#6 Cat Scratch Fever (Good News x 6)
07-16-2004, 03:35 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Rocky Mountains, Colorado
Posts: 1,964
#6 Cat Scratch Fever (Good News x 6)
There are six pieces of "good news" in this thread.....
The oldest are first, the most recent appended to the end:
(1) Hunt African Game with no PH
(2) Cape Buffalo
(3) Cape Buffalo
(4) Cape Buffalo (is there a pattern here?)
(5) Leopard vs Black Mamba (lesser of evils? --- close call)
(6) Leopard Attack! (Cat Scratch Fever!)
---------------------------------
GOOD NEWS #1:
For those that wouldn't even consider an African hunt unless they could step out of camp holding their own life in their hands, and track and stalk and kill their own game in their own way, I have found the perfect hunt....
NO PH’s! NO petticoat influence! You are the boss! Go where you want! Do what you want! Just like back home!
REAL Dangerous Game Hunting! Just bring your hunting skill across the Atlantic with you and have at it!
Run your own hunt --- elephant, cape buffalo, lion, etc.
Navigate the bush and jungles!
Rely on your own talent to recognize and avoid all hazards.
Stalk dangerous game you have never hunted (or seen) before.
Check it out at....
http://www.african-hunter.com/the_ul...elf_guided.htm
It may be a "manly hunter's" kind of hunt; however, personally I wouldn’t try this on a bet, or a dare, or for pay; I simply know and recognize my limitations.
IMHO, if you go AND make it back, then you WILL be a different class of hunter upon your return, especially if you actually kill some DG and make it back in one piece.
So, any takers out there?
If nothing else just read down through the site and check out hunting that is in a whole different league. I don't think we are in Kansas, anymore Todo!
EKM
The oldest are first, the most recent appended to the end:
(1) Hunt African Game with no PH
(2) Cape Buffalo
(3) Cape Buffalo
(4) Cape Buffalo (is there a pattern here?)
(5) Leopard vs Black Mamba (lesser of evils? --- close call)
(6) Leopard Attack! (Cat Scratch Fever!)
---------------------------------
GOOD NEWS #1:
For those that wouldn't even consider an African hunt unless they could step out of camp holding their own life in their hands, and track and stalk and kill their own game in their own way, I have found the perfect hunt....
NO PH’s! NO petticoat influence! You are the boss! Go where you want! Do what you want! Just like back home!
REAL Dangerous Game Hunting! Just bring your hunting skill across the Atlantic with you and have at it!
Run your own hunt --- elephant, cape buffalo, lion, etc.
Navigate the bush and jungles!
Rely on your own talent to recognize and avoid all hazards.
Stalk dangerous game you have never hunted (or seen) before.
Check it out at....
http://www.african-hunter.com/the_ul...elf_guided.htm
It may be a "manly hunter's" kind of hunt; however, personally I wouldn’t try this on a bet, or a dare, or for pay; I simply know and recognize my limitations.
IMHO, if you go AND make it back, then you WILL be a different class of hunter upon your return, especially if you actually kill some DG and make it back in one piece.
So, any takers out there?
If nothing else just read down through the site and check out hunting that is in a whole different league. I don't think we are in Kansas, anymore Todo!
EKM
07-17-2004, 12:15 AM
#3
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,679
RE: "Good News!"
That would certainly be the "hunt of a lifetime" but I think I will pass on that one. While I do aspire to hunt Africa one day, and hopefully more than once, I think I would rather hunt so that I will be sure I am going to come back to the good ole U.S. of A. in one piece and in good health.
I have to admit it does sound like a "fun" time in Africa. But deep in Africa aint no place for a first time safari hunter to learn the ropes. Maybe after a dozen previous trips or so. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
I have to admit it does sound like a "fun" time in Africa.
But deep in Africa aint no place for a first time safari hunter to learn the ropes. Maybe after a dozen previous trips or so. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
07-17-2004, 08:37 PM
#4
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Mormonville, Utah!
Posts: 2,753
RE: "Good News!"
