Wikipedia has these figures for the Common and Lord Derby:

Common (males)

Height 4' 11" - 6' at shoulder
Weight 880 - 2080 pounds (typically 1100 - 1300 pounds)

Lord Derby (males)

Height 4' 4" - 5' 11" at shoulder
Weight 800 - 2200 pounds

Does this sound correct? I would have assumed the "giant" eland would be substantially larger than the common.

The LD is slightly larger than a Livingston Eland. The giant refers more to the horns which are considerable larger with the LD than any other eland

I am going to Moz to hunt Livingstone Eland in 14'.

Do you think a 7mm Rem Mag with the right bullets is adequate?

Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by Safari2:
I am going to Moz to hunt Livingstone Eland in 14'.

Do you think a 7mm Rem Mag with the right bullets is adequate?

Thanks

The 7 MAG should do it's part fine as long as you do your part !

Like anything else shot placement...etc.

But if it were me, I would use a cartridge with a 7 in it...a .375.

Safari2,

I don't believe that many PH's would feel comfortable with using a 7mm mag on eland, no matter what kind of bullets used. Eland are strong and tough.

On the privately owned Hawaiian island of Niihau, we have hundreds of free ranging Livingston eland. I have witnessed too many bull eland lost to various 7mm Mags and 30-06 class cartridges that required a difficult follow up by horseback or back up shots with something like a 375 H&H.

Geoff

Thanks,I have heard enough...375 it is.

Definitely NOT a 7mm. A poor shot on an Eland will cost you full trophy fee and you will likely never catch up to him as they trot faster than you can run and they can trot all day. I've taken them with a .300wm with premium bullets but feel better when using my .416 - bang-flop DRT. JMO. Good luck!

Where in Moz? Lots of other outstanding game in the delta.

Having shot mine with a 458 win mag and doing a trekking job after a slightly low initial shot, and then the follow up shots, I can tell you they are extremely tough! They are pure muscle, adrenaline, and move! I think most would agree that a 338 be minimum with opting toward the bigger, the better.

quote:

Originally posted by LionHunter:
Definitely NOT a 7mm. A poor shot on an Eland will cost you full trophy fee and you will likely never catch up to him as they trot faster than you can run and they can trot all day. I've taken them with a .300wm with premium bullets but feel better when using my .416 - bang-flop DRT. JMO. Good luck!

Where in Moz? Lots of other outstanding game in the delta.

Mashambanzou Safaris on the eastern border of Gorongosa NP.

Wise choice on the 375 grasshopper.

Cape Eland, bow.
Lord Derby Eland, 375 H&H.
Patterson's Eland, 416 Rigby.

The 375 H&H with a 300 grain bullet is the ideal Eland cartridge, IMHO.

I shot mine with a 308win.

I won't be doing that again in a hurry.

K

quote:

Originally posted by Safari2:
Thanks,I have heard enough...375 it is.

Very good choice! 375H&H with a 300 gr Nosler Partition, or Swift A-frame soft!

.............................................................................

I shot mine 2x broadside at 50 yards with my 7mm using 160gr TSX bullets.

The 2nd shot wasn't needed but he was still standing after the 1st shot so I kept on shooting.

Both bullets were found under the skin on the off side and the lungs destroyed.

The 7mm isn't optimal for an Eland but it will do the job if you do yours.....just use the propper bullet

I've shot 5 eland and all 4 varieties. I honestly think that the big Livingstone's I shot in Ngamo Sikumi in Zim was the largest in body. A 7 Mag or 308 caliber something will work but a 375 up would be my choice for eland. Wnen that non perfect shot is presented you need that big bullet.

Mark

quote:

Definitely NOT a 7mm. A poor shot on an Eland will cost you full trophy fee and you will likely never catch up to him as they trot faster than you can run and they can trot all day

Of course, the same is true of such a shot with a .375.

