quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
'The stalking challenge is obvious' - don't be misled into thinking a giraffe is a challenging hunt. It's not.

Apparently your knowledge of African hunting is rather limited.

Well I've hunted about 30 + different areas in several African countries with giraffe on them over the years I've also hunted (Professionally)or culled a few and I've taken part in game capture operations for at least 200 -300 giraffe over the last 27 years or so, and I've never encountered a single one that gave me any problems at all.

How about you?...........

Steve- Me thinks that was a joke!

Crane,

I didn't know he had a sense of humour!

be sure to take enough rifle, those bull giraffe charges can be rather menacing!

Seriously, why would anyone want to shoot a giraffe. It would have all the sizzle of shooting your dog.

Rich
DRSS
Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost...

jokes or not i agree with steve, shot a few and never yet found them to be a serious challenge. They are at their most irritating when hunting other species. Personally i would only take one for Lion bait, but each to his own.

Also it is probably one of the hardest skins to prepare properly from a field and hunting camp point of view. Even with the best care and lots of attention you sometimes get bad hairslip

quote:

Originally posted by Die Ou Jagter:
GeorgeS how could you hunt any antelope based on your above comments?

Besides the fact that all antelopes are considered prey species (and are mighty tasty, too boot), it's a personal thing.

Some people won't shoot predators; others won't shoot does/hinds/ewes/cows/mares; others still won't shoot baboons. I won't shoot giraffes, and I haven't condemned anyone else for doing so.

If you have a problem with that, just move on.

George

quote:

Originally posted by GeorgeS:
Besides the fact that all antelopes are considered prey species (and are mighty tasty, too boot), it's a personal thing.

Some people won't shoot predators; others won't shoot does/hinds/ewes/cows/mares; others still won't shoot baboons. I won't shoot giraffes, and I haven't condemned anyone else for doing so.

I feel exactly the same way.

quote:

Originally posted by GeorgeS:
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

Agreed.

It'r your hunt and your money, so if you want a giraffe trophy, take it. I personally have struggled with it too, just can't make up my mind as to exactly how bad I want a giraffe skin in my home(financially). But don't let any form of Bambiism effect your thinking, hell there are so many animals I am not allowed to hunt already to stay happily married I can't rule any of what is available out for the sake of someone else's(besides my wife's)feel bads. In a nutshell, if it is what you truly want to hunt, go for it-don't hang on the approval of a bunch of guys online.

It's not like they come up and eat from your hand then you blow them away.

lIke a lot of other plainsgame you can drive near them but they get very spooky when they see people walking around or one of those odd 4 wheeled buffalos birthing humans. And they can see for a long way.

I seem to recall seeing a Cape Buffalo as a pet on this board. Yet no one is suggesting that they shouldn't be hunted.

John,

You're comparing apples to oranges. They're rarely hunted in the vast majority of areas and they're naturally curious. - Believe me, other than in areas where they're predated upon by Lions etc, you can usually sneak up on then and almost whack them on the ass with a cricket bat.

You'll hunt a buffalo, but you'll shoot a giraffe......

Everybody no doubt has a list in their head of animals they would not shoot. It doesn't have to involve logic it's just personal. For me giraffe would have to be close to the top of that list along with puppies and baby fur seals.

I think Shakari has pretty much summed it up the best.

I never shot one myself, and the only one I have seen being shot was not a walk in the park at all.

Of course, I am not talking about shooting one of those inside a fence in South Africa.

We were in Matetsi, and we had a friend who had a 500 Jeffery he wanted to try on something. Sadly, he had a heart problem, and could not walk very far.

We decided that he should shoot a giraffe for lion bait.

We found a large bull, and tried to get close for a shot. And with our friend's inability to walk far, and the bushy terrain, it was not very easy.

Anyway, he managed to shoot one, hitting him far too high.

The giraffe took off, with my friend trying for a head shot as the giraffe was running away. He did not have much of a choice, as we could only see the head and neck as the giraffe ran.

Eventualy my friend stopped, and we continued running after our wounded bull.

We had a break just as he was about to cross into the next concession, and I managed to put a bullet high into its hip. He actually dropped on the road seperating the two concessions.

I will be happy to shoot a giraffe the opportunity comes next.

We took a few off the lemco concession in zim, They were acctually quite wary and difficult to stalk, they are also very hardy. I would definitely hunt one again.

One was shot well dead center in the chest with a 375, it had two follow up shots put in it one 375 and one 458, it still managed close to a mile before it went down.

Another was shot in the neck with a 416 rem, the bullet passed between the facets of the vertibrae stunning it momentarily. It then took 5 more well placed shots from 416 and a 458 to bring it down.

Here is a photo of the one I took you can see the entrance just under the right eye. We stalked using the tree tops to cover our movement.

I've had to shoo them out of flocks of guinea and francolin while doing some bird hunting for the camp pot. I don't see much sport in shooting them and don't want to, myself.