I would try that after 5-6 Dangerous Game hunts with a PH. I don't believe that using a PH makes the hunt any less challenging, are you kidding?!!! They are just like the reason you carry a .44 cal with you while hunting sitka deer on Kodiak Island! It is a safety precaution!
07-20-2004, 01:08 PM
#5
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location:
Posts: 1,063
RE: "Good News!"
sitka deer on Kodiak Island
08-01-2004, 10:50 PM
#6
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Rocky Mountains, Colorado
Posts: 1,964
RE: "Good News!"
GOOD NEWS #2:
These guys went in harms way (DG Hunting) and rose to the ocassion!
--------------------------------
Why I'll never use anything but a double rifles on dangerous game.
After it was all over and we settled down to a easy heart rate of 150 or so and my hands had gone from steady to adrenaline let off shakes extraordinaire. My Ph Lance Nesbitt of Swainson’s safaris looked at me with a distant gaze and simply stated "in 12 years of professional hunting I’ve only had two serious buffalo charges and they’ve both been in the last two weeks and in both cases if the client hadn’t had a double someone would have got killed". He then looked at the ground and said "that’s as close as I’ve come, we damn near got sorted".
The statement didn’t need to be made for my sake I was well aware of just how close we’d come to meeting the great PH in the sky. Sometimes in buffalo hunting or in any kind of dangerous game hunting things happen and they happen so fast that you only have time to react or your gonna get hurt or killed real bad. This was one of those rare yet not unheard of situations.
Just the day before we’d been talking about what a horrible year it has been for accidents just last month a famous booking agent and hunter got nailed by a buff not 20 miles from this concession she was very near killed and still recovering in the hospital. Last week a client was charged and killed while buffalo hunting with another outfit in Africa.
And a PH from South Africa was nailed by a buffalo and crippled up severely three weeks ago in Mozambique. It’s been a bad year for buff hunters.
We had cut tracks from two massive footed old dugga boys at about 07:00. And had a visual contact with them shortly afterward. It had just been a brief glimpse but we liked what we’d seen. The tracking process began in some of the nastiest thickest thorn and jesse I’d ever seen. After an hour or so we regained visual contact with the two buffalo and proceeded to stalk them in the thick stuff. One foot at a time scraping dead leaves out of the way before stepping trying to muffle the layer of cornflake like dry leaves which covered the ground. We were almost into position to take a shot when one of the buff spooked and they both thundered off into the Jesse snorting and crashing through branches as they went. Their spoor indicated that they’d only run for some 100 yards or so then settled back into a comfortable walk and soon after proceeded to browse on the plentiful trees and vines in the area.
Another hour and we’d once again had caught up to the buffalo they’d settled into a nice thick patch of mixed thorn and vine and trees that was all but impenetrable to a man much less so with any stealth.
There was however one option that presented itself. A dry river bed circumnavigated the nasty Jesse and allowed us to silently run past the buffalo and get in front of them. We did so and were able to climb up the side of a mud embankment giving us a height and vision advantage. Now all we had to do was wait.
The minutes turned into what seemed like hours before Cindisou the Matabelle tracker spotted the first gray shape start to materialize out of the tangled jungle below. First an ear, then a leg then a set of bosses, finally a whole buffalo but it was not the one we were waiting for . Our boy was a grizzled old warrior we’d seen earlier in the day. As the first buffalo faded past and disappeared Lance leaned over and whispered "when your boy comes he’ll cross right where the other one did if he gives you a shot take it and mind the brush we don’t need a wounded buff in this hell hole." I looked into the now vacant spot, my only shot was through a lane about 4 feet around and about 100 yards or so down into the flat.
Soon another gray shape started to materialize he stood with just his head exposed for a long time then finally stepped into the clearing giving me a hard quartering on shot to the shoulder. My Searcy .470NE was already in position the well fitted rifle smoothly came to position and held steady and as I rested my elbows on my knees. Lance leaned over and whispered "if he doesn’t go down to shot give him the other barrel quickly we don’t want trouble in here".
