At What Point Are DG Hunts No Longer In Your Future?

When it comes to the point I can not walk and physically do the hunt or the game wins.
 
1. When my back won’t allow me to sit on a plane for 16 hours or ride in a cruiser over rough terrain (have bad degenerative arthritis, one surgery so far).
2. When I can’t carry my own rifle and keep up on foot.
3. When my concussed brain can’t take the recoil of a big bore rifle.
4. When I run out of money, which will happen.
5. When I can’t remember the first 4 reason or why I’m hunting in the first place, Alzheimers runs in my family.
 
I'm just turing 68, and am fortunate that I can still do everything I need to physically to hunt dangerous game. I'm hunting cape buffalo for the fourth time next August.

But after an experience with elephant a couple years ago that I shared with my wife, I will no longer hunt elephant. Nearly getting killed is not something my wife approves of after we had a very close call.

She has never experienced a buffalo charge, so she still approves of me hunting them. I hope to continue to hunt buffalo for some years. But I won't get "approval" for another elephant, and I'm OK with that. I have no interest in hunting lion or leopard, so they're not really a topic of discussion in our house. I will hunt crocodile in August, not traditionally considered "dangerous game", so I'm not sure if that counts for this discussion?

Harmony at home is more important to me than another adventure with elephant.

Who knows how long health and strength holds out. I work at staying in shape, and that's going well so far, but you have to play the cards you're dealt.
 
Oi! Dem's fightin' words I tells' yah! :V Sword Fight:
 
Rare Breed said:
Just curious on people’s experience. Personally I turned 67 Saturday am blessed to weigh what I did playing college football and am in great shape. While I exercise daily father time gets us all at some point. Would love to hear people’s experience or knowledge of some one who has been able to hunt DG at an advanced age. Here is a great example, My first elephant hunting 7 days walking a total of 107 miles was with ph Lou Hallamore who at the time was 81 and going strong!!! When do you ever know it’s over? I personally love DG hunting over all else. I know there will be a day when only PG will be in my future then none at all.
Click to expand...
My most recent buffalo hunt was in 2022. I was 68. I'm planning my next safari. I don't plan on stopping until I quit breathing and assume ambient temperature!
 
Probably when it becomes less enjoyable due to some unforeseeable reasons…
 
Rafiki said:
For me shooting Sporting Clays at least weekly helps with reaction time. I shoot true pairs at every station regardless of what is posted, with gun at port position. Most of the time I use a pump shotgun making it even more interesting.
Click to expand...
Agree, l shoot sporting clays and trap, couple times a month. Upland birds with a pointing dog will keep you pretty sharp also. But at age 69 my reaction time is not what it once was.
 
First DG hunt was in Moz in 23 (Buffalo, Hippo, Crock) heading back to Moz to C10 for Leopard and Buffalo in July. Turned 66 this year.......currently it's "Big 7 by 77".....but road miles do add........gotta have hernia repaired in couple weeks that was caused by some inappropriate heavy lifting (opted for fixing prior to hunt b/c the thot of having herniorrhaphy somewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa is unsettling). Alas, there are some things out of our control when it comes to aging and we all do so at different rates. The great thing is that often we can still engineer the circumstances to fit what capabilities are at our disposal. I want to finish my Big 7 in Wild Africa and will do so if physically and financially capable. Even if that becomes unattainable, I like the idea of "quitting" when I can't squeeze the trigger.........so I'll keep those adjusted light!!!!!! Kudos to you old guys, you're my heros!!!!!
 
Brian said:
I hunted 6 cape buffalo, walk and stalk, last year after I turned 80 and am booked for 6 more. I am getting a balance issue so I am doing balance exercises/drills now and they are helping.
Click to expand...

Excellent idea, everyone should do balance work regardless of age!
 
WAB, Thanks. Good to know. brian
 
  • Like
Reactions: WAB
I'm with a lot of the other folks my age who are responding; I shot my first cape buffalos with a handgun when I was late 60's, first elephant when I was 70 and have my next elephant hunt scheduled next year and I'll be 72. As long as my skills hold out, I'll be in the bush somewhere. When my hands can't perform anymore, I'll sit and have trophies to look at and remember. Hunt until you drop!
 
