Wanted 70 lb Elephant

[Wheels]

In case anyone is interested, this is what a 72 pound elephant looks like in the dentist's chair. And after exstraction.View attachment 440458View attachment 440457

Tanzania, Selous, 1971

Looks much bigger than 72. Truly a magnificent animal. Congratulations.

 

[IvW]

Looks much bigger than 72. Truly a magnificent animal. Congratulations.

Long and thin....typical of Tanzania ivory...

 

[IvW]

There are no guarantees in hunting but there is also a reason why some countries market 30-40 lbs elephant as trophy and others show elephants in the 70lb plus category.....

Book a minimum of 14 days in the right area in Botswana with the right outfit and 70lbs will be the closest "guarantee" you have at getting a 70lbs elephant.....

 

[Scott CWO]

Looking for a 2022 package for 70 lb Elephant and 2 Cape buffalo for 2 hunters( 1 hunter gets elephant and Buffalo and the other gets just Buffalo). Other animals based on availability and a price list.

Thanks in advance,

HH

I sent you a PM. I took a 76 x 70 this year and saw numerous big buffalo.

 

[RLMetz]

+1 on Frans. He has NG 43 and took some bulls that would not disappoint last year. NG 43 is typically best earlier in the season, although with new wells having been drilled that may shift.

I know Frans/Kwatale had a 90+ pounder this year. Great outfitter highly recommended. But as mentioned, absolutely nothing is guaranteed on these bulls. Early season seems best opportunity for bigger bulls. But there is a lot of “luck” with eles, just being in the right place at right time. Just enjoy the hunt.

 

[375Fox]

I haven’t hunted with them, but I’d look into Ndumo safaris and their bwabwata park concession as an alternative to Botswana. I’ve seen the tourism side of the park and it was full of elephant and buffalo. Their skinning shed had beautiful old buffalo bulls when we stopped.

 

[Hunting Hitman]

I appreciate the information and the PM's received to date. I am not looking for a guaranteed 70 pounder. I merely want the area to have the genetics and historical success that goes along with it. What I don't want is to book a hunt with a Safari operator and the story change once I get there...

Please keep them coming and thanks again for all your support!

 

[375Fox]

Another option to look into would be kazuma forestry area with charlton mccallum safaris in Zimbabwe. I just finished looking at their past newsletters. Looks like they do 2 hunts per year there. This years bigger elephant was 66, 2018 65, and 2017 60 from their newsletters. I believe buzz does all these hunts personally. They’d have to advise you on possibly of a 70 lb bull.

 

[Uintaelkhunter]

I haven’t hunted with them, but I’d look into Ndumo safaris and their bwabwata park concession as an alternative to Botswana. I’ve seen the tourism side of the park and it was full of elephant and buffalo. Their skinning shed had beautiful old buffalo bulls when we stopped.

Karl of Ndumo safaris and his Bwabwata area has in the past produced some 70lbs plus bulls and is a honest guy. I hunted elephant with him in one of his other areas but got the chance to go see Bwabwata for a day and was lucky enough it was just after they had shot a 70lbs plus bull I believe as he had the ivory still in camp at that time. It Carrie’s a premium price to hunt those areas but if your looking. He is one I would talk with. As mentioned Mike Fell in Tanzania would another one to talk with along with the few mentioned in Botswana. I do think Botswana and the corridor thru Namibia bushmanland and the Caprivi in areas is your best bet.

 

[rookhawk]

I believe 2 x 100lb plus elephant came out of Bots this year...not talking about the 70lbs pluses....
I would not book Tanzania or Zim with the expectations of getting a 70lbs plus bull....

Here I have to disagree, respectfully. When I toured the skinning shed in Zimbabwe on my operators "lower quality elephant area" concession I admired the three sets of tusks from the client that just left the week earlier than my arrival, their skulls still next to the shed mostly buried. All three sets were in the mid to high 60s. I was there very, very late in the season so the rains were pushing the elephants into Botswana and there numbers were becoming scarcer by the day. The largest we saw in three days was one 53lbs on both sides while I was there.

