Why you dont want to hunt elephant..?

375Fox said:

If you ever do hunt LDE I think you’ll rethink that decision after about a week. It’s the most difficult hunt I’ve done. Any mature old bull is a great trophy. There are a few very good areas but they really come at a premium. I think the opportunity to hunt elephant will exist a lot longer than the opportunity to hunt LDE. Lord derby eland is the pinnacle of African hunting to me, but I think the window is closing fast.

Click to expand...

Most might rethink things in a moment of weakness, but I'm as hardheaded as they come. Besides that, after 24 years in the Army doing 25 mile marches with heavy packs and a 27lb M240B machine gun, a walk in the woods with a 9.5 pound rifle would be a joy.

I think with Elephant and LDE, size is a relative thing.

skydiver386 said:

Most might rethink things in a moment of weakness, but I'm as hardheaded as they come. Besides that, after 24 years in the Army doing 25 mile marches with heavy packs and a 27lb M240B machine gun, a walk in the woods with a 9.5 pound rifle would be a joy.

I think with Elephant and LDE, size is a relative thing.

Click to expand...

I saw 2 mature bulls in 12 days. Unless you pay for a premium area and hit it at right time it’s a mistake to pass a good mature bull. You’ll also find hunters who had their hunts cut short and had to evacuate or change camps due to poaching activity in area. Many hunters will have their hunt cut short by CamAir not flying on schedule. It’s not just the days of tracking. Elephant hunting has a few less variables.

cwpayton said:

I was in a invitation only sniper style shoot 3 yrs ago ,and was paired up with a seal vet. Trying to strike up a conversation ,I said something about hunting , he turn to me and chillingly said Id rather kill people than animals ,It took me by surprise ,and I said I get it and dropped the subject. Different strokes for different folks.

Click to expand...

I can maybe almost agree. We need to kill elephants because of the destruction their overpopulation can cause the environment. Then look at what human overpopulation is doing to the world. Seems kinda hypocritical don't you think?

Russ16 said:

I should say some of the more affordable hunts I really feel I need more information. I've seen hunts that are just for crop raiders or at night. I'm sure those are exciting and fun, but not what I'm looking for in an elephant hunt. I care more about the hunt than the tusk size. I want a good hard tracking hunt.

Click to expand...

The crop raiders hunt can make for a long day tracking, they know what they’re doing and after eating their fill will put as many miles as they can away from that village.

I grew up reading Bell and Taylor, just marveling at how they described their Ivory hunting. I know that they were not hunting for trophy's, but for their livelyhood in a far different world than today.

That said I doubt very much I will ever hunt an elephant unless there is a rogue circus runaway in Hertford North Carolina. I would very much like to take an elephant but the cost is totally outside what I could possibly swing without a massive lottery win

Hunting an elephant is something I have not done yet but it has been on my to do list since I was old enough to carry a BB gun. As I reach retirement age and have more disposable income, provided I remain strong and healthy and the good lord willing I will be hunting elephant in the near future.

I believe it is the way an elephant carries their body that causes people to question their decision to hunt them. I believe when elephants are observed lounging in the shade or cows and calves are observed interacting in family groups that it pulls on a man’s heart - and that is a good thing. I respect any man that says he cannot hunt an elephant. But the desire to hunt elephant and Cape buffalo are two things that give me the drive to get out of bed every day.

The training and planning continues…Upcoming hunts for me:

Blue sheep - Nepal - October 2026,
Tuskless cow elephant - Zimbabwe - 2027,
Lord Derby Eland - Cameroon - early 2028,
and hopefully some premium Western US draw tags??

Good luck to all and we’ll see many of you soon at the AH party in Nashville during the SCI Convention. Until then, happy hunting and planning, TheGrayRider a.k.a Tom.

Elephant is the pinnacle. A big bull with big ivory is the peak.

I dreamed of elephant for years. Finally got my chance and it was a hell of a hunt. 120+ miles walked in 15 days. Mock charged to single digit yards. Ran from cows on two occasions. Tried to find a bull that we tracked that mixed with a cow herd. Surrounded by cows and calves on three sides at 20 yards in thick bush. It was an incredible rush and an overall incredible experience.

