Why not? Don't nkow. Why? I'll tell you some reasons.

The discussion on 500grains' post brought back fond memories the first giraffe hunt that I was ever involved with as a PH.

The client was a many times returned German who I've gotten to know as an excellent rifle shot. He insisted on using his combination gun's rifled barrel in 7X65R with 175 grains RWS H-mantel bullets, and he vowed to go for a brain shot. I knew that he could consistently give headshots on a hyrax at 200 yards with that combination. Wasn't worried in the least about him wounding the giraffe.

As we were hunting in a no-DG area and it was basically a plains game + giraffe hunt my back-up rifle was a trusted .300 Weatherby Mag with ONLY FOUR 220 grain Nostler Partitions, 3 in the magazine and 1 in the chamber.

When he prepared for the shot I got ready with my camera to take a photo of the cloud of dust that I expected the falling giraffe to raise. Ever seen it? A head-shot giraffe will raise an unbelievable cloud of dust on falling. As I said, I wasn't worried at all about Gerhard making a mess of a 50 yards shot from a steady rest. Enter Mr. Murphy! You are not welcome Mr. Murphy, please go away!

At the shot I clearly heard the strike and bones break, and the bull took off in full flight. Fortunately for me my tip-off scope was removed and left in the vehicle, and the rifle was slung barrel down over my right shoulder. With the telescope on there would have been no time to aim at the animal as it ran more or less from right to left through the shrubs and trees, being visible for only a small fraction of a second in the gaps. I can now say that a hurt giraffe bull takes 3 double lung shots while running past us before even slowing in his stride. Each time that I hit him, he seemed to, without missing a stride kick at his ribs with a hind foot and continue his run unchecked. With only one cartridge left the bull stopped behind a big tree, stood a moment and expired before I could run around to get a shot at it with my very last remaining bullet. From that day onwards my rule to any PH working for me is: "When the client gets ready for a shot you watch through your telescope, rifle loaded and safety off!"

In my hunting career I have been a bit of a mentor for many young PH's and other local hunters. The question about how you handle a giraffe has often been asked. I advise every one: Shoot at least one giraffe in your lifetime. Working with that massive animal is an experience every African hunter should experience at least once! Here are a few of the lessons that I learnt that day.

How do you set up a fallen giraffe for a trophy picture? Well, firstly you send for lots of strong hands to help. How do you move a fallen giraffe a bit away from the scrub for a good picture? Will a Toyota double cab in 4X4 low range tow it? No ways! The more you try, the more the vehicle kicks up dust and just digs itself in deeper! You leave the giraffe where it fell and cut the scrub away from in front of it. How do you degut a giraffe? With great difficulty! How many men are required to lift the complete skin unto a double cab’s load bed? You don’t lift the folded skin, there is no place to hold on to once the skin is folded. And it is heavy, really very heavy! We tried putting in an old style oval galvanized steel bathtub and loading it by lifting on the sturdy grab handles. The one handle tore off by just breaking the soldering! To load it you unfold the skin, load the neck side and then bit-by-bit drag up and load the rest in a huge bundle that all but completely fills a double cab’s load bed! Then I’ve also learnt that the ultimate test for a quality knife is on skinning the 1" plus thick skin. There are other lessons, all about the enormous size of the carcass. But by and large if you’ve handled a few buffalo and eland, the techniques are the same; just the giraffe is so much bigger.

In short: Shooting and handling a big bull giraffe is an experience that I regard as a “must†for every African hunter. Once! Do not worry about getting addicted to it, like many get addicted to hunting buffalo. It is simply too much very hard work, to ever get me addicted to it. But once you’ve done it you feel so much better, and more experienced.

Go on try it! I assure you it is a most enjoyable experience, but you’ll do it only once!

A full mount in the average house could be a problem.

Nothing described above in any way indicates shooting a giraffe is a "must" to me. Anyone got any better justification?

A giraffe is at the bottom of my "must have" list along with zebra and any primate.

"With the telescope on there would have been no time to aim at the animal as it ran more or less from right to left through the shrubs"

No time to get a shot off with the scope on you need more rifle time with the scope on.

Having killed many running animials with scoped rifles I find with enough paractice there isn't enough differants in shooting times too matter.

When people tell me they can not hit or find animals in the scope they havn't paracticed enough.

quote:

Originally posted by Kensco:
Nothing described above in any way indicates shooting a giraffe is a "must" to me. Anyone got any better justification?