Any advice of how great Botswana is for elephant is likely talking about a race of elephants that is migratory from the area of Hwange/Matetsi area of Western and Northwestern Zimbabwe that flows through into Botswana. Arguing that one country is good and the other is not is subjective, as the elephants of this variety are crossing the national boundaries every year.

I recommend Zimbabwe over Botswana for a few reasons. 1.) Price. Zimbabwe is going to be less expensive than the insane prices in Botswana caused by very affluent people flocking to the limited quota hunting that just returned to Bots after a decade of lockdown. 2.) Zimbabwe's accommodations and logistics will be better on the whole because they have been operating every year rather than getting back into the game and making roads for the first time in a decade or more. 3.) US importability. The "case by case basis" determination for USFWS approval to import ivory is very strict. Ultimately, years of financial reports showing ongoing commitment to the local community, sources and uses of funding, hiring from the local community, humanitarian relief by drilling wells and donating to schools, year over year game counts showing healthy numbers, annual spend and results of anti-poaching efforts, financial benefit to the local community, and finally that the death of the individual elephant was a net-benefit to the survival of the species overall.

Point #3 above is going to take years of historical track record in arrears to make for a viable US import application. With Botswana's absence of dangerous game hunting for more than a decade, they will not have the robust data set for these concessions to satisfy the USFWS requirements for case-by-case basis approval of a hunted elephant in my opinion.

 

[IvW]

Here is the 108 pounder shot in mid july in CH8 Botswana...

 

[IvW]

Here I have to disagree, respectfully. When I toured the skinning shed in Zimbabwe on my operators "lower quality elephant area" concession I admired the three sets of tusks from the client that just left the week earlier than my arrival, their skulls still next to the shed mostly buried. All three sets were in the mid to high 60s. I was there very, very late in the season so the rains were pushing the elephants into Botswana and there numbers were becoming scarcer by the day. The largest we saw in three days was one 53lbs on both sides while I was there.

Any advice of how great Botswana is for elephant is likely talking about a race of elephants that is migratory from the area of Hwange/Matetsi area of Western and Northwestern Zimbabwe that flows through into Botswana. Arguing that one country is good and the other is not is subjective, as the elephants of this variety are crossing the national boundaries every year.

I recommend Zimbabwe over Botswana for a few reasons. 1.) Price. Zimbabwe is going to be less expensive than the insane prices in Botswana caused by very affluent people flocking to the limited quota hunting that just returned to Bots after a decade of lockdown. 2.) Zimbabwe's accommodations and logistics will be better on the whole because they have been operating every year rather than getting back into the game and making roads for the first time in a decade or more. 3.) US importability. The "case by case basis" determination for USFWS approval to import ivory is very strict. Ultimately, years of financial reports showing ongoing commitment to the local community, sources and uses of funding, hiring from the local community, humanitarian relief by drilling wells and donating to schools, year over year game counts showing healthy numbers, annual spend and results of anti-poaching efforts, financial benefit to the local community, and finally that the death of the individual elephant was a net-benefit to the survival of the species overall.

Point #3 above is going to take years of historical track record in arrears to make for a viable US import application. With Botswana's absence of dangerous game hunting for more than a decade, they will not have the robust data set for these concessions to satisfy the USFWS requirements for case-by-case basis approval of a hunted elephant in my opinion.

I do not disagree however your chances of getting a 70lb elephant are a lot better in Botswana....
Bots never produced a bull over 120lbs Zims biggest is 136lbs. 100 pounder? Bots is also the best option....
Price, roads etc.etc. where not mentioned by the OP. The top outfitters in Bots run top operations....

 

[sureshot375]

If y’all find one I’d like to have one too.

Also, I’d like a 200” whitetail, 60” kudu, 50” free range buffalo, and a 1000lb marlin.

I’m also on the lookout for a rich, young, dumb, nymphomaniac, who recently inherited a large hunting ranch.

