Africa's Most Dangerous Game

04 December 2011, 21:53

From Elephant! by Craig Boddington:

"I've been writing on the subjects of guns and hunting for a long time . . . I'll hold to my line that I'm more afraid of lions than anything else, but hunting cow elephants is without question Africa's most dangerous hunt . . . If it weren't for hunting tuskless elephants, only an idiot would wade into a cow herd . . . All elephants are potentially very dangerous, but elephant females are, in my opinion, Africa's most dangerous game--by some measure!"

04 December 2011, 22:01

Aaron Neilson

Mike - What does your wife say, regarding your love affair with hunting elephants? I'm trying to understand, and after shooting 2 more bulls back in September, its starting to become more clear.

Be careful though, you could become addicted. I just happen to know something about that problem!

04 December 2011, 22:08

MJines

At this point, having hunted a dozen elephants over the last five years, she has no illusions with respect to my addiction. The way I look at it, it is a good way to save on taxidermy costs.

My wife told me yesterday that my head seems to be Africa all the time these days. What can say, she has pretty much nailed it.

04 December 2011, 22:14

KPete

I was intrigued by those remarks of Boddingtons as well, Mike. Of course, he's not the only one to make the observation that cow elephants - and in particular tuskless females - are Africa's most dangerous game. Historical figures like Ian Nyschens, along with some of today's top PHs like Buzz Charlton, have all voiced similar opinions.

And unlike so many other things in life – where the ultimate of something is also the most expensive – today's African hunter can pursue a tuskless elephant for about the same cost as a cape buffalo. As I see it, hunting a tuskless is one of the few bargains on an African safari's big game price list, and for me it's a lot more thrilling than buffalo – which is saying a lot.

04 December 2011, 23:18

465H&H

The added danger of fooling with cow herds has been well known for many, many years. John Taylor says that when he started out he was advised to only hunt bull herds as cow herds were too dangerous. But don't let that ever make you think that bulls can't also be dangerous.

465H&H

04 December 2011, 23:31

David Hulme

I can't fault Mr Boddington's comment

05 December 2011, 00:59

fairgame

Cows with tusks are less dangerous?

05 December 2011, 01:02

larryshores

I think he is right on the money. Damn those cows do scare me.

05 December 2011, 02:04

Mad Dog

Having only done it once, wading into a herd of cow elephants will definately elevate your BP!

Mad Dog

05 December 2011, 02:24

JBrown

quote:
Originally posted by fairgame:
Cows with tusks are less dangerous?

That has been the opinion of every PH who has written on the subject(as far as I know). Tuskless cows are far more aggressive.

The theory behind the tuskless cow's aggressive nature is that they grow up having to be more aggressive because they do not have tusks to protect themselves.

Jason

"You're not hard-core, unless you live hard-core."
_______________________

Hunting in Africa is an adventure. The number of variables involved preclude the possibility of a perfect hunt. Some problems will arise. How you decide to handle them will determine how much you enjoy your hunt.

Just tell yourself, "it's all part of the adventure." Remember, if Robert Ruark had gotten upset every time problems with Harry
Selby's flat bed truck delayed the safari, Horn of the Hunter would have read like an indictment of Selby. But Ruark rolled with the punches, poured some gin, and enjoyed the adventure.

-Jason Brown

05 December 2011, 02:31

BEGNO

I came to that same conclusion halfway through a cow elephant hunt with Clinton Rogers in the June jess. I upgraded my hunt to a non-trophy Bull then and there. Don't want any part of that. My hat's off to you Mike and others who chase those crazy femme fatales.

Two things scare me, Elephants and the IRS.

05 December 2011, 03:28

Aaron Neilson

quote:
Originally posted by BEGNO:
I came to that same conclusion halfway through a cow elephant hunt with Clinton Rogers in the the June jess. I upgraded my hunt to a non-trophy Bull then and there. Don't want any part of that. My hats off to you Mike and others who chase those crazy femme fatales.

Two things scare me, Elephants and the IRS.

That's awesome!!!

