ARE IMPORTABLE TUSKLESS HUNTS AVAILABLE?

SETH RINGER · Mar 30, 2026

COULD USE SOME MORE BOOTS AND GUN-LEATHER. ARE ANY TUSKLESS HUNTS IMPORTABLE? PANELS, TRUNK, EARS. THINKING 2027. THANKS

grand veneur · Mar 30, 2026

In my opinion it depends on which country you shot the elephant. If tusks are exportable outside this country and importable in your country, then surely other parts of elephants, tusked or tuskless, are also exportable. Since everything is listed under CITES, you have perhaps the same procedure as with tusks. Maybe it is cheaper because it is not ivory, but I don't know that. Ultimately, it may also depend on what you have agreed with the outfitter and how far this is willing or allowed to do that. I have shot some elephants, all with tusks, exported tusks at times, as well as tails. A lot of paperwork is involved.

Wildwillalaska · Mar 30, 2026

Never researched to verify or understand why, but had heard tuskless from Zimbabwe were specifically all not exportable, while bulls can be.

Agree on wanting panels. The hide is something I’d enjoy and use more than anything else.

Russ16 · Mar 30, 2026

I may be wrong but this is what I’ve discerned.

Each country gets a quota of elephant from CITES that they can export. That quota gets used up on bull elephant. So while CITES doesn't specifically prohibit the export/import no country is going to divert the quota away from a more valuable trophy bull.

That may be wrong but it is what I pieced together in my discussions on the issue.

SETH RINGER · Mar 30, 2026

Russ16 said:
I may be wrong but this is what I’ve discerned.

Each country gets a quota of elephant from CITES that they can export. That quota gets used up on bull elephant. So while CITES doesn't specifically prohibit the export/import no country is going to divert the quota away from a more valuable trophy bull.

That may be wrong but it is what I pieced together in my discussions on the issue.

THANKS, THAT MAKES SENSE.

rookhawk · Mar 30, 2026

SETH RINGER said:
COULD USE SOME MORE BOOTS AND GUN-LEATHER. ARE ANY TUSKLESS HUNTS IMPORTABLE? PANELS, TRUNK, EARS. THINKING 2027. THANKS

As others mentioned, in Zim you cannot export a tuskless.

There are two legal definitions of elephants in Zim. Trophy and Non-Trophy. Trophy elephants are Bull elephants of trophy quality and can be CITES exported. Non-Trophy is every cow, calf, tuskless, and also bulls that do not have a CITES quota regardless of their size.

Bottom line, you're not getting any leather if you don't have exportable ivory.

This is in Zim, but I suspect this would be the same everywhere because all of this hinges on CITES trophy export rules which are quota based and reliant on international treaty definitions.

Keelebilly · Mar 30, 2026

If you have the leather made into a product in Africa, wound it then be possible to bring the finished goods back with you or have them shipped over?

rookhawk · Mar 30, 2026

Keelebilly said:
If you have the leather made into a product in Africa, wound it then be possible to bring the finished goods back with you or have them shipped over?

Nope. The finished goods are PART of your trophy elephant export.

grand veneur · Tuesday at 1:29 AM

Keelebilly said:
If you have the leather made into a product in Africa, wound it then be possible to bring the finished goods back with you or have them shipped over?

In my opinion and after I have often read various paragraph from CITES, as long as the country that manufactures such products and is allowed to export them, you are also allowed to import them in your country, but after obtaining an import permit from this. When it is not about acquiring elephant products for commercialization, a lot is possible. All this has nothing to do with trophy hunting; every tourist who bought such things in the past, did not need to kill an elephant for it. Whether such products, for which there is no market, will still be manufactured in series or by order nowadays, is another question.

To return to the topic of elephant hunting, the export quotas are for ivory. As for the other products, I am not so sure that such quotas exist, and therefore export and import of such products coming from a legally hunted elephant are also certainly possible. However, how willing both parties involved, meaning the exporter and the importer, are to deal with the great paperwork is another question.