Saw a mamba, puff adder and a banded cobra. Had another puff adder hissing at us in a bush but couldn’t see him.

I would love to go back but will probably never be able to do what I want, which is track and find a bull over 70 lbs. mine was 66x61. too expensive for the good areas in Botswana and Namibia.

My hunt was in 2023 and I still think about it every day.

I wanted a true tracking hunt. And I got it. And a great bull to boot.

Interesting thread. Love all opinions.

For those that think it is out of reach financially, or otherwise, it is a good idea to think it through now. I had vague dreams of possibly hunting elephant later in life, maybe after some of the other big five. Then in 2025, days before I was to leave for a PG hunt in Namibia the outfitter contacted me with an opportunity to hunt down a bull that almost killed two people. I posted the story on AH.


I obviously took the opportunity and would like to hunt more ele but for me financially it may be a challenge. I am extra glad I took the opportunity. I will say that at 40 yards trying to kill a huge animal that can kill you, it was a unique thing in many ways. I did not sleep a wink the night before just going over how things would go down with this rented rifle, etc... I also drank way into the night the night after the hunt in celebration. What a surprise.

I am in the camp of dont knock it until you tried it, and try everything, if you can. Finances seems to be the most common thread here that is prohibitive.

In response to some of the comments throughout this long thread, I will address briefly:
- The ele backstrap tasted excellent after some marinating;
- All the meat went to villagers;
- It was a 45 pounder, exportable;
- In my 3 safaris in Africa I have yet to have a shot on a warthog. It is a running joke that my hunting partner and I cannot get the "elusive warthog". We will keep trying.
- I have seen and touched replica tusks and I think they are a great option to fill the gap for non-exportable;
- Leopard hunting in a blind, night after endless night seems like a super boring set up to me, but I will likely try it one day. I have sat for black bear for hours on end but that is nothing like night long sits in Africa. To each his own.

Great thread. Cheers

This has been the best thread, hearing how people feel about a topic rather than just their opinions and experiences. I knew that one day I would have to make full confession on this site; this is the day. I do not hunt at all. The hunt bug stopped biting me at 13 as life circumstances and other priorities took hold. This is why the majority of my posts are about guns, ammo, cartridges, and loads. I've read all the famous hunting books, subscribed to the hunting magazines and even daydreamed about hunting- all in the past. I joined the thread to participate and learn more about the big bore rifles I wanted to buy for my collection. Don't have any desire to go to Africa, but I enjoy reading about the exploits of others and watching (some of) the videos that are out there.

BUT IF I DID, especially elephant, and also hippo, rhino and giraffe hunting would not interest me. One reason is every other African game animal has a North American game analog (deer, cats, dogs, buffalo, cows, goats, sheep, pigs, gators, etc.) that makes them seem more reasonable to hunt; these four have no analog, so it's harder for me to accept them as game. There's something different about the aforementioned four that elevate them above the realm of game animal to me. And I think it's just that- that they are different; maybe it's their sheer size that stymies me. However, I do accept that these animals need to be managed and I appreciate there are those who have the desire and are able to pursue them for sport and/or management.

Now if a 50-inch sable antelope was tearing up the chain link fence in my backyard, I might instantly turn into a hunter again.

Ontario Hunter said:

I can maybe almost agree. We need to kill elephants because of the destruction their overpopulation can cause the environment. Then look at what human overpopulation is doing to the world. Seems kinda hypocritical don't you think?

Click to expand...

Abortion and covid takes away too many whats left wars finish off.

