Why Elephant?

[VertigoBE]

For me, I cannot explain the attraction in hunting elephant. It’s the biggest, it’s the smartest, it’s the oldest. And it’s arguably one of the most dangerous species. Elephant are truly the pinnacle in hunting. My original ultimate dream for African game was an old buffalo, but having seen them in SA, has removed a bit of their mystique for me.

One day I’m sure I’ll succumb to one of the deals on AH, hopefully while we still can hunt them.

I think the feeling is best described by awe and a deep respect for such a magnificent creature. To have the honour to hunt one… it is what dreams are made of.

And perhaps it is woven into our dna, a cry from bygone ages to face off with these grey giants. A noble and worthy undertaking, if ever there was one.

 

[ActionBob]

You just have to experience it to completely "get it" don't you? I mean it is a frickin elephant!!! And it is "right there"! The photo safaris just cannot offer the real experience.

I will do it again if at all possible, not for the shooting, but for the majestic experience and to be part of the system and process of making the circle of life work.

 

[JHT]

I would hunt ONE elephant: at least 55 years old, 100 lbs per side, in clear physical decline, dung mounds that look like a bale of hay, and who prefers to stay in the deep bush mostly alone.

someone above mentioned Finn…he said he loved hunting elephant but hated killing them. I probably fall into that category. That’s why the ONE elephant I would hunt would be so hard to find that by the time I did find him, I would have earned the honor to kill him.

Be careful as one might turn into two and so forth. Your sentiments are admirable and familiar; however, elephant hunting, I’m afraid like crystal meth, is something you might want to forgo if it’s something you truly want to experience once.

 

[Gemsbok45]

I’ve taken lion,several leopards and three bull elephant.Would not want to shoot a tiger.I would feel like I’m stealing. Kevin,keep the buff coming!!!!

 

[Rubberhead]

I'll never hunt an elephant but I know the answer...because they stopped making dinosaurs.

 

[MMAL]

Shooting an elephant is the culmination of what is the best stalk in your life. If you are lucky, it is only a two mile tracking job, it is getting within 20 yards of a herd and not being able to see any of them, it is being mock charged by an elephant you don’t want to shoot but you realize that you are standing on the ground in front of them. No fence, no Truck, nothing. It is the rush of them fleeing when you get it wrong and praying they are going in the right direction, not toward you. It is getting real close and using big guns and trying to hit a spot the size of a football that is buried two feet in the head. Then after the harvest it is the respect you pay, for me more than other animals. Finally seeing the mass amount of good it does as the village comes out to butcher a tremendous amount of meat. Some of it being cooked right then and there. It is a celebration. The cats you generally bait, buffalo is a lot of fun but different. Hippo and croc again more of a blind or short stalk. Rhino. No experience. For me elephant hunting all the great things I love about hunting rolled into one animal. It is not duplicated by any other one in my humble opinion.

 

[R.M.C.]

Its like hunting the closest thing to a wolly mammoth you can get. Prehistoric creatures for sure.

 

[Tanks]

I would hunt ONE elephant: at least 55 years old, 100 lbs per side, in clear physical decline, dung mounds that look like a bale of hay, and who prefers to stay in the deep bush mostly alone.

I think hunts for those go for $100K+, if you can find them. Better start saving...

 

[baxterb]

I think hunts for those go for $100K+, if you can find them. Better start saving...

Another reason there will be only one ;-)

back in 2008 Gail Selby (Harry’s daughter) let me know that Bob Ruark’s tusks from his last elephant (both tusks over 100 lbs) along with a bronze bust would go up for sale. At the time the estimate was 30k to 50k…I thought I was well out of the running and that they would eventually sell for much higher.

they sold for 25k including the premium. They’ll never sell for that again.

 

[Saul]

This is a really hard one for me. I came to African hunting through literature, so for me hunting elephant is near mythical. Stopping the charge of an old tusker with a .577 NE would be the culmination of my hunting experiences. However, elephants are such intelligent and social creatures, I cannot help but feel that they should be left alone, much like whales and gorillas. For that reason, I have gone back and forth in my mind about whether I will end up hunting one. Ultimately, I want elephants as a species to survive and if that means hunting the old ones, then that is what must be done.

 

[Rick Cox]

This is a really hard one for me. I came to African hunting through literature, so for me hunting elephant is near mythical. Stopping the charge of an old tusker with a .577 NE would be the culmination of my hunting experiences. However, elephants are such intelligent and social creatures, I cannot help but feel that they should be left alone, much like whales and gorillas. For that reason, I have gone back and forth in my mind about whether I will end up hunting one. Ultimately, I want elephants as a species to survive and if that means hunting the old ones, then that is what must be done.

You have expressed my sentiments well. I have to say that whether or not to hunt elephant is not a question I have to worry about, unless I get a big fat bankroll from an unknown source. And then I think I'd be shopping for an outfitter. But a 577NE? I draw the line on that one!