Dangerous Game is on my agenda until I leave for dangerous game safaris in the next world. Plains Game will be phased out before Dangerous Game. I might have to move from 600 grain pills in my .500 Schüler to 535 grains. We will see…….
 
Schüler Jumbo said:
Dangerous Game is on my agenda until I leave for dangerous game safaris in the next world. Plains Game will be phased out before Dangerous Game. I might have to move from 600 grain pills in my .500 Schüler to 535 grains. We will see…….
Click to expand...
As you likely know, one can shoot lighter loads, in the mighty .500 and still drop cape buffalo, dead right there.

This has been proven countless times with the CEB Raptor and Safari solid bullets. I shoot just a .410 grain Raptor and the terminal performance is outstanding.

Hit a cape buffalo in the engine room with a 450 grain CEB raptor and "it's all over but the shouting."
 
Hm- for me it‘s not just limited with DG. As beeing one of the few Continental Europeans on this pages, maybe my hunting spektrum is a bit different- maybe smaller. This I think is not a reducement of quality and oportunities of hunting. I‘m in the lucky situation that I can take my rifle , open the door and can go out hunting. Where I live, it‘s mountain area, so I think for beeing now at the begin of my 70ties , i’m quiet fit. Body, senses but also my soul- love and passion and respect for nature and it‘s inhabitants- from small to big. As long as this love and passion makes me happy beeing in nature, my heart starts beating faster when I see an old buck, try to aproach a Chamie ( Gams) steep up , listen to the deep roaring of stags in autumn, hearing driven wild boars aproaching in Hungarian forest, watching a bear in Carpatian mountains ( I was lucky to shoot one on driven hunt many years ago), I‘ll go hunting . Beeing able to carry my rifle, to place a safe and good shot, walk to the places where there is a chance on my Name own feet …as long this will be , I‘ll also hope to realize dreams of a hunter, traveling to Africa and to hunt also African DG- my passion is Buffalo. 2027 I‘ll be on my 3. Safari in Dande with CMS ( gives me the feeling taking a bit care of my money - compared to a Safari in Tanzania- - I have been there 15 years ago). So I hope for more years like this- wishing you all good times, moments of excitement, joy, beautiful impressions and allways a save return- enjoy
 
@ $130ish Grand for a rhino and 1st class flight (from your collective posts), I think there's much better utility to be had with that cash than a fantasy island vaca with a gun! LOL (I've given that much to the Dark Continent in ALL of my safaris-call it financing over the decades, but it had the same impact.) I LOVE Africa, but I love my grandchildren and future generations much more...As the great Khans were fond of saying (at a certain level/effort required to make that bounty), "Blood-Only!" If they wish to go to Africa with it, so be it as they'll have their own ducats to live off of thanks to my children.

Now, with more down-to-Earth deals....as long as I'm up to it and feel like it. I'll have so much more "work" to do when retired, so it'll be tertiary, but probably a welcome respite. You really never know...so it's probably not best to speculate IMO. Mom is still hiking the Himalayas at 85, but Dad checked out at 75 (due to the "Free" cigs in the military), so probably prior to that! Just go when you can and feel like it...Being buried next to Selous under that tamarind tree might be nice?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

... and 1033 more.
Total: 220,210 (members: 1,083, guests: 219,127)

Forum statistics

Threads
67,583
Messages
1,500,289
Members
146,700
Latest member
AdellHolbr
 

 

 

Proudly sponsored by

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

HENRY GRIFFITHS SAFARIS
HENRY GRIFFITHS SAFARIS
•••
idjeffp
idjeffp wrote on Fish2table's profile.
I will be looking for a set of these when my .505 is done... sadly not cashed up right now for these. :(
Need anything in trade?
Cheers,
Jeff P
•••
HENRY GRIFFITHS SAFARIS
HENRY GRIFFITHS SAFARIS
•••
HENRY GRIFFITHS SAFARIS
HENRY GRIFFITHS SAFARIS
.
•••
cwpayton
cwpayton wrote on Halligan1975's profile.
what kind of velocity does the 140 grains list, curious how they would fit in with my current 130 gr, supply of 270s. maybe a pic of the box data listing vel. and drop. Oh and complements on that ammo belt, nice.
•••

Share this page

 
Top