Has anyone here hunted them? If so, what's involved in chasing one around, and did you get it mounted? Serious questions, BTW. I'd love to hunt/shoot one some day and have it full mounted (most of my mounted critters are birds). Love to hear about it, and if anyone has any pics of taxidermy, love to see it.

Thanks, and cheers.

If you look at my hunt report of this year at the top of this forum, you will see a video of the ostrich that I have shot last year.

This was the first ostrich I have shot, and it was fun.

Shot one on my first hunt with Peter Harris. Saeed posted details of the hunt over on that part of the website. I ran out of money that hunt so only had leather made out of it. A full mount bird of course takes up a lot of space. A more practical and in my mind stunning mount as a wall pedestal mount that was about half lifesize and had the wings full open. Another mount I might consider would be a male and female doing their msting dsnce. Watched them do that for a long time. Sneakking through the grass and brush to get close to them wasnt dificult. They are not the sharpest crayons in the box that I have hunted for sure. Still fun. You want to use a small caliber and shoot them in a place that will besides being immediately lethal not do and or show a lot of damage for the taxidermist to fix.

Shot one! Nasty things, covered in ticks, etc. Fun to hunt though, as they definitely know when you start hunting them. I would certainly give it a go, if that's what you want. Good luck!

I shot two on my first trip in 2002 on a 16,000 acre ranch in RSA. They were harder to bring down than I expected. I had one turned into a half mount with the wings spread. It was very dramatic. I ended up donating him to The Deer Lodge in Ojai. I still get free drinks for that when I stop by to see him now and then.

My husband shot this one in 2004. We didn't have room in our trophy room for a full body mount, so came up with mounting it like a flying goose. Hubby nows tell everyone he shot the "last flying ostrich". He took it with his .416.



Regards, D. Nelson

Super mount you have told me of it but it looks awesome.

Here is mine I shot last year at full run.

Yes I shot a couple...at first I thought "why would anyone shoot an Ostrich?" Then I realized how hard they can be to hunt. Thet were actually the early warning system for the other critters and not easy to get close too. They were fun to hunt. Had the skull cleaned and took the feet (which DO look like dinosaur feet!!!) and made lamps out of them. People find them most interesting in my trophy room

quote:

Originally posted by Kamo Gari:
Has anyone here hunted them? If so, what's involved in chasing one around, and did you get it mounted? Serious questions, BTW. I'd love to hunt/shoot one some day and have it full mounted (most of my mounted critters are birds). Love to hear about it, and if anyone has any pics of taxidermy, love to see it.

Thanks, and cheers.

Lot's of fun to hunt and nasty buggers so you don't feel bad about it either!

This is what the one I was at was like, scroll a about 3/4 down the report:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/1211061931

I have had one pair of boots made from the legs and will have another made from the pin leather and if enough left a belt. More useful use.

Also if I had left it with the Taxidermist it would have gone up in the fire like my lion, grysbok,red duiker, hippo skull and springhare.

I was with Frederik when he shot his. I took two that day also. I think it was the most fun I ever had with a rifle. I would jump at the chance to do it again.

My then 10yr old shot one in South Africa in 09. I haven't done anything with it yet for lack of ideas. It was a game of opportunity as we were really more interested in other plains game. They definitely don't seem terribly bright! Had a couple running in front of the jeep as if they didn't think they could just run into the bush. He shot it with his 7mm-08 140gr nosler partitions twice. He absolutely loved shooting it.

quote:

Originally posted by larrys01:
I was with Frederik when he shot his. I took two that day also. I think it was the most fun I ever had with a rifle. I would jump at the chance to do it again.

Yes and it took a lot of efford for larry to pry off his rifle out of my hands. Thanks Larry it was a very memorable day.

quote:

Here is mine I shot last year at full run.

Frederik/Safari Hunt;

Was this the one that attacked you while we were at Tambotie? If not, what happened to the evil one?

Regards, D. Nelson

I shot one back in 2000 in RSA..

I saved a "panel" of leather to have something made from it.. boots, briefcase, ect.