Mbalabala Safaris · Tuesday at 6:24 AM

Hi Sir
Yes I can certainly offer you both tusked and tuskless elephant cows for 2027.
Tusked cows in the save valley conservancy and tuskless in the Zambezi valley.
Bothe prices around $14-15 k exportable. For a seven day hunt.

Please feel free to free email me or WhatsApp me.
Email -lindonstanton@yahoo.com
WhatsApp +263779913686

SETH RINGER said:
COULD USE SOME MORE BOOTS AND GUN-LEATHER. ARE ANY TUSKLESS HUNTS IMPORTABLE? PANELS, TRUNK, EARS. THINKING 2027. THANKS

Philip Glass · Tuesday at 6:26 AM

Russ16 said:
I may be wrong but this is what I’ve discerned.

Each country gets a quota of elephant from CITES that they can export. That quota gets used up on bull elephant. So while CITES doesn't specifically prohibit the export/import no country is going to divert the quota away from a more valuable trophy bull.

That may be wrong but it is what I pieced together in my discussions on the issue.

Rarely does a country approach its CITES quota. Zim is 500 per year.

Philip Glass · Tuesday at 6:29 AM

SETH RINGER said:
COULD USE SOME MORE BOOTS AND GUN-LEATHER. ARE ANY TUSKLESS HUNTS IMPORTABLE? PANELS, TRUNK, EARS. THINKING 2027. THANKS

It has always been that tuskless in Zimbabwe and own use elephant in Namibia are the cheapest elephant hunts available but neither are exportable. I don't know why. The best plan for you is to contact @DALTON & YORK SAFARIS and ask about one of their areas that has quota for smaller bull elephant and see what the cost will be. From what I remember they have some very good deals on exportable but fairly small bulls.

SETH RINGER · Tuesday at 7:22 AM

Mbalabala Safaris said:
Hi Sir
Yes I can certainly offer you both tusked and tuskless elephant cows for 2027.
Tusked cows in the save valley conservancy and tuskless in the Zambezi valley.
Bothe prices around $14-15 k exportable. For a seven day hunt.

Please feel free to free email me or WhatsApp me.
Email -lindonstanton@yahoo.com
WhatsApp +263779913686

THERE WE GO, THATS WHAT WE NEEDED TO HEAR. WILL REACH OUT. THANKS

rookhawk · Tuesday at 8:08 AM

grand veneur said:
In my opinion and after I have often read various paragraph from CITES, as long as the country that manufactures such products and is allowed to export them, you are also allowed to import them in your country, but after obtaining an import permit from this. When it is not about acquiring elephant products for commercialization, a lot is possible. All this has nothing to do with trophy hunting; every tourist who bought such things in the past, did not need to kill an elephant for it. Whether such products, for which there is no market, will still be manufactured in series or by order nowadays, is another question.

To return to the topic of elephant hunting, the export quotas are for ivory. As for the other products, I am not so sure that such quotas exist, and therefore export and import of such products coming from a legally hunted elephant are also certainly possible. However, how willing both parties involved, meaning the exporter and the importer, are to deal with the great paperwork is another question.

Ah, @grand veneur reminded me of the other end of the problem for Americans that doesn't apply to his situation.

For the Americans: You need a USFWS Endangered Species import license to bring anything back. So yes, you need a CITES EXPORTABLE animal, but you also need a USFWS IMPORTABLE animal. The USFWS permit is for TROPHY sport-hunted elephant or its products. You have to have killed the animal, the leather has to be from your animal, etc. So for the USA, if you can't bring in the ivory, you certainly can't bring in the leather.

Russ16 · Tuesday at 10:17 AM

rookhawk said:
Ah, @grand veneur reminded me of the other end of the problem for Americans that doesn't apply to his situation.

