What to do with a giraffe

[Foxi]

I don't think this is the forum to start bashing anyone's choice of what legal animal they wish to hunt!

bashing has never been intended.
I'm sorry if that's how it was understood.
For god's creation, a giraffe is not more worth as a mouse.
And the Africans don't understand anyway why the Europeans hardly shoot a giraffe.
For many people it is simply not hunting game and the thought of how to accommodate this animal as a piece of furniture is completely foreign to me in connection with a hunting trip
It is like fishing.
I would never fish for dolphins.
Trout always.
No offence.
Foxi

 

[WebleyGreene455]

The bone is highly prized for knife handles.

Gun grips and a host of other uses, too. I've been wanting some engraved with Egyptian symbols for my Remington 1858 replica, and for a Remington 1875 as well.

 

[WebleyGreene455]

You don't eat it. It's the only game animal I've ever tasted that I would not enjoy again. It has a musk and is tougher than tough...just ridiculously tough. Keep in mind, I eat everything and anything but this one I cried "uncle".

If the meat's not so good for human consumption (assuming the majority of people don't like the taste/toughness and it's just not palatable in general), could it be turned into feed for zoos etc? I mean, they gotta feed the lions something, right?

 

[IvW]

I'll tell you what you don't do with a Giraffe:

You don't eat it. It's the only game animal I've ever tasted that I would not enjoy again. It has a musk and is tougher than tough...just ridiculously tough. Keep in mind, I eat everything and anything but this one I cried "uncle".

Regarding hunting giraffes:

It's a very odd and annoying hunt compared to all the other beasts of Africa. A few reasons:

1.) It's vitals aren't all that big so you want to get fairly close for the shot because it needs to be dispatched swiftly. Usually, they will bump, bump, bump keeping you at distance.

2.) For every 100 shots you could take you may only have 1 shot you want to take. Just because you can kill a giraffe doesn't mean you can RETRIEVE a giraffe. You're evaluating not just the shot, but how far it will run after a perfect shot and where it will collapse. Can you get a truck there? You're considering a lot of strange factors in your mind as is the PH other than normal hunting considerations. It's a logistics operation of epic proportions.

3.) Then are you ready for the commitment for what you'll do with it once harvested? It can't go to waste. Do you have 6 hours to dedicate to processing and loading it in multiple trips back to camp and get it distributed to the local villages? When you harvest a giraffe, the hunting day is over. That meat must be brought to the villages and it takes about 4-5 trips with a cruiser to retrieve all of the meat. The hide alone is many hundreds of pounds and fills a cruiser in itself.

It's a curious game animal and it provides its own challenges, for certain. Also, leave no doubt that it is a game animal. It's closest living relatives include the Okapi and the North American Pronghorn Antelope.

Excellent reply.....

 

[Lance Hopper]

The coolest thing I have seen in a trophy room book was the body skin was made into a rug for the dining room. It was big enough for at least a 12 place table and all the chairs to be completely contained on the rug. Good luck on your hunt.

 

[samu]

Am I the only one bothered by nobody even suggesting to build a house with high ceiling in living room and full taxidermy of a giraffe peeking into second floor bathroom that needs a window for that exact purpose.

 

[WebleyGreene455]

Am I the only one bothered by nobody even suggesting to build a house with high ceiling in living room and full taxidermy of a giraffe peeking into second floor bathroom that needs a window for that exact purpose.

I have enough trouble with cats wanting to stare judgmentally whilst I'm doing my business. I don't think a giraffe would improve matters...

 

[rookhawk]

If the meat's not so good for human consumption (assuming the majority of people don't like the taste/toughness and it's just not palatable in general), could it be turned into feed for zoos etc? I mean, they gotta feed the lions something, right?

Just because we won't eat it doesn't mean that 100% of the food isn't consumed by starving humans. I assure you there is nothing left but moist grass when that animal is retrieved. It's just as someone blessed to have full nutrition and to have access to every kind of meat protein in the world, I wouldn't go out and seek to eat giraffe again because it is the toughest chewing meat I've ever experienced, even after chemical tenderizers and mechanical tenderizing. (and has a bit of a musk which is weird but not bad)

Make no mistake about it, in Africa NOTHING goes to waste. I've watched villagers physically fight over an animal rectum because they were so desperate for meat protein. This is the third world. People are starving. IQs are lower due to the absence of basic protein in some of the villages. That giraffe is the greatest gift that village will receive all year and quite possibly the ONLY meat they will receive all year. Thank goodness it isn't as choice as buffalo or eland for if it were, the professionals and staff would take it all leaving nothing for the less fortunate.

 

[rookhawk]

Am I the only one bothered by nobody even suggesting to build a house with high ceiling in living room and full taxidermy of a giraffe peeking into second floor bathroom that needs a window for that exact purpose.

Brilliant idea. Surely @samu isn't married. (but you're the coolest bachelor I know)

 

[WebleyGreene455]

Just because we won't eat it doesn't mean that 100% of the food isn't consumed by starving humans. I assure you there is nothing left but moist grass when that animal is retrieved. It's just as someone blessed to have full nutrition and to have access to every kind of meat protein in the world, I wouldn't go out and seek to eat giraffe again because it is the toughest chewing meat I've ever experienced, even after chemical tenderizers and mechanical tenderizing. (and has a bit of a musk which is weird but not bad)

Make no mistake about it, in Africa NOTHING goes to waste. I've watched villagers physically fight over an animal rectum because they were so desperate for meat protein. This is the third world. People are starving. IQs are lower due to the absence of basic protein in some of the villages. That giraffe is the greatest gift that village will receive all year and quite possibly the ONLY meat they will receive all year. Thank goodness it isn't as choice as buffalo or eland for if it were, the professionals and staff would take it all leaving nothing for the less fortunate.

