Friends:

Just some quickie questions.

In all of my many years I can't seem to recall ever seeing any reports about anyone taking a giraffe. Why is that ?

* Are they all endangered?
* Off the list of sporting animals?
* Undesirable?

Does anyone know where they are concentrated now and in what numbers ?

Dissertation:

As I have posted numerous times I'm an old timer. Back in my youth 5 -6 decades ago the game was certainly more abundant than it is now. Rather than to confuse the issue I will limit my focus on Africa and not the entire rest of the world including other species.

Times are changing. Evolving. Considering the 17th and 18th century there has been a steady, big, diminution, a steady decline, shrinking of game. It is easy to forecast that the future does not bode well for the survival and availability of big game species.

Coupled with the population increases and loss of habitat in the next half century it is looking not encouraging.

I can only add that my friends here will be well advised to not dilly dally about booking a hunt. Nothing urgent but over the next decades it will continue to decline.

I'll appreciate any info about the giraffes.

Thanks.

There are plenty of them in certain areas. You cannot hunt them in some palces because they are considered royal game.

They are readily available in South Africa. With the absence of lions they can quickly overpopulate a ranch type setting. Sometimes you can find one at very reasonable price.

Why would anyone want to?

From what I've read, their hide is thick, which combined with their size makes for a bulky and expensive piece of taxidermy - either as a skin or as a mount. That makes giraffe an animal better left to observe than actually hunt in many hunters' eyes. I've been to RSA a few times and seen them, but didn't have any interest in hunting them.

I took one once. It was a hoot to stalk. There were many giraffe in the area of RSA I was hunting. My PH Tino Erasmus of Trophy Game Safaris is a superb stalker and the giraffes knew we were there. They are hard to hide from!! I made a living room rug out of mine. We stepped out of the bush at about 75 yards and I put a .338 mag right between his front legs on a direct frontal shot. He ran 40 yards and was down. Would love to hunt another.

They're a lot more difficult to hunt than you'd think. they are tall (not that I'm saying anything new) and can see over trees and they spot hunters from miles away.

They run like the wind as well, if the wind had 6 ft legs (that's 6 foot long, not hexapodal) and they can go for a long time.

There are lots of mentions in the trip reports - usually with a mention of "stinkbulls".

Years ago my dad and co went hunting in the (then) Northern Transvaal and the landowner mentioned that he only took one animal a year for meat for his family (he was exposed a BS artist in other things, so ..) and that would be a large female giraffe - fed them all for a year (he said).

I'd rate hunting free-range giraffe as one of my greatest hunting experiences. I'd hunt them again in a heartbeat. While our last trip to Namibia was for a variety of plains game, giraffe was the real reason for the trip. Like all animals, giraffe need to be managed in some regions and they do provide a lot of protein for local villagers. We ate some of mine and it was quite delicious. http://outdoorquestblog.blogsp...affe-in-namibia.html

I shot two of them in Zim in 2008. The outfitter had a citrus plantation and it was harvest time. He partially fed his migrant workers with Giraffe meat but he was tired of shooting them and asked if I would shoot a couple for him instead.

As someone else stated, much easier said than done. Similar to those who ask about Zebra hunting in that they are much harder to harvest than one might think. Their height gives them a definite advantage in that there is NO WAY you're ever going to sneak up on them unnoticed.

Combine that with using a big bore double with open sights and you have a recipe for a challenge!!

And yes, the meat is quite good as well.

I shot one last year in Zim. The locals came and helped cut it up and they were very happy for the meat. Will make a great rug.
I agree much harder to hunt then you would think.

It is something about those long eyelashes.

I took a big Stink Bull in Zim (Save Valley) in 2007.
I thought it was a great hunt and they were definitely switched on...at 17 ft with a head on a periscope they can sure see you coming when they want to.
I wanted to hunt one because I think they are such cool and incredible animals. The Zebra analogy if a good and fair one.

Giraffes, panda bears and koala bears are on my personal "do not hunt" list.

Shot one for bait in Zim.

One of the easier hunts (or in this case, shoot) I have had.

They were not turned on at all. Didn't run far from gunfire.

I would shoot one again for bait, but there is a reason they are not considered trophy animals really.

The rug is neat, and giraffe bone is an interesting substance. Personally, eland or buffalo are a heck of a lot more fun.

