I know NOTHING about elephants or elephant hunting, so forgive me if these questions are stupid. I have heard of 100 pounders, and understand what this term means. How common are 100 pounders today? Were they more common in the "old days"? What is the record? Anyone have any pictures they would like to share?

Alex

The worlds biggest tusks reside British Museum of Natural History in London. Story has it that they were taken at ths base of Mt. Kilamanjaro in about 1901 by a black African using a muzzle loader. This fellow apparently worked for one of the more notorious slave traders at the time whose name escapes me at the moment. ( Sinousi?? )
The largest one was in the vicinity of 235 lbs and the "smaller" one about 227 lbs!!!I am going from memory here but I think I am pretty close. I think both measured in the vicinity of 10ft 10in.
No doubt someone will correct me if I am wrong.

I would think that yesterdays 100 pounders would equate to todays 80 pounders.

The world record tusks do indeed reside at the Natural History Museum in London and I believe they're now on public display. - About 10 years ago I got a chance to handle them. There's always been some dispute as to whether they came from the same Elephant or not. I'm going from memory here, but if I remember correctly, one story is that one of the tusks was bought by a cutlery manufacturer in England but recovered by someone before they got the chance to cut it up into knife handles and the other was bought from a dealer in Zanzibar. - Some people reckon the two tusks came from the same Elephant and some reckon not. - Having handled them, I have my doubts they came from the same animal...... but only doubts.

I believe the number 2 or 3 in the book are at the Powell Cotton Museum/Quex House in Birchington in Kent UK. - That place is well worth a visit if anyone gets the chance. - They have odd opening hours though.

100 pounders are still taken occasionally, but not often. If someone wanted to try for that criteria, it'd recommend the area on the Tanzania - Mozambique border as probably one of the best areas to go to........ The other area I reckon would be worth considering would be in the eastern Selous and possibly Masailand where they have recently re-opened Elephant hunting on normal licence after a break of many years. -All of these hunts are very expensive though.

quote:

it'd recommend the area on the Tanzania - Botswana border as probably one of the best areas to go to.....

Sorry Shakari but I have been away for almost a week outside Africa did anything happen in Africa that I missed? Botswana invading Zambia or something.

Oops, glad you spotted the deliberate spelling mistake. I meant of course Mozambique, but had just been speaking on the phone to someone about Botswana....... I obviously had a blonde moment..... sorry about that and I've amended my post to the correct spelling. Hey it could have been worse....... I could have spelt it Mozambwana!

Thoes big 90 to 100 pounders just keep showing up every year..Johan Calitz, who I can book for, shoots several every year in that catagory.

I have been told by the best in the business that the old bulls will put on a growth spurt in the last couple of years of their life, when all the nourisment they eat will go to the tusks as the body starts to deminish and thus the continueing supply of those hundred pounders that keep showing up...

They are rare indeed, but then so is a 40 inch Mule Deer, a 10.5' Alaskan Brown bear or a B&C 400 pt. elk, but they are out there....

Ray, are you sure that Calitz shoots "several" 100 pounders every year? I don't think anyone shoots several every year.

Another area that does very well, some say better than Rann and Calitz, is Kai-Uwe Denker in Bushmanland Namibia.

I think you are right there Yukon. I have tried to get in touch with Kai-Uwe several time via e mail, but no luck. I was very interested in trying to hunt with him but could not get in touch or find out anything about pricing. I ended up going back with the same outfit I have used before in Zim. Great hunt with the chance for a 70 lb bull that someone takes with them every year. The hunt is not until 2010 and the possibility of the US not letting hunters do business in Zim had me looking elswhere.

Silwane, contact me privately as I have been in touch with Kai-Uwe several times recently.

Yeah, I'm sure he shoots a couple in the 90 to 100 pound class as I said, I get those reports from time to time...I suspect he shoots the best elephant in Africa over the long haul..