snidervolley
Member
when you need a howda
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...&mid=98CED10C5E55CC938E5F98CED10C5E55CC938E5F
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...&mid=98CED10C5E55CC938E5F98CED10C5E55CC938E5F
when you defintly need a howda pistol
- Thread starter snidervolley
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WestKentucky
Member
It's amazing how a bright orange cat that is 6 feet from nose butt plus a 3 ft tail can appear from nowhere in 3 ft grass like it did. Crazy how good natural camo works.
Acorn Mush
Member
No denying that! A brace of them would be even better.
Crawdad1
Member
You and me both, brother.
And the damage it inflicted in a blink of an eye.
351 WINCHESTER
Member
I have a healthy respect for cats which is well deserved.
Berkley
Member
Even with a howdah pistol, a man would need to be a pretty good - and fast - shooter.
White Walker
Member
The smart thing would be to stay outa there. Don't go on those wild animal tours and thrill rides in the Tigers territory.
dwh4784
Member
There are shots going off in that video, the cat doesn't even flinch. Terrifying! I was out shooting with some friends two weekends ago and one saw my BP revolver for the first time. We got to talking and I brought up the Howda. He showed me this video on youtube then and I literally had nightmares about it!
elhombreconnonombre
Member
Yeah a little piece of green bamboo doesnt do much to allay a charging tiger. I think those shots were from a tranq gun by a nearby game warden on another elephant. In a much longer video it was explained they went out to the fields surrounding the village to tranquilize and relocate this tiger which was eating the villagers goats.
Another video on this link shows the late Brit actor Bob Hoskins atop an elephant stalking a tiger in the bush. Bob was unarmed. Perhaps his camera crew was.
Another video on this link shows the late Brit actor Bob Hoskins atop an elephant stalking a tiger in the bush. Bob was unarmed. Perhaps his camera crew was.
Crawdad1
Member
I don't know but I would guess why a lot of those PH's in Africa prefer the double rifle to other types of actions. Quick delivery of two shots.
Willie Sutton
Member
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Seems like you could bag a trifecta with a Howda in that scenarion: Cat, Elephant, and Mahout all with one shot. Always know your backstop... and when it's a man and an elephant it makes precision shooting at the cat a bit of a sticky wicket...
This video has been circulating for a while. The Mahout got off easy with a bite to his hand.
Willie
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This video has been circulating for a while. The Mahout got off easy with a bite to his hand.
Willie
.
EljaySL
Member
Yeah, that's a classic but it's worth watching periodically. Definitely not a situation you want to be in, whatever weapon you have.
Patocazador
Member
I live one mile from a breeding facility for rare cats. I was given a tour by the owner who kept 3 leopards in an enclosure surrounding a spreading live oak. The 8' fence was electrified and the leopards knew it. 'He threw strips of meat up into the tree and the leopards leaped across those branches as fast as my eye could follow. It scared me so bad that I opted out of leopard hunting when I went to Africa. There would be no way I could react fast enough to kill one if it attacked from ambush.
Even the PH in Africa said he was afraid of leopards .. and they only weigh ~ 125 lbs.
Even the PH in Africa said he was afraid of leopards .. and they only weigh ~ 125 lbs.
Panzerschwein
member
Looks sort of fake to me.
The tiger almost seems to "float" in midair...
The tiger almost seems to "float" in midair...
tark
Member
A lot of PHs consider the big cats to be the most dangerous of all game animals. They are incredibly fast and dangerous. A tiger can cover forty yards in two seconds and there is nothing fake about that tigers leap. The best medicine for a cat that big is the biggest elephant gun you can carry, loaded with soft nose ammo. A 12 gauge with slugs or buckshot is fine for leopards but not a 600 pound Tiger.
Now, I must be honest and state that I have never hunted big cats, but I have read a lot of books by men who have. What I have written above is pretty much what they say....
Now, I must be honest and state that I have never hunted big cats, but I have read a lot of books by men who have. What I have written above is pretty much what they say....
tark
Member
A lot of the Howdah pistols were double barreled and chambered for the British military .577 rifle round. I believe it fired a 480 grain .577 diameter bullet. Probably no more than six or seven hundred feet per second from a 12" barrel. A formidable manstopper but woefully inadequate for an anger Tiger.
When I lived in California many years ago A small, female leopard escaped from an exotic animal breeding compound. The cat's name was 'Wicked" and she had a temper that matched her name. She weighed 80 pounds.
The owner, who was a friend of mine, called the Sheriff, as the law demanded. The Sheriff showed up. My friend explained the situation and begged the sheriff not to get his dogs. The Sheriff replied that he had to, that he had no choice. The following conversation ensued:
"I'm sorry, but you're about to lose your cat,"
"No' you're about to lose your dogs. Just leave her alone. She'll come back at feeding time."
"You know I can't do that. Besides you haven't seen my dogs."
And the Sheriff got his dogs, two enormous Irish Wolfhounds. Each dog weighed nearly 200 pounds.
Long story short. The dogs got the cat's scent and took off before the Sheriff could restrain them. The cat was eventually found and shot. The dogs were found the next day. Each dog had been disemboweled ripped to shreds by the leopards claws. A dog has only one weapon, it's teeth. A cat has five, it's teeth and all four feet.
You have noticed that I didn't say where in California this happened or mentioned any names, except the cat's, and that was a nickname. The story never made the papers, the sheriff saw to that. It happened over a quarter of a century ago.
This is an example of how much destruction an 80 pound leopard can do. Imagine a 600 pound Tiger.
If I ever start hunting , it won't be big cats
When I lived in California many years ago A small, female leopard escaped from an exotic animal breeding compound. The cat's name was 'Wicked" and she had a temper that matched her name. She weighed 80 pounds.
The owner, who was a friend of mine, called the Sheriff, as the law demanded. The Sheriff showed up. My friend explained the situation and begged the sheriff not to get his dogs. The Sheriff replied that he had to, that he had no choice. The following conversation ensued:
"I'm sorry, but you're about to lose your cat,"
"No' you're about to lose your dogs. Just leave her alone. She'll come back at feeding time."
"You know I can't do that. Besides you haven't seen my dogs."
And the Sheriff got his dogs, two enormous Irish Wolfhounds. Each dog weighed nearly 200 pounds.
Long story short. The dogs got the cat's scent and took off before the Sheriff could restrain them. The cat was eventually found and shot. The dogs were found the next day. Each dog had been disemboweled ripped to shreds by the leopards claws. A dog has only one weapon, it's teeth. A cat has five, it's teeth and all four feet.
You have noticed that I didn't say where in California this happened or mentioned any names, except the cat's, and that was a nickname. The story never made the papers, the sheriff saw to that. It happened over a quarter of a century ago.
This is an example of how much destruction an 80 pound leopard can do. Imagine a 600 pound Tiger.
If I ever start hunting , it won't be big cats
Panzerschwein
member
There is a make of howda called Lancaster, a four-barreled break open affair that fires in the double action.
It fired some round as big as .577 if I recall, that monster was a double barrel, but the smaller .455 was a 4 shot gun. Very neat and would be good against cats.
It fired some round as big as .577 if I recall, that monster was a double barrel, but the smaller .455 was a 4 shot gun. Very neat and would be good against cats.
Surculus
Member
What's he doing in that video, throwing his hat at the cat? Big ol' bamboo cane in his left hand, & he never even flicks it toward the tiger? I'd at least be trying to poke it in the eye or something! :-o
Penetration wouldn't be much concern. I think I'd prefer something that expanded (traveled faster) or was larger (.62 cal seems better), or made many large holes. A big heavy conical, I wouldn't think, would do all that well in comparison. I think I'd opt for a ball over a conical (then) unless it had a very wide meplat.
I wonder how well a 20ga would do loaded up with .457" ball instead. Even a buck and ball load, but I'd not be willing to find out!
I wonder how well a 20ga would do loaded up with .457" ball instead. Even a buck and ball load, but I'd not be willing to find out!
Gaucho Gringo
Member
My six pound Savannah cat is the quickest and most fearless cat I have ever seen. Her claws are like razors and her teeth are just as sharp. She has my 23 lb 1\2 Siamese and my 10 lb alley cat completely in fear of her. She will attack the crows. pigeons or any bird that comes anywhere near her and all the tree rats in the neighborhood have disappeared. Even the dogs in the neighborhood are afraid of her. In case you don't know what a Savannah is, it is a cross between a Serval(African wild cat) and a domestic cat. She can jump into a window eight feet off the ground and can walk on a ledge less than 2" wide. They are banned in certain states in the US. She will let my wife and daughter pick her up but I do not even try.
tark
Member
Are you sure you didn't mean a 26 or a 36 pound Savannah? A six pounder would be a Kitten, they grow to over twenty pounds.
But we are getting way off topic here.
A twenty gauge with a round ball? Probably a good way to get killed. Everything I have read on the subject of hunting big cats says shotguns of ANY bore are not suitable for a charging 500 pound cat. A double barreled elephant rifle with soft points is usually preferred, because there is no time to work a bolt.
I wonder how effective the old black powder howdah pistols actually were? I don't think any of them were as powerful as a 12 gauge slug.
But we are getting way off topic here.
A twenty gauge with a round ball? Probably a good way to get killed. Everything I have read on the subject of hunting big cats says shotguns of ANY bore are not suitable for a charging 500 pound cat. A double barreled elephant rifle with soft points is usually preferred, because there is no time to work a bolt.
I wonder how effective the old black powder howdah pistols actually were? I don't think any of them were as powerful as a 12 gauge slug.
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