I don't have any trouble in others hunting them, however...just not something I need to do.


This one was in N. Tanzania near Lokisale. We encountered a lot of them, and none seemed a bit worried about our being there.

RSIMMONS, that is a good string. Here is my experience with that. On the edge of the Kalihari my guide and I ran into a very old bull in a Namibian hunting concession. Even knowing the anatomy and using my .416 Rem. with Barnes-X Triple Shock, I still had to shoot about three times in all in spite of good shot placement. The Barnes bullets recovered were badly mangled, showing you how tough their bones are.

The meat fed the destitute natives in mud-hut villages. We had to skin the animal and cut up the pieces and truck it to the villages quickly due to the scorching temperatures. The ultimate effect was to put thousands of pounds of meat to work that would have been lost to predation within the year. The villagers were very appreciative. I thought it was a good example of good game conservation.

I had it tanned in South Africa to reduce some of the shipping bulk prior to shipment to the U.S. The Namibians don't have the capability to tan giraffe. My experience with Manfred Egerer at Nyati Taxidermy in Windhoek was horrible, so I would avoid that link in the chain. Good hunting!

In areas where they have been hunted (as opposed to 40 acre fenced paddocks that some organizations call a 'hunt'), giraffe will see you coming for 800 yards and get outta there. It can be a tricky stalk, and shooting a running giraffe is great fun. Folks who have only seen tame ones have unfortunately missed out.

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:
In areas where they have been hunted (as opposed to 40 acre fenced paddocks that some organizations call a 'hunt'.

where can you hunt on 40 acre?

quote:

where can you hunt on 40 acre?

Jimmy Houston and Ted Nugent could provide details - for whitetails, elk and I am sure lions....

I went to Namibia last year and the first animal on my list was the Giraffe. I was really excited to hunt it. I had plans for the mount, bones, skin, a remodel to vault a ceiling, divorce papers, the whole works. I was dead set. Referred to them as “long neck deer†to my buddies.

When I got there, we hunted on 4 pieces of land. Three were no fence, one was a 30K acre high fence. That is were the Giraffe were. I knew this in advance, but did not think it would be a big deal. The problem I had, is that I discovered (at least at this location) for an animal that large, on a plot of land that size, you could take inventory on them very easily and there were only a handful that were candidates for harvest. You could see them from a long way off, and they seem to have no fear.

Personally, while I have no issue with someone hunting a giraffe in those circumstances, I really wanted to have a more challenging hunt – especially given the costs involved. Other animals on this plot were far more difficult. For example; my Dad wanted a wildebeest, and we tried for 2 days to get one without luck. I shot an Ostrich and an Impala there and felt their was no difference between those hunts and the unfenced ones.

I used the trophy fee that was set aside for the giraffe to add a hartebeest, Hartman’s zebra, springbok and Steenbok to my list of animals instead.

I would hunt one in a heartbeat in a non-fenced area where I actually needed to work a little for it, but not in a high fence. Just a personal thing. As my buddy said, that’s just unfinished business and a reason to go back…

Do you want a giraffe? You will have to make up your own mind on that one. I didn't want one, then changed my mind. Two hunts later I shot one, when it was in a more cost effective country.It wasn't a hard stalk, but many of my hunts on harder species have been easy. Since that time I've been fielding the "Why-did-ya-shoot-a giraffe " question. Some think it's great, some don't, but the end the only opinion that matters is your own.

Mate!I hunted them last year in zim and shot a smoking old stink bull with a beautiful skin with my 500jeffery .I took the head/neck to do a pedestal mount.It was so hot that we didn't have enough time to save the back skin which was a real downer.I am having it tanned in zim so that gives me a year before it's shipped to Australia,then save to get it done at the taxidermist ,atleast another year.Then as you have stated room size! I live in a unit at the moment and haven't parked my car in the garage for two years because of all the other critters BUT even if I have to lay it down I am getting it done!!! You'll find a way or be disappointed for ever;o)

I never saw Disney's Bambi.

KZN 2001

Not really on point, but are you hunting with Dirk and Rita Rohrmann? If so, I may have seen your giraffe last summer.

this photo was taken in the Okavango 2 3 years ago without a telephoto lens. he is a nice old black stink bull that we drove right up to. what would be the point of shooting him?

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
this photo was taken in the Okavango 2 3 years ago without a telephoto lens. he is a nice old black stink bull that we drove right up to. what would be the point of shooting him?[

What is the point of shooting a gemsbuck?

Personally I've never found that excitement that I feel when looking at kudu or whatever to be present when I see a giraffe. There was a ranch in Zim that we hunted where they seemed to be quite wary. In every other place I've found them they seemed more curious than wild and often as Jdollar said you could drive right up to them.

I don't have any problem with people shooting them or baboons which I don't shoot either but they just don't seem like game animals to me.

