Hi guys,
I'm off to Namibia 5/15 for my second Africa safari and the outfitter – kudos to Dirk & Rita - are standing by the early 2007 pricing when I booked. So, I'm considering a giraffe hunt just because I won't come across a giraffe trophy fee this low again. The stalking challenge is obvious. But, I don't have huge trophy room. What can I get besides a few photos? What did you guys do with your giraffes after the hunt?
Thanks,
RO

"What can I get besides a few photos?"

You can get a lot of Giraffe skin!

I wasn't sure about a giraffe either, so I never hunted one. I wasn't prepared to have to defend "You shot a giraffe....?" Now, I think I missed out.

I thought might be cool is to take a length of hide, from the neck to the tail, and use it as a stair runner.

I recommend you do it.

I have hunted them and taken 2, my wife had taken one.

I plan to have the neck head of mine done as a flat skin rug, the rest made into tanned scin and guncases.

My wifes just might be done as a full size rug.

They are fun to hunt, and if you shoot one that is not too old the meat is great.

I've been twice and wish I had taken one. I will in the future.

I'll second the meat comment, great meat and biltong.

A yes vote as to hunting a giraffe. I have taken two. The first I did as a pedistal shoulder mount. The second I took for lion bait. I planned to do a rug from the second, but it slipped hair at the tannery, so I let it go (after about $1,000 to ship it back.) I do have the two skulls and half a back hide from the first. Some people call the giraffe a poor man's elephant. It is a big animal.

Great post Rsimmons! Thanks for posting, I've had some similar questions floating around in my head.

For those of you who have taken a giraffe and had a some sort of shoulder mount completed. What is the approximate height of the mount? I ask because I have plenty of room in the 'living' room but it would need to be hung on the wall so that might be a problem with hanging. Wife says it needs to go downstairs in my trophy room. Problem is ceiling height is 8' and might have a problem making a corner at the bottom of the stairs.

I would like to take one but just don't know what to do with the thing once it was down.

Hunting giraffe turned out to be one of the highlights of the safari last June in Zim. I almost talked myself out of it, but my wife really wanted a giraffe and I went for it. Stalking and shooting that giraffe turned out to be one of the coolest hunting experiences I've encountered. I'm having a floor shoulder mount ie the base of the neck will sit on the floor at a custom height to fit the 10 foot ceiling height. The rest of the hide tanned and the skull bleached. The height of the mount can be variable. I guess thats a yes vote.

Scott Hayman

If I may, can I add a question to this post?
I am also considering a Giraffe on my hunt in Namibia this July. What is the appropriate caliber rifle for these animals? Will a .300 WSM do it or would a .375 or bigger be the minimum rifle to consider?

for body shots definitely only .375 and up

My one friend has a saying about giraffe it goes like this

you shoot him behind the ear under a tree next to the road close to a bar or liqour store because there is a lot of work on one giraffe.

remember the heart sits in the front of the chest and higher than other animals

You may see a realy huge one go down here: http://www.weatherbyrifler.com/index.php?ind=downloads&op=section_view&idev=5

You find it if you click on "Hunting South Africa 2005". Then download by clicking on the icon called "Last ned fil".


Enjoy

Seeing them come down is amazing.
Mine,a pedestal mount, is in a mates billiard room in another state because the wife and I have not agreed as to the best spot for it .Her suggestion as to where I could stick it I would find far too uncomfortable-besides i could not afford the personal lubricant!

I vote YES!!

Took this ol black stink bull in '06 with a .300RUM with 3 shots to the boiler room with 200grain Swift A frames.. big tough muthas!! I'd shoot another one in a heartbeat!

I took my old black bull with one shot - 338 Barnes X 225 gr. I will take delievery next week it will be app 8' in height. The back skin is being streched to the max and will be hung behind my desk and my 4 spiral horned (Kudu, Busbuck, Eland and Nyala re hung. The skin will be lika a wall paper. I did the same with a Kudu backskin and the 3 color phases of Springbok.

quote:

Will a .300 WSM do it or would a .375 or bigger be the minimum rifle to consider?

