Which of the most commonly hunted African trophies has the lowest success rate?

I would guess leopard or lion.

I am excluding extremely rare trophies such a bongo, roan, cheetah, etc.

Also which trophy animal is the one with the highest percentage of success.

I am guessing buffalo (and of course, impala).

BH63

From reading reports, I would have to say Leopard. Seems like I know a bunch of people who have gone multiple times.

Yep got buff on second day of first safari. took to the day after my sixth safari to get the leopard. worth the wait.

quote:

Originally posted by LivingTheDream1:
From reading reports, I would have to say Leopard. Seems like I know a bunch of people who have gone multiple times.

Must have booked with the wrong people in the wrong places.

Leopard is probably the least successful.

Rhino is probably the most. (Given where they are hunted, and the level of control involved.)

For plains game, I would say where you go is much more involved as to the success rates.

Forest Sitatunga are probably one of the harder, but you may call them extremely rare- they are located in quite a few places, but an unusual trophy.

Of the more common plains game, I hear more about folks having difficulty with Eland than others.

Interesting question and I'm curious to see what others will say. For most common, Impala is a likely bet but I like the case crbutler made for rhino. My personal choice for lowest success rate might be something like the giant forest hog or some other "unlikely" trophy. However, these are not usually animals that are targeted the same way a leopard is.

Lion.

Warthog. Got my Leopard 1st night in the blind after 21/2 hrs.

Zebra….Dylan said it was there....couldn't bloody see it.....

Bushbuck for regular PG, as they are sneaky in the thick stuff, but I did get one. I’d also think some of the tiny fellas rank up there.

I don’t have experience other than PG, but leopard does seem difficult from reading hunt reports, but there are some cat guys that seem to always deliver.

I thought we were talking about dangerous game.

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:

quote:

Originally posted by LivingTheDream1:
From reading reports, I would have to say Leopard. Seems like I know a bunch of people who have gone multiple times.

Must have booked with the wrong people in the wrong places.

Harsh

I said harsh to Fulvio but he is correct. Call it luck or whatever but we have been successful on all of our African hunts. Due Diligence matters. Luck helps.

Out of the big five it is most likely leopard with the lowest successrate and cape buffalo with the highest.

In general the animals that are most difficult in africa are the vaious animals out of the forest (Forest Sitatunga, Forest Buffalo, giant forest hog)

Until recently (with the 6 year rules in place) Lion was a matter of getting quota in an area where there were some. Even now, if you pay the money, your odds are fairly good. I'm personally 2/4 on hunts for them, with a 3rd cat I could have shot if we could have arranged quota- this all under the 6 year rules.

Leopard, there are so many marginal hunts sold. Areas with educated problem cats, and a lot of conflict. My personal experience with them is 2/7 but 4 of those hunts were added on as "extra" or as quota remained... so how do you figure it? Total with it on the tag is how I went with it. The leopard is the first big step up in DG after Buffalo, and lots more people do that hunt- many on a budget, and get low percentage hunts. I suspect Leopard is the lowest success percentage overall, and the most unsuccessful DG hunts. Of course, many more leopard are shot than lion by clients nowdays.

Elephant- this is more often than not successful, but not necessarily if you are in an area with a transient population. If you are not hung up on a certain size, can walk, and can shoot minute of coffee can under 50 yards, this should be doable. Lots of folks shoot multiples of tuskless with something else. If you are willing to pay the freight, you should be able to get one in most countries that allow hunting. I'd say its about the odds of buffalo hunting overall, assuming you meet criteria to be able to hunt them.

Buffalo are the most common DG animal, and one of the more successful. I've basically tried to hunt them where populations are good. The only time I didn't get one was in the savanna of Cameroon, and that was more on me with issues with Eland as a priority animal- I saw them- but was not able to get it done. Unless you are either in a bad area, a transient area with bad luck, or an inept hunting team, you should have shot opportunities, and probably multiple ones.

Rhino, as I said, is a basic slam-dunk as it is practiced today. They are so tightly managed that the PH knows more or less where the animal is, and you are generally targeting a specific animal (surplus or problem bull.) They tend to be the final item in the big 5, and thus you tend to have selected for hunters that are capable and the guys PH'ing them are the better guys as no one wants mistakes with an animal that rare and expensive. I can't say I have heard of anyone hunting them in the last 20 years or so who has not gotten a shot at his bull- but it is possible, I suppose.

That's my take on the big 5

The other 2 "dangerous" animals-

Crocodile- this is an exercise in trophy selection and shooting accuracy. I haven't yet heard on anyone going after croc with any degree of seriousness and not seeing any... I have heard of guys not seeing anything big enough that they were willing to shoot it, and I've heard lots of stories about wounded and lost crocs. Saeed's videos are pretty much my experience with them as well. Which one, then getting the shot right, then make the shot. They certainly are not a danger to the hunter.