 

[mark-hunter]

My choice for ele would be 416 rigby. Or, already personally owned 375 h&h.
But I still havent evolved as hunter to the level of hunting elephant. My next step is buffallo.

 

[baxterb]

You have expressed my sentiments well. I have to say that whether or not to hunt elephant is not a question I have to worry about, unless I get a big fat bankroll from an unknown source. And then I think I'd be shopping for an outfitter. But a 577NE? I draw the line on that one!

I have a feeling our friend here is a fan of the great Arthur Neumann ;-).

 

[Rick Cox]

Another reason there will be only one ;-)

back in 2008 Gail Selby (Harry’s daughter) let me know that Bob Ruark’s tusks from his last elephant (both tusks over 100 lbs) along with a bronze bust would go up for sale. At the time the estimate was 30k to 50k…I thought I was well out of the running and that they would eventually sell for much higher.

they sold for 25k including the premium. They’ll never sell for that again.

I just have to shake my head thinking back on my somewhat misspent youth, and remembering the amount of ivory I have had my hands on.... In some poorly lit 'ol pool hall.

 

[Tanks]

...
back in 2008 Gail Selby (Harry’s daughter) let me know that Bob Ruark’s tusks from his last elephant (both tusks over 100 lbs) along with a bronze bust would go up for sale. At the time the estimate was 30k to 50k…I thought I was well out of the running and that they would eventually sell for much higher.

they sold for 25k including the premium. They’ll never sell for that again.

Well, now that it is illegal to sell ivory, you are correct.

 

[baxterb]

Well, now that it is illegal to sell ivory, you are correct.

There is that! ;-)

 

[ActionBob]

This is a really hard one for me. I came to African hunting through literature, so for me hunting elephant is near mythical. Stopping the charge of an old tusker with a .577 NE would be the culmination of my hunting experiences. However, elephants are such intelligent and social creatures, I cannot help but feel that they should be left alone, much like whales and gorillas. For that reason, I have gone back and forth in my mind about whether I will end up hunting one. Ultimately, I want elephants as a species to survive and if that means hunting the old ones, then that is what must be done.

Yes there are less elephants than there used to be. The general public and social media are correct about that.

However almost everywhere there are elephants, there are too many, or too high a population density, for the environment they are living in.

Shooting a few old bulls is not enough. Poachers indiscriminately killing whole groups for ivory is not sustainable either. Mananaged hunting and in some cases culling is the only good option. But the anti hunters don't want to allow that. And even many hunters do not take the time to investigate what is really required to maintain the environments these animals live in and to do it in a manner that is long term sustainable.

There needs to be more properly Mananaged and Regulated hunting of elephants in most ares they currently live.

Hunters shooting elephants are only helping the situation in places like Zimbabwe and Botswana.

 

[ActionBob]

I think hunts for those go for $100K+, if you can find them. Better start saving...

They do not all cost that. For that cost you can go on many hunts in areas capable of producing that kind of bull and just don't shoot until you find the one you want. You can target the right time and location in Zimbabwe to havexa real chance at that type of bull for a lot less. Probably on the $20 to $30,000 range. You can do a trophy elephant hunt for less than that, just a really small likelihood of getting one in that class.

 

[Saul]

Yes there are less elephants than there used to be. The general public and social media are correct about that.

However almost everywhere there are elephants, there are too many, or too high a population density, for the environment they are living in.

Shooting a few old bulls is not enough. Poachers indiscriminately killing whole groups for ivory is not sustainable either. Mananaged hunting and in some cases culling is the only good option. But the anti hunters don't want to allow that. And even many hunters do not take the time to investigate what is really required to maintain the environments these animals live in and to do it in a manner that is long term sustainable.

There needs to be more properly Mananaged and Regulated hunting of elephants in most ares they currently live.

Hunters shooting elephants are only helping the situation in places like Zimbabwe and Botswana.

I am by no means questioning the conservation benefits of managed hunting, even for elephants. However, my concerns are more to do with who is in control of said management. Frankly, I do not trust any African government to do so responsibly, especially with the increasing influence of the Chinese in the dark continent, who have no respect for conservation or the environment. With that said, I will never fault anyone for hunting elephant if they have done the research to ensure that the hunt is legitimately beneficial to the environment, and I very well might to so myself one day.

 

[IvW]

They do not all cost that. For that cost you can go on many hunts in areas capable of producing that kind of bull and just don't shoot until you find the one you want. You can target the right time and location in Zimbabwe to havexa real chance at that type of bull for a lot less. Probably on the $20 to $30,000 range. You can do a trophy elephant hunt for less than that, just a really small likelihood of getting one in that class.

Just book a hunt in Botswana in the right area....you will get close enough....at the end of the day the true trophy is the hunt...the rest is just a memory ...