05 December 2011, 03:43

465H&H

I am certainly no expert on whether tuskless cows are more dangerous than tusked cows since in a quick mental review of my elephant kills, I come up with an even dozen tuskless elephants that I have shot. There may have been one or two more. I have been around a lot more tuskless than that but for one reason or another didn't take them, usually they have been too small or had a dependent calf at their side. I have never had a tuskless mock charge me let alone have I faced a determined charge from one. I have been charged twice by tusked cows and I believe both were the matriarch of their respective herds. Based on my experiences, I would say that the herd matriarch was the most dangerous whether she is tusked or tuskless.

465H&H

05 December 2011, 14:05

jetdrvr

Africa's most dangerous game is a Somali with a Kalashnikov.

05 December 2011, 15:03

dogcat

quote:
Originally posted by jetdrvr:
Africa's most dangerous game is a Somali with a Kalashnikov.

Or a Libyan posing as a bedoin in the western desert of Egypt

05 December 2011, 16:48

kld

i.e. elephants vs IRS, an elephant can only kill you, much desired over what the IRS can do.

05 December 2011, 18:06

Andrew McLaren

Methinks this tread is going astray? So maybe I'll help along and state what my first thought was when reading the subject name.

IMHO the most dangerous African game was something daring young whites played in the Apartheid times in South Africa. A hot girl of colour, a telephone booth and a call to the police were involved.....

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren

05 December 2011, 18:22

MJines

Well that certainly got us back on track.

I think Craig's point was really with respect to cows generally. I do not think he was intending to differentiate between tusked and tuskless cows. Maybe he will weigh in here and give us his thoughts directly.

05 December 2011, 18:49

Die Ou Jagter

Why would anyone question the danger of the Female Elephant - haven't you dealt with the Female Human, nuff said!

05 December 2011, 22:29

bentframe

In the days of the extended safari. It was said the most dangerous game was the client's wife !

05 December 2011, 23:12

Use Enough Gun

Mike: My wife accuses me of the same thing! Says I can't start a sentence without referring to Africa. . . ., but back to topic. Yes, I agree with Craig B. and all others on here about female eles.

07 December 2011, 03:45

noreaster

What areas have the highest numbers of tuskless elephants ?

07 December 2011, 03:48

MJines

Based on what I have read and heard, I would say the Zambezi valley. Perhaps someone more knowledgable can elaborate.

07 December 2011, 03:59

Code4

... a petty official with an over developed sense of authority.

07 December 2011, 04:12

Biebs

I think Craig probably meant female Elephants in general, which are most often encountered up close when hunting a herd for a tuskless.

07 December 2011, 04:50

Anjin

I do not have personal experience, other than our PH's backing the truck a half mile to avoid getting too close to a herd of elephants crossing the road in the Kafue. It was explained that the previous season, they'd been chased, and one skinner had been pulled out of the truck and killed.

That said, I do think that hippos are right up there with elephants as most dangerous. More deaths result from hippos every year. A friend of mine from Chicago got chomped by a hippo that same previous season. He was airlifted to Jo'burg, where the docs said he was the sixth case they'd had that year. He asked how many survived and was told he was the first. There is much more to the story, which I'll save for another time. Capstick wrote about him.

07 December 2011, 06:36

ivan carter

i would agree that elephant cows are certainly the most dangerous , and mike i think that the zambezi valley (in particular the sapi and mana pools area has the highest recorded percentage of tuskless -

thjat said , in most cases , like all game , elephant cows are just as likely to retreat than fight , but get amongst them and agressively pursue them and yes they become a whole different animal -

i wouldnt say that the tuskless is much more agressive than a tusked cow ,if you look at statistics from zimbabwe and tanzania on which animals are shot in self defense , i think you will find more are tusked than tuskless - of course the fact that there are way more tusked elephants than tuskless weighs into this statistic.

based on the large areas of the valley covered in thick jesse, hunting cows there is far more dangerous than say matetsi where one can often find them in mopane and far more open areas .

