Thoughts on Tuskless Hunting

[Backyardsniper]

If I had shot nothing but a tuskless elephant on my hunt, the cost of just the hunt, excluding airfare and tips and all that since you would pay that same stuff on any hunt. Mine would have been $12,000. Daily rates $1200 road transfer $4500 trophy fee. So roughly $17,700 not counting any VAT and stuff like that.

 

[Backyardsniper]

However, I shot a bunch of really great trophies and got to experience hunting with an absolutely top notch outfit, and also got to kill an elephant so it was well worth it for me. Worth it enough that I sent a deposit for my next hunt within a week of wiring off the final payment for all the extra stuff I killed on this hunt.
I will hunt a non trophy bull and probably tuskless if I can on the books for one, if not it'll be non trophy bull and maybe a buffalo on this next hunt most likely, unless I scratch up more cash than I expect to and can afford a trophy bull, but honestly a non trophy will be just fine, I'll spend the difference on a tuskless or buffalo.

 

[TTundra]

Point of order:

We know that small bull hunts, all-in are $15,000 on this site. What is a tuskless hunt from one of the successful hunters above @Green Chile, @TTundra , @Tanks running all-in?

Considering the odds of success are lower, then adding in tips and airfare, what percentage savings was accomplished for the total hunt?

That is a deal Bull hunt booked outright, no question. I would say the majority of advertised hunts are $16k-$17+, but end of year deals, cancellation deals, etc do happen. I believe you booked a hunt in which you posted asking for a deal and it worked to your advantage and success.

What is that hunt with an added Buffalo? $20-$21k?

There are deals here where a Buffalo + T/L can be had for $15k (or less) in a good area with a well respected PH.

Then there are the hunters like me, whom booked a Buffalo hunt in Zim, that later added a Ele because it was available at a reasonable cost. No Trophy Bull tags were available, but for a total price of what a Bull Ele hunt would cost alone, I hunted a Buff and Ele, and happy I did so.

 

[rookhawk]

If I had shot nothing but a tuskless elephant on my hunt, the cost of just the hunt, excluding airfare and tips and all that since you would pay that same stuff on any hunt. Mine would have been $12,000. Daily rates $1200 road transfer $4500 trophy fee. So roughly $17,700 not counting any VAT and stuff like that.

That's sort of my point. So option 1.) is a tuskless for $17,700, option 2.) is a small bull for $15,000, option 3.) is a very large bull for $23,000-$25,000.

Factor in the airfare, lets call it $3000 including baggage fees, permit fees, whatever.

$20,700 all-in tuskless
$26,000 all-in large trophy bull

So in total, you save 30% by shooting a non-exportable tuskless versus an exportable trophy bull (large Hwange/Bostwana corridor bulls) in the 40-70lb range. (the guy the week before me hunted three in the 60s-70s, my fortnight 53lbs, the next hunter was around 45lbs)

I'm not being critical of your choice, but I just wanted to get to the facts of what was saved by your choice.

 

[Green Chile]

I’m not sure what odds of success are lower means. Many (most) tuskless hunts I know about are successful. It’s not unusual for someone to take multiple tuskless in 1 hunt when going with a great operator like CMS or D&Y. I know people who have done 5 or more in one trip. That doesn’t sound like low odds to me. Many tuskless hunts are about the price of a low end Buffalo cost…$12-15k for one and less for multiples. I’m not counting airfare, etc that you would pay regardless of the hunt.

 

[Backyardsniper]

Exactly. That difference allowed me to hunt several other animals. The Kudu, Eland, and hippo were give or take about $8700 so it allowed me to shoot all those on my first trip as well as get some elephant experince.
This next trip will be all about strictly elephant and anything else will just be a bonus if we happen across some monster specimen of a bushbuck maybe

 

[Green Chile]

Who is offering all of those large bulls for $25k? Those are rare not common as far as I have seen. You can hardly find a leopard for 25k much less a large trophy ele.

 

[Tanks]

Adding a 7 day tuskless to my 14 day leopard/buffalo hunt in 2021 was $7K all in including the daily rates. Though it was a special deal.
For 2022 hunt it was part of a 15 day hunt of buffalo, tuskless, kudu, hyena, grysbok, zebra (and a baboon of opportunity). The trophy fee for the tuskless was $6000 (buffalo was $6,500 so tuskless was actually cheaper).

For comparison in 2022 elephant bull trophy fee at Dande was $15K and at Nyakasanga $17K.