The front bead rested in the shallow V of the rear sight I took a deep breath and let it half out and squeezed the rear trigger even in the recoil I could see that the 500Gr Barnes x had struck pay dirt with a puff of dust and a thwack the buff hunched up hard and charged into the thicket ahead. I quickly placed my finger on the front trigger give him the second barrel as he was disappearing into the Jesse he was now quartering hard away. The 500gr Barnes monolithic solid hit him just at the last rib and raked into his lungs stopping in under the skin of the neck on the off side. It’s comforting to know that a Searcy double will shoot the various premium monolithic solids. Many doubles can not handle the strain of a monolithic solid.
Lance looked up at me and said it looked good lets give him sometime and we’ll go collect him. We sat for approximately 25 minutes we could hear the buffalo standing and breathing heavily not 50 yards from his original position but the thickness of the foliage kept us from seeing him he was obviously hit hard and the wound was mortal. The trackers were all smiles and thumbs up. They also felt the shot had been good.
After calming down a bit we proceeded into the hellish Jesse two solids in the spout and two in my left hand. My Searcy double felt very comforting as we very slowly, very cautiously proceeded into the thick tangled jungle of leaves vines and thorns. Every verve ending is alive all of your senses are magnified 10 fold. I’ve experienced this feeling before and with buffalo but this was very intense and it’s very fresh in my mind as it happened 4 days ago. Suddenly to our right we heard the bull crashing around and we turned just in time to see his dim shape through the brush he was laying down. Good news we think we turn to close the gap on him. At about 15 yards lance is just able to make out the bulls head. He says he got a shot I tell him to take it. I’m thinking that we need to end this before it gets serious I’ve long lost my desire to be the sole shooter on dangerous game in a situation like this you’re playing for keeps one shot kills are nice but back up shots save lives.
At Lances the shot the bull snorts a vicious low bellow from his gut and he’s coming fast and furious both lance and I shoot through the thick brush screen that separates the bull from us simultaneously hitting the bull square in the chest with over 10,000ftlbs of combined energy and .940" of combined diameter 1000grs of .470 bullets strike the bull square in the chest. It has no apparent affect on the bull he doesn’t even flinch. Lance drops off to my right his rifle is now empty. I charge to my left And remember clearly hearing the ejectors from lances double ping open. The bull is just clearing the Thorn brush that has separated us. I wait until his front half clears the brush at that same moment the bull is ducking his head preparing to toss me. The Searcy double automatically follows my eye it has become an extension of my body. IN far less time than it’s taken to tell my front bead has settled on the junction of the neck and the shoulders of this massive fast moving bull. My right barrel fires automatically when the sight picture is correct and the bull collapses into a heap my second barrel has broken the bulls spine at the junction of the shoulder and the neck. I continue my left dodge and reload on the dash pinging two empties over my right arm and dunking two more solids into the smoking breeches. The bull is struggling to get up and a small distant voice is urgently requesting for me to "shoot him again" For a moment I’m mesmerized at the sight, smell sound and the extreme proximity of the bull. He is down at less than 15 feet. I calmly raised the big double and send a final solid through his neck behind the ear. The bulls head settles into the ground and he releases his last breath .
On post mortem we found that both of my first two shots crossed the boiler room but both passed behind the heart . We recovered my first bullet a 500gr X in the opposite flank just forward of the hind quarter. His lungs looked like Swiss cheese. 25 minutes later he still had enough stuff left to very nearly end all of our worldly troubles. At Lances first shot the bullet had deflected on some sticks and had pierced the bulls ear and burned his neck with a graze. That set the bull into motion. Lances second shot and my first were about an inches apart and both struck the bull in the middle of the chest to low to hit the spine and my final shot broke the bulls back putting him down. This entire scene unfolded in less than 3 seconds.
On closer inspection we found that this old dugga boy was no stranger to mortal combat with man his left eye was missing and the socket was long healed over he also had an old scar just below the eye and his molars had been shot out the wound was most likely an old musket ball from a poacher in the distant past. .