Ive shot one in Namibia in 2010. It was a neat experience and while I didn't do a mount per se, I did save the skin (rugged out the neck portion which is almost 8 ft long), the entire top and bottom portion of the skull (which Ive had plated in silver), the two front lower legs bones from knee to the ankle (scrimshaw style carved after the fact with African animals) and had a really cool looking lamp made from one of the front lower legs. While on the day I hunted and shot mine, we saw several on the farm, I'm sure the giraffe saw the pack of pesky humans ( there were like 6 of us with 2 Ph's, me and the trackers) before I shot. It amazed me how much ground they can cover when the decide to "run". Ive also been on other African hunts where I saw (or didn't see)the giraffe hidden amongst the tree/leaves until they moved in spite of how big an animal it can be. Given the right opportunity I would not hesitate in taking another one.

I would love to hunt one.

From what i have read, their thick hide makes hair slip very likely and a taxidermy crap shoot.

A skull and neck vertebrae European style mount would make a very unusual addition to a trophy room.

Fantastique:

Great, what an educztion. Thanks infinitly. I just didn't know.

Bill Tibbe

I had a preconceived notion before my trip to Namibia that I wasn't interested. By the end of the hunt, I'd become very interested, but just couldn't make it work with the short time remaining. If I make it back to an area like that, where the vegetation is short, the giraffes are tall, and the lions are trying to eat them all the time (so they're cagey), I'll certainly try for one.

quote:

Originally posted by MotorCity:
I shot one last year in Zim. The locals came and helped cut it up and they were very happy for the meat. Will make a great rug.
I agree much harder to hunt then you would think.

Is that Lyn Stanton? I hunted giraffe with him as well in 02. The guys on the right, the one standing looks like Vumani and the one squatting Kululaku?

quote:

Giraffes, panda bears and koala bears are on my personal "do not hunt" list

what about Drop Bears? These nasty buggers need to be culled


But seriously a giraffe rug and skull mount would look pretty cool.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
Giraffes, panda bears and koala bears are on my personal "do not hunt" list.

Panda Trophy!

http://www.shutterstock.com/pi...bc6pR1GVtsyKbQg-1-61

It is the only animal my wife ask me not to shoot.
That's enough for me.

Gents:
I, too, once thought giraffe were not much of a trophy. But I changed my mind 10-12 years ago on a big ranch in SA. Very difficult to stalk as they are so tall which made for a challenging hunt. I have the skull, two small tables from the feet, and a full rug.
That brings up a question. I'd like to dispose of the rug as all of my taxidermy has been gone. Anyone out here know a fair price to ask?
Cal

It is a most under rated hunt. I once had one walk across the road in front of us just after first light. We followed it almost all day and never saw it again.

Well, I guess it sort of depends on where you hunt and the pressure. I hunted in the SAVE a few years ago and could have killed a dozen with a sling shot from our hunting vehicle. In my case I saw 0 challenge.
They seemed to have no fear of our hunting party.
I was told I could whack one if I wanted, but declined. I thought my money better spent on a second buffalo.

EZ

I had plans to shoot one in Namibia in 2005. It never happened, never had a shot oppertunity. I'd have taken one for sure.

I think they are a wonderful trophy.

quote:

Originally posted by cal pappas:
That brings up a question. I'd like to dispose of the rug as all of my taxidermy has been gone. Anyone out here know a fair price to ask?
Cal

Take a look on eBay, I have seen some on there before. Do you mind sharing what the cost was to tan it? Maybe you can ask for half of that?


I definitely want to hunt one - "poor man's elephant"!

I, too, shot a giraffe with Lin Stanton. The meat was greatly appreciated by the locals. We also had giraffe steaks and leopard loins for supper one night. And, my buddies PH Quentin Wessels made giraffe biltong which was excellent.

I have hunted a few. I enjoyed the hunt.



Ed

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
Giraffes, panda bears and koala bears are on my personal "do not hunt" list.

My wife simply loves the dainty skip of the diminutive oribi that decorate our plains. She wants one for our garden and was distraught to hear that people like you blow big holes in them.

Then again she is a vegetarian and for ethical reasons. But she sure is pretty.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
Giraffes, panda bears and koala bears are on my personal "do not hunt" list.

My wife simply loves the dainty skip of the diminutive oribi that decorate our plains. She wants one for our garden and was distraught to hear that people like you blow big holes in them.

Then again she is a vegetarian and for ethical reasons. But she sure is pretty.

_______________________________________________

When I lived in Addas Ababa, Ethiopia, I rented the second home of the Minister of Finance Ato Yilma Deressa, one of 5 on the inner council of Empearor Haile Selassie. It was a big stone house on four acres of lawn and extensive gardens with exotic plants. Ato Deressas kept a gardner on the property and a guard on the gate.

I was in the drilling business and traveled extensively from site to site so I saw plenty of countryside. One day a native was standing out in the road in the middle of nowhere holding up a DikDik. Talk about diminutive. They are about 12 to 16" tall. I bought it for about $5.-00 and turned it loose in the garden for my kids.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dik-dik

Next day the gardener found it dead. It must have been injured in capture.

