What is the most challenging hunting you do and what is the most exciting hunting you do?

For me, the most challenging hunting is chasing Vaal Rhebuck around the Drakensberg mountains. Those nervous puppies have eyesight to rival a hawk and legs to rival a Kenyan marathon runner.

The most exciting has to be midnight belly crawling in the maze shooting bush pigs 12 inches off the end of the muzzle while surprising the odd cobra.

Derby Eland and leopard for my vote.

The one and only lion I will ever shoot - dropped at 12 yards.

Most fun is eland, in any of the species. Challenging to get close to and track. Buffalo would be second fiddle if Robert Ruark had not made them so popular with his "they look at you like...." comment.

Eland don't look at you, they are walking/trotting all the time.

Challenging: tracking Elephant for 15 miles a day and getting so close you can hear his stomach rumble

Exciting: it's a tie. hunting Blue Duiker with Jack Russels. You can hear them coming but it's so fast and you only have a second or 2 to make the shot with a scattergun. When the Leopard finally breaks your severe and tiresome boredom and climbs the tree.

I have to believe that Bongo hunting is right up there. Have not tried it yet but it is certainly on the list.

Challenging - elk hunting in mountains of Western Montana
Exciting- elephant bull

Not exactly hunting, but the hardest thing I've done in Africa was climbing out of the Zambezi gorge after the river rafting trip. 'bout killed this old fart.





Challenging: tuskless elephant... just finding one by following dozens of herds... and..

Most exciting: tuskless elephant... getting amonst those old ladies gets my heart beating!

Just being able to go hunt Africa, at my age, is challenge enough!

Most exciting is going to be my next hunt!

All my hunts were challenging in different ways.All were exciting too.Some had more hunting and searching involved-driving or walking.My Moz. ele bull hunt had it all.But then there is something about cats...hunting the big predator.Being amongst the ele in the Zambezi valley is nervous-or thrilling.

Challenging: Vaal rhebok in the Drakensberg mountains and blue duiker in the coastal areas near East London

Exciting: slipping in on a feeding bushpig group to about 30-35 yards in total darkness

quote:

Originally posted by JudgeG:
Not exactly hunting, but the hardest thing I've done in Africa was climbing out of the Zambezi gorge after the river rafting trip. 'bout killed this old fart.





Challenging: tuskless elephant... just finding one by following dozens of herds... and..

Most exciting: tuskless elephant... getting amonst those old ladies gets my heart beating!

+1 did that recently. That's a killer climb, thankfully the free beers at the top is an incentive

All those are great. And I could add to the list, but the most exciting hunt is the next one.

In my case that would be my wife's first trip to Africa, Lake Natron and Longido next year. No dangerous game. And it's still the most exciting.

Challenging? A Free State grassveld springbok with a muzzle loader.

Exciting? Bushpigs around and between sugarcane fields after a pack of well trained hounds. I have often wondered which I enjoyed more: My first such hunt? Or the first day of my honeymoon? It's a tossup!

The most challenging would be hunting cold mountains and carrying out your trophy. Alaska style and I would have to train seriously to walk a quarter of the distance those guides do. And they carry all that shit on their back?

I do not hunt elephant but they scare the crap out of me and is one animal that likes charging for fun. This has to be one of the most thrilling encounters. However Buff in long grass or being in close proximity to Lion all will produce goose bumps.

quote:

Originally posted by Victor Watson:

quote:

Originally posted by JudgeG:
Not exactly hunting, but the hardest thing I've done in Africa was climbing out of the Zambezi gorge after the river rafting trip. 'bout killed this old fart.





Challenging: tuskless elephant... just finding one by following dozens of herds... and..

Most exciting: tuskless elephant... getting amonst those old ladies gets my heart beating!

+1 did that recently. That's a killer climb, thankfully the free beers at the top is an incentive

Two of us had to carry someone out of that valley, now that was interesting....

Handgun hunting in Africa.

most challenging was an unguided foot safari with porters in the mountains of Cameroon for savannah buffalo( successful). most exciting was 2 bull elephant hunts( both successful with multiple mock charges), followed closely by a dog hunt for leopard in the Kalahari, Botswana that resulted in a close range charge/kill.

Most challenging (and fun) were both of my eland hunts. The tracking etc. was really great.

Most exciting was the leopard. Our blind was 50 yards from the bait and I'm fairly certain the leopard could hear my heart beating.

Having said that I cannot imagine going to Africa and not hunting buffalo.

Most challenging: Hunting Tanzania full bag after breaking my leg on the first day of 21!

Most exciting: Buffalo in the swamps of the Zambezi Delta.

But loved every hunt I've ever been on and those to come!

Best regards, D. Nelson

I vote for D. Nelson's hunt as the most challenging. She also shot nearly everything while on one leg too!!!!

My most challenging hunts have been non-guided hunts for elk and Coues deer in Arizona, with my friends and I packing out our kills.

My most exciting hunt had to have been my first hunt for Cape buffalo in Zimbabwe's Matetsi in 1983.

