This is an excellent read as told to Ken Howell by Elgin Gates

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/gates_elephant.html

Oh to have been there. Thanks

I have heard bits and pieces of this story over the years, but I don't think I have ever heard or read the whole thing before now. What an epic!

Elgin Gates was truly hard core. I remember a story he wrote for one of the magazines about being chased up a tree by a wounded cape buffalo. Gates had somehow lost his rifle but was packing a Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum loaded with armor piercing bullets. He used it to dispatch the buff by firing down on him from the branches of the tree!

Thanks for posting this.

I have the Elgin Gates book and reread it quite often. If I remember correctly I had to order it from England and pay in pounds. Good shooting.

I enjoyed reading his books vey much.

I remember there was some controversy about his kudu and probably sable trophies.

If I remember correctly, he had his hands on the horns as he had the photos taken, and some claimed that he used the horns of two animals to get that picture.

Anyone knows what the end result was?

Saeed: Regarding the kudu & sable you mention, all I can tell you is they were withdrawn from Rowland Wards. Cheers, jorge

Saeed ----- I was not aware of other books. If you would be kind enough to name them or authors if not Gates, perhaps I could find them on my own. Thanks in advance for any help you might be. Good shootig.

His book, "Trophy Hunter in Asia." may be the best Hunting Book I have ever read.

I met him once when he lived in Boise. He was a friend of friend of my Dad's. The Animal Rights crowd burned down his home in Needles, California and he lost all his stuff that was there.

We carry on about shooting a ele with solids and the one super ele shot with a 200 Weatherby and 180 or 200 gr bullets... I love it...

I also read that story before, but trying to remember where I found it...

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by retreever:
We carry on about shooting a ele with solids and the one super ele shot with a 300 Weatherby and 180 or 200 gr bullets... I love it...

I also read that story before, but trying to remember where I found it...

Mike

Partitions I believe

If you read his book "Trophy Hunting In Africa," he relates one hunt where he used a then experimental cartridge on elephant, a 378 Weatherby necked down to 30 caliber. That was in 1959. Great read. jorge

Wonder why Gates is always eulogized, while poor ol' Peter Capstick gets knocked at every turn?

Gates never saw an adjective or synonym he didn't like. He overused and abused his thesaurus so much that it could be argued that he slept with it.

My only contact with the guy was when he came to town and watched the Tucson Rifle Club's and NRA's first U.S. Metalicas Siluetas Championships and, because I was the local newspaper's outdoor writer then, he pumped me for information about the sport. To his credit, he did pay for my coffee.

When he returned to California, he announced that after competing in metalicas siluetas matches for years he now was adapting it for handgunners.

I'd been shooting in the Sonora rifle league for more than three years then, and can tell you no one down there had ever heard of him.

Bill Quimby

quote:

I remember there was some controversy about his kudu and probably sable trophies.

If I remember correctly, he had his hands on the horns as he had the photos taken, and some claimed that he used the horns of two animals to get that picture.

Anyone knows what the end result was?

There has been a lot of BS with the record books over the years. Gates had some trophies that were deemed to be "questionable."

I wish someone would post a photo of this 180 pound ivory. I have seen a picture in the past and I had a hard time believing that it was as heavy as claimed.

Another Weatherby award winner who possibly cheated???? No, not the "honorable" Mr. Gates! It can't be true !!! Not THE Legend!!!

Paul C

I can't understand why these people need to cheat with their trophies ??

Thanks God they don't have photoshop in those days !!!!

Poor people...

Once I was told by an argentinian guide that there was a red deer in an very small enclosure, it was a pet animal.

When the animal reached I don't know how many "points" a phone call was made and an american went there. The enclosure was so small that the man shoot it from outside resting the barrel of his rifle between the wires.

They measured it, they took pictures and he returned home and enter it in some record book.

Amazing..

L

I read this book called "Safari, Safari" about a Doctors Safari in Botswana. I think he hunted with Safari South or one of the other big operations. He said that his PH claimed that Gates was a cheater and a fraud and it was well known in Africa or something to that effect. I forget the name of the PH but he was well known and I know I saw this PHs name mentioned in the book "The Hunting Blackbeards of Botswana" as well.

I'll look it up tonight.

GeoffM24 - I have heard similar stories about the founder of SCI and other " Award " winners. Some of the allegations where things like changing tags on trophys in lockers in Nairobi, throwing greater kudu horns in a river because of not being 60" just short at 58", paying or trying to pay PH's to hunt in an area not allowed. It is too bad that this happens, but it is usually the hunters with big egos and deep pockets that seem to try to get away with this. I have posted here before about sharing a Calif. wild boar camp with one of these guys about 15 years ago and I was so disgusted by the pompous ass and his supposed conquests, I damn near puked.

Paul C

I'm not sure Gates was a fraud. An egomaniac maybe. Like most of these guys wanting the biggest and the best.

Most rich people have a huge ego about showing off their wealth. Whether it is in the best Hunting trophies, the most expensive cars, the prettiest women, nicest house etc etc. They all like building monuments to their own Greatness.

They have egos that get stroked in different ways.

Gates, to my knowledge did cheat on a Kudu. Klineburgers, in Seattle, added some inches to it and you can see it in the picture. Note that the only picture is of a mounted head.

His Elephant was the real deal though. No one in his right mind can ever accuse him of not being an superb hunter and being afraid to get into the Bush. He hunted Africa several times for the trophies but he never liked it as he always felt that most Safaris were for spoiled brats who needed their hand held and couldn't get by on 'beans and beef'.

Everyone has flaws, even Peter Capstick has been accused of fluffing his resume'.

>>>>>>"'m not sure Gates was a fraud?>>>>>>>


Many have often said that Gates fabricated wild tales about his hunts, doctored photos of his trophies, and lied in print and in person to one and all about his accomplishments. Egomania caused him to do this, of course, but he became an unadulterated fraud if he went beyond mere "fluffing."

Bill Quimby

quote:

Originally posted by billrquimby:
>>>>>>"'m not sure Gates was a fraud?>>>>>>>


Gates fabricated wild tales about his hunts, doctored photos of his trophies, and lied in print and in person to one and all about his accomplishments. Egomania caused him to do this, of course, but he became an unadulterated fraud when he went beyond mere "fluffing."

Bill Quimby

Bill I can think of a dozen people off the top of my head that have been awarded the Weatherby Award or SCI's Hunter of the Year that have done far more of that than Gates.

I bet you can think of a few also.