A typical eland bull is probably larger than a typical cape buffalo bull. If they tended to run toward you instead of away from you when shot, then nobody would think of shooting them with anything less than a .416. Regardless, any reasonably heavy bullet from a plains game caliber of 7mm on up will do the trick if placed in the thorax. I'd probably pick a .338 that I shoot well, but I wouldn't hesitate to take one with a .30/180 premium bullet or a .375 of 270-300 grains. It is difficult to place one of the big bruiser .45's with much precision at 100 yards or more (and their typical round nose bullets have lost a lot of steam at such ranges), so I'd regard cartridges in that class as a poorer choice.

I have only shot 2 Livingstones in Zimbabwe. Both with a 375. The first one was browsing in some mopane and I took the shot at about 100yds. 270 gr Nosler partition. He went straight down and i mean STRAIGHT down. All four legs went different directions and he was completely on his belly. Was interesting to load as we only a had a couple of TikToks (what we would call here come-a-longs) and actually dug two dithces to back the rear wheels in to load him in the Nissan 4x4. He weighed 1200 lbs on the ranch scales. He was 31" I believe,don't really remember. The second was also shot at less than 100 yds while browsing on mopane. The 270gr Nosler Partition which was aimed for a diagonal heart shot from the left rear. It hit a 1" mopane about 3' before it hit the left hip and the bullet was lodged in the left hip bone which it broke. This was at 8am. We started to track him and caught up with him once when he stopped to rest but did not get a shot. What followed was the absolute best tracking I have ever seen. We actually followed thru a herd of Eland tracks. Being a hip shot there was little blood but due to the broken leg we could tell from the crooked left rear print it was the same bull. We followed him all day stopping only at complete dark. We started again at daybreak and picked up the trail. Caught up to him laying under a tree about 9am and dispatched him with another shot. He was a big,old Blue Bull with really worn horns. I didn't realize that the Eland had solid leg bones. I wanted the section of bone with the embedded bullet but the ranch owner said it would cost him too much meat (he sold the game meat in a market)so I didn't get it. Would have made a nice trophy. I like to hunt eland as to me they are probably the most astonishing antelope. I saw a herd walk up to a 6' fence and then just flat footed jump it one after another and also watched a herd running come to a road and just jump the road with what seemed little effort.

I killed a Gold Medal bull eland with one shot from my 7 RM loaded with 168 Berger bullets, he was running quartering away and was dead before he skidded to a stop. I was hunting on Hoodia Ranch in Namibia as a guest of Reinhart's. It was the biggest eland ever killed on his ranch. E-mail Reinhart to confirm if you wish.

Bobby B.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:

quote:

Definitely NOT a 7mm. A poor shot on an Eland will cost you full trophy fee and you will likely never catch up to him as they trot faster than you can run and they can trot all day

Of course, the same is true of such a shot with a .375.

A typical eland bull is probably larger than a typical cape buffalo bull. If they tended to run toward you instead of away from you when shot, then nobody would think of shooting them with anything less than a .416. Regardless, any reasonably heavy bullet from a plains game caliber of 7mm on up will do the trick if placed in the thorax. I'd probably pick a .338 that I shoot well, but I wouldn't hesitate to take one with a .30/180 premium bullet or a .375 of 270-300 grains. It is difficult to place one of the big bruiser .45's with much precision at 100 yards or more (and their typical round nose bullets have lost a lot of steam at such ranges), so I'd regard cartridges in that class as a poorer choice.

You win!

quote:

Originally posted by hunteratheart:
Having shot mine with a 458 win mag and doing a trekking job after a slightly low initial shot

There is no such thing as a "slightly low initial shot". The correct term is "messing-up the first shot". If you miss the vitals you miss the vitals, just ask the guy who posts here on AR and used a half dozen 600ne to kill a buffalo.

When you mess-up the first shot the animal runs and runs regardless of cartridge or how tough the animal is(I know from experience).

I would not use a 7mm unless no other option was available.A lot of shooting in Mozambique is through bush so be prepared for the possibility of deflection. The fast 7mm is far from ideal in combating this problem.


Note the terrain. Would you really want to shoot a 160grn bullet at close to 3000fps in that stuff? And be prepaid for the Bull to be waiting in the thickest bit available.

I am not an expert, but I have taken two of my own and have seen three others taken. I took my two with a .338 Win Mag using 225 grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claws. Both were side presentation heart/lung shots. One at about 125 yards and the other near 200 yards. One died after about 75 yards; the other went only about 20 yards.

