Eland with a .30-06?

[BrokenArrow]

I would prefer to use a heavier gun, should never have sold that .375!!! I am confident that my rifle/bullet combination will do the job, IF I DO MINE. I wanted everyone else's opinions on my choice of bullet/s, as you guys have loads more hunting experience than I do and I value your opinions. I guess we all use what works for us and as VELO DOG says regarding the PH hiring out his .30-06 with Hornady 220 gr Interloks, this has worked and continues to work for him and his clients. I guess if it didn't, he would be hiring out a .300 Win Mag or something else...

I will need to get as close as I can, and then 25 meters closer (Hunting?), and put that bullet right where it counts first time round.

I will post the picture when I succeed. Then I will be off for a Black Wildebeest. Going to use my 7x57 (it feels lonely now that I have the .30-06!!). This will be another thread...

Thanks!

 

[BrokenArrow]

This is another photo of one of the many eland herds on this property, I took this last year when hunting my Fallow Deer. I am going through those photos now...really exited about this hunt!!!

 

[TokkieM]

@Velo Dog no worries
Bet you have not seen a Eland look like this.

 

[Velo Dog]

@Velo Dog no worries
Bet you have not seen a Eland look like this.View attachment 42402View attachment 42403View attachment 42404

It is sad when anything suffers like this.
You are correct, I have not seen an eland in that low of condition.
Once I did see one in thick bush, formerly a mature bull, well worn horns, etc., that had one lung punctured, according to the PH probably from a horn.
The bull was emaciated, unable to stand, carrying many ticks and flies, etc, but not as thick an infestation as your photo.
He obviously had lived for many days after receiving his gruesome injury.
The Vegenazis refuse to accept the hard facts of nature like these, instead they prefer to believe the bush is all just a big Walt Disney movie, but with hunters ruining it for Bambi and Thumper, etc.

 

[BrokenArrow]

That is really sad!! I may hunt animals, but I am very certain none of us here on AH like to see ANY animal suffer..

Velo Dog, your last comment could be the start of a whole new thread regarding the 'Green People' a.k.a Anti Hunters and what they think conservation is all about! I have never seen such a misguided bunch of people!!

Sad!

 

[BrokenArrow]

HuntHard. I hope I never do see and eland like that.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

That is really sad!! I may hunt animals, but I am very certain none of us here on AH like to see ANY animal suffer..

Velo Dog, your last comment could be the start of a whole new thread regarding the 'Green People' a.k.a Anti Hunters and what they think conservation is all about! I have never seen such a misguided bunch of people!!

Sad!

I agree with BrokenArrow.
Witold

 

[TokkieM]

Nature is what nature is guys,put a bullet through his skull the moment I saw him.We can't stop animals from dying due to natural causes,injury or diseases we can only help them along quicker.

Screwed up a few trophy hunts by shooting the walking wounded instead,would do it again if I have to.

 

[BrokenArrow]

Hunt Hard, is'nt that what one of the attributes of an ethical hunter is? The minute man divided up the land, put up fences and introduced his domestic stock and started ranching, the wild life needed to managed. Sometimes we as humans have done a crap job of it and others we have had amazing successes!

Hunting is a form of management. There is no way around it, we leave nature (which we have already altered), to deal with wildlife populations and the most likely thing that will happen is that the habitat will be destroyed and then everything else will go downhill. Then we will be left with nothing! I know I am preaching to the converted here and I am way of topic...

If I were you, I would never feel 'bad' about doing this. I would do the same. I have on occasion, spent hours stalking and when the time come to shoot I have just said "bang" or put my rifle down and let the game wonder by, oblivious that my companion and I are around... "Every day is a hunting day..but not every day is a killing day".

Don't get me wrong, I love hunting (or I love being in the bush, in the mountains or on the plains...).

I would share a campfire with you, sir!

 

[TokkieM]

Thank you @BrokenArrow,we can sip a few cold ones back around the fire anytime.

Wrote an artical many years ago called "Replacing the Predator" for ManMagnum. In short we took away everything that kills game,so we need to do the work of the predator,this is in fact taking out the weak,sick,lame and diseased animals before we even start with the "normal" ones. That being said, a hurt animal or animal with a defect is probably the hardest hunt you will have if you actively persue it.

 

[BrokenArrow]

Hello Everyone!

Well, I have successfully hunted my eland! I took him cleanly with my 30-06, but ended up using my established load (150 grain GS Custom HV Bullet), as I could not work up my loads in time. Work has been hectic! I needn't have worried. I took the shot at 112 meters, and he turned around and took four step and then dropped. And that was the end of it. We got really close to the herd, and had to carefully move around to find the animal I wanted to take.

What matters most to me is I hunted him ethically and took him cleanly. No suffering...I hope! Fourteen years to do this, now what...??

Thanks for your input!

Here he is!

 

[jphilibert]

Nice job Broken Arrow! Proving again that the ole "thughty-aught six" is more than enough for Africa with the right bullet and proper ethical hunting! As far as what's next maybe a Buff or Sable?

 

[sestoppelman]

Great bull, congrats on him and good shooting!

 

[Pheroze]

Nice Eland! Can you describe a bit more about the terminal performance of the GS Customs? Was there a recovered bullet? I am going to load these for my '06 and I am curious about them. Thanks.

 

[BrokenArrow]

Thanks for the comments guys! I appreciate it a lot.

Pheroze. I have hunted with the GS bullets for about three years now, and have taken Impala, blue and a black wildebeest, springbuck, fallow deer, blesbuck and an eland with them. All have been one shot kills and the shooting distances have been from 10 to 290 meters. Plains, mountains and bush...

Any decent bullet will do this, but what I really like about them is that I have one load that seems to be upto the task of meeting the demands of these varied conditions and quarry. At least, that how it has panned out so far... They are extremely accurate in my 30-06, 7x57 and .22 Hornet, but I have only hunted with them in my '06 so far. They also seem to cause much less damage to meat in my experiences so far and they penetrate like crazy!

The only bullets I have managed to recover are from the backstop or berm on the shooting range. The more I use them, the more I am impressed by their performance I am also aware that I must not become overly confident and start taking those very marginal shots. They just have not let me down yet.

I guess there is no room in today's market for rubbish bullets and what we have now does the job...some just do some jobs better than others and the GS seems to be able to do every thing I have asked of it so far. There was some doubt earlier, but that is now mostly gone.

I hope this helps you.

 

[ack]

06 is plenty.Most PH's won't let you take real long shots.Swift 180 or other bullets you mentioned..PH I went with uses 308

 

[gordon-kruger]

Hunhard, that eland must be from the south part of EC... huge problems with ticks down there near the coast.

 

[TokkieM]

Gordon just outside of Uitenhage,about 60km from PE. Only thing that gets close to the tick problem is the prickly pear problem!

 

[gordon-kruger]

Yes, and the bloody tick fewer that can destroy a hunters vacation... but now we came a bit away from the subject. Eland is big but soft and a well placed 7,62 mm bullet will do the job, no problem. But it is when it's some bush and grass a larger bullet diameter can be advisable. LD Eland I would recommend something larger than 30-06.

 

[TokkieM]

Rum Gordon Rum,behind the ears,on the legs and arms,but mostly in the blood
Had it once from a tick stuck were you don't want to put Rum or anything else flammable