Later that evening lance and I sat around the camp fire and discussed the days events over a gin and tonic. The outcome of this scenario could have been quite different. If I had not been shooting a well balanced and fitted double capable of delivering the classic one two punch that these fine rifles were designed for I most likely would have been tossed . I will never hunt dangerous game again with anything other than a fine Searcy double rifle.
Thank you Butch your fine double rifle saved my life..
Gregory T Allyn
July, 26th 2004
--------------------------------
I don't think these guys are in Kansas anymore, Todo!
These guys went in harms way (DG Hunting) and rose to the ocassion!
--------------------------------
Why I'll never use anything but a double rifles on dangerous game.
After it was all over and we settled down to a easy heart rate of 150 or so and my hands had gone from steady to adrenaline let off shakes extraordinaire. My Ph Lance Nesbitt of Swainson’s safaris looked at me with a distant gaze and simply stated "in 12 years of professional hunting I’ve only had two serious buffalo charges and they’ve both been in the last two weeks and in both cases if the client hadn’t had a double someone would have got killed". He then looked at the ground and said "that’s as close as I’ve come, we damn near got sorted".
The statement didn’t need to be made for my sake I was well aware of just how close we’d come to meeting the great PH in the sky. Sometimes in buffalo hunting or in any kind of dangerous game hunting things happen and they happen so fast that you only have time to react or your gonna get hurt or killed real bad. This was one of those rare yet not unheard of situations.
Just the day before we’d been talking about what a horrible year it has been for accidents just last month a famous booking agent and hunter got nailed by a buff not 20 miles from this concession she was very near killed and still recovering in the hospital. Last week a client was charged and killed while buffalo hunting with another outfit in Africa.
And a PH from South Africa was nailed by a buffalo and crippled up severely three weeks ago in Mozambique. It’s been a bad year for buff hunters.
We had cut tracks from two massive footed old dugga boys at about 07:00. And had a visual contact with them shortly afterward. It had just been a brief glimpse but we liked what we’d seen. The tracking process began in some of the nastiest thickest thorn and jesse I’d ever seen. After an hour or so we regained visual contact with the two buffalo and proceeded to stalk them in the thick stuff. One foot at a time scraping dead leaves out of the way before stepping trying to muffle the layer of cornflake like dry leaves which covered the ground. We were almost into position to take a shot when one of the buff spooked and they both thundered off into the Jesse snorting and crashing through branches as they went. Their spoor indicated that they’d only run for some 100 yards or so then settled back into a comfortable walk and soon after proceeded to browse on the plentiful trees and vines in the area.
Another hour and we’d once again had caught up to the buffalo they’d settled into a nice thick patch of mixed thorn and vine and trees that was all but impenetrable to a man much less so with any stealth.
There was however one option that presented itself. A dry river bed circumnavigated the nasty Jesse and allowed us to silently run past the buffalo and get in front of them. We did so and were able to climb up the side of a mud embankment giving us a height and vision advantage. Now all we had to do was wait.
The minutes turned into what seemed like hours before Cindisou the Matabelle tracker spotted the first gray shape start to materialize out of the tangled jungle below. First an ear, then a leg then a set of bosses, finally a whole buffalo but it was not the one we were waiting for . Our boy was a grizzled old warrior we’d seen earlier in the day. As the first buffalo faded past and disappeared Lance leaned over and whispered "when your boy comes he’ll cross right where the other one did if he gives you a shot take it and mind the brush we don’t need a wounded buff in this hell hole." I looked into the now vacant spot, my only shot was through a lane about 4 feet around and about 100 yards or so down into the flat.
Soon another gray shape started to materialize he stood with just his head exposed for a long time then finally stepped into the clearing giving me a hard quartering on shot to the shoulder. My Searcy .470NE was already in position the well fitted rifle smoothly came to position and held steady and as I rested my elbows on my knees. Lance leaned over and whispered "if he doesn’t go down to shot give him the other barrel quickly we don’t want trouble in here".