I've seen three shot with .375s. One dropped on the spot with two broken shoulders (300 grain Swift A-Frame). One took the shot facing head on in te chest and ran about 100 yards before dropping (300 Grain Hornady Interlock). The other took a .375 Dakota in the hip and I needed to finish it with a few shots from my .338.

I know two people who used a 7 mag for eland and both said that while they got their animal, they would use a lager caliber if they had it to do over.

My conclusion is that the .338 Win Mag worked very well for me, but I did use what I consider to be a fantastic tough bullet (Bear Claw). Personally, I would not hesitate to take another one with my .338. On the other hand, although I love my .338, when it comes to eland, the .375 H&H is more of a good thing. If I had both a .338 and a .375 handy for an eland hunt, I would use the .375. The 7 mag will work, but certainly not an ideal choice. I hope these comments don't piss anyone off, and by the way, I have a 7 mag that I love as well!

The eland that I have shot have all been with my bow so I have not shot one with a gun yet, but I have shot a 7 mag for over 30 years on north american game so I am very familiar with it's capabilities. I probably would leave the 7mag at home and take My 375 or my 416 rigby. Someone talked about how they can trot faster than you can run,, what they didn't say is how far they can run in a short amount of time! Even with a 375 H&H mag, I would use a barnes capeshock or swift a-frame bullets,,a good quality bullet that holds up well, eland are big, thick, tough animals and even with good shot placement there can be some drama in the recovery.

I've taken two eland with a 30.06 using 180 grain Nosler Partitions. Neither one went more than 25 yards, and each was a one shot kill. It would seem that a 7mm is pretty comparable to a 30.06, so I wouldn't shy away from using a 7mm mag.

I've also taken one with a .375 H+H, and like most game, the eland dropped very quickly when hit with the 375. In general, I agree with most on the board that a bigger gun is generally better, and I see nothing wrong with a 375 or even 416 for eland. But a 7mm and 30.06 is certainly effective and will get the job done if you do yours. There is no substitute for correct bullet placement.
Bill

With all the primaries being equal, i.e. distance, visual, favorable position and bullet construction, a bull eland can be taken out with a 6mm (and less) provided you do your part with shot placement.

However, the difference between wounding one with a projectile of 140gr in comparison to 270+gr will result in different injuring effects and the laws set down in some of your African hunting destinations will specify that the minimum allowable caliber for eland will be .375 H&H Mag. for that simple reason.

I have shot eland with a 270 Ackley, 130 garin Barnes x, 140 grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claws.

I have shot eland with a 270/404 short and Jensen 150 grain bullets, at 500 yards.

I have shot eland with a 375 H&H and 300 grain Winchester Silvertips.

I have shot eland with a 375/404 and Barnes X 300 grain bullets, and 300 grain Walterhog bullets.

And as with any animal, if the first shot is well placed, everything works well.

Took this Eland in Namibia with a 30-06 with 220 gr Remington Core-loks. He was facing me at about 100 yards. Hit him in the center of the chest, dropped to his knees, got back up and staggered a few steps. He went down a second time and stood back up and was told to shoot again. Fired one more time and hit too high in his hump. He went back down and was finished.

I don't think he made it 10 yards during that time.

Yup, shoot any reasonable cartridge/bullet in the right place and the Eland dies.

Many people here are probably showing their lack of hunting skills and shooting skills rather than relevant experience with Eland. That is, if you stalk to a reasonable range, shoot a reasonable cartridge/bullet, hit what you're supposed to and not try to shoot through brush, you have a dead Eland.

Period.

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:
I would not use a 7mm unless no other option was available.A lot of shooting in Mozambique is through bush so be prepared for the possibility of deflection. The fast 7mm is far from ideal in combating this problem.


Note the terrain. Would you really want to shoot a 160grn bullet at close to 3000fps in that stuff? And be prepaid for the Bull to be waiting in the thickest bit available.

Safari2, the area you'll be in in Mozambique looks a lot like that in the photo.

