In about three weeks my wife and I are headed out to hunt bull elephant in Namibia (Kavango or Caprivi) with Karl Stumpfe.

I am working hard to get a pair of doubles shooting well and it looks like I will have it together by then.

The problem is that I have never seen and elephant in the wild. Come to think of it, I haven't seen an elephant in a zoo in 40 years. Anyway, I'd appreciate any tips or advice from you experienced guys. Maybe someone can direct me to a good picture of the places and angles to shoot an elephant.

I am sure Karl will keep us out of trouble but I'd like to be as prepared as I can.

Thanks all,
josh

Never hunted an ele, though I am booked to next year - just wanted to wish you all the best! I am hunting leopard and possibly lion with Karl in July- so take good care of him for me

Josh,
1. They are huge. Adult tusker males can weigh up to 13,000 lbs and stand 13 feet tall. They will intimidate anyone, especially when they mock charge.
2. Did I mention they are large? Really large? I mean really, really huge?
3. No matter what you did in sports in high school or college, you can't outrun one...period!
4. Get those doubles regulated tightly and aim small.
5. Have the hunt of your lifetime. Tell Karl hello for me and for sure listen to your PH. It's your hunt but his job to tell you when, how, what and where. You'll be hooked for life so take lots of pics and share when you get back.
Just teasing you a little. I wish you a great hunt!
Good hunting,
David

You my friend have waited a little long to start studying, but it's time for some last minute cramming. Go pick up a copy of "The Perfect Shot". Study it and read all you can for the next 3 weeks. Here's the link to Cabela's:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas...cat601233&hasJS=true

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas...cat601667&hasJS=true

Good luck and enjoy your trip. I'm sure Karl will keep you out of harm's way.

David Walker

I had exactly the same problem as you have last year, but with a good PH it will be no problem..I hope you will be in a area with many elephants so you can get close into them and see the earhole, their head etc up close and try to visualize shot angle! No books in the world can describe the feeling being close to those grey giants IMO!

AD

Do you have Buzz Charlton's DVD? Lots of shot placement advice there.

I have the new Boddington one but have not played it yet.

There are a number of books as well. Ron Thompson's, Richard Harland's, Will's, and others.

Safari Press has a number of these or you may pick them up used off the classifieds here.

Josh,

It is a weird feeling to be aiming up at quite an angle to make your shot. Spend some time with Karl discussing anatomy. In the wild they don't look the same to me anyway as they do on the videos. For me I'd consider one big bore scoped rifle as wellas a double so if that shot comes at 100 yards you can take it responsibly. I believe that Karl will back me up in saying that the hunt will not be like hunting the jess in Zim.

Best of luck!

Mark

Wow, I get excited just thinking about your hunt. Good for you!

Did anyone mention they are big? They are, and then some. The first time shouldered a .470 and pointed at the behemoth, a thought ran through my mind, "I need a bigger gun!"

There is a lot of good advice above. My recommendation is listen to your PH x2. Make the very best shot you can the first time, but practice and be prepared for a debilitating second shot. Hope you won't need it, but you be glad you have it if it is necessary.

Care to share the details on your rifles?

+1 on Charlton's DVD. I've just started watching Boddington & Carters DVD and it also looks good. You can actually get some Elephant targets from Safari Press that will help.

I usually recommend preparing a year in advance but you've reduced that to 3 weeks! You have a lot to do. Good luck and safe trip.

My first ele hunt was the first week in May.

As the others have said, they are big, but the real targets inside are small.

As Mark said, for a deer hunter it is just plain weird to be shooting up on level ground.

Don't pack too much junk.

Think about what you will do if your rifles and/or ammo do not make the trip.

Start planning for the next trip. What a blast!

Best advice I can offer: Listen to your PH. Avoid pre-conceived notions, including trophy size and which shot you will take. (Don't rule out brain shots, but don't fixate.) Use what time you have remaining doing as much walking as you can, in the shoes you will wear! Have a great hunt, Caprivi is gorgeous!

+2 on Buzz Charlton's DVD, Hunting the African Elephant, the best hunting/instructional video I have ever watched.

Guys, I appreciate the advice. I will tell you this; when I hunted plains game with Karl in 2006 I made it clear to him that I was the smartest hunter he had ever guided. By that I meant that anything he said I would follow without question and without delay. If he said shoot, he'd better have his fingers in his ears because my rifle was going to go off. Anything he told me I did. That was how I ended up with four animals that were Roland-Ward sized. A 40" gemsbok, 56" Kudu, big (for a) Springbok and an old gnarly red Hartebeest. I figured I was smart enough to know that I didn't know anything. So I did what he suggested. Same with elephant, I don't have a clue so I will do what he says. I have full confidence in Karl.

Weirdly enough I got brutally hurt just before I left for Namibia in 2006. I was in a huge amount of pain at the time. I didn't know that I had a 10mm disc extrusion against my spinal cord. Now I have a nice shiny titanium plate and four drywall screws in my neck so I should be in better shape than my last trip with Karl.

My beautiful and deadly wife Blondie is going to back me and Karl up with her 243 Kimber Super America. We'll be fine.

Anyone got a picture of what part to shoot? I am not certain which rifle I will be shooting, the 450-400 Searcy or 470 Heym, which ever one is shooting the best as I leave I suppose.

Mucho appreciate any and all help,
j

Try this web site (from a previous thread):
http://www.africahunting.com/
on the RHS is a "shot placement gallery". See also another thread something like "where do I shoot this elephant" for a brain shot (probably not recommended).
Peter.

They are bigger then any steer in Texas...

Have a great hunt to you and Karl...

Mike

Josh,
My amateur advice:

Prepare by first watching Boddington on Elephant DVD with Ivan Carter.

Prepare by reading as much as you can of Mohoboh, Pondoro etc.

Prepare by purchasing Wills book "Hