American Millionaire TRAMPLED to Death Stalking Shy, Elusive Animal

Ernie Dosio wasn’t on the trail of anything particularly dangerous when he was trampled this past Friday on a hunting trip.

In fact, the two animals he was registered to hunt were on the relatively smaller size of the spectrum.

But the hunt would cost him his life when an unexpected and MUCH more aggressive animal surprised him; and the very regulations he reportedly adhered to would be partly to blame for his death.

Even the African buffalo that WERE on his hunting permit weren’t your average 1,000-2,000 pounders, but were instead the much smaller ‘Dwarf’ variety; weighing just a fraction of their larger, and more dangerously aggressive relatives, the Cape Buffalo — though that’s not what killed him.

There is actually no indication that Ernie saw either of the two animals he was actually planning to hunt before the unexpected attack from the underbrush took place.

And that includes the animal Ernie was most hoping to find… a very elusive small breed of Antelope that keeps mostly to the darker parts of Gabon’s forested regions.

Here’s a look at what he was trying to set eyes on before disaster struck…

A fairly small and timid critter standing only about 2-1/2 feet tall:

Unfortunately, for millionaire businessman and big game hunter Ernie Dosio, the herd of Elephants seeking the shade of a dark forested area of underbrush were seen too late to avoid.

He and his hunting guide surprised the herd, which included a young elephant — a recipe for disaster.

One that Ernie would not live through, and which the professional guide who survived found too disturbing to describe in detail.

But as you would expect…

The political left and more radical side of the anti-hunting crowds are having a field day, claiming karma and celebrating this man’s death in social media posts like this one:

BREAKING: Millionaire big game hunter Ernie Dosio was trampled to death by five elephants while hunting a rare antelope in central Africa. A classic case of fucking around and finding out! Go elephants! 🐘 pic.twitter.com/AcUtMHf5Fp

— Power to the People ☭🕊 (@ProudSocialist) April 24, 2026

You have to get to a shaky place in life when you’re cheering on the death of someone just for being an avid hunter.

There’s room to be anti-hunting in America.

I’m not — and I think you’re wrong on basically every point if you hold that position.

But there’s room for it; there’s FREEDOM enough to cover it… without celebrating the DEATH of hunters.  (But, I digress. Back to the story.)

The guide leading Dosio in the field was reportedly attacked first, leaving the California businessman in a tough situation according to this report from The Telegraph:

A wealthy American big game hunter has been trampled to death by elephants while stalking antelope in Central Africa.

Ernie Dosio, 75, was killed in Gabon’s Lopé-Okanda forest, the Daily Mail reported.

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“Whilst in the forest, Ernie and his PH (professional hunter) surprised five forest elephant cows with a calf. Feeling under threat, the elephants immediately attacked them.”

Dosio’s professional guide was attacked first and seriously injured, losing his rifle. Dosio was left with his shotgun.

Dosio was described as an experienced hunter who had amassed a large collection of big game trophies in his home, including elephants, lions, rhinos and leopards.

The father of two owned a winery business called Pacific AgriLands Inc, which has a 12,000-acre vineyard in Modesto, California, but specialises in providing services to local wine farms.

Elephants kill an estimated 300 to 500 people globally each year.

Their bulk, with adult males weighing as much as 6,100kg (13,500lb), makes them potentially deadly when in close contact with humans. (Emphasis added.)

As I mentioned at the top of the story, the regulations themselves may have contributed to the dangerous situation.

Ernie’s hunt stipulated that his paid guide could carry a rifle, but it left Ernie in a much more precarious spot in the African wilderness.

He was only permitted to carry a shotgun while hunting the Dwarf buffalo and the Yellow-Backed Duiker.

So when the herd of charging elephants took the much better armed guide out of the fight…

Ernie was massively outmatched and outweighed by the protective herd, as was reported with a little more of the backstory in this excerpt from The Daily Mail:

He was being guided by a professional hunter in the thick forest of Gabon on a £30,000 ($40,000) stalk for a shot at the elusive yellow-backed duiker.

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Over the decades, he has hunted elephants, leopard, rhino, buffalo and lion across Africa and back home in the US, he has hunted almost every species of wild deer.

But the highly respected hunter’s luck ran out last Friday while in the Lope-Okanda rainforest when his hunt stumbled into five female elephants with a calf.

African elephants are the largest land mammals and females can stand 12ft tall at the shoulder, weigh nearly four tons and run at speeds of up to 25mph

The startled elephant herd immediately charged Mr Dosio and his professional hunter.

The elephants were so well hidden in the dense undergrowth that they appeared ‘as if from nowhere,’ and the professional with the high-powered rifle was just flung aside.

He was seriously injured and lost his gun in the thick bush as the elephants attacked the terrified hunter with just a shotgun, who was then brutally trampled underfoot.

A retired game hunter in Cape Town who knows the victim said: ‘Ernie has been hunting since he could hold a rifle and has many trophies from Africa and the US.

‘Although many disagree with big-game hunting, all Ernie’s hunts were strictly licensed and above board and were registered as conservation in culling animal numbers.

‘Ernie had booked a hunt for dwarf forest buffalo and duikers, in particular the yellow-backed duiker and, under strict licensing laws, he could not take along his own guns.

‘The hunting company would supply a shotgun and cartridges for the duiker hunt.

‘I would rather not go into detail, but it is safe to assume it would have been quick,’ the hunter said.

Mr Dosio’s body is being repatriated by the US Embassy in Gabon to Lodi in California. (Emphasis added.)

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Whizzco

While the online anti-hunting crowds are foaming at the mouth, celebrating the death of Ernie Dosio as a WIN for conservation and the planet as a whole…

Even a cursory glance at the Daily Mail story above (NOT your typical pro-hunter organization…) showed there was far more to Ernie and his hunting than the leftists would have you believe.

Conservation, actual science, and plenty of regulations were involved — even to the death of the hunter in order to prevent a non-competitive hunt from taking place.

I stumbled upon an actual friend and neighbor of the late big game hunter who directed me to a local news story out of Ernie’s home community of Lodi, California.

I found another piece of Ernie’s life and legacy in that story — more of those pesky facts that the anti-hunting crowd would rather not share along with their social media hate posting.

Apparently, not only was Ernie Dosio a disciplined and law-abiding hunter who obeyed the law of the land during his hunts.

He was also very generous with his wealth, according to this from the local online news outlet — Lodi News:

Lodi’s Ernie Dosio, an avid big-game hunter and conservationist known for his contributions to the local agricultural community, was killed by a herd of elephants during a hunting trip in central Africa on April 17, according to several news reports.

Dosio is the owner of Pacific AgriLands, a Modesto-based company specializing in custom harvesting and farm management services. In Lodi, he was known for his generosity to local ag groups.

“Ernie would support FFA, 4H kids and the AgFest year after year and would purchase animals from kids and then give the cuts away to employees or anyone in need,” said Brandon Sywassink, a local ranch manager. “His countless donations to charities including but not limited to the Lodi District Grape Growers Association was noticed but he never strived for attention in doing so.”  (Emphasis added.)

You don’t need me to tell you — but I’ll say it anyway.

Don’t believe everything you see on the internet!

Not every hunter is a blood-thirsty killer.  In my experience, most aren’t.

And some of them may just be the BEST of us…

Spending their lives helping others with wealth accumulated through their own hard work.

I’m sure the online congratulations for the elephants will continue from those who have a slightly different worldview than the rest of us — a sign of the times?

I’m afraid so.

But I think I’ll end this story on the higher road.

And simply mark the passing of a man who, by all the first-hand accounts I could find…

Was a hardworking family man who helped a lot of people during his adventurous life of agriculture, business, and big game hunting.

I say, let the haters hate.

What people say on the internet isn’t what matters most, anyway.