Hippo hunt: why?

[MarkB]

Because I want too. Buddy hunted a couple at first light on land on/in the "hippo" trails. Said it was scary exhilarating, now I want one. No room for mount, skull or other but a large piece of tanned hide surrounding a pic with ivories would find a great display place.

MB

 

[mark-hunter]

For me African hunting safari is primarily experience.
To experience Africa there are:

Rain forests,
Swamps,
Rivers and lakes,
River Deltas and estuaries,
Savannas,
Deserts,
Mountains.....

Each habitat will have different game.
I would love to experience all, although probably will not have a chance for everything.

What other aquatics to hunt in swamps, rivers, estuaries. deltas and lakes, besides crocs and hippos? And it is also, a DG hunt.
So, for me, Yes, but hippo will have to wait for me a bit, have some priorities to do first.

Thinking about above, I am not a slam trophy hunter, but hunting as a "slam of habitats", I could go with this.

 

[Tra3]

@mark-hunter I agree with you. Each hunt is an adventure. Each has its own challenges.

Aren’t hippo the African animal responsible for the most human death/injury per year?

 

[mark-hunter]

@Tra3

Not sure.

But only crocs attack people as regular consumable prey.
The other DG attack people due to other behavioral reasons.

 

[Razorback]

I’ve never planned a specific hunt for hippo but if the opportunity for a dry land hippo presents itself while hunting elephant or buffalo, I’d definitely take it.

 

[Bos en Dal SAFARIS]

Aren’t hippo the African animal responsible for the most human death/injury per year?

Indeed

 

[John J]

I never had an interest in hippo till I was at the zoo with my kids. I watched his mouth open and the zoo keeper shovel food in, and the massiveness of the animal. I added hippo, preferably on land to my Buffalo hunt. I waited 30 years or so before going on a buff hunt, but the hippo became the hilight. After my shot what seemed like the entire town showed up. A canoe came by and started poking around the river looking. I was unsure of that many people around but it became an event and an uncontrolled shit show at times. Interaction with the locals was interesting to say the least. I made a 72 yard shot off a termite mound across the river to the bank on the other side. Hippo on land, not the same side of the water but a shot to the vitals with a 500 MDM. He ran into the water with the pod and the wait started. Took almost three hours for him to float up. Easy hunt, but a great story and my then 14 year old son was there for it all as well.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Hippo is apparently delicious and much favoured by the villagers. There is a story by Lawrence Green, author and raconteur, who ended up at the Victoria Falls hotel one Christmas in the early days. Alas there was no ham so an enterprising fellow went out and shot a hippo. Well they cured it and the 70 pound 'ham' did just fine.

 

[DWB]

I have been dreaming about hunting a hippo for a long time, but on land, or a very close stalk in water. But they don't come cheap even to us who live here.

Almost have the funds available now, but decisions decisions, as the type of hunt cannot be guaranteed.

 

[Zambezi]

I have been dreaming about hunting a hippo for a long time, but on land, or a very close stalk in water. But they don't come cheap even to us who live here.

Almost have the funds available now, but decisions decisions, as the type of hunt cannot be guaranteed.

I'm sure you know to go where the hippo are full up and time of year...

The Luangwa river is filled with them and I'm sure you're almost sure to get one that you like. Dry season congregates them nicely for you too. I would say this is probably your best bet.

Same with the Zambezi but you don't really have a low water season

 

[DWB]

As a South African working for a salary the odds of being able to afford a trip like that in USD is almost impossible. Their prices in SA have skyrocketed.

 

[mark-hunter]

I havent looked in Hippo pricing really, but just to have an idea, what is the price range min/max for a foreign client?
And in which country is most economic, and also exportable?

 

[Zambezi]

Apply for a government tender. You could afford to hunt the Big 5 anywhere

But yeah I hear you about affordability. Just thinking the Limpopo is much closer and it works exactly the same as the Luangwa river...

 

[Sarg]

One of my most exciting hunts, a DCA Hippo that had killed some locals & caused a lot of carnage in the area, waited for him 4 nights, the last night all by myself & shot him coming straight for me, most likely just coming straight down the torch light, but he was coming when I switched it on !

I really want to hunt another if I can !

 

[AZDAVE]

After watch one move on land and in the water, knowing that they kill more people every year than the other members of the dangerous 7 lead me to working on a hunt last safari. Mine was with 2 other hippos that was raiding the gardens of a local village, destroying things and moving between the river and 3 different lakes through the sugar cane fields. It was a depredation hunt that was controlled and monitored by the game department. So we looked for them on land and in the water areas. on day 2 we caught up with them in one of the lakes. Like any wild animal they are very attuned to their surroundings. We worked a stalk down through some very thick trees and vegetation to get within 50 meters. The frontal brain shot is just a little bigger than the shot on a croc. So using a iron sighted double it was a shot that needed to be very accurate. I made a good shot and after about a hour it floated up and the recovery process in a lake with two other very pissed hippos and a number of crocs was interesting. I had enough skin removed to make two gun cases and a couple belts and wallets. Kept the skull and built a end table for it.

The very interesting after fact is that the locals village people showed up wit bags, buckets and anything that meat could be carried in and every form of bladed knife/tools as we were pulling the hippo out of the water. (News travels fast). In just over a hour the hippos was reduced to bones and the green slime that came out of the lower intestine. I was amazed that no one was hurt with the way they were cutting and slashing things.

It was a very exciting and rewarding hunt. On a small footnote one of the ladies from the villiage asked me and the PH if we would please shoot the other two so that things would be safe again.

 

[ddog]

4 Lion baits- they love it and a big slab of meat for the locals and you take the teeth.

 

[Thumper Mcgee]

I havent looked in Hippo pricing really, but just to have an idea, what is the price range min/max for a foreign client?
And in which country is most economic, and also exportable?

if im not mistaken a 7 day hippo and croc hunt in zimbabwe is about 5600 Zimbabwe Hunting Packages – Nyamazana Safaris

 

[IvW]

I shot a lot of PAC hippo in sugercane fields...