Let me know what y’all come up with.

 

[Dragan N.]

I appreciate the information and the PM's received to date. I am not looking for a guaranteed 70 pounder. I merely want the area to have the genetics and historical success that goes along with it. What I don't want is to book a hunt with a Safari operator and the story change once I get there...

Please keep them coming and thanks again for all your support!

I think any of the reputable outfitters would be pretty honest and up front about what size of elephant could reasonably be expected from their area. You could always email a few of them, and ask them what was the average or median weight of the elephant's tusks they harvested last season, what was the range in weight- minimum-maximum etc... and then get an idea of what area has the highest one. Given the fact that some outfitters like Johan Calitz have kings and celebrities as their clients- i doubt they would tarnish their reputation by lying or exaggerating. As reputation is big in this business and they ain't exactly desperate for clients...

Another option is to contact a taxidermist from that country and ask them which areas produce the biggest tuskers. In Botswana you could contact Debbie Peake. Her company handles pretty much all of the exports of sport hunted elephants from Botswana. So I'm sure she could let you know which areas/concessions produce the biggest bulls. It may not hurt to reach out to her. That way you can get an "unbiased" opinion i.e. its not from an outfitter.

 

[WilhelmM]

If y’all find one I’d like to have one too.

Also, I’d like a 200” whitetail, 60” kudu, 50” free range buffalo, and a 1000lb marlin.

I’m also on the lookout for a rich, young, dumb, nymphomaniac, who recently inherited a large hunting ranch.

Let me know what y’all come up with.

A 70-pound elephant is not in the same league as a 50'' inch buffalo and is not nearly as scarce or difficult to find.

 

[Tanks]

...

I recommend Zimbabwe over Botswana for a few reasons. ...

.) US importability. The "case by case basis" determination for USFWS approval to import ivory is very strict. Ultimately, years of financial reports showing ongoing commitment to the local community, sources and uses of funding, hiring from the local community, humanitarian relief by drilling wells and donating to schools, year over year game counts showing healthy numbers, annual spend and results of anti-poaching efforts, financial benefit to the local community, and finally that the death of the individual elephant was a net-benefit to the survival of the species overall.

Point #3 above is going to take years of historical track record in arrears to make for a viable US import application. With Botswana's absence of dangerous game hunting for more than a decade, they will not have the robust data set for these concessions to satisfy the USFWS requirements for case-by-case basis approval of a hunted elephant in my opinion.

My impression was that import of elephant anything was suspended from Zimbabwe by USFWS. Has that changed?

That is one of the reasons I, myself, have been looking at Botswana for a big tusker for 2023.

 

[WilhelmM]

My impression was that import of elephant anything was suspended from Zimbabwe by USFWS. Has that changed?

That is one of the reasons I, myself, have been looking at Botswana for a big tusker for 2023.

It has been changed as of late, and I do believe that the USFWS is accepting Zimbabwe elephants, though there might be more to the story.

If I were in your position, I'd pick Botswana over Zimbabwe. As @IvW said, your chances of getting a big one in Botswana are much greater than in Zimbabwe, generally. Kazuma Pan and the Gonarezhou are great areas for big elephants, but the quotas are more limited. That, and Botswana hasn't been hunted in nearly a decade.

 

[rookhawk]

My impression was that import of elephant anything was suspended from Zimbabwe by USFWS. Has that changed?

That is one of the reasons I, myself, have been looking at Botswana for a big tusker for 2023.

All elephant import stopped from all countries. USFWS was sued. They lost. They are now reviewing on a case by case basis. As I said, I think there will be real troubles getting the data to show the benefit from a Botswana elephant in order to win import approval.

 

[WAB]

Review is great but have any approvals been issued from any country?

 

[John Telford]

Can put you in touch with CH2 and NG11 concession holders. 70 should be doable if you are not rushed.
unconfirmed 100 pounder shot recently plus a few good 70 plus bulls.