I have hunted in RSA and understood how trophy fees work there. My question regards elephant hunting.

Many countries are overpopulated with elephants, so why are they so expensive to hunt???

I understand there is a "danger" factor involved, but wouldn't it be better to reduce the price and get rid of some of these problem animals?

My mind works in the supply and demand style of thinking. I think there is a good demand to hunt elephants, but there is a huge supply.

Why aren't the prices less??

Because from their goal is to extract the maximum possible financial benefit from the wildlife.

Remember that CITES only grants so many export permits; why would they sell you an elephant bull for $10,000US when they can get $40,000 or more?

If you want to hunt elephant more inexpensively, hunt tuskless cows. In most cases, they cannot be exported (otherwise, they'd count against that nation's export quota), so the only 'trophies' you;d come away with are photographs and memories.

George

George is correct. The gov't of Zim for example has minimum trophy fees that it will allow, so that game doesn't go too cheap.

WRT elephants, exports, ie trophys, are limited by CITIES. That is why the bulk of tuskless are non export all as George says. The tuskless are cull elephants really since the market favors ivory and the tuskless will pass their reccessive gene along at some point. On the other hand they are tempemental to downright nasty and a great hunt at 1/4 the trophy fee of a tusker.

JPK

Sounds like fun to go shoot a tuskless. Hopefully in 2008 I will do that.

What is the cheapest trophy fee allowed?

Ganyana would be a better source for this but I think the often advertised $10,000 for a bull is the minimum. Of course your pricing includes your daily rate too. Tuskless are either $2000 or $2500. IIRC I paid $2000 for one tuskless and $2500 for another last year. For this year's trip the quotes were all $2500.

But for example I was offered an oppoertunity to hunt a lion left over from an unsuccessful hunter earlier in the season. The price posted as a trophy fee, including the dily rate etc was $5000 but since my hunt wasn't priced like a lion hunt so far as daily rates, the quota owner wanted $15,000 for a trophy fee.

JPK

In Zim $12,000 is the min for exportable trophy Bull Elephant ($6000 day rate + $6000 Trophy fee).

I know of Cow Elephant hunts for $6500 inc Cow trophy Fee. Of course these are not exportable.

Thanks for the answer!

JPK