That last elephant is just absolutely huge. When I die I hope I go to Botswana (and Texas).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m23rM2WYl8

Very nice video. I checked out his website as well. Daily rate...wow. Will, you are right around the corner from me.

I wonder why he does not reload the shot barrel before walking in.

Allen,

I wondered that same thing. I saw this episode as one of the first "Dangerous Game" episodes. It didn't occur to me then, but after seeing several elephant and buffalo kills, it appears to me that this would be the first step, to reload, whether one barrl or topping off the magazine. I guess being on the ground, in the moment dictates.

David

PS Is it just me, or is that last elephant a monster for body size? Could just be camera angle.

I suspect he didn't reload immediately because it was an obvious brain shot. The eles rear legs went down first and the head went up as is typical with a successful brain shot. Prudence would dictate reloading first though. Sometimes those with the most experience take calculated but unnecessary risks.

465H&H

I thought the same thing...reload first then walk in. It's a VERY obvious brain shot (nicely done too) but the video doesn't show everything so maybe he did. Also, there is another rifle beside him.

I will say that my tuskless fell the same as this bull but was not dead. Everyone who watches the video for the first time (including Buzz) thought she was dead at the first shot. She never regained her feet but that's because I shot her several times before the matriarch backed us up. It was a quartering to brain shot and the shot just creased the leading edge of the brain...knocked her out.

Oh no, another brained elephant that really wasn't brained!!

Just ragging on you.

In my limited experience, brained elephant fall as in the video but knocked out elephant react as if they were indeed knocked out. But you were there. Where's the video?

SCHWING...........

And I thought this thread was gonna be about Fillet knives

Well, I was in tall grass (you have read the story) and at the shot her back end collapsed, her head flew back and her trunk went straight up and she collapsed backwards. I think Alan was surprised when I kept shooting (he was shouting down the herd) but not long after she fell, her leg started moving so I shot her in the head and shoulders. She never got up.

Myles, Buzz, etc. watched the video and thought it was a brain shot too. Alan traced the first shot path and said it went just slightly ahead of the brain but didn't hit it.

Anybody else notice he's a lefty? Represent!

IIRC, he's wielding an H&H 577 double in that video. A damn fine weapon to have on an elephant hunt!

Rann can afford it.

quote:

Originally posted by Clayman:
Anybody else notice he's a lefty? Represent!

IIRC, he's wielding an H&H 577 double in that video. A damn fine weapon to have on an elephant hunt!

Are you sure that is a 577? It doesn't look clunky enough for that big of a rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:

quote:

Originally posted by Clayman:
Anybody else notice he's a lefty? Represent!

IIRC, he's wielding an H&H 577 double in that video. A damn fine weapon to have on an elephant hunt!

Are you sure that is a 577? It doesn't look clunky enough for that big of a rifle.

I could be wrong, but I think Jeff's double is a 500NE, or at least that is what he used to carry! Anyone know for sure?

When this aired on TV he described the 577 NE in detail....it was custom made for him.

Is it just me or does the last elephant video look fake? He looks tiny when he shoots the bull...almost like it was put together from two different angles. Maybe it was just the camera.

Jeff was on a hunt show in Alaska for brown bears with a medium caliber scoped double. Can't remember which show that was but it was interesting to see him get excited about the hunt.

I'm not so sure it looks fake, but the angle does make the elephant look absolutely enormous compared to Rann.

Unless Jeff has changed doubles recently, his rifle is a 465NE H&H.

Tom

He took a brown bear in AK a friend of mine flew the bush plane and said he brought two barrels for his double with one being a 500x465

I'm not sure if it's same he used in video.

It would always be smarter to have a full mag then a 1/2 full

That last still shot at 9 minutes makes me weep!

I don't know what Rann's regular rifle is, but the double he used on that behemoth bull elephant was a .577 Nitro Express Holland & Holland Royal.

I saw the television show on which this hunt was featured (can't remember the name of it) and they focused a bit on the rifle.

As for why he didn't reload . . . well, he obviously didn't have to.

I have that show recorded and mrlexma is correct.

Now who is going to volunteer to send me a copy of the show?

Antlers, can I get a copy of that? Give me 2 copies and I'll pay to ship one to Bill.

What did you all think of the shot placement on the first Elephant? The one shot 1:30 into the video.

Jason

What's your question? It was a perfect frontal brain shot. That's the tough one to do right.

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:
What did you all think of the shot placement on the first Elephant? The one shot 1:30 into the video.

Jason

Jason,

It is difficult to tell where the bullet hit. All I could see was the dust fly up. It looks like he probably placed it right between the eyes. I would have gone a bit lower but all the views were foreshortened and unless one is there you can't really make an judgments.

As he got it done, I would suspect Jeff has little difficulty in the frontal shot! Personally, I hate him.

Hm - dared to play some - looks like between the eyes...



...played some more - according to dust fly off behind the head - hm?

Mouse,

If you got dinged by a 577 bullet, any dust resting on any part of your head would definitely fly off.

to miss that shot you must shoot a 10" group at 25m

Ooooooeeeee…I saw much of that episode when it ran on television and it is very impressive and so is Rann, but more importantly the views of the Delta, the game and the sheer excitement of it all just got me even more into the “safari mode†for my first buffalo in June in the Okavango…I’ll never make it until then!

Paul

quote:

Originally posted by 375 fanatic:
to miss that shot you must shoot a 10" group at 25m

That isn't the case!!! Hitting where your choosen point of impact on the outside on the frontal brain shot isn't the challenge. It's judging where you need to hit the ele on the outside to get to the brain, potentially far inside, that is the shooting challenge.

Recall that the brain can be anywhere from less than a foot to four feet or more behind the point of impact, depending on the respective positions of the hunter and ele and how the ele holds his head. Add in the fact that the eles head isn't stationary, or at least isn't for but a moment when he turns to look at you, and there is the challenge.

For the shot in the video, the point of impact is close to 2' from the center of the brain. Misjudge where the outside point of impact needs to be by only a couple of inches and the line of penetration for the bullet can easily miss the brain.

That same shot from a distance at an undsturbed and stationary elephant would be simple with ample time to line up landmarks on the ele's head, but push the approach until the ele turns to you and time to ponder shot placement disappears as the ele moves at 10 or 15yds, and with great relative motion.

JPK

quote:

Originally posted by 375 fanatic:
to miss that shot you must shoot a 10" group at 25m

Disagreed for the reasons that JPK stated. The frontal brain shot is one of the toughest shots you will ever encounter. The angle changes significantly with small movements of the elephant's head. The brain is the size of a football and you are shooting at the pointy end of it in a frontal shot. That football is floating inside of something the size of a car hood. Believe me, Jeff made it look easy.

Nice vidio and I thought Jeff stated his points very well. boy, that last elephant must have been 11' tall, big boy....

I hope I'm in Botswana or Texas with Will when I die. Maybe in heaven Texas will have 200 pounders, should have because everything is bigger and better in Texas!

JPK,

You take these things way too seriously. I doubt 375 fanatic was really serious about that. Maybe.

Question for the ele hunters: The usual approach to a wounded (or maybe wounded) animal is from the rear. Is his frontal approach a good idea?

Rann is highly experienced. He obviously felt comfortable with his shot, the animal's reaction and his approach.

quote:

Originally posted by Brice:
Question for the ele hunters: The usual approach to a wounded (or maybe wounded) animal is from the rear. Is his frontal approach a good idea?

That elephant was toast at the shot. Both were actually.

Doesn't the rear leg sticking up a tell tail sign that jumbo is done?

no

Sticking up and jerking = YES!

465H&H