur. She immediate swung both back legs in an arc in an attempt to clobber me. By incredible luck she missed and in one more second she was out of sight as were all her mates. If she had connected then quite simply I would be dead. Lesson for me was that only a sambar can touch another sambar and get away with it.
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