Also, if you look at the fine print of those inexpensive hunts you will notice that on some of them you have to pay extra to get the skins etc.. All of the tuskless from CMS are exportable and are already in the permitting process with USFWS. Once the permits are clear they will get processed in Zim for tanning and extra stuff (ice buckets/trash cans from feet, etc.)

BTW, the gentleman after me at Nyakasanga was a long time CMS client. He loves to hunt elephants, however since his retirement he hunts tuskless instead of bulls for financial reasons. He had booked a double tuskless hunt.

 

[IvW]

Yes. Tuskless genetics are common in the Zambezi Valley. They are uncommon or rare in other areas of Zim and the rest of Africa.

The caveat emptor with tuskless elephant hunts is that you are attracting the wrong kind of attention from operators. There are operators that have tuskless permits (their cost, $4000-$6000) and they need to earn a living. They cater to people looking for cheap-cheap elephant hunts. Naturally, that creates an incentive for some operators to sell hunts that have no chance of harvesting a tuskless whatsoever, they just wanted to extract daily rates out of you.

There are 20lb elephant hunts on this forum all-inclusive, exportable, for $15k. There are 40-70lb elephant hunts, exportable, for $23k-$26k. Why anyone would like to risk getting screwed over on a tuskless hunt to save a few pennies over a Bull hunt at those prices is besides me.

But some people do it, enjoy hunting maize fields while shining them at night, saving a few bucks, etc.

The only place a tuskless makes sense for me is a.) you're already on a DG hunt in the Valley, b.) it's a cheap add-on for more bag, c.) they are in good numbers in the concession, and d.) the terrain is fairly open so you can keep an eye on your 6.

Shooting elephants with artificial light by clients in safari areas or communal land by a visiting hunter is illegal in Zimbabwe....
Hunting PAC elephant by foreigners in RSA is also illegal.....

 

[Backyardsniper]

For 2026 D&Y non trophy bull elephant trophy fee is $12,000 so figure in $14,000 in daily rates and then road transfer and I would say I'm looking at +/-$30,000 for a non trophy bull hunt before factoring in airfare for me and the wife, road transfer or charter, then maybe a buff or a tuskless and tips. I have made plans to budget $50,000 for this hunt. My last hunt came out at just about that same number by the time it was all said and done, although I did get a little trigger happy on that one

 

[Tanks]

Shooting elephants with artificial light by clients in safari areas or communal land by a visiting hunter is illegal in Zimbabwe....

Since when? I did that at Campfire area in 2015. Shot 3 bulls. Parks were aware of it, and we also had a game scout with us.

 

[Tanks]

...

So in total, you save 30% by shooting a non-exportable tuskless ...

All of the tuskless I have shot in the last two years have been exportable.

 

[TTundra]

Almost akin to hunting for the inch...

If you want to pay for the heavier Ivory or longer horns, no problem with that. Who doesn't love a fine trophy?
I however, am very OK paying a little less, and having a remarkable hunt, in some cases offering more danger and exhilaration. The $6-$8k I saved doing a Buff and tusked cow hunt over just a Trophy Bull gave great memories, extremely satisfying, and places me 1/3-1/2 paid for on that upcoming Trophy Bull hunt to hopefully make #2.

 

[Green Chile]

It all has a place here...trophy hunting for the biggest...hunting the oldest busted up trashy bulls and scrum caps...non-trophy bulls and cows and targeting them specifically...and the wild side of tuskless in the jesse. I don't care what floats your boat as long as it's legal. There's lots of opportunities and I'm thrilled to have them all. We don't need other hunters shutting down conversations or shaming opportunities for others that are legal. I appreciate anyone sharing alternative ideas and saying hey, for a few $ more you could do this or that. That's awesome and I say thanks for educating others. Let's just not say tuskless is wrong or ghetto or less than something more righteous. It's your $ and spend what you can afford to do what you can. Don't hunt for anyone but yourself. Myself, I like doing a little bit of all of it and have learned a LOT through that approach. I don't know anyone who has hunted tuskless that didn't have a good time and many are addicted and looking for more afterwards. That's good for hunting and good for all of us here.

