Great shooting. Thanks for posting the video. Congratulations on a really nice ele.

Turns out I lied anyway. Watching back the Bod on Ele video, I see that Shoeless Ivan Carter goes without footwear from time to time too. (Great video by the way!)

I am ignorant to elephant hunting. Can someone please tell me how you get the elephant out of the sand, and what you do with him once he is dead?

Canuck,
Yep, and Craig Boddington just takes his shoes off and wears his socks and gaiters when he is trying to be sneaky.

meptampa,
It takes a village.
Like magic, soon as the elephant hits the ground, smoke signals and jungle drums begin to talk (walkie talkies too), and soon a swarm of locals is carrying every scrap of meat away.
All idle bakkies in the neighborhood will be volunteered to help haul the meat too, especially if the big elephant-meat-hauling truck is broken down.

quote:

Originally posted by meptampa:
I am ignorant to elephant hunting. Can someone please tell me how you get the elephant out of the sand, and what you do with him once he is dead?

Typically, elephant meat is recovered on the spot, with the elephant skinned where it dropped. The elephant will be partially skinned, as much as possible given how it has fallen, and accessible meat removed. Then a hunting truck or tractor is typically used to roll the elephant over, but enough manpower can also do it if a cruser or tractor can't get to it. More skinning will then occur to both recover the hide and to allow more access to remaining meat. Meat is removed in large pieces when possible, smaller pieces when nessecary. Depending on where the elephant was killed, the meat will distributed to local villagers who will show up when an elephant is killed (especially when the word is passed, but often even when it is not) or used for camp staff and game scout rations. Typically, all involved in the skinning and butchering process will receive a premium share as well. Even the innards will be utilized for food. Fat will be boiled off and strained for cooking oil. Even the bones will be used. Only a wet spot will remain, or in some cases, a wet spot plus a bare skull and maybe a couple of other major bones which are too heavy for easy carry.

In a few areas a crocodile farm will handle the recovery, and then the meat that isn't retained by trackers and gamescouts and those who did the recovery will be used as food for the crocs.

I greatly prefer when an elephant is killed in an area with villagers - not all safari areas have populations beyond gamescouts and safari camp staffs - and the villagers show up and are distributed meat. They are poor beyond description, and purchasing meat is beyond their means. An elephant seems huge, but doesn't go that far when there are three or four hundred villagers awaiting a share of the meat, which might be their only meat for a LONG time. The recovery can be pretty festive if its handled well, but it is chaos when control is lost and becomes every man or woman for themself and the old and week are left out. Best to just leave when control is lost (which can follow hide and ivory recovery.)

I've heard that there are some areas where locals won't eat elephant, but I've never been in one. Elephant bull can be strong flavored and musky for our US tastes, but cow elephant is good eating and eaten rare to medium rare, with salt, its a treat.

When hands were short, I've pitched in to skin and recover meat. And I've enjoyed fresh elephant grilled on green sticks over a small fire while the elephant is recovered. Pretty good with a cold beer and a good cigar, even when recovery starts in the morning.

On that, an elephant killed in the evening is still fine for recovery the next day, even when temps are 100* plus mid day.

JPK