The front bead rested in the shallow V of the rear sight I took a deep breath and let it half out and squeezed the rear trigger even in the recoil I could see that the 500Gr Barnes x had struck pay dirt with a puff of dust and a thwack the buff hunched up hard and charged into the thicket ahead. I quickly placed my finger on the front trigger give him the second barrel as he was disappearing into the Jesse he was now quartering hard away. The 500gr Barnes monolithic solid hit him just at the last rib and raked into his lungs stopping in under the skin of the neck on the off side. It’s comforting to know that a Searcy double will shoot the various premium monolithic solids. Many doubles can not handle the strain of a monolithic solid.
Lance looked up at me and said it looked good lets give him sometime and we’ll go collect him. We sat for approximately 25 minutes we could hear the buffalo standing and breathing heavily not 50 yards from his original position but the thickness of the foliage kept us from seeing him he was obviously hit hard and the wound was mortal. The trackers were all smiles and thumbs up. They also felt the shot had been good.
After calming down a bit we proceeded into the hellish Jesse two solids in the spout and two in my left hand. My Searcy double felt very comforting as we very slowly, very cautiously proceeded into the thick tangled jungle of leaves vines and thorns. Every verve ending is alive all of your senses are magnified 10 fold. I’ve experienced this feeling before and with buffalo but this was very intense and it’s very fresh in my mind as it happened 4 days ago. Suddenly to our right we heard the bull crashing around and we turned just in time to see his dim shape through the brush he was laying down. Good news we think we turn to close the gap on him. At about 15 yards lance is just able to make out the bulls head. He says he got a shot I tell him to take it. I’m thinking that we need to end this before it gets serious I’ve long lost my desire to be the sole shooter on dangerous game in a situation like this you’re playing for keeps one shot kills are nice but back up shots save lives.
At Lances the shot the bull snorts a vicious low bellow from his gut and he’s coming fast and furious both lance and I shoot through the thick brush screen that separates the bull from us simultaneously hitting the bull square in the chest with over 10,000ftlbs of combined energy and .940" of combined diameter 1000grs of .470 bullets strike the bull square in the chest. It has no apparent affect on the bull he doesn’t even flinch. Lance drops off to my right his rifle is now empty. I charge to my left And remember clearly hearing the ejectors from lances double ping open. The bull is just clearing the Thorn brush that has separated us. I wait until his front half clears the brush at that same moment the bull is ducking his head preparing to toss me. The Searcy double automatically follows my eye it has become an extension of my body. IN far less time than it’s taken to tell my front bead has settled on the junction of the neck and the shoulders of this massive fast moving bull. My right barrel fires automatically when the sight picture is correct and the bull collapses into a heap my second barrel has broken the bulls spine at the junction of the shoulder and the neck. I continue my left dodge and reload on the dash pinging two empties over my right arm and dunking two more solids into the smoking breeches. The bull is struggling to get up and a small distant voice is urgently requesting for me to "shoot him again" For a moment I’m mesmerized at the sight, smell sound and the extreme proximity of the bull. He is down at less than 15 feet. I calmly raised the big double and send a final solid through his neck behind the ear. The bulls head settles into the ground and he releases his last breath .
On post mortem we found that both of my first two shots crossed the boiler room but both passed behind the heart . We recovered my first bullet a 500gr X in the opposite flank just forward of the hind quarter. His lungs looked like Swiss cheese. 25 minutes later he still had enough stuff left to very nearly end all of our worldly troubles. At Lances first shot the bullet had deflected on some sticks and had pierced the bulls ear and burned his neck with a graze. That set the bull into motion. Lances second shot and my first were about an inches apart and both struck the bull in the middle of the chest to low to hit the spine and my final shot broke the bulls back putting him down. This entire scene unfolded in less than 3 seconds.
On closer inspection we found that this old dugga boy was no stranger to mortal combat with man his left eye was missing and the socket was long healed over he also had an old scar just below the eye and his molars had been shot out the wound was most likely an old musket ball from a poacher in the distant past. .