I'm no African hunter, but the pictures from the section on giraffe hunting in Rifles for Africa by Gregor Woods convinced me any .30 is certainly on the light side for such an animal.

i never have taken one for sport, a few for the butchery though. Only time i thought of taking one for sport is hunting eland, when the damn things spot you and spook the eland constantly. I consider a 375 to be minimum. They are a huge animal, usually very peaceful and deserve as quick a death as the hunter can provide.

When I was in Namibia I had the choice of giraffe as well. I did not take the offer. Never regretted it! Still married!
Peter.

I would vote yes but do not base your decision on a low trophy fee. The trophy fee will be small compared to the costs associated with shipping, tanning, and finished rugs or taxidermy. If you plan to do anything other than take photos you should consider these costs as well.

Also if you do want a mount or full skin, make sure your PH has the team together that can handle the job in a professional manner. It is a ton of work and should be handled by a team of experienced staff or a taxidermist. Many giraffe capes,hides suffer from moderate to severe hair slip because they were not handled properly in the field IMO.

If I were to want a trophy mount or skin, the following would be my checklist:

1. A large dark male "stink bull" would be the goal

2. I would try to restrict hunting during the coolest hours and the coolest season if possible.

3. Research all costs associated with shipping, tanning, and taxidermy.

4. Make sure your PH has a proper team assembeled to handle the field prep of the skin.

5. Use a 375 or larger and study a giraffes anatomy/vitals.

Graybird, you should have no problems hanging one on a wall if you use a lag bolt in a stud. There are appropriate hangers available for heavy mounts.

RS,

Yes, do the hunt, but follow thorugh on all of Grafton's points. Taxidermy will be expensive if you want to do a pedestal mount. Use a .375 or bigger, but more important, use premium heads: Giraffe are bigger than buff and the skin is very thick.

I took the tail and tanned a fair selection of skin some ovals of which are on tables with lamps sitting on them in the trophy room/library. Also have a large piece of neck skin on the floor with other game skins.

The beast was a very large "stenk" bull, past breeding age but intimidating other, younger bulls on the game farm in what was the Northern Transvaal. He was delicious, even old as he was.

Regards, Tim

I'd say no, I passed on the "oportunity" several times, but that's just my opinion. I don't go by others reactions, but call it the remnants of my bambi syndrome, I just don't want to have to explain why I shot one since I can't think of a good reason to do it, all things (especially costs) considered. BUT it's your hunt, your money, do what you want.

Personally, I would not shoot a giraffe except under exigent circumstances. I do not suffer from 'bambi syndrome', but giraffe strike me as particularly inoffensive creatures, and iconic of Africa.

George

Well Scot,

I'm going to Nam' this August and as the trophy fees on them can be quite negotiable, especially if a ranch wants to get rid of a troublesome old stink bull, I'm going to take one.

338RUM with 250TSX and a magazine full of their cup nosed solids underneath. My PH, Mike Kibble reckons they come down like a block of flats

They call them "wall to wall carpets" in Nam' so mine will be a rug.

My biggest problem with this is poeple including SCI do not consider them as a "game animal", they are not so easy to hunt and if you ever get to see two bulls fighting the "bambi syndrome" will go by quickly. GeorgeS how could you hunt any antelope based on your above comments?

Different strokes for different folks. I am a bowhunter and I really enjoy giraffe hunting. As someone said earlier , they are the poor man's elephant. In Namibia they are as close to elephant as you can take legally with a bow.(Dangerous game with a bow in Namibia is a no-no).

I have taken three, the last a very quick one shot kill.One is a floor pedistal mount that barely gets in under a standard eight foot ceiling. The second is squared and makes a great bed cover for a king-size bed. The other is a floor rug.

I wasn't sure I wanted one when I went on my last African adventure either, I passesd on a small young bull but if I ever get a chance at an old stink bull I won't hesitated with taking the shot. Shot placement is way different than I would have guessed as well. "eyedoc" shot one with his bow and it fell within sight, probably didn't go 40 yards and it was huge! Perfect arrow placement and now a very beautiful rug. Ditto on the lots of work, fortunately the meat wagon could drive right near it!

quote:

and iconic of Africa.

I would guess this is mentioned more times as a reason to hunt/collect one (and Zebra as well) than it is as a reason NOT to.

I think they are a fantastic hunting trophy as they are so very unique, BIG, and the patterns are beautiful. Each to their own.

They do make an impressive mount.