I also found a huge tortoise the size of a bushel basket. I loaded it into the Land Rover and hauled it home. Couple of days later the gardener came and got me and took me out into the garden - with a frown of great consternation on his face. Yikes !!!!! The tortoise had devoured a significant amount of the succulent plants!!!! I shoulda thunk. I loaded it up and hauled it back out into the boondocks. Phew!

________________________________________

Thanks all for the giraffe responses.

Ethipoia was the forgotten land. I never really saw any pH - outfitters there. But back then it had game in great abundance and huge variety. I saw it all the time in my travels.

_______________________________________

Personal note: My last name is Tibbe - Bentheim/Dutch ancestry. There ia a village called Tibbe 125 kilometers West of a Addis in a remote area. I tried to research it but didn't find anything of enlightenment. The village is apparently quite primitive.

Tibbe is a rare name. There are probably not more than 3 dozen in the entire USA. If that many. I suppose I will never know how Tibbe, Ethipoia got it's name. If it was one of my ancestors he was quite and adventurer for sure in such a remote area. *( I should talk )

That was years ago. More recently I have not heard about mayhem from that area. It's been pretty quiet. I also am not current about the game but I am reasonably confident that it is still there in GREAT abundance. The country is huge, wild, primitive, remote.

As I posted recently tribes live like they did in the stone age and even one area has some that are even more throwbacks to the beginnings of Homo Sapiens. Roving nomads that do not build permanent structures and hunt in groups - really more like Homo Habilis the predecessor to Homo Sapiens.

If some of you guys are incurable adventurers like I am, and like things off the beaten path, it may pay to investigate that country for a hunt.

I would certainly like to hear any current news. From my current search I'm finding some questions that need answers. Before anyone books there they need to check it out thoroughly. I don't think it will appeal to everyone. Only that special Guy with a taste for the different and exotic and with deep pockets. The licensing is really expensive. Probably it is for the special person who doesn't want to shoot fenced in barnyard raised animals in civilized conditions and trail along the time worn path of scores of like predecessors. But rather the special, original, wild, special species in very primitive areas and atmosphere.

Again Thanks for the giraffe updates. They were very interesting as well as appreciated. Including personal attitudes.

Tibbe Ethiopia>

http://www.geographic.org/geog...&fid=1697&c=ethiopia

But who cares ?

Anyone with any enlightenment/info will be rewarded by my blessing. That will make you afterlife more pleasant -Honest injun I promise !

Tibbe

I shot a cull one last year in Namibia

Never shot one. I understand the meat is rather strong, but the only giraffe I've ever eaten was in the form of "chili bits" which is the Namibian version of bar nuts. (Diced biltong with copious amounts of peri peri). Couldn't taste anything but hot and salty.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
Giraffes, panda bears and koala bears are on my personal "do not hunt" list.

My wife simply loves the dainty skip of the diminutive oribi that decorate our plains. She wants one for our garden and was distraught to hear that people like you blow big holes in them.

Then again she is a vegetarian and for ethical reasons. But she sure is pretty.

I married one of those too, same reason. It took me 3 years to convert her, but she still is not a hunter and never will be.

Shot one last year in RSA. It was the one animal my wife really wanted. It took 3.5 hours of tracking and stalking from the time we first spotted the small group until we were able to get a shot. We are having the neck and head mounted and a rug made out of the hide.

Gotta get a giraffe...and one of these too for my office.

I would shoot one. They have a lower trophy fee than many common plains game. I do not go with the so cute/Disney image.
We stalked some for photos and practice on a game ranch in RSA, the property owner did not want them hunted. They were very difficult to approach, would not be the easy hunt people think observing them from a distance.
The trophy was also an issue, the head and neck mount looks like the Loch Ness Monster, and at that time my house was too small for the rug.

In 2012, I killed a giraffe bull in Namibia. I hunted this animal with a double rifle and for me it was really difficult to approach specially when the vegetation is not thick. Before my hunt, I wanted to shoot this animal at 20-30 meters but after several trackings without success I shot him further than I wanted.
I think I will hunt an other one in the future.

quote:

Originally posted by Hughiam:

quote:

Originally posted by MotorCity:
I shot one last year in Zim. The locals came and helped cut it up and they were very happy for the meat. Will make a great rug.
I agree much harder to hunt then you would think.

Is that Lyn Stanton? I hunted giraffe with him as well in 02. The guys on the right, the one standing looks like Vumani and the one squatting Kululaku?

Yes, that is Lyn and good memory with the two trackers. The third guy was a game scout we picked up for the hunt. I was just over there this month hunting Leopard and Elephant with Lyn.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
Why would anyone want to?

+1