Hippo-

This can be easy as heck, or frustrating as heck. If you are willing to pot one in the water, its usually a shoot. But, if you go crawling after them in the hidey holes of the bush, they can give you all the excitement you want. If you want to get them on dry ground, you have to usually spend some time at it, and they might not cooperate. That said, you will find them on a reasonable area- so I'd not rate them as a hard to get animal.

That's my take on the subject as far as dangerous animals. I'm interested in hearing what others who have shot them think of it as well.

For me lion and leopard came easy. But I used 10+ safaris before I got my hyena. LDE was also dificult.
Good hunting
Carl Frederik

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:

quote:

Originally posted by LivingTheDream1:
From reading reports, I would have to say Leopard. Seems like I know a bunch of people who have gone multiple times.

Must have booked with the wrong people in the wrong places.

I would say this is true. I would also say CR Butler is correct in that a lot of leopard hunts are marginal. I have hunted twice in Namibia and struck out, but scored easily with Fulvio and Wayne Van Den Bergh. The Namibia hunts were basically bait included, so I went thinking it would be an interesting plains game hunt and if I got a leopard, great.

The hardest African game to hunt is anything your PH doesn't have experience with. When he specializes in it, your "luck" goes up considerably.

Although I have not hunted one I think a lion would be the most difficult to get.I've heard a lot of stories of hunters not getting one and I am sure there are a lot more stories that have not been told.I wonder how many come back empty before one is shot? There would be much less I am sure if dealing with an honest and good operator.As for trophy ele bull, before about 2014 many if not most were successful,after that it was a whole different scene and except for a couple of high price areas and Nixon's area, it got as difficult as getting a lion.There have been a lot of failures on leopard but there are many leopard hunts sold,IMO.

For lowest success rate on DG in would say leopard or +6 age lion and for plains game i would say suni. Have only seen one in all my trips but didn't have a chance for a shot.

This is somewhat of a nebulous question as there are many factors at work. Area and PH are very important. I have a client now that is embarking on his 3rd buffalo hunt with the first 2 unsuccessful because of the area he hunted (I did not book him on the first two) so as others have said buffalo of the DG species is usually the most successful but you have to hunt where there are some.

Leopard can have a dismal success rate. I had a guy tell me he had been on 7 leopard hunts in 3 countries and not killed a leopard nor had he seen one in the tree. He was successful the 8th time. All these hunts were inexpensive affairs. On the other hand I've never had a client fail to have a shot at a good Tom in Zambia. Yes! The hunts are more expensive but the success rate is astronomically better.

Lion hunts these days can be very successful in good areas as the quotas are low and lions are often numerous. If you can afford it I would say a lion is almost a slam dunk but once again it has to be in a great area.

Plains game is very dependent on habitat. One poster said he'd only seen one suni so he thought they are scarce. I saw a dozen in a few hundreds yards in Mozambique. Impala are like bugs in some places in Zimbabwe but in Masailand we saw maybe 20 total without a shooter in the bunch.

Mark

That is easy - Yellow backed Duiker and Zebra Duiker.

To add to this - Jeff Neal and Greg Brownlee have advised me for several years. They ALWAYS say - go where the animals are....

That means, forget what you read from magazines, but rely on a solid agent and outfitter. If they both tell you that XXXX is the place, then go there. I have done this on most hunts and not regretted. Further, check references - ALL of the previous two years of hunts and hunters to get the real picture.

For example - my favorite is big eland and kudu. I had my heart set on Namibia as that is where the "action was". I looked around, did a lot of research and fact checking. I ended up in Botswana with Tholo. I took three big kudu and a monster eland. Namibia is a great place, but Tholo has 230,000 acres of area to hunt and was/is loaded with plains game. They have water to carry over during the drought.

Further, I would agree with Mark Young. Leopard are numerous in Zambia. I would suggest if you have your heart set on a big tom, then do it with dogs in Zimbabwe. Odds are good but the hunting is tedious and hard.

For lion, go to Bubye and take a big check. You will kill a big one.

For buffalo, go the Tanzania in the Selous, or Zim in Dande North but go with someone that has a lot of buff. Bubye or the Save is the best buff in Zim.

Bongo are tough but you will get one usually in Cameron.

Lord Derby Eland are tough but go to Cameroon as well, hunt with Thierry Labat and you should kill a 48" or better.

I cannot address elephant as I know nothing about them.

For big sable, go to Zambia or TZ or Zim. I believe that Zambia has the best.

Sitatunga are tough. Forest Sitatunga are tougher. If you are a generalist, go to Uganda with Christian Weth. Has the market cornered on them there. His buff are superb. I shot two that would go over 40" (Nile Buff, not Cape buff) and saw at least 50 better than 40". Best buff I have seen, but I am not as experienced as Saeed.

Anyway - go where they are is the best advice.

Based on what I personally consider to be a huntable animal, I’d say elephant. They just don’t make them like that anymore.