Now if I needed a lion bait and a giraffe was available I would shoot it in a minute.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
this photo was taken in the Okavango 2 3 years ago without a telephoto lens. he is a nice old black stink bull that we drove right up to. what would be the point of shooting him?[

What is the point of shooting a gemsbuck?

for me, driving up to an animal and blasting him from a bakkie isn't hunting-it is just shooting something and calling it hunting. but if it appeals to you, go for it

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
this photo was taken in the Okavango 2 3 years ago without a telephoto lens. he is a nice old black stink bull that we drove right up to. what would be the point of shooting him?[

What is the point of shooting a gemsbuck?

for me, driving up to an animal and blasting him from a bakkie isn't hunting-it is just shooting something and calling it hunting. but if it appeals to you, go for it

Touchy! Perhaps you should actually read the posts on this thread to educate yourself about genuine giraffe hunting. The great thing about a forum like this is that it can help to eradicate ignorance on various topics, but unfortunately only if the ignorant person is willing to become educated.



Lots of guys shoot gemsbuck in 40 acre fenced paddocks.

shooting a giraffe has all the panache of shooting your dog. Trying to elevate a giraffe to game status by defining a male as a "Bull" Giraffe is right up there with shooting a "Bull" hyena or "Bull" crocodile. Shameful conduct by anyone carrying a rifle and calling himself a sportsman. There needs to be some challenge, or it is slaughter; it's that simple.
You'd be in good company with a fellow from Colorado I met who claimed to have hunted over one hundred Bison, and harvested them all with one shot each. The end of the story was that he had worked in a slaughterhouse and popped them with a 22 as they came up a ramp.

JMHO, your need to boost your ego at the expense of being laughed at is in the balance.
Rich
DRSS
Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost...

/

George, you stated they were "inoffensive creatures" thus my comment. I don't move on for anyone!!!!!!! I will stay!

I have stalked them on two trips with my bow, but never got close enough to take a shot.
This summer while in Zim. I intend to try again with the bow and if I am succesful, I will consider it to be one of my best trophies.

It is the only animal I have ever killed I wished I hadn't. I had incredible remorse after killing it and would never hunt one for sport. However, I am glad there are hunters who shoot them as they are a legitimate trophy animal and need the management.

Mine was taken as a mercy killing because it had a broken leg. I used a 450NE #2 double rifle and it took two shots to the heart and lungs to put it down. They are a good test media for calibers and bullets if you use body shots and present a difficult shot because of the location of their vitals. They are more sporting to hunt than one would think. A 375 H&H should be the minimum caliber used for body shots and then only with good bullets. Any reasonable cenerfire with a premium bullet would work fine for neck or head shots.

Perry

quote:

shooting a giraffe has all the panache of shooting your dog. Trying to elevate a giraffe to game status by defining a male as a "Bull" Giraffe is right up there with shooting a "Bull" hyena or "Bull" crocodile.

To each his own on whether giraffe should be hunted, but it is apparent from the above comment that you have no idea what you are talking about.

quote:

Originally posted by David W:

quote:

shooting a giraffe has all the panache of shooting your dog. Trying to elevate a giraffe to game status by defining a male as a "Bull" Giraffe is right up there with shooting a "Bull" hyena or "Bull" crocodile.

To each his own on whether giraffe should be hunted, but it is apparent from the above comment that you have no idea what you are talking about.

Idaho Sharpshooter,

Are you saying that you think hyena and croc are not sporting animals? I'm curious as I found both to be very sporting and not a slam dunk at all. Both animals can be very wary. Do they just not look like something you want to hunt or do you not think they would be a challenge?

Mark

Whether you deem the giraffe too big and cuddly, too docile and pet like, too noble a beast or just one hell of a neck roast, it is worth noting that very little, if anything, dies in its sleep of old age in Africa.

On our second safari my wife and I happened upon, one of "her favorite" African animals. It happened to be a very old isolated stink bull off all to himself. When we passed thru the same area 2 days later it looked like a bomb had gone off. Brush and dirt were all disarrayed and bits of giraffe were strewn about the better part of a city block size area.

The old boy had definitely not gone down like a "non adversarial" old house dog.

Less than a week later we happened upon another old bull and my wife paid the ultimate compliment to the noble beast, who now graces our home. With, I might add, the approval of even the most tender hearted of her lady friends after they listen to her story.



If you cut it carefully you can get both a rug and an 8' floor mount from the same giraffe!



Best Regards

Mike O

From what I have seen of them, in northern Namibia, they are very alert, wary and difficult to approach. That comes from being hunted, I am sure.

This is one of my favorite photos, taken through a 400mm telephoto lens:



These giraffes were staring at us from at least 6-700 yards away, as we stood in the bed of our truck watching them.

They were plenty alert! Still, they are not my cup of meat.