I never thought I would desire to hunt Elephant, until my first safari in Mozambique. We had a very large very mature cow charge us out of nowhere while chasing buffalo on an island in the Zambezi. We had seen multiple elephants already and had mock charges, but this wasn't mock and she died after a frontal brain shot from our PH. She fell 30' from my wife and you could feel the earth shake. We lit a shuck for the boat afterward b/c the rest of the 40+ elephants on the island were disturbed and eventually PISSED when they found her. Our PH said was only the second time in 30 yrs he had to do that to protect a client. Despite the danger it was quite the adrenalin rush and I can understand why taking such a beast at short range after tracking etc would be exhilarating! My best friend and 35 year hunting buddy killed a lion last summer with a bow in the Kalahari. They videoed whole deal. I suspect that lion was farm raised in SAfr and had only been on that concession for 30 days or less. It remains, that lion may have had less fear of humans than a lion in wild Africa so I won't judge....facing him down from 35 yds and putting several arrows in him over the next hour was a test indeed...........but I have no desire to take a lion (or Rhino) under those circumstances. I'd like to kill one however in wild Africa. After watching his videos and discussing my buddy's thoughts and emotions using the bow (I'll use a rifle even tho I am a dedicated bow hunter) I want to experience that. These are deeply personal decisions in my opinion. From a conservation approach, someone needs to kill elephants in many parts of Africa and desperately so, it's very obvious. So I'm your huckleberry! And I hope to get my lion also!! Next hunt tho is July to the Zambezi Delta for Leopard and Buffalo so I'll have to hope the market continues to surge and maybe I can find something else I own that I can sell so I can afford to go back......again, and again, and again.

Hunt anything said:

The crop raiders hunt can make for a long day tracking, they know what they’re doing and after eating their fill will put as many miles as they can away from that village.

Click to expand...

I see that but it isn’t what most of the crop raider hunts I’ve heard about have been. I’m using that as a generic term for what I’ve heard about.

This elephant deserves to be hunted https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nat...-13-in-two-days-in-jharkhand-villages-1929014

I'll hunt elephant once I get a much older and a bit fatter and Kankles prevent me from hunting sheep and goats.

Elephant hunting has changed much since the heydays of the abundant herds. Unfortunately now we have reached the point where mankind has encroached to the extent that the herds are now forced into smaller and smaller areas. They too are trying to survive but where do they go? It is therefore inevitable that population management needs to be done and I don’t see us humans slowing down anytime soon especially in Africa. We are left with no choice but to crop the herds in order to keep the ecosystem in balance. We all witnessed the Madikwe fiasco last year whereby a relatively small game reserve failed to keep the population in balance with the result that many elephants died of hunger.
Elephant hunting has therefore become more of a management tool rather than for the commercial value of the ivory as was the case in the halcyon days of Africa hunting. It is essential to the conservation of elephant areas and value add to needy communities.
It nonetheless remains the pinnacle of African Safaris and is highly addictive and I will continue to do my part for conservation!

Money is the ONLY limiting factor.

Aiden204 said:

My Wife said it best when we watched an Elephant hunt video on youtube.

"they drove around until they found one, walked up to it, it looked at them & decided to let them be. 10 seconds later that guy shot it point blank in the face. some hunt. "

Click to expand...

And how many plains game hunts are like that?

Very few of us pass on trophy’s because it was to close to us when we got out to look at it…

Ontario Hunter said:

I can maybe almost agree. We need to kill elephants because of the destruction their overpopulation can cause the environment. Then look at what human overpopulation is doing to the world. Seems kinda hypocritical don't you think?

Click to expand...

No. Humans have the capability, through technology, ingenuity, etc to solve such problems, animals do not. Whether we actually do it is irrelevant, we have the capability. There is no hypocrisy in that. The hypocrisy is saying humans are a scourge on the earth and humanity needs to be reduced but not volunteering to start the process with yourself.

steve white said:

Money is the ONLY limiting factor.

Click to expand...

Actually that and your health. The key question for elephant is can you walk 10-20 miles per day for 14 days. Elephant are truly killed with your feet. You would be surprised how few people can do that in 90% F. It takes it out of you which is why people who say they will put off to later in life wonder why it does not work simply because they did not physically train for it. Of my Big 5 without question the elephant was the most difficult given their stride is longer than any other DG animal and they can easily move 20 miles in a day. No other DG will you find do this. The shot is anticlimactic and close. Finding and getting close to him after 20 mile days is the challenge. just my experience