07 December 2011, 08:04

465H&H

quote:
Originally posted by ivan carter:
i would agree that elephant cows are certainly the most dangerous , and mike i think that the zambezi valley (in particular the sapi and mana pools area has the highest recorded percentage of tuskless -

thjat said , in most cases , like all game , elephant cows are just as likely to retreat than fight , but get amongst them and agressively pursue them and yes they become a whole different animal -

i wouldnt say that the tuskless is much more agressive than a tusked cow ,if you look at statistics from zimbabwe and tanzania on which animals are shot in self defense , i think you will find more are tusked than tuskless - of course the fact that there are way more tusked elephants than tuskless weighs into this statistic.

based on the large areas of the valley covered in thick jesse, hunting cows there is far more dangerous than say matetsi where one can often find them in mopane and far more open areas .

I would add Chete to Ivan's list of areas with a high percentage of tuskless. Fom my experience there it seems that more herds have at least one tuskless in it than don't. I have seen up three tuskless in one herd of ten.

465H&H

07 December 2011, 09:01

Robert Wilde

quote:
Originally posted by MJines:
At this point, having hunted a dozen elephants over the last five years, she has no illusions with respect to my addiction. The way I look at it, it is a good way to save on taxidermy costs. My wife told me yesterday that my head seems to be Africa all the time these days. What can say, she has pretty much nailed it.

Your only addiction is posting inane threads such as this for no reason other than to prop up your low self esteem by seeking the adulation of those on the forum who have never been to Africa and probably never will go. You own a Heym .500NE and shoot cows, okay, we get it, and some people own WRs and H&Hs and shoot bulls, I wonder why they aren't starting threads about that?

07 December 2011, 09:33

Caracal

quote:
Originally posted by Robert Wilde:
quote:
Originally posted by MJines:
At this point, having hunted a dozen elephants over the last five years, she has no illusions with respect to my addiction. The way I look at it, it is a good way to save on taxidermy costs. My wife told me yesterday that my head seems to be Africa all the time these days. What can say, she has pretty much nailed it.

Your only addiction is posting inane threads such as this for no reason other than to prop up your low self esteem by seeking the adulation of those on the forum who have never been to Africa and probably never will go. You own a Heym .500NE and shoot cows, okay, we get it, and some people own WRs and H&Hs and shoot bulls, I wonder why they aren't starting threads about that?

stopp reading his posts if you don't like him. That's a hunting Forum and not a kindergarden

07 December 2011, 09:57

Bill73

quote:
Originally posted by Robert Wilde:
quote:
Originally posted by MJines:
At this point, having hunted a dozen elephants over the last five years, she has no illusions with respect to my addiction. The way I look at it, it is a good way to save on taxidermy costs. My wife told me yesterday that my head seems to be Africa all the time these days. What can say, she has pretty much nailed it.

Your only addiction is posting inane threads such as this for no reason other than to prop up your low self esteem by seeking the adulation of those on the forum who have never been to Africa and probably never will go. You own a Heym .500NE and shoot cows, okay, we get it, and some people own WRs and H&Hs and shoot bulls, I wonder why they aren't starting threads about that?

What is your problem? what is your excuse for posting such jerk off rubbish?
you definately show some very fine qualities of character

07 December 2011, 14:36

Norwegianwoods

quote:
Originally posted by Robert Wilde:
quote:
Originally posted by MJines:
At this point, having hunted a dozen elephants over the last five years, she has no illusions with respect to my addiction. The way I look at it, it is a good way to save on taxidermy costs. My wife told me yesterday that my head seems to be Africa all the time these days. What can say, she has pretty much nailed it.

Your only addiction is posting inane threads such as this for no reason other than to prop up your low self esteem by seeking the adulation of those on the forum who have never been to Africa and probably never will go. You own a Heym .500NE and shoot cows, okay, we get it, and some people own WRs and H&Hs and shoot bulls, I wonder why they aren't starting threads about that?

07 December 2011, 16:25

MJines

quote:
Originally posted by Robert Wilde:
quote:
Originally posted by MJines:
At this point, having hunted a dozen elephants over the last five years, she has no illusions with respect to my addiction. The way I look at it, it is a good way to save on taxidermy costs. My wife told me yesterday that my head seems to be Africa all the time these days. What can say, she has pretty much nailed it.