Later that evening lance and I sat around the camp fire and discussed the days events over a gin and tonic. The outcome of this scenario could have been quite different. If I had not been shooting a well balanced and fitted double capable of delivering the classic one two punch that these fine rifles were designed for I most likely would have been tossed . I will never hunt dangerous game again with anything other than a fine Searcy double rifle.
Thank you Butch your fine double rifle saved my life..
Gregory T Allyn
July, 26th 2004
--------------------------------
I don't think these guys are in Kansas anymore, Todo!
08-03-2004, 11:04 PM
#8
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Rocky Mountains, Colorado
Posts: 1,964
RE: Good News x 2
GOOD NEWS #3 - Healing Up:
----------------------------
---------------------------
EKM
----------------------------
Niki and I returned from SA about two weeks ago and finally are getting settled back in to home. She is healing up ahead of all predictions and her goal is to be out hunting and guiding with me this fall in Montana. We both wish to extend our deepest heart-felt gratitude to all of you for your best wishes and prayers. With out a doubt in my mind it helped greatly and it provided me with huge moral support for days while we were in the hospital. Above everything I thank God that I still have my beautiful wife. The Bucking Fuffalo will not keep us down.
As I told another poster here on AR in a PM, being charged and shooting a wounded raging animal at close range and escaping with no injury is one thing but actually being attacked, injured or killed and/or seeing it is quite another. The two are seperated by a thin thread of fate but they are worlds.
My heart goes out to Paddy Curtiss and Leno Fontana and those who were with my friend Bobby Fontana and his family and friends and all the others involved in a very strange year in cape buffalo hunting. Please continue to support these fine people.
Good luck to all of you and thanks again!
Jack Atcheson & Sons
As I told another poster here on AR in a PM, being charged and shooting a wounded raging animal at close range and escaping with no injury is one thing but actually being attacked, injured or killed and/or seeing it is quite another. The two are seperated by a thin thread of fate but they are worlds.
My heart goes out to Paddy Curtiss and Leno Fontana and those who were with my friend Bobby Fontana and his family and friends and all the others involved in a very strange year in cape buffalo hunting. Please continue to support these fine people.
Good luck to all of you and thanks again!
Jack Atcheson & Sons
EKM
08-03-2004, 11:06 PM
#9
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Rocky Mountains, Colorado
Posts: 1,964
RE: Good News x 2
GOOD NEWS #4: Healing Up
----------------------------
---------------------------
EKM
----------------------------
Here's a portion of an e-mail I received that gives an update on the condition of Howard Hunter, the HHK PH that was shot in the arm by either the client or his tracker during a buffalo charge. According to Graham Hingeston in a separate e-mail, Howard was "was hit in the left arm, the bullet went in about 4 inches above his wrist travelled up the arm and exited about 4 inches below his elbow."
Dear family and friends,
Considering the circumstances, Howard is doing well. He underwent a "clean up" operation last night where Dr. Stuart Jaffe and Dr. Van Der Plank took out some more bone fragments and some dead tissue. They also managed to stitch the wounds closed. The swelling has gone down a little since yesterday and the doctors found no traces of infection. His finger and thumb movement have improved slightly since yesterday. The long term outlook regarding the nervous system is difficult to assess at this stage until the tissue has been given a few weeks to heal. It is thought that his radial nerve is severely damaged, however the other nerves appear to be ok.
Nerves have a fantastic capacity to regenerate, so there is every possibility that this may happen and a near 100% recovery is possible. Even in the event that the nerve doesn't have a great recovery, there are other options to ensure that he regains complete control over his thumb and forefinger. As I mentioned, the other fingers appear to be in better shape regarding nerve damage. The shattering in both bones is severe and it is most probable that he will require a bone graft in the coming weeks/months to at last one of the bones which has 2 inches of bone completely missing. Michelle (Howard's wife) is quite happy with that because they will take some bone from his bum and make it a little smaller! He will be seen by a physiotherapist today and a neurologist soon to assess the nerve damage. He will be in hospital for at least another two days, after which he will move to a friends/relatives house in JHB.
