Eland with a .30-06?

[gordon-kruger]

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

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

Got a tick in the same no fire zone in 2013....discovered it in the shower......ripped that sucker out along with some flesh.........I squealed loudly.......but like a man of course!

 

[TokkieM]

Phil you are a braver man than myself,I called for liquid reinforcement before I delicately removed mine

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Phil you are a braver man than myself,I called for liquid reinforcement before I delicately removed mine

No pre-op anesthetic, but plenty of post-op pain reduction liquid med! I was rather torn at the moment standing there in all my manliness in the shower....do I ask Jacques @Hartzview Hunting Safaris to help with this problem or not?

 

[TokkieM]

do I ask Jacques @Hartzview Hunting Safaris to help with this problem or not?

Who said a PH's job is all glamour

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Who said a PH's job is all glamour

And there was the risk of giving the young man an inferiority complex.......

 

[enysse]

Nice eland, I'm sure it was very satisfying to stalk in close for the shot. 30-06 is plenty for eland.

 

[DelRock83]

So in essence go for heavy for caliber bullets when hitting eland with the 30's??????

 

[Ridge Runner]

So in essence go for heavy for caliber bullets when hitting eland with the 30's??????

Not necessarily heavy for caliber bullet. Just need a quality bullet.
Regardless of caliber. More so in "lighter" "easier" in the 30 calibers.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Hello all!
A lifetime dream is about to come true for me (in about 3 weeks time)! I have always wanted to hunt an eland...I even bought a .375 for this and then sold it about a year ago as I thought I would never get to hunt one. Well, now the time has come and my heaviest rifle is a .30-06.

I have seen posts on this forum where members have hunted eland with this caliber as well as the 7x57 (which I also own). My dilemma is I am not sure what load to use?

.30-06
1. GS Custom 150 grain HV @ 3030 fps
2. Barnes TTSX 168 grain @2720 fps
3. North Fork 180 grain SP @ 2620 fps

All three loads group from 0.50 to 1.20 MOA. I will be hunting in hilly to mountainous terrain, shots can be taken from just under 100 meters to 250 meters (I have hunted here a few time before).

I guess my dilemma is that I am 'spoiled for choice'...

Thanks in advance!

Of those three, 180 gr. NF for sure! Best of luck on your dream hunt.

 

[Velo Dog]

Fellow Hunters,

I suspect that a person could dispatch a large, heavy animal, by means of a perfectly placed and determined poke with a sharp curtain rod.
However, there are certainly better options.

With that, the .30-06, although it is definitely one of the most excellent caliber choices for hunting non-dangerous game world wide, seems a tad light for one ton animals, IMO.
At this stage in my life, I have hunted Africa 7 times.
During same, I have shot a grand total of 3 bull eland.
Therefore, I do not pretend to be an expert, truthfully I am far from it.

However, as questionable as my opinion may be, nonetheless I have developed one (an opinion), regarding ballistics, pertaining to the humane dispatching of wild animals, including large heavy ones.
With that and for me personally, my bare bones minimum ballistic level for eland begins at about, .33 caliber & 250 gr bullet, leaving the muzzle around 2400 fps.

The vintage .318 Westley Richard’s and the more recent .338-06 are two cartridges that just meet this level of ballistic performance.
The .35 Whelen is another good one in that same general category.
The 9.3x62 and 9.3x74 cartridges also come to mind, but commonly use much heavier bullets than 250 grains (heavy animal, heavy bullet).

At the end of the day, my personal favorite hunting cartridge of all the world’s cartridges ever invented, is the .375 H&H.
This is partly due to my sometimes hunting eland and the fact that I live where grizzly bear are quite common, not to mention that ammunition for it is often available.
It is perhaps a bit more than appropriate for eland.
But, since they often only offer quartering to or quartering away angle for the shot, the old .375 isn’t very much past appropriate for them, that is for sure.

I am not crowing that this is the Gospel for all the world.
But, it is my personal thoughts ….. just saying.
It is no secret that eland are shot very dead each year, by means of the .30-06 cartridge.
It is one of my favorite hunting cartridges, just not for animals that sometimes reach a full ton of live body weight.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Back to ticks for a second because this is interesting. I picked one up about 4 months ago on my inner ankle and thought it was a freckle, so it bedded in for about two weeks before I removed it. Anyway, the spot turned black and itched like hell, despite anti-histamine cream and all. It wasn't infected, just looked like a black freckle about 2mm in diameter and wouldn't go away.
Sitting by the fire a sharp mopane splint came in view, I lit it and touched the spot all over with the glowing point. After the first touchdown there is no pain. Net result is that it quickly healed and has now disappeared. The ember trick is now my go to for mosquito itchy bites too, it is magic!

 

[Velo Dog]

Kevin,

Great minds think alike.
I’ve been using a Q-Tip dunked in boiling water and pressed against gnat bites to stop the wretched itching.
When in the bush and no Q-Tips are about, I gnarl up my bandana, leaving a pointy end to dip in boiling water, coffee or tea, then press on said bites.

Here in Alaska, we have more than one variety of biting gnat and their saliva must be one of the most irritating substances on this planet.
We also have plenty of mosquitoes here as well, but their bite is child’s play compared to the satanic little gnats that sometimes swarm in certain conditions.
These commonly kill caribou (about the size of red hartebeest).

The little creeps leave a festering sore with each bite that oozes a clear liquid for 2 or 3 days and itches beyond what can be described with mere words.
Your idea of applying a glowing splinter from the camp fire, onto insect bites is sound advice, as boiling water is not always convenient.
In a pinch, any person could use a Bic lighter to fire up a small dry stick and voila, Bob’s your auntie.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Yes, both my son & I have taken several eland & kudu bulls over the years with the .30-06 Springfield & 220Gr Remington Core Lokt soft points till now. Nevertheless, initial shot placement is extremely critical and I strongly discourage a novice from hunting the elands with any caliber smaller than .338 Winchester Magnum (employing no lighter than 250Gr bullets).

 

[Kevin375]

I have shot a good number of elands during management huntings and with several calibers.

However, my first eland was shot with a .30-06 during my first trip. At that time, I didn't travel with my rifles so I used what was avalaible in farms.

My guide loaned me a Ruger 77 in .30-06 and his ammunitions were homeloaded with Sierra game King 180 gr bullets. I was not really confident about this very soft bullet for such big animal, but it did the trick and a nice bull dropped on the spot with a good shoulder shot. I was probably a bit lucky because it's not common to drop them on the spot, even with much bigger calibers. But if I have to used this caliber again, I would prefer a heavier and tougher bullet for this huge animal for sure.

It depends where elands are hunted but in open areas, I won't have any problem to use again a .30-06, and in such conditions, I have shot a good number of them with my .300 Winchester magnum and premium bullets like Nosler Partition 180 and 220 gr and Swift Scirocco 180 gr.

But in the thick bush, where you shoot them at close range, and you don't see them clearly most of the time through the vegetation, I much prefer my .458 Lott or even my .375 Holland & Holland magnum. A good buddy, for such hunt, also told me the logicial minimum caliber should be the .338 Winchester magnum with a good quality 250 gr bullet. The only eland I shot with this caliber was a cow and I used a Interbond 225 gr but it was also at the beginning and it was a loaner onece again.

But if my buddy has the choice, he prefers the .375 H&H magnum or the 9.3x62.