For the Americans: You need a USFWS Endangered Species import license to bring anything back. So yes, you need a CITES EXPORTABLE animal, but you also need a USFWS IMPORTABLE animal. The USFWS permit is for TROPHY sport-hunted elephant or its products. You have to have killed the animal, the leather has to be from your animal, etc. So for the USA, if you can't bring in the ivory, you certainly can't bring in the leather.

That's part of the conundrum in all of this. Trophy is in the eye of the beholder. I for one consider the hide of an animal that is converted into an heirloom quality gun case or other item to be just as much a trophy as the horns or ivory. I believe the hide of a lion is considered the trophy when made into a rug right?

Just pointing out the silliness of these arbitrary designations that do nothing to help the species.

rookhawk · Tuesday at 12:19 PM

Russ16 said:
That's part of the conundrum in all of this. Trophy is in the eye of the beholder. I for one consider the hide of an animal that is converted into an heirloom quality gun case or other item to be just as much a trophy as the horns or ivory. I believe the hide of a lion is considered the trophy when made into a rug right?

Just pointing out the silliness of these arbitrary designations that do nothing to help the species.

Correct. But the point being is that a wallet or gun case in leather is only a trophy if its attached to a trophy elephant (ivory) import permit from USFWS. Do you have to take the ivory? No, you can throw it away, but of course that would be silly since you're importing trophy elephant leather, goods, furniture, molars, ears, tail, and other goods anyway. And of course you did pay a large premium for an exportable/importable trophy bull hunt anyway, so you might as well exercise your privilege and import.

Moody808 · Tuesday at 2:57 PM

rookhawk said:
Correct. But the point being is that a wallet or gun case in leather is only a trophy if its attached to a trophy elephant (ivory) import permit from USFWS. Do you have to take the ivory? No, you can throw it away, but of course that would be silly since you're importing trophy elephant leather, goods, furniture, molars, ears, tail, and other goods anyway. And of course you did pay a large premium for an exportable/importable trophy bull hunt anyway, so you might as well exercise your privilege and import.

Does anyone happen to know what the situation is for Canada. My understanding is that ivory cannot be imported under any circumstances but would you be allowed to import the hide and skull an exportable trophy bull or is no part of the elephant permissible?

SETH RINGER · Tuesday at 3:01 PM

rookhawk said:
Correct. But the point being is that a wallet or gun case in leather is only a trophy if its attached to a trophy elephant (ivory) import permit from USFWS. Do you have to take the ivory? No, you can throw it away, but of course that would be silly since you're importing trophy elephant leather, goods, furniture, molars, ears, tail, and other goods anyway. And of course you did pay a large premium for an exportable/importable trophy bull hunt anyway, so you might as well exercise your privilege and import.

IS A TROPHY ELEPHANT STRICTLY A BULL? OR IS A COW WITH IVORY ALSO A TROPHY? I COULD USE SOME 1911 GRIPS!

Tokoloshe Safaris · Thursday at 12:40 AM

We can offer tuskless and trophy elephant

MarkB · Thursday at 9:43 AM

From my Zim ele some years ago I only had the tusks reproduced, but they did use his tanned hide as wraps, also have both his ear panels on wall as well as tail bracelets. Did get CITES export and import paperwork for those parts. This was when Canada was a real country back in 2010. Now I am not sure if parts are allowed, ivory is illegal now. Crazies are running this TDS country.

I would still like to do another ele hunt someday. What memories.

MB

ARE IMPORTABLE TUSKLESS HUNTS AVAILABLE?

SETH RINGER

grand veneur

Wildwillalaska

Russ16

SETH RINGER

rookhawk

Keelebilly

rookhawk

grand veneur

Mbalabala Safaris

Philip Glass

Philip Glass

SETH RINGER

rookhawk

Russ16

rookhawk

Moody808

SETH RINGER

Tokoloshe Safaris

MarkB

Members online

Forum statistics

Proudly sponsored by

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

Share this page