Father - Son Elephant Hunt Zimbabwe

Shakey

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US, Canada, RSA (Limpopo, Eastern Cape), Zimbabwe (Omay North X 2, Dande Safari Area, Dande East), Botswana
Certainly not an ideal situation, but we made it work – relatively thick and what the video doesn’t show is a cow just behind the tree facing us, another cow at the bull’s rear facing the other way, and the wind coming from behind him. Not much chance of getting closer undetected. We agreed to a shoulder shot, with some collaboration from Dad and Rich. After the dust settled and the recovery commenced, we found Hunter’s bullet, most likely from his original shot, passed thru the heart and lodged just under the skin on the other side. After the bull turned around, his two shots into the opposite side double-lunged the elephant.

Certainly a lot of shots fired, but in the end the bull never made it more than 2 body lengths. Much better than a single shot and a long tracking job …. The Dagga Boy 2014 crew started the next day, and they were after tuskless elephants as well. Rich told them we knew where one once was, but she was probably still running ….

 
Well done. Shoot till he is down. Looked like a good bull.
 
"Much better than a single shot and a long tracking job …."
Can not agree with you more.

Well, maybe you could have let him run into a more open spot to facilitate processing. :)
 
lotsa lead flying around but as your said, its a great deal better then tracking a wounded animal.

nice looking bull!

-matt
 
As has been said, shoot till he's down.

Congratulations to your son.

All the best.
 
Folks that was indeed a lot of shooting. That big guy wasn't going anywhere! Great hunt video!
 
Lots of shots, yes....but better make sure !
 
I wonder how much impact the brush had on shot placement and penetration (keyholes)?

Just from the perspective of the camera there appeared to be some pretty heavy brush between the hunters and the ele?

Any evidence of keyholes in the hide?
 
Surprising how small "twigs" can eat 450 and 500 grain bullets - even at "close" range. Of the first 4 ( 2 from a 450, 2 from a 470), only 2 really found the intended mark. Didn't see evidence of "keyholes", but did see evidence of bullets hitting significantly off course. Didn't study it closely (bull went down, and it was obvious one of Hunter's first bullets passed thru the heart), but I did back-track the shots and found some branches clipped off ....
 
Bad things can happen on the way to the game. It does not take much to throw any bullet off course enough to change the game considerably.

I have done some non-scientific shooting at targets through brush and it is scary how easy it is to have a bullet thrown feet off course when the target is just 10-20 feet behind the brush.
 
Hello Shakey,

would you show us a few pics of your Double Rifle and would you tell us a little bit about .
Greetings from Europe
Foxi
 
Hello Shakey,

would you show us a few pics of your Double Rifle and would you tell us a little bit about .
Greetings from Europe
Foxi

No problem - few photos below I hope. Both are Heym, and I found both used.

Hunter's 450 started out as a fairly old .458 win mag (basic wood, light floral engraving, gold band at the base of the barrels, ejector on-off switch). Found it on the internet for what I considered a good price, then sent it to J.J. Perodeau at Champlins in OK. J.J. rechambered it to a 450 3-1/4" NE, worked me up a load using 450 grain North Fork bullets at 2,100 fps, and re-regulated the rifle for this load. He also added a mercury tube to the stock, replaced the front site with one that has a pop-up ivory site, and added a spacer and new recoil pad to increase the LOP to 15-1/8". Nyati Ammo (Ed) loads some 300 grain Barnes TSX at slightly less than 2,000 fps that Hunter practices and hunts whitetail with. With the 450 grain NFs coupled with a heavy rifle, recoil tube and added LOP - it kicks about like a well-fitted 450/400. With the 300 grain and lower velocity, it's like a .30-06. Hunter seems to handle it well, and now he's truly bonded with it!

I shoot left handed, and a forum member on here posted a left-handed Heym 88 B PH for sale. He lives not far away, and we agreed to a what I considered a resonable price. I added a longer recoil pad for a 15" LOP, along with a mercury recoil tube in the stock and a Docter red dot site on the rib. The rifle now fits me very well, and it shoots incredible composite groups with Federal factory loaded Woodleigh Hydrostatically Stabilized Solids. Very plain rifle with worn barrel bluing from handling and tarnish on the coin finished receiver, but I feel very secure when it's in my hands. It's taken an elephant last year, and backed up both my sons (lion, buff, elephant).

Day 05 02 Ele.JPG
Heym 450 NE 03.JPG
IMG_6823.JPG
Day 05 08 Ele.JPG
 
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