A giraffe is at the bottom of my "must have" list along with zebra and any primate.

I don't know if this would be justification or not, but there are a couple of things that come to mind. Number one is that I understand Giraffe is one of the tastiest meats of all African game. I really liked it myself.

Secondly, is the Giraffe is by far and away the most popular of all my African mounts for the ladies. Every lady that found out I shot a Giraffe gave me loads of grief until they saw it. Their tune changed immediately. I wonder if it is because it looks like a great big phallic symbol or something.

I know my PH wanted to shoot every Giraffe he saw. He hates them because they ruin far too many stalks on other game according to him.

I had a good hunt for this guy:

Pongola, RSA




Giraffe are like any other game species, they become over abundant and must be thinned out.

I'm still waiting for the rug, another slow taxidermist situation!

Looks like it was fun Ann. I woukd shoot one if given the chance.

No issue for me. My son shot one and we all wanted to but got distracted on other critters. They are fun to hunt.

would I? No
Should they be "thinned" where needed? Yes just like any over populated animal should be.
There are several animals such as a lion,elephant,giraffe,primates that I will never intentionlly bust a primer on. Does that suggest I don't approve of it? No

A giraffe doesn't tweak me personally. On the other hand if we needed a bait for cats I'd take one with no qualms at all. If you want one for whatever reason go for it.

Mark

My first day out on my first safari in Zimbabwe we came upon a giraffe that had been snared with the snare tightly around its neck. It had then been entangled in a stock fence with little hope of disintangling it the PH asked me to shoot it. So my first african animal became a giraffe. We then spent the rest of the morning butchering and transporting the meat back to camp. Did not try to skin just cut off neck,quartered the animal with skin on and transported. Years later I had the opportunity to try the meat from one killed by a friend as a trophy and have to say it's one of the best tasting of all meats. I would not hesitate to have it again and the skin makes beautiful upholstery material. I see nothing wrong with taking one if you want one.

The issue of justification is a murky one at best. It just comes down to personal lines that we all draw. These lines very often, maybe even always change as we go along. Here are some examples;most anti's dont think anyone should be hunting or even eating meat but those same people have no problem killing hundreds of thousnds of dogs and cats "for their own good" in fact most the time they are the ones doing it. Ofcourse its not for their own good, its just that they get in their way in the city. The dogs+cats are perectly fine with eating all the song birds, simi pet squirrels, gettin in our gardage and sneaking in and screwing your wifes pedigreed pomeranian. I dont approve of those "trophy" hunts for elk that are just farm animals ect. However I would not tell someone they cant go pay to shoot someones livestock ( though I do think it should be illeagal to call it hunting..makes us look bad). The premise that giraffes are too "easy" is also a personal one. How about prarie dogs? Yes I know the ranchers want then gone but do any of us really beleive varmit hunters shoot them because they worry about the poor rancher? I would like to shoot a giraffe just to have the skin. How many of us would not stop and shoot a world record elk just because we saw it driving down a logging road and it would all be "too easy" ? As long as those basic lines we all tend to agree on like only taking the sustainable numbers ect. it is simply a personal choice for you to make.

Should you? Yes, why not!

Would I? I did, and I would again for sure!

I really enjoyed hunting this big guy, and look forward to taking another one, one day. I have a black bull now, the next one will be the avg., reddish orange color. My PH almost talked me into taking one two days after I shot my Black Bull!

here's the Black Stink Bull.................

I have had the opportunity, but passed. The giraffe just doesn't appeal to me as a game animal.

But that's just me. To each according to his own taste.

Do giraffe get ranked in the book and if so how are they measured?

I have no desire to shoot a giraffe unless I was hungry.

quote:

Originally posted by TrapperBob:
How many of us would not stop and shoot a world record elk just because we saw it driving down a logging road and it would all be "too easy" ?

Have you ever saw an elk drive?

Jarrod, can't miss the opp. to respond about seeing an Elk drive. He would need a pretty large sunroof or convertible to get behind the wheel. Then, hoof to the metal.

My wife has made it very clear that if she doesn't get to hunt a giraffe on our next trip then I can't go. That's more then enough reason for me.

quote:

Originally posted by Jarrod:

quote:

Originally posted by TrapperBob:
How many of us would not stop and shoot a world record elk just because we saw it driving down a logging road and it would all be "too easy" ?

Have you ever saw an elk drive?

Bulls need convertibles...