Although I shot that bull when it turned to charge us after I'd shot him four times, It wasn't the buffalo that made that hunt so exciting. It was all the damned elephants that mock-charged us whenever we came upon them on foot every day on that safari!

I was glad to see fairgame say elephants scared the crap out of him. They absolutely terrify me!

Bill Quimby

Personally I find the cats the most challenging as hanging and checking baits can really work on your head when you're up at 3 AM day after day and nothing is happening. Then you get a hit from a cat you want, build a blind and when the cat finally comes to bait at last light.........That's exciting like nothing else!

Mark

Challenging: 10 day brown bear hunt. Ran out of food/fuel for stove due to being on the edge of a typhoon. Got the bear on a charge at 20 yards with my pistol on day 10.
Exciting: Bull elephant in full charge at 12 yards with my handgun.

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:
I vote for D. Nelson's hunt as the most challenging. She also shot nearly everything while on one leg too!!!!

Thanks, Ross!!!!

Darin

Most challenging: Hunting Blue Sheep in Shimshal (Karakorum Mountains in Pakistan)elevation 13,500 to 14,500 feet.

Most exciting: Tracking lions on foot in Burkina Faso ( baiting is illegal there)

Challenging:back pack sheep hunting in Alaska or the NWT. Maybe blue sheep in China were we climbed to 17,000 feet.

Exciting : following a wounded leopard.

Correction, following up on wounded cats is not exciting, it's terrifying. Had to play cleanup too many times for others who couldn't shoot straight from a rest at 50 yards. Stomach in throat the entire time. Every blade of grass hides claws and teeth.

Funnily enough I am in Atlanta doing my 4th DVD and this topic is EXACTLY what I am trying to portray! Its a DVd of Early season ie Feb-April ele bull hunting in the Valley. Combined with the thick jess with visibility at times mere feet , bulls in musth, stinging nettles, spiders , caterpillars, wasps , rain, humidity, getting stuck and tracking between 3 and 8 hours every day I would have to vote the early season ele hunt been exactly that!

Challenging was a brown bear hunt in the fall on high berry fields in Alaska...this before I had seen the light about even a modest amount of physical conditioning. I don't think I have ever been more miserable, although trying to track elephant in an area with extremely heavy and active poaching would be close.

Exciting... Lion.

quote:

Originally posted by JudgeG:



Most exciting: tuskless elephant... getting amonst those old ladies gets my heart beating!

The real excitement comes immediately after the shot....can't get enough of it.

Most challenging: late fall elk hunts in the Selway and late fall moose hunts in Northern BC. The terrain and weather work against you every step of the way. Everything is a challenge, from accessing the country, making camp, wrangling the stock and packing everything back out. My most exciting hunts were for buff in Zim.

quote:

Originally posted by JudgeG:
Not exactly hunting, but the hardest thing I've done in Africa was climbing out of the Zambezi gorge after the river rafting trip. 'bout killed this old fart.

Did that in 1993 after I completed the RSA Ironman, I was extremely fit and challenged the bearers up the gorge, 1 group did beat me. After that 1000m climb I had a couple of beers before the rest of the group start emerging.

Challenging--Sheep for me. Always a great challenge both mentally and physically. Most exciting--hope I haven't done it yet. Keeps me going back for more.

Don

Most challenging: backpack hunt for mountain goat in BC (including overnighting in freezing weather with just a Mylar space blanket for cover).

Most exciting tracking cape buffalo in Zimbabwe: laying in tall grass 30 yards away and listening to them breath while we waited for them to get up so we could judge them.

quote:

Originally posted by JudgeG:
Challenging: tuskless elephant... just finding one by following dozens of herds... and..

Most exciting: tuskless elephant... getting amonst those old ladies gets my heart beating!

+1 on both accounts

Most challenging; Five years solo hunting specifically for wolves with a longbow. Then finally called this one in to 28yds.......



Most exciting; Tuskless at 9yds with a 450 double.......

quote:

Originally posted by Buzz Charlton:
Funnily enough I am in Atlanta doing my 4th DVD and this topic is EXACTLY what I am trying to portray! Its a DVd of Early season ie Feb-April ele bull hunting in the Valley. Combined with the thick jess with visibility at times mere feet , bulls in musth, stinging nettles, spiders , caterpillars, wasps , rain, humidity, getting stuck and tracking between 3 and 8 hours every day I would have to vote the early season ele hunt been exactly that!

+1, been there done that. It is the ultimate challenge and experience. Not to mention hordes of stink bugs at dinner time.

JCS271: That is cool! From another double rifle / tradbow guy, congratulations! Cheers, Ben

Most challenging was hunting and packing meat in the tussock grass in Alaska. Man is that stuff brutal.
Most exciting would be between walking up salmon streams for Brown Bear in SE Alaska or stalking cape buffalo in the thick stuff in Masailand.

A problem elephant hunt in Zimbabwe. First turning a charge. Then a full two day follow up in thick Jess for 63 miles. Draining both physically and mentally.