It is quite likely that he will spend up to six weeks down here while the full extent of the damage is analysed and the route forward is charted. (I will find out more later today after discussing with the doctor) Full recovery is expected within 6 months.
On a sad note, although Howard had good practical treatment from the hospital staff in Bulawayo, the lack of due care by some of the staff and the shortage of pain killers was severely felt, a symptom of the dire situation in Zimbabwe. (If it weren't for all those friends who rushed to his side to take control at the hospital, I think he would have opted to do his own pre-op preparations!) The doctors here in JHB are very happy with the very good pinning job done by Dr. Ncube in Bulawayo, so if anyone can contact him, Howard would appreciate him receiving this email.
Howards outlook has changed dramatically over the last few days, largely due to the treatment from hospital staff in Olivedale clinic in Randburg which has been fantastic. The doctors and nurses are great, the hospital food is good (I know because he orders double desert to keep his brother happy!).
When not too drugged up he is very chirpy and giving Michelle even more trouble than ever! We are having quite a few laughs in the hospital.
Psychologically he is amazing and appears to have put the incident behind him and is purely focussed on the way forward with a speedy recovery. He says he will be in good shape to do some game capture by year end, and it wouldn't surprise me if he does!
Howard will have plenty of time to thank everyone who has helped so far while he sips tea(if he can sit still!) for a few months in Harare, however I will take the liberty to thank everyone on his behalf. Howard has not stopped talking about how great everyone in Bulawayo was. The HHK team (Vince, Charles and Graham) has been fantastic in caring and ensuring that everything possible has been done to get Howard the best treatment in the shortest time possible. I will never be able to remember all the names of people who rushed to his assistance in the aftermath of the accident because there were so many, however a special thanks to Ross and Karen Johnson and Mike Donald who were great in their decision making and in keeping in contact. After a few calls to them shortly after the accident, it was clear that Howard was in good hands and being so far away, this was so important. A special thank you to Dierdre who took very special care of Howard and didn't leave his side until he boarded the flight for Johannesburg. Raphael (head tracker) and Edward (tracker, water carrier) deserve special thanks for their actions during and immediately after the incident. Thanks also to Gomez, Deon, John, Dave.
In his usual style, Howard has been excellent in self help! He did a lot of the treatment on the scene himself and apparently was telling everyone what to do from the outset. He even went so far as to give the client his bag and order him not to miss his flight while trying to stem the blood loss! He hasn't slowed down here either. He wants to administer his own drips, his own injections and won't even let anyone help him get up, dress or go the bathroom. His courage and ability to deal with pain without flinching is amazing and nearly as strong as his mothers.(Well she is a little older than him!)
Shirley, please forward to: Deon, John Sharpe, Dave Lamont, Ross and Karen Johnson, Charlie, Graham, Dierdre and Derek Adams, Mike Donld and anyone else asking about Howards condition.
Best wishes,
Monty
Dear family and friends,
Considering the circumstances, Howard is doing well. He underwent a "clean up" operation last night where Dr. Stuart Jaffe and Dr. Van Der Plank took out some more bone fragments and some dead tissue. They also managed to stitch the wounds closed. The swelling has gone down a little since yesterday and the doctors found no traces of infection. His finger and thumb movement have improved slightly since yesterday. The long term outlook regarding the nervous system is difficult to assess at this stage until the tissue has been given a few weeks to heal. It is thought that his radial nerve is severely damaged, however the other nerves appear to be ok.
Nerves have a fantastic capacity to regenerate, so there is every possibility that this may happen and a near 100% recovery is possible. Even in the event that the nerve doesn't have a great recovery, there are other options to ensure that he regains complete control over his thumb and forefinger. As I mentioned, the other fingers appear to be in better shape regarding nerve damage. The shattering in both bones is severe and it is most probable that he will require a bone graft in the coming weeks/months to at last one of the bones which has 2 inches of bone completely missing. Michelle (Howard's wife) is quite happy with that because they will take some bone from his bum and make it a little smaller! He will be seen by a physiotherapist today and a neurologist soon to assess the nerve damage. He will be in hospital for at least another two days, after which he will move to a friends/relatives house in JHB.
