Your Favorite of the BIG FIVE

[VertigoBE]

As for the leopard hunt not to your liking another option is to poke around the Motopos hills and shine into the caves with a torch mounted on your rifle. I think that would raise the pulse a bit

For me it's Leopard, Elephant, Lion, Buff then Rhino

no matter liking a bit of adrenaline, I'd still like to make it back home with my skin unclawed and unbitten

Unless you were serious? because I have never heard or seen of Leopard being hunted apart from with bait and blind?

 

[Zambezi]

Just stirring a bit on a Friday...

All things being equal, a Leopard hunt doesn't get you up close and personal so to speak. It's when the first shot goes wrong that it becomes the most adrenaline producing follow up.

 

[rookhawk]

Of the dangerous 7, I’ve not hunted Croc, Lion, or Rhino so I don’t have a complete opinion based upon personal experience. However, I strongly believe my opinion will not change over time: elephant. Elephant is the most emotional, experiencial, spiritual, and intimate of the hunts you can do in Africa. You’re engulfed in elephants deciding if you’ve found the right one. If you haven’t, you’re making very careful movements and considering the wind to extricate yourself from a potentially problematic situation. All along the way, you’re challenging yourself mentally and physically in a way that is unique.

It’s the only member of the dangerous 7 I’ve done multiple times and would do again.

 

[rookhawk]

Just stirring a bit on a Friday...

All things being equal, a Leopard hunt doesn't get you up close and personal so to speak. It's when the first shot goes wrong that it becomes the most adrenaline producing follow up.

Yep. One of the most boring hunts I’ve partaken. Took me 4 trips. Glad to say I’ll never do it again. It reminds me of 100 days of duck hunting on the days where the weather is bad and nothing comes into the decoys.

 

[revturbo9967]

Buff, Croc, Hippo Elephant, in that order

As far as animals I would most likely not hunt due to cost
lion
leopard
rhino

 

[Arkansas_Traveler]

Haven't been to Africa YET (hope to remedy that in about two years), much less after any of the "Big 5", so this is strictly based off uninitiated imagination and dreams....
But Elephant is the top of my list, then pretty well a tie between Lion / Buff (like I said, hard to know for sure without physically being there), then Leopard and Rhino at the bottom.

But the list is stacked pretty closely, and with Buff being the most affordable, odds are it'll be the first one I actually get to pursue.
But a big bull Elephant is the thing dreams are made of for me - at least at the moment.

 

[rookhawk]

@Arkansas_Traveler your list and preferences seem just fine. So you know, prices are highly variable but in general, not necessarily that expensive.

Elephant - ~ $12,000 trophy fees. ($20-$25k safaris)

Leopard - ~ $4500-$10000 trophy fees. ($15k-$25k safaris)

Buffalo - ~ $4000-$8000 trophy fees. ($13k-$18k safaris)

Lion - ~ $20,000-$40,000 trophy fees. ($35k-$60k safaris)

But, the devil is in the details. Of the above, elephant safaris are typically the more reasonable because you’re only hunting elephant, whereas with the others you’re likely adding baits and plains game to the endeavors that add up. Many people don’t spend a penny more hunting big-5 than others do on 10-animal 14 day plains game hunts. The little stuff adds up!

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Buffalo, because they epitomise the whole African experience.

 

[Arkansas_Traveler]

@Arkansas_Traveler your list and preferences seem just fine. So you know, prices are highly variable but in general, not necessarily that expensive.

Elephant - ~ $12,000 trophy fees. ($20-$25k safaris)

Leopard - ~ $4500-$10000 trophy fees. ($15k-$25k safaris)

Buffalo - ~ $4000-$8000 trophy fees. ($13k-$18k safaris)

Lion - ~ $20,000-$40,000 trophy fees. ($35k-$60k safaris)

But, the devil is in the details. Of the above, elephant safaris are typically the more reasonable because you’re only hunting elephant, whereas with the others you’re likely adding baits and plains game to the endeavors that add up. Many people don’t spend a penny more hunting big-5 than others do on 10-animal 14 day plains game hunts. The little stuff adds up!

Thanks for that information, I appreciate it!

 

[Tanks]

@Arkansas_Traveler your list and preferences seem just fine. So you know, prices are highly variable but in general, not necessarily that expensive.

Elephant - ~ $12,000 trophy fees. ($20-$25k safaris)

...

One thing, if you go for tuskless elephant price can get even lower as trophy fees are in $4-5K range.

Here is a deal being advertised on this site.

Ultimate Adrenaline 2x1 Double Tuskless Elephant Hunt Reduced For 2021

Two hunters, Two Tuskless Elephant Hunt, One PH If you enjoy the thrill of being up close and personal with huge herds of Elephant, hunting Tuskless Elephant is the ultimate. Tuskless Elephant are dispersed throughout the Southern African Elephant populations at about 3% of the overall numbers...

www.africahunting.com

 

[gizmo]

Without a doubt lion. My lion hunt was absolutely incredible. I loved hunting buffalo and will most certainly do so again but I just didn’t get the adrenaline going like I did stalking a lion on foot. Lemme tell you they are a Hellava lot bigger than you think they are when you are a matter of feet away from them.
Elephant will most likely be my next, tuskless in Zim. I haven’t booked it yet but I am very much looking forward to a proper ele hunt with my double.