Estimate This Big Tusker

morioc

morioc

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It is time to leave France and my family... we start hunting 1st of july and the main goal for all the PH of the company ( Tanganiyka wildlife Safari ) is to find the old big tusker.
Picture of this Elephant was taken in October 2008 in Ligombe ( South of the Selous Game Reserve ) area and I think he is still somewhere there.

It is always difficult to appreciate accurately such a monster, of course when you see him you know it is your time to shoot and you measure afterward.
Give me your estimate on this big tusker (weight and / or length)? I'll let you know what my estimate is in a few days...
Cheers
Christophe

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Good luck in pursuit of the wise-old-bull... share the photos when you get him. The size estimate is mind-blowing and i hope he is taken with dignity rather than falling to poachers or old age. Have a good season bwana. Cheers,
 
Christophe,
Thank you for sharing with us this picture of such an amazing old bull Elephant. It must have truly been a special moment just having a chance to view such magnificence in person. You have some incredible pictures (anyone who hasn't checked out Christophe's photo gallery is really missing out). I can't give an estimate on the size as Christophe has already shared his estimate with me... but I look forward to hearing what you guys think.
 
246lbs. and 8 0z.

I have absolutly know idea. I just know he is more than double the size i see most folks shoot.
 
Alright I'll bite!

I have absolutely no reference for this outside of a couple page worn African novels. Here goes my best guess "110 pounds on the right, 100 on the left".

I'm assuming we are guessing weight not measurements, I'll let that suffice for a average of the two sides. Incidentally, what a beauty! I never imagined there was ivory of this quality still roaming around out there. Unbeleivable.
 
First off you must understand I am not an elephant hunter. However, I have seen this picture before, and on the thread where I saw it most thought it was a "ONE TUSKER", and that is my opinion as well.

IMO this is not a 100 pounder, and my guess would be closer to 80lbs to 90 lbs. The tusk is very long, but is also very thin, and if it happened to have a very long nerve as well it might even go less that 80 lbs. The opinion that it is a one tusker lends credibility to the long nerve theory, makeing the tusk easier to break off at the opening of the tusk well.

The above is only one man's opinion, and worth exactly what you paid for it!:lookaround:
 
Is it true a client refused to shoot this elephant last year?

My guess is 82 pounds on the near side.
 
I also heard that rumor and am wondering why the client was not punished :) How can a hunter pass-up such a great trophy? Am guessing 91 lbs (right tusk) - 2.7m (lenght). It would be nice to find the broken tusk too... it's a dream elephant, so why not dream on...
 
..I myself have never hunted elephants.. That tusk looks longer than any I have ever seen but also very skinny!! I would guess about 90 lbs. I can't believe any one passed that up even if it only had one tusk - that would make a magnificent trophy!!! I didn't think there were elephants left like that with all the poaching etc. around the world!!
 
Calhoun said:
..I myself have never hunted elephants.. That tusk looks longer than any I have ever seen but also very skinny!! I would guess about 90 lbs. I can't believe any one passed that up even if it only had one tusk - that would make a magnificent trophy!!! I didn't think there were elephants left like that with all the poaching etc. around the world!!
Click to expand...

There are many long tusked elephant left around, but they are in the parks where there are few trees other than Mimosa, and Rain Trees, an mostly grassland. The tusks never get enough stress to cause them to become large in diameter, but grow longer and thinner.

In areas where you have Miombo, and mopani forests, the tusks are stressed from the time they exit the sheath till they are broken off or the ele is killed. The nerves are usually shorter in the heavy woods ele, because of the stress on that tusk while it grows. Poaching is far more prevalent in the hunting areas than in the grassland parks, where known long tusked elephant are known to rangers, and are watched very closely.

The ele pictured here was turned down, because it was a one tusk ele, and few people are going to spend upwards of $80 grand for a 21 day TROPHY bull elephant safari, with a trophy fee in the $10K-$15K trophy fee, and shoot a bull with one tusk. :smoking:
 
Well it is a big price tag no matter how you look at it, but when is someone ever going to have a chance at an elephant this grand, even if its just one tusk. The beauty of this bull is not just the tusk extremity but the age as well. You can see clearly that the animal is deteriorating from the showing bone structure and hollow skull dimensions. Wanting two tusks of that quality is being very picky in my opinion. This elephant could well be spotted again with the second tusk broken off too!!! That would be a real bummer :( Anyway, back to the estimates - it is hard to judge mainly because there is little to indicate the body size on this bull. Being an october photo, the vegetation is not the best factor to judge by. Whatever the size - this is a dream elephant and am hoping he has migrated north-west of the Selous in acceptance to my invitation with refuge, water and vegetation all on the house :) Humping Rabbits on the prowl...
 
I agree with Ryan, if I was elephant hunting....I would have shot it. It's old, has one great tusk, we all dream about. SHOOT! SHOOT! You can go elephant hunting in Zimbabwe, for a whole lot less and get 2 tusk elephant, if that is so important. But the chance of running into something that long and not in a game park...forget about it. Now if price was a issue...I respect the person's decision to pass...because if you don't have the money...you don't have it. My guess is it's in the 90 pound range. Could be in the eighty some, could be in the low nineties. I have seen elephants mostly in book, videos and dreams :).
 
despite having one beautiful long trophy tusk , this bull has character and grit that surpases any bull with 60 to 70 lbs tusks . he has probably seen wars & revolutions , and most likely several government changes , has survived the poachers greed and walked hundreds of thousands of kilometers , not to mention the strong chance of having bullets and scars in or on his ancient frame .
he is probably well into if not finishing his 6th set of molars , and quite rightly is deteriorating fast . he may or may not make another two years .
he is in my humble opinion , a great old bull that deserves a noble death at the trigger finger of a hunter that knows , collects and seeks these very special rare characters of just such a walking legend .
again , in my humble judgement , i'd estimate his one remaining trophy at around 110 to 114 lbs . a great great trophy bull by any standards .
nice photo , well done .
 
Sorry for the late reply, I was busy hunting roe deer before I leave for Tanzania next Friday. For sure it is a dream ELEPHANT, and I hope he is still alive and one of our hunter will get him. I think his right tusk is 90 to 95 pounds (41 to 43 kg) and 2,60m (8 and 1/2 feet), left tusk broken and he is about 50 years old. If we get him I will let you know the details of that old man.

All the best and good hunting
 
Christophe,
did you guys manage to get the elephant this season? Any other photos of great tuskers?
Cheers,
 
Shallom said:
Christophe,
did you guys manage to get the elephant this season? Any other photos of great tuskers?
Cheers,
Click to expand...

Hi Shallom,
How was your hunting season?
We have not seen the old man this year !!! some people said, they saw him in mozambic !!! why not..
We got 2 big tuskers, one is 87 lbs one is 84 lbs.I don't have the pictures.
cheers
 
Thanks for the feedback bwana... Pity, but i hope he makes his way back to our territory for next season at least :) That is great that you guys bagged some good old tuskers. A big congrats on that. Will be great to get a glimpse of them when possible.

Had a very tough season administratively and logistically, but got in a few great hunts. Just a handful of clients, but the success was outstanding. Will be posting some photos in the near future. Take care and best regards,
 
Add a couple of curves to the tusk and bit of fur, and you'd have a friggin' mastodon ! What a beautiful old bull. If he could talk, he'd have tales to tell......

My guess is 99 pounds.
 
Any luck this season on this grand ele?
 
I can imagine that some hunters just watch such an old, big tusker with respect and don't shoot it. There are a lot of big tuskers (but not that big) around to hunt...
 
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