Is there an African animal you wouldn't shoot?

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Let's start by rephrasing the question. If it was legal, ethical (no females with fawns or kids, animal within range for your abilities, etc.), of sufficient size, and no extra cost to you, is there a type (species or subspecies) that you wouldn't shoot? If an animal presented a shot and your PH put up the sticks and says "Take him!" is there any kind of animal that would make you look at your PH and say, "No thanks."

For example, some people just don't like the look of the horns on hartebeest. Perhaps you feel that you've already shot too many of a particular kind of animal. Or, in your opinion, they are not sufficiently challenging to hunt?

If there is such an animal for you, why wouldn't you shoot it?

Their are a lot of African animals that I wouldn't shoot.

Giraffe
Rhino
Elephant
Cheetah
Ostrich

 

[HookMeUpII]

I'll chime in on this, never been to Africa but these are on the no-shoot list:

Elephant
Giraffe
Rhino
Lion
Ostrich

I'm basically a PG guy (as of now). I would love to take a Cape Buffalo but that is out of my budget and skillset at this point.

I fully support anyone who legally takes the above animals and would never criticize someone for doing so. Just not something I feel I want to do.

 

[cem rona ergin]

No

 

[TSIBINDI]

NO

 

[crs]

Under normal circumstances, several. Also depends on other situational issues.
Such as, in Texas, I shoot any coyote that I can. Same for wild dogs and feral cats.
I guess it just depends.
A neighbor was checking on his cattle when attacked by a pack of wild dogs a few miles from our place and he had to shoot a couple to reach his pick up. A day later he fed the dogs strychnine and killed them all. Perfectly legal for a rancher with stock and a license to buy pest control poisons.
It just depends.

 

[Joker12]

How about an ostrich?

Never

 

[Bert the Turtle]

You do not understand the dimamics of elephant herds ....

How exactly do you come to that conclusion based on my choice not to again shoot one from a family group?

My choice of not again shooting from a family group is based on my personal experience shooting an own-use elephant from a family group. I did not find the reaction of the matriarch pleasant. My choice is based on not enjoying the experience; it is not based on a lack of understanding of elephant herd dynamics nor any other theoretical considerations.

Have you shot an elephant from a family group? If so, what was your experience?

 

[IvW]

I wouldn’t shoot another elephant. Possibly a lone male with importable tusks. But never again one from a family group.

So what is a family group of elephants?

Bulls in "family" groups are never permanent residence.....breeding bulls move around and will only be with the group for short periods....

Finding single shootable bulls are well just about impossible to find....more often than not they are in a bachelor group or a old elephant bull will be accompanied by one or more askaris...

Yes I have shot tuskless from cow herds and I have also participated in a few cull hunts...
I have also had to shoot more than one from a herd under charge situation...while hunting tuskless...
I have also shot a fair share of PAC elephant, mainly bulls and mainly bulls from 15 to 40lbs in this case...

If you choose to not shoot another elephant from a herd and want to shoot another if it is a lone exportable bull that is totally your choice...

Yes the matriach can get upset in these situations thats why when culling she is the one to be selected for the first shot...

I have never seen a tuskless being a matriach so when hunting them it always gets exciting and it is possibly the best hunting experience for elephant when compared to hunting bulls. Hunting bulls can be an anti climax and is a lot easier and less dangerous than hunting cow herds in search of a tuskless...

 

[rookhawk]

Just a point of order on hunting elephant.

When the Zim Parks did elephant culls, they would go into a group well-armed with many shooters. They would kill ALL the elephants in a group. ALL. Dead men speak no tales was the theory. This was to ensure that there wouldn't be any survivors that would have future adverse reactions with humans, become marauders, killers, or would transfer constant stress or anxiety onto other elephants that would alter their behavior.

I'm not saying its right, wrong, or different, just explaining the logic of doing so according to professionals culling excess elephants.

I would think that this logic would apply to hunting cows for sporting purposes as well. Certainly teaching the matriarch that humans are a threat could have unintended consequences for the next person that comes across a herd of cows and calves.

 

[James Cook]

Pretty partial to anything that has horns - not interested in cats, giraffe, rhino or ostrich.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Pretty partial to anything that has horns - not interested in cats, giraffe, rhino or ostrich.

+1. And I’m not shooting any African prairie dogs either, as one is limited to how many cartridges per pound you can bring on a flight to Africa. They need to change the weight limit! Ha! Ha! Ha!

 

[freefall]

The list of things I am NOT interested in shooting is a lot longer than things I would like to.
I would like to hunt a buffalo, a kudu, and impala. Why? I like the horns. There might be another couple things that would tempt me( a hippo on dry land sounds quite exciting) but I am a man of simple and limited tastes and desires.

 

[Sabattiboy]

Those pesky Hyena's aggravate me just watching them so except for their license fee would want to take that grin off their face.
From some stories I've read, not sure country wise, I understood snakes were largely protected.
For me, in general, there are only a few animals that I would like to take but wouldn't take others just to fill a PG bag.
Wife says kill Hyena but no cats.

 

[Tom Leoni]

Premise: I'll never resent anyone shooting any legal animal for sport. But the following is just me.

Giraffe: love as an animal, find slightly bizarre as a trophy.

Lion: related to me by surname. ;-)

Cheetah: doesn't feel like a game animal.

Any monkey: creepy.

Ostrich: nah.

Hippo: don't like as an animal, wouldn't like as a trophy.

Crocodile: as above.

Hyena: as above.

Rhino: no interest.

Meerkats or other weasel-like critters: no interest.

Aardvark: aardvarks are cool people.

Partial to anything with horns, plus leopard and if I could ever afford it, elephant. Would even do tiger if it legally reopened in areas in Asia where it may become more plentiful (not likely in my lifetime). Anyway, enough to last me a lifetime of trophy-hunting without dipping into the above-mentioned species. Again, 100%, enthusiastically cool with those who instead covet any of them as trophies.

 

[R.M.C.]

The only thing I wouldn't shoot is something with a trophy fee I couldn't afford. If money was no object, nothing would be totally safe around me. I wanna see em up close lol

 

[dailordasailor]

I have no moral issues with killing anything I've seen or come accross. So far I just dont like predator hunting. The response a dog, cat, bear have to being hit rubs me wrong. For that reason I have no plans to hunt any big cats in Africa or Hyena either. That said, I've been told when you are in the midst of a lion hunt its a totally different experience and your concerns quickly go to the side. So i cant say i "wouldnt hunt" them but not planning to either.

If any critter on 2 feet or 4 comes my way to harm me, my standards go out the window real quick and would sleep fine with knowing what happened.

 

[Brad Matteo]

Giraffe, zebra and the big 5 except for maybe a Buffalo.

 

[BJONES]

Nope. As long as it is a good hunt and not just a shoot…