 

[rookhawk]

It all has a place here...trophy hunting for the biggest...hunting the oldest busted up trashy bulls and scrum caps...non-trophy bulls and cows and targeting them specifically...and the wild side of tuskless in the jesse. I don't care what floats your boat as long as it's legal. There's lots of opportunities and I'm thrilled to have them all. We don't need other hunters shutting down conversations or shaming opportunities for others that are legal. I appreciate anyone sharing alternative ideas and saying hey, for a few $ more you could do this or that. That's awesome and I say thanks for educating others. Let's just not say tuskless is wrong or ghetto or less than something more righteous. It's your $ and spend what you can afford to do what you can. Don't hunt for anyone but yourself. Myself, I like doing a little bit of all of it and have learned a LOT through that approach. I don't know anyone who has hunted tuskless that didn't have a good time and many are addicted and looking for more afterwards. That's good for hunting and good for all of us here.

I'm not ripping on tuskless out of elitism or spite. I just wanted to get the facts out and honestly compare costs.

I get a phone call every week from a neophyte wanting to do Africa where they tell me all their big plans: "cull hunt", "tuskless hunt", "RSA hunt". Nothing wrong with any of that, but I also step on the brakes and ask them if its about money. Usually, the answer is yes. I then walk them through the data and it usually ends up in new options they hadn't considered.

As I suggested earlier, I love the Zambezi Valley. If someone is paying a premium to plains game hunt the Valley, its not a bad plan at all to add a tuskless or hippo to that agenda (or both, shooting whichever manifests). That's a bit different than going to a super discount tuskless hunt in an area that has VERY low tuskless numbers and is the sole species on quota.

 

[Rare Breed]

Tuskless elephant are not what I would call common in any areas but I have never seen any acurate numbers from game counts. I would guess that maybe 1/30 to 1/50 of elephant cows and much less for males. Zambezi valley areas are known for tuskless elephants but they occur all over Africa. Zimbabwe has quite a few elephant and used to be quite progressive in management .Actual data is sketchy because of the anti hunters talking rubbish all over scientific papers about elephant evolving to lose their tusks-truth is poachers don't shoot tuskless. The survivors are tuskless-not evolved. Kruger park has approx. 2 % tuskless based on fairly trustworthy data. I would guess Zambezi valley has a higher percentage but not the 10 % claimed by evolutionist anti-hunters. So I reckon 3-4 % is about right in Zambezi and less in other areas.

As for hunting any animals, we have already taken their space and habitat. Management is not negotiable. So let us manage the wildlife in the least intrusive way possible- preserve genetic diversity and balance. Hunt animals which are old,past their prime. Find a way to balance smaller tusked/large tusked/male/female hunts using economics.

8% of Zim elephants are tuskless…the highest percentage in Africa

 

[Rare Breed]

Having shared this factoid on my hunt there four weeks ago I did not see the first one out of 50 elephants I saw. Yet last year they were everywhere…go figure Mother Nature

 

[Rare Breed]

That's sort of my point. So option 1.) is a tuskless for $17,700, option 2.) is a small bull for $15,000, option 3.) is a very large bull for $23,000-$25,000.

Factor in the airfare, lets call it $3000 including baggage fees, permit fees, whatever.

$20,700 all-in tuskless
$26,000 all-in large trophy bull

So in total, you save 30% by shooting a non-exportable tuskless versus an exportable trophy bull (large Hwange/Bostwana corridor bulls) in the 40-70lb range. (the guy the week before me hunted three in the 60s-70s, my fortnight 53lbs, the next hunter was around 45lbs)

I'm not being critical of your choice, but I just wanted to get to the facts of what was saved by your choice.

I will say there are real deals out there. I have just finished my air to and back to Zim…I have a trophy exportable elephant bull for $15,000 all in with 2,123 in total airfare with a very well known great reputation on AH.com. I easily saved $7 to $10,000 for a bull that could be 50 pounds has an average of 30-35 pounds which absolutely fine with me

 

[Green Chile]

I will say there are real deals out there. I have just finished my air to and back to Zim…I have a trophy exportable elephant bull for $15,000 all in with 2,123 in total airfare with a very well known great reputation on AH.com. I easily saved $7 to $10,000 for a bull that could be 50 pounds has an average of 30-35 pounds which absolutely fine with me

Thrilled you got that hunt. I leave for mine in 1 week! Can't wait to hear how you do.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I will say there are real deals out there. I have just finished my air to and back to Zim…I have a trophy exportable elephant bull for $15,000 all in with 2,123 in total airfare with a very well known great reputation on AH.com. I easily saved $7 to $10,000 for a bull that could be 50 pounds has an average of 30-35 pounds which absolutely fine with me

Sounds like a great deal. Good luck on your hunt! I personally appreciate you sharing your hunt costs for those of us considering a hunt such as this. Often times here, the cost of one's hunt is never mentioned and we are left wondering? Can't wait to see your hunt report.