Just use a good bullet, the Livingston bull I took this year I had to shoot 4 times to put him down. I took him right behind the shoulder at about 90 yards with a 300 grain Hornday Interlock out of my 375 RUM.I am not a velocity junky the load was just a tick over 2600 fps and dead accurate in my Bill Wiseman gun. I have shot plains game and a nilgai or 2 out 300 yards with it. I have always used Swift bullets in it but worked up this load with RE 19 and the interlock bullet and it was just damn near one hole 3 shot group.

The Eland was big---if not 2,000 lbs he was damn close--the heaviest bullet we found was 138 grains with about 10-11 inches of penatration. I shot a swift into his chest to finish the poor bloke off once we got him down--It went all the way through...Good bullet placement and good bullet should do it out of a 7mm mag on up. I'll stick with a 9.3 or 375 for any more of my Eland hunting.

The aftermath--



One of the bullets we dug out--way over expansion



Cleaned up for picks--just for size I am about 6'4 245lbs.



Have fun on your Eland hunt--it is a hell of a fun hunt!!!

Ed

quote:

Originally posted by Hunter54:

Many people here are probably showing their lack of hunting skills and shooting skills rather than relevant experience with Eland. That is, if you stalk to a reasonable range, hit what you're supposed to and not try to shoot through brush, you have a dead Eland.

Period.

Experienced hunting Mozambique or Zim?
If so I doubt you would make such comments.


More typical Moz Eland terrain.
Had I used less calibre than the 9.3mm I am quite certain I would have lost this bull due to poor shot placement.

quote:

Originally posted by PSmith:
Like anything else shot placement...etc.

But if it were me, I would use a cartridge with a 7 in it...a .375.

Agree 100%

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Hunter54:

Many people here are probably showing their lack of hunting skills and shooting skills rather than relevant experience with Eland. That is, if you stalk to a reasonable range, hit what you're supposed to and not try to shoot through brush, you have a dead Eland.

Period.

Experienced hunting Mozambique or Zim? If so I doubt you would make such comments.

This is one of two eland I shot this year in the Selous.

Both Roy ans Alan were talking about whether they have seen anything as big before.

This may be off topic, but I have been told the eland (regardless of which type) is the largest PG animal. Being with giraffes in the wild, would they not take that title?

My dad took Ernie (his eland) with a .300 ultra and 180gr TBBC. One of the best steaks I've had after cooking to your preference on cast iron flats that had been on the fire.

quote:

Originally posted by geoff:
Safari2,

I don't believe that many PH's would feel comfortable with using a 7mm mag on eland, no matter what kind of bullets used. Eland are strong and tough.

On the privately owned Hawaiian island of Niihau, we have hundreds of free ranging Livingston eland. I have witnessed too many bull eland lost to various 7mm Mags and 30-06 class cartridges that required a difficult follow up by horseback or back up shots with something like a 375 H&H.

Geoff

Geoff, do you know Steve Pasquan?

Haha. Eland are like large male bovine cattle. Once you've had the thrill of hunting them, any good shot from a 260 rem. on up will kill them(as proven by the article in SCI a while back). Personally, I would use a 270 win. on up.

quote:

Originally posted by DCS Member:
This may be off topic, but I have been told the eland (regardless of which type) is the largest PG animal. Being with giraffes in the wild, would they not take that title?

Yes, giraffe is the largest of the plains game animals by far.

giraffe - 1200 kg
eland - 550 kg
zebra - 313 kg
roan - 280 kg
blue wildebeest - 250 kg
water buck - 250 kg
gemsbok - 240 kg
sable - 235 kg
greater kudu - 227 kg
black wildebeest - 180 kg

I disagree with the sizes of plainsgame mentioned in your list:

Yes, giraffe is the largest of the plains game animals by far.

giraffe - 1200 kg
eland - 550 kg
zebra - 313 kg
roan - 280 kg
blue wildebeest - 250 kg
water buck - 250 kg
gemsbok - 240 kg
sable - 235 kg
greater kudu - 227 kg
black wildebeest - 180 kg

Kudu Bull are much larger than Blue Wildebeest,Gemsbok,and sable.
Waterbuck bull will also slot in above blue wildebeest.

Giraffe and then eland willdefinitely top the list.