There is more of what I call semi-wild hunting today.Introduced and relocated animals and fenced areas.It is much more difficult hunting truly wild DG.

Dangerous Game or Agricultural Pest.

Considering the destruction this creature has inflicted upon an entire nation, l'm surprised no one has a Mugabe hung on their wall.

Anything that can't be taken/put in a SA high fence farm would have the lowest success rate. That would be leopard IMO.

quote:

Originally posted by DCS Member:
Bushbuck for regular PG, as they are sneaky in the thick stuff, but I did get one. I’d also think some of the tiny fellas rank up there.

I don’t have experience other than PG, but leopard does seem difficult from reading hunt reports, but there are some cat guys that seem to always deliver.

The toughest one for me are two horned bushbuck, I've taken two bushbuck but both of them have one horn.

The other one is Eland, I've been on five trips to Africa and have never seen a trophy bull. (Trophy for me is one of the old blue bulls with the big forehead ruff.)

Over the last 40 years Id have to say the Lion or Leopard about a toss up and depends mostly on the concession...but don't forget the Bongo and Giant Eland, again mostly depends on the concession..An over all would take a computer and go back many years as these animals number change from year to year...not that it would work??...problem is you can be talking to a concession PH that batted 100% this year on Leopard, and he may not see a Leopard after a good year like that for two or three years, Ive seen it happen, you can shoot out a concession of any animal and Ive seen that. It takes 3 to 4 years sometimes you reinstate the numbers..Hard question to answer IMO..

I have only been on two safaris. Took a leopard on the first in Chewore South and a Buffalo on trip two at Nuanetsi. So, I don’t have the experience to comment knowledgeably about the overall difficulty of collecting the big five.

The toughest animal I have tried to bag is the Appalachian ruffed grouse. Damn things are hard to hit!

quote:

The toughest animal I have tried to bag is the Appalachian ruffed grouse. Damn things are hard to hit!

Adjust your chokes, size of shot and lead on the bird.

quote:

Originally posted by drongo:
I have only been on two safaris. Took a leopard on the first in Chewore South and a Buffalo on trip two at Nuanetsi. So, I don’t have the experience to comment knowledgeably about the overall difficulty of collecting the big five.

The toughest animal I have tried to bag is the Appalachian ruffed grouse. Damn things are hard to hit!

If you want to include NA, then it would the nefarious jackalope. Never seen one alive.

For me personally, lion...

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:

quote:

Originally posted by drongo:
I have only been on two safaris. Took a leopard on the first in Chewore South and a Buffalo on trip two at Nuanetsi. So, I don’t have the experience to comment knowledgeably about the overall difficulty of collecting the big five.

The toughest animal I have tried to bag is the Appalachian ruffed grouse. Damn things are hard to hit!

If you want to include NA, then it would the nefarious jackalope. Never seen one alive.

Pfft. Jackalope are common here.

Now the chupacabra, there's a challenge!!

But if we are talking strictly Africa, I'd have to go with the tocaloach.

Bushpig

There is an amazing amount of knowledge in these posts.

Thanks.

BH63

My personal success rate on Spotted Hyena in five trips to Namibia is 0.0%. I’ve heard lots of them calling in the distance, but the closest I’ve come to bagging one was the time a super aggressive Spotted Hyena trailed my PH and was about to attack him from a distance of 6 YARDS when he shot him in self defense. After numerous sits over stinky baits, I’ve given up on Spotted Hyenas.

quote:

Originally posted by Bud Meadows:
My personal success rate on Spotted Hyena in five trips to Namibia is 0.0%. I’ve heard lots of them calling in the distance, but the closest I’ve come to bagging one was the time a super aggressive Spotted Hyena trailed my PH and was about to attack him from a distance of 6 YARDS when he shot him in self defense. After numerous sits over stinky baits, I’ve given up on Spotted Hyenas.

What??? Jan's place is crawling with them.

AAZW: You’re right about Jan’s place having tons of Hyenas. My problem is twofold: I can’t stay awake and I snore like a chainsaw. The Hyenas in Angola can hear me it’s so loud.

The hardest one to get is the money to afford to get any animal in Africa!

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quote:

Originally posted by BuffHunter63:
Which of the most commonly hunted African trophies has the lowest success rate?

I would guess leopard or lion.

I am excluding extremely rare trophies such a bongo, roan, cheetah, etc.

Also which trophy animal is the one with the highest percentage of success.

I am guessing buffalo (and of course, impala).

BH63

This would be different for each person. Different country, time of year and conditions. Did some one say rain ohh and then there is snow, go figure.
Lion one hunter will get theirs on the first or second day other hunters go 21 days and nothing. many are in the middle some where.
Leopard a hunter pre baiting may get theirs the first or second day. another hunter will puts out 13+ baits and has no luck. again some ph have great success and then they will have a hunt where nothing works.
The list could go on.

so one hunter will think it is easy and another will say difficult.

and there you have it.