Hunted one in RSA in 2004, crumpled him with one well placed 200 grain A-Frame out of a 300Win, and recovered the bullet. My pal has the shoulder mount in his house, I had the foot made into a candy dish holder. Freaks some people out...

The folks we hunted with in southern Namibia didn't make a practice of shooting any ostriches on their place, and their numerous birds were about as wild as barnyard chickens. Not only that, but it is incredible how far away you can spot those black ostrich bodies in that desert environment.

We were driving down a dry river bed in a Jeep one day when we came upon a male wandering along and plucking something to eat out of the sand. We asked our guide what he was eating. Turned out to be baboon shit, according to the guide. As far as I'm concerned, no thanks to "hunting" ostriches, much less, eating ostrich steaks. But to each his own -- you'll get no critism from me as long as you don't insist that I take part .

Thanks, all. Definitely on the hit list!

I show a few. Tough animals. One has to watch them. They can be dangerous. If they kick you it won't be fun.

It was an interesting hunt . Not a cake walk. They can be wary.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
If you look at my hunt report of this year at the top of this forum, you will see a video of the ostrich that I have shot last year.

This was the first ostrich I have shot, and it was fun.

Well that was a mean trick, Saeed! JK. BUt FYI: three times I opened the ostritch link, and three times, my computer went nuts. My video player opened fine, then all of a sudden it looked as if there was an earthquake going on, with the screen (90% blacked out) shaking uncontrollably. For the first times ever, clicking on a link shut down my computer.

It doesn't happen with any other video. Weird.

The truck broke down one afternoon so the PH and I went for a walk while it was being worked on. Spooked up a dikker, a spring buk behind a brush pile I couldn't get a shot at and an eland I wasn't interested in. Crossed a fence and spotted some hartebeast. We are stalking them when I hear a strange sound followed by the PH saying "Oh shit!" (never a good sign) In a few minutes here comes a male ostrich and he is pissed! We get into a big clump of camel thorns and put our caps on the rifle muzzles to keep the ostrich at bay. I really don't want to shoot him and get charged for a big bird. PH gets on the radio and calls for them to bring the truck around that has come with the spare parts for the other truck. All the while we are waving our caps around on top of our rifles. At one point, just before the truck gets there, the ostrich started getting alot closer. I was about to shoot it from the hip, w/my 300WSM, when here comes the calvary. Somewhere I've got some pics of this. The PH and I are reminded of this often by our mutual "friends".

Ive got a similar story where we were "charged" by this male ostrich out on the highvelt in western Natal back in '08. Koos (PH) said "watch this". As the bird started chasing the truck, Koos got out, squared up and right when the bird got within range, Koos, gave it one helluva right cross then as the thing was seeing stars he grabbed it by the throat with his left hand and then threw his leg over its neck. He then had ahold of one PISSED off ostrich in a leg lock by its head. Its kicking, hissing, shitting everywhere while Koos has this thing in a nice headlock between his legs and was completely in the driver's seat! It was one funny dance to behold!
Ive got one helluva series of pics from this rodeo. Ill post em up for you guys when I get home. It was one of the funniest things Ive ever seen over there.
I still laugh about it when I think about it!

quote:

Originally posted by D. Nelson:

Frederik/Safari Hunt;

Was this the one that attacked you while we were at Tambotie? If not, what happened to the evil one?

Regards, D. Nelson

Unfortunately not I hope that ostrich choked on a puffader but no, I dont know if its still there.

quote:

Originally posted by Scottyboy:
Ive got a similar story where we were "charged" by this male ostrich out on the highvelt in western Natal back in '08. Koos (PH) said "watch this". As the bird started chasing the truck, Koos got out, squared up and right when the bird got within range, Koos, gave it one helluva right cross then as the thing was seeing stars he grabbed it by the throat with his left hand and then threw his leg over its neck. He then had ahold of one PISSED off ostrich in a leg lock by its head. Its kicking, hissing, shitting everywhere while Koos has this thing in a nice headlock between his legs and was completely in the driver's seat! It was one funny dance to behold!
Ive got one helluva series of pics from this rodeo. Ill post em up for you guys when I get home. It was one of the funniest things Ive ever seen over there.
I still laugh about it when I think about it!

So how did he get off and away without getting kicked?