Your only addiction is posting inane threads such as this for no reason other than to prop up your low self esteem by seeking the adulation of those on the forum who have never been to Africa and probably never will go. You own a Heym .500NE and shoot cows, okay, we get it, and some people own WRs and H&Hs and shoot bulls, I wonder why they aren't starting threads about that?

Bad day at the Occupy Las Vegas rally?

07 December 2011, 16:37

MikeBurke

And Mike, we thought you being an attorney was a bad thing. (Edit) And you shot some of those elephants with a K-gun another bad thing, you are just a bad man.

07 December 2011, 17:47

Saeed

quote:
Originally posted by ivan carter:
i would agree that elephant cows are certainly the most dangerous , and mike i think that the zambezi valley (in particular the sapi and mana pools area has the highest recorded percentage of tuskless -

thjat said , in most cases , like all game , elephant cows are just as likely to retreat than fight , but get amongst them and agressively pursue them and yes they become a whole different animal -

i wouldnt say that the tuskless is much more agressive than a tusked cow ,if you look at statistics from zimbabwe and tanzania on which animals are shot in self defense , i think you will find more are tusked than tuskless - of course the fact that there are way more tusked elephants than tuskless weighs into this statistic.

based on the large areas of the valley covered in thick jesse, hunting cows there is far more dangerous than say matetsi where one can often find them in mopane and far more open areas .

Reminds me of the time we stopped the truck about a mile from our leoprad bat in the afternoon, and walking to it.

I had a 7mm Lazzeroni Firehawk, hoping that we might see the leopard.

Just before we got to the bait, we saw a herd of cows, with one particular tuskless cow being very belligerent.

She kept chasing us around in some very thick bush.

We decided to withdrwa, and get the 375/404 and shoot her.

We went a little way off and waited while Alan Ran to the truck to get my rifle.

He got back, and then we thought "how are we going to find that cow in this thick stuff?"

We need not have worried, as SHE found us, and a 300 grain solid into her forehead put an end to that.

07 December 2011, 17:52

BEGNO

Mike,

Very good and enjoyable thread. Don't pay any mind to the shit head.

07 December 2011, 19:47

465H&H

quote:
Originally posted by Robert Wilde:
quote:
Originally posted by MJines:
At this point, having hunted a dozen elephants over the last five years, she has no illusions with respect to my addiction. The way I look at it, it is a good way to save on taxidermy costs. My wife told me yesterday that my head seems to be Africa all the time these days. What can say, she has pretty much nailed it.

Your only addiction is posting inane threads such as this for no reason other than to prop up your low self esteem by seeking the adulation of those on the forum who have never been to Africa and probably never will go. You own a Heym .500NE and shoot cows, okay, we get it, and some people own WRs and H&Hs and shoot bulls, I wonder why they aren't starting threads about that?

Robert,

Do I note a bit of jealousy on your part?

465H&H

07 December 2011, 20:36

fujotupu

Been a hard day at the office and the missus has "clammed up" - happens to all I guess but the wrong could easily be righted with one simple word.

07 December 2011, 23:48

Todd Williams

Mike, maybe Robert wouldn't object so much if you just used a Merkel instead of the Heym!

08 December 2011, 00:55

Aspen Hill Adventures

quote:
Originally posted by Robert Wilde:
quote:
Originally posted by MJines:
At this point, having hunted a dozen elephants over the last five years, she has no illusions with respect to my addiction. The way I look at it, it is a good way to save on taxidermy costs. My wife told me yesterday that my head seems to be Africa all the time these days. What can say, she has pretty much nailed it.

Your only addiction is posting inane threads such as this for no reason other than to prop up your low self esteem by seeking the adulation of those on the forum who have never been to Africa and probably never will go. You own a Heym .500NE and shoot cows, okay, we get it, and some people own WRs and H&Hs and shoot bulls, I wonder why they aren't starting threads about that?

My goodness, someone needs a sundowner or two....

That said, if I could do this again, I would!