To The Elephant Hunters

02 June 2011, 01:48

May I ask which of the various types of elephant hunts, in
which country, did you all find to be the least costly in
the end tally? One tuskless cow, one night time crop raider,
Carl Stumpfe's Namibia management hunt, etc. I am NOT
talking about taking any part out of Africa, I'd get tusks repli-
cated in fiberglass if the beast had ivory, (what-ever size).
Of course I'll get much video in any hunt, if no ivory I'd
get the skull or big ribs and leg bones replicated in glass.
So I am asking just about what it had cost just to do the
hunt and tip appropriately and all. Air-fare and a day of
lodging on each end can be excluded when you do your calcu-
lations; and I am not asking you for your numbers. I just
want to know the least costly way that you have found to
EXPERIENCE the elephant hunt and pull the triggers. Thanks
very much!

02 June 2011, 03:05

Marty

Hard to beat a tuskless hunt for overall cost-effectiveness and quality of hunt. About the cost of buffalo for daily rates plus "trophy" fees. Nothing exportable, but good adventure. Cow hunts can get VERY interesting, as many here can attest to.
You're looking at usual daily rates, $900 to $1100, and maybe $3000 or so to pull the trigger in Zimbabwe. I killed two with Buzz in 2009, and recommend it highly.
A warning, though, I thought I'd hunt ele to get it out of my system, and it didn't work that way.

02 June 2011, 03:21

465H&H

Tuskless are available in Zim for as little as $750/day, five days. Trophy fee of $2,500. Add about $700 to $800 in tips. For a total of $7,000 to $8,000.

465H&H

02 June 2011, 03:50

I did the non-trophy in the Caprivi with Vaughan Fulton. It cost about four grand more than a tuskless in Zim but I wanted to take a bull even though I had to leave the tusks there. I am very happy I decided to go with the bull. You can fly into Katima Mulilo so you don't have to charter and this saves a little.

02 June 2011, 04:17

BigFiveJack

Thank you men; there's nothing to replace actual experience.
I appreciate your collective sharing of info.

02 June 2011, 13:00

Bwanamich

quote:
Originally posted by BigFiveJack:
I just
want to know the least costly way that you have found to
EXPERIENCE the elephant hunt and pull the triggers. Thanks
very much!

Join a local poaching gang and it won't cost you much at all - in fact you might even break even after the sale of ivory to the middleman! Just don't get caught!

Sorry for disrupting your thread

02 June 2011, 13:11

ozhunter

quote:
Originally posted by Bwanamich:

Join a local poaching gang and it won't cost you much at all - in fact you might even break even after the sale of ivory to the middleman! Just don't get caught!

Sorry for disrupting your thread

Getting caught in some places like Mozambique wouldn't even be that bad and if you have a good season you might still come out in front.

02 June 2011, 18:11

butchloc

but you'd have to be black
anyway i've never had the desire to do a tuskless. zim is going to be the cheapest. Botswana or tanz the highest. in zim i think i would look closest to either the areas around hwange, the valley or the area around ghonrazhou. the ghona eles can be rather cheeky. good ivory there, hwange eles are big bodys with usually less ivory than ghonas now if you want some excitment you go to ghonarazingwa(the communal area) there in the spring (march is best i think) you hunt the crop raiders at night. having a big old cheeky bull charging you at night not gets your heart beating but your pants wet as well

03 June 2011, 01:56

Tom In Tennessee

Several years ago while hunting Chirisa, crop raiders hit the village and the call came to camp to help out. We had a lion on bait so we passed and the two Appy's were sent....they did not have a good time......using lights they put down one and then the Chief Game Scout opened up on the matriarch with his AK.....all hell broke loose including a villiger being killed....they refused to go back...but of course got blamed...

03 June 2011, 07:14

BigFiveJack

Thanks again guys.

09 June 2011, 20:04

Safaris Botswana Bound

In Botswana you may have a chance at a problem bull if you are hunting in areas where they are a problem - and you are with the owner, you wont be charged should you be the one who assists the owner, you may also not take any of the parts including tusks. A problem elephant in the 70 pound range was shot last year in our area . Our neighbour shot 7 elephants this year allready.

09 June 2011, 21:30

Bob Nisbet

This may be a peculiar question.
I understand that for a control hunt, you can shoot a bull with tusks, butare not allowed to claim any parts as a trophy.
For that animal, who then owns the tusks or other trophy parts
and
is the hunter prohibited from legally purchasing any of the trophy parts from the rightful owner.

13 June 2011, 17:08

byf42

*We Band of 45-70er's*

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt-

13 June 2011, 21:05

Tom In Tennessee

On my first trip to Africa, hunting about 80 clicks west of Bulawayo, a nearby village headman called and said he had a problem one tusk cow....$3000 to come kill....I asked the outfitter if I could keep the tail, try to get it back home....he said not unless you want us all to go to prison and never hunt again.....nowadays, I still wish I had gone shot that Ele....even without keeping the tail...

28 June 2011, 05:27

Todd Williams

Just got back from Zim with CM Safaris. Took tuskless and leopard. The numbers posted here already are good representations. One additional consideration on costs per your comments on taking a non-trophy. It is possible, depending on whether or not the Parks and Wildlife Dept has issued them, to take a ration Ele (Bull or Cow) for trophy fee alone. IE. if you were already on a Buff hunt and a ration Ele becomes available, they may offer it to you for the fee alone without additional daily rates. On my hunt, they had ration animals available for $4,000 plus a nominal fee for the cost of recovery. This isn't something you can count on but it could be an option if you hit the timing right.

28 June 2011, 18:27

Bill/Oregon

Jack, do you have Will's book? It is very good on just why tuskless hunts can be more "interesting" than hunting bulls. Well worth having!

29 June 2011, 06:25

BigFiveJack

I sure do have Will's book.
I'll give it another look through.

02 July 2011, 06:18

Andy

quote:
Originally posted by BigFiveJack:
May I ask which of the various types of elephant hunts, in
which country, did you all find to be the least costly in
the end tally? One tuskless cow, one night time crop raider,
Carl Stumpfe's Namibia management hunt, etc. I am NOT
talking about taking any part out of Africa, I'd get tusks repli-
cated in fiberglass if the beast had ivory, (what-ever size).
Of course I'll get much video in any hunt, if no ivory I'd
get the skull or big ribs and leg bones replicated in glass.
So I am asking just about what it had cost just to do the
hunt and tip appropriately and all. Air-fare and a day of
lodging on each end can be excluded when you do your calcu-
lations; and I am not asking you for your numbers. I just
want to know the least costly way that you have found to
EXPERIENCE the elephant hunt and pull the triggers. Thanks
very much!

Big 5,

My first African animal hunted and killed was a tuskless cow at 9 steps.

I highly recommend the experience.

2005, Dande North, off season (hotter than hell). Good visability because of that. Fewer trophy PG since it is late in season. Still got nice buff and excellent kudu.

Being "amongst"them as Will says, is a great experience, and not very expensive. Tips add up so be realistic about that.

Cheaper than a North AMerican elk hunt really. And more fun. For me at least.

Andy