It is quite likely that he will spend up to six weeks down here while the full extent of the damage is analysed and the route forward is charted. (I will find out more later today after discussing with the doctor) Full recovery is expected within 6 months.
On a sad note, although Howard had good practical treatment from the hospital staff in Bulawayo, the lack of due care by some of the staff and the shortage of pain killers was severely felt, a symptom of the dire situation in Zimbabwe. (If it weren't for all those friends who rushed to his side to take control at the hospital, I think he would have opted to do his own pre-op preparations!) The doctors here in JHB are very happy with the very good pinning job done by Dr. Ncube in Bulawayo, so if anyone can contact him, Howard would appreciate him receiving this email.
Howards outlook has changed dramatically over the last few days, largely due to the treatment from hospital staff in Olivedale clinic in Randburg which has been fantastic. The doctors and nurses are great, the hospital food is good (I know because he orders double desert to keep his brother happy!).
When not too drugged up he is very chirpy and giving Michelle even more trouble than ever! We are having quite a few laughs in the hospital.
Psychologically he is amazing and appears to have put the incident behind him and is purely focussed on the way forward with a speedy recovery. He says he will be in good shape to do some game capture by year end, and it wouldn't surprise me if he does!
Howard will have plenty of time to thank everyone who has helped so far while he sips tea(if he can sit still!) for a few months in Harare, however I will take the liberty to thank everyone on his behalf. Howard has not stopped talking about how great everyone in Bulawayo was. The HHK team (Vince, Charles and Graham) has been fantastic in caring and ensuring that everything possible has been done to get Howard the best treatment in the shortest time possible. I will never be able to remember all the names of people who rushed to his assistance in the aftermath of the accident because there were so many, however a special thanks to Ross and Karen Johnson and Mike Donald who were great in their decision making and in keeping in contact. After a few calls to them shortly after the accident, it was clear that Howard was in good hands and being so far away, this was so important. A special thank you to Dierdre who took very special care of Howard and didn't leave his side until he boarded the flight for Johannesburg. Raphael (head tracker) and Edward (tracker, water carrier) deserve special thanks for their actions during and immediately after the incident. Thanks also to Gomez, Deon, John, Dave.
In his usual style, Howard has been excellent in self help! He did a lot of the treatment on the scene himself and apparently was telling everyone what to do from the outset. He even went so far as to give the client his bag and order him not to miss his flight while trying to stem the blood loss! He hasn't slowed down here either. He wants to administer his own drips, his own injections and won't even let anyone help him get up, dress or go the bathroom. His courage and ability to deal with pain without flinching is amazing and nearly as strong as his mothers.(Well she is a little older than him!)
Shirley, please forward to: Deon, John Sharpe, Dave Lamont, Ross and Karen Johnson, Charlie, Graham, Dierdre and Derek Adams, Mike Donld and anyone else asking about Howards condition.
Best wishes,
Monty
EKM
08-25-2004, 08:26 AM
#10
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Rocky Mountains, Colorado
Posts: 1,964
RE: Good News x 2
GOOD NEWS #5:
Never mind the leopard! What is that down at my feet?
Story AND video! Judge the danger factor for yourself....
================
Go to leopard bowhunt, semi-live and select Day #8 from the side bar.....
http://bowsite.com/menu.cfm?State=Texas
================
Enjoy
I don't think we're in Kansas anymore Todo!
Never mind the leopard! What is that down at my feet?
Story AND video! Judge the danger factor for yourself....
================
Go to leopard bowhunt, semi-live and select Day #8 from the side bar.....
http://bowsite.com/menu.cfm?State=Texas
================
Enjoy
I don't think we're in Kansas anymore Todo!