I took one so I would have to explain why I took one. It gives you an opportunity to open a dialog with all the bambi folks... or kids-r-us folks.

It is very cool to stalk. They are amazingly hard to see in lightest of cover.

But be prepared for the cost, not the tropy fee mind you, that just gets you in the game.

I took mine a couple of years ago and here is what is has cost so far.

1. Trophy fee $1200
2. Shipping $1000 or so additional to the crate
3. Tanning for hide $2000 vs $150 for Impala
4. Tanning for head to pedestal mount $1000 vs $70 for Impala
5. Bench made from hide $1500
6. Skull cleaned $200
7. Pedestal mount $2-3000?? (not sure yet)

It almost adds up to another hunt. In the end... that Giraffe won.

But really I wouldn't change a thing. I would shoot my first one again but I won't shoot another. It will probably be the centerpiece of my trophy room. It did feed a lot of people as the meat was immediately distributed to the surrounding villages since it would have overwhelmed the locker.

My son shot one in Zim. Never again. THe expense of doing anything with the hide, skull or whatever is more than buff. Did not find them challenging to hunt. THey were an annoyance on hunting other stuff.

Just one persons opinion: I have made two trips to the East Cape and have seen a number of giraffes, always in a group, and have been able to walk within fifty yards of them. Beautiful animal. However, I personally, do not see the challange nor the sport in shooting a garaffe.

I'll be in Namibia next year and while I don't suffer from "Bambi Syndrome", I'd vote NO for many of the same practical reasons already mentioned - extraordinary costs for the taxidermy work, space limitations, etc.

Just my opinion, but I'd take the Giraffe trophy fee and apply it to a Damara Dik-Dik or Black-faced Impala. These strike me as more uniquely Nambian. Not sure what area of the country you'll be hunting, but you may want to check to see if these are available.

May think twice about the black-faced impala-aren't they prohibited for import into the US?

I have a beautiful giraffe rug that my new wife made me put up in the attic. It's hard to understand women sometimes. My giraffe hunt was very exciting as it took five rounds and a running chase through the bush to bring him down. It was much tougher that my Cape Buffalo. Late that day one of the locals personally thanked me for the meat. He said, " thank you sir for shooting the giraffe". This was in Southern Zim in 2002 on my first safari.

Shooting giraffes is not for me. Interestingly both Boddington and JA Hunter speak frequently against killing them. I know Boddington took one after years of refusing to do so as one needed to be culled and he was pressured. Not for me though.

I've shot two and my wife has taken one. Hers is shoulder mounted and hangs in our high ceiling living room. It is one of the African animal conversation pieces with visitors to our home for sure.

I vote no - I hunted on the oryx concession with Dirk & Rita and the giraffes were probably more tame than most dairy cows.

Different concession might have a different strain of wary giraffe.

I actually had ambitions to shoot a giraffe and asked Dirk to reserve one for me. After seeing them, I contented myself with photos. Just couldn't "get the kill on" for what was practically a domesticated animal.

It does depend on where you hunt giraffe. In some heavily poached areas of ZIm, they are extremely wary and a formidable challenge. I took one in the Nuanetsi (sp?) area in 2005 and it was a great hunt. On some ranches in RSA, Namibia, however, they are extremely vulnerable and nearly tame. Although I don't object to hunting them there, it was a much different (and more memorable) hunt for a giraffe in Zim.

Good Luck,

Bill

The following comments aren't meant to cause offense to anyone!....So here goes.

It's your money and your hunt, and you should do whatever you want to do. But like GeoffM24, I'm not a fan of hunting giraffe........ but with regard to your comment 'The stalking challenge is obvious' - don't be misled into thinking a giraffe is a challenging hunt. It's not. In most places, esp fenced areas, you can walk up to almost ass kicking range with a brass band playing the 1812 overture in tow and they won't usually go far.

Anyone in the hunting industry who tells you otherwise is just talking sales-speak and the only places you might get a challenging hunt out of one is in a true wilderness area where they get hassled by lions.

Although my comments are not intended to cause offence to anyone, I'd bet those comments may well raise the ire of more than a few giraffe hunters out there. In which case, all I can do is repeat my first sentence of the second para, which was, It's your money and your hunt, and you should do whatever you want to do.