You guys must not hunt in washington much, if their on a loggin road they dont even need a license

quote:

Originally posted by bulldog563:
Do giraffe get ranked in the book and if so how are they measured?

Giraffe are not accepted for entry in any record book.

Those that want to should, but considering that they just stand there and stare at you, for me there's no sport in it.

One of the animals that I wanted to , but did not hunt on my first safari was a giraffe.

I will on my second safari.

quote:

Originally posted by Widowmaker416:
My PH almost talked me into taking one two days after I shot my Black Bull!

Same situation for me, almost took another two days after the first one....

I thought it would be more like take a shot and that was it but it was so much more from slipping in the heavier bullet in the barrel to eating the meat some days later.

Ron I hope you liked the scene in my movie.

Doesn't really do much for me but on my last trip to Zim I was ready to shoot a couple of them as they kept screwing up a sneak we were trying to put on a couple of big kudu. Kudu finally got wise and simply vanished as only kudu can.

Don't have any desire to shoot a giraffe, a wildebeest, teeseebe, springbok or a bunch of other critters including an elephant. Don't mind if others do but they're not for me.

quote:

Ron I hope you liked the scene in my movie.

Christer,

Yes enjoyed the scene alot, watched the video a few times already!

Sounds good Ron

and if someone else wants to see a part of the Giraffe and other here is the link to the trailer; http://cchunter.se/movie/abv_trailer_shop.htm

I passed up a couple of giraffes my last trip. Hey, Jefferey Giraffe is on the front of Toys-R-Us! Seriously, I wasn't interested at the time. Since, I have given thought to a knockout sofa upholstered with giraffe hide. Might be kind of itchy. If I see one this fall in Tanzania, I guess I'll have to decide.

Of course I would like to shoot one. Can´t see why not. A big animal, and a new experience. Enough reason for me.

No itch to kill one, but I'd love to have the hide to cover an ottoman. Better yet, maybe some giraffe chinks with the hair left on them - I'd be a hit in elk camp!

quote:

Originally posted by Texas Hunter:
If I see one this fall in Tanzania, I guess I'll have to decide.

The giraffe is royal game in Tanzania. Do not shoot.

quote:

Better yet, maybe some giraffe chinks with the hair left on them - I'd be a hit in elk camp!.

Forrest, you would start a trend. Who needs RealTree? Go with Forrest's GiraffeChink.

I have talked to a couple of PH's about the Giraffe. I was ambivilant about shooting one. Each of them said "Oh you WILL shoot one".
One Ph said, "You MUST shoot several.
I have always found that kinda funny.
Botton line is If I get the chance to shoot one this March I will for sure.
I too have heard they are good to eat.

Forrest,
If you had giraffe chinks in elk camp, I don't know about being a hit. But if you were hunting Broke Back Mountain, you might get hit on!

Actually, I think your ottoman idea would make a classy ddition to any trophy room.

As far as Africa is concerned I have four want to shoot, Gemsbok, Kudu, Sable, Giraffe. All of these animals are intriguing to me.
Doug

quote:

Originally posted by Spring:
Those that want to should, but considering that they just stand there and stare at you, for me there's no sport in it.

Vic, you shoulda seen those suckers in Namibia! There was no standing around for those boys. They've been hunted a bit there and are just as wary and difficult to approach as any other hunted species.

Upon arrival I really had no desire to shoot one. By mid-safari, I REALLY wanted to shoot one. Unfortunately, time got away from us while we pursued the other species we wanted and I lost the opportunity. A big giraffe bull is one of the reason I want to return to Africa.

Hey Andrew - maybe you can line me up! I think we'd better have more hands than just yours and mine this time though...

Maybe someday if I can figure out where to put the rug? I've seen several shoulder mounts & just don't get it. For now, the pics are better for me.
BTW, is that you Selwin?

Royal Game - that's interesting. I guess I'll have to do some research.

Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by fredj338:
Maybe someday if I can figure out where to put the rug? I've seen several shoulder mounts & just don't get it. For now, the pics are better for me.
BTW, is that you Selwin?

Always wanted one for a hallway or stair runner - from a really big room.

I hear that the rugs are difficult. First they are too big for the tanneries rollers unless you have some special machinery. The second thing is that they don't want to stay flat on the floor. They want to bunch up in places that they were not flat when the critter was upright and walking. I too wanted a whole rug but these problems explained to me by a taxidermist in Namibia made me think again. I do want to whack one. But I may settle for a set of cushion covers and a skull. Good hunting.