Understood. But if giraffe (or any other animal, for that matter) was otherwise 100%-totally-unusable-for-food (like if the meat contained some natural poison or disease), what happens to the meat? Sold as feed for zoos etc? Used to bait animal traps (for vermin or dangerous animals, I mean)?

 

[rookhawk]

Understood. But if giraffe (or any other animal, for that matter) was otherwise 100%-totally-unusable-for-food (like if the meat contained some natural poison or disease), what happens to the meat? Sold as feed for zoos etc? Used to bait animal traps (for vermin or dangerous animals, I mean)?

I'm not aware of any such animal in Africa that is unusable in some capacity. Perhaps hyena, not because it isn't edible protein but because in much of their huntable range they are perceived as a religious omen, the animal form of a warlock. Black magic is a serious belief system and they won't eat something they truly believe is an animal form of a human witch/warlock.

There are other animals that represent totems to certain tribes. I've had several of the scouts and trackers refuse to eat Zebra because that's their totem. (spirit animal) They were also well fed folks earning a living wage so they had the luxury of dietary restrictions. Did they let it rot? Absolutely not, they dried it and brought it back to their village to barter it with members of the community that would eat it.

I would suppose that if something was truly inedible they would use it for fertilizer or to feed to farm animals but I've yet to find a protein that isn't so precious to the lives of thousands that they wouldn't consume it. They eat every part of a creature. Rectum. Small and large intestine. Bones. Eyes. Brain. Fat. Cull fat. Organs. Tongue. Tripe. When people are starving and dying due to malnutrition no one is thinking "I'll save that for the family dog", they are thinking that someone might die or a child might have permanent cognitive damage if they do not eat meat protein.

Killing a giraffe that is in ample supply or overpopulation in a given area is a noble thing to do. It provides so much food for so many. The only thing that would be morally superior would be to kill a crop raiding elephant in any area of overpopulation because it has three benefits: 1.) Large trophy fees to the local community, 2.) Huge amount of meat protein for the locals, 3.) Has protected their crops from further damage, reducing dependency on international food aid.

 

[Bsto270]

I once saw a cool display made up of the skull and first few vertebrae of a giraffe like the ultimate euro mount.

 

[375Fox]

I know this isn’t purpose of thread, but I thought I would post this because of some of the negative comments about hunting giraffe. I took this bull last year in Namibia. I was impressed by the hunt. We looked over a lot of bulls, I wanted an old beat up bull by himself. This bull has lost a lot of mass on his neck compared to some of the prime bulls and had a lot of scars, but I think he was proper one to take. We stalked to around 60 yards, I asked my PH to back me up to ensure he dropped close to road. He dropped within 25 yards of first shot. We had a team come to skin and quarter up the giraffe quickly before the afternoon heat in October came. All the meat went to a designated project sponsored by the park, trophy went to me, trophy fee paid, trophy hunting/conservation the way it’s supposed to work. Will probably be my only giraffe, but I would much rather see an old bull harvested and go to use, rather than just die and benefit no one.

 

[Ridge Runner]

What to do with a giraffe..................
let live, how about that ?

Foxi, I have read some of your threads, so on this subject and by your comment on this post, I have to ask:

Are you a troll for the anti's?

We, as those of us who like to hunt, hunters: who provide jobs, supplement economies, promote and encourage animal and habitat conservation, provide for anti poaching personnel, equipment, and supplies, should a hunter wish to participate in such a hunt of their choosing, as fellow hunters it is our choice to offer constructive support and offer suggestions to answer other hunters questions.

I for one see your comment as being least of all irrelevant and misguided, with malice toward an AH member who is considering a hunt, and asking for suggestions on how to have his trophy mounted to best fit in his limited living space.

 

[Dewald]

I’ve shot plenty of giraffe, myself or with clients. We have reached a pount in SA where thousands of them a year reach old age, and have no apex predator, ie lion, on the property, and need to be culled or go to waste. The hunt can be a real challenge, or a walk in the park, depending on many circumstances. If anything the hunt is a great opportunity to test a DG rifle and bullets.

Regarding trophies or souvenirs, there are plenty options:

A bleached scull can be displayed as a wall mount or free standing on the floor and does not take a lot of space.

The horns make great great knife handles, as do the leg bones.

Carved or scrimshaw leg bones can be displayed in a trophy room or man cave.

A tanned shin can cover an entire room, but a round or square block can be cut from the skin to place under a coffee table.

Legs with skin and hooves on can be used for table or barstool legs.

Gunslips, briefcases, and anything you can think of can be made from the leather or tanned hide.

Obviously they can be mounted- from full mounts to only high neck or head mounts.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Like @Foxi , I don't consider the giraffe to be game ...

There are several animals on this planet I probably would not hunt. But that doesn't mean I would begrudge anyone else from hunting them. Simply because one day I may want to or find reason to hunt them.

 

[CBH Australia]

If it’s it’s legal and it’s supporting the industry and locals then do what you like.
I don’t have room for one but I hope you settle on something suitable

 

[R.M.C.]

If you don't have room for a giraffe you gotta knock out a ceiling or two and make it a cathedral ceiling. Problem solved lol . Seriously though, good luck on your hunt and don't forget to post pictures!
I too am surprised about the negative comments !!! I wouldn't spend two seconds worrying about the negative nancys. If you wanna shoot something that's legal, good for you!!! Why not two giraffes? Lol

 

[Randy F]

Me daydreaming of a how I would make room for my future giraffe mount...

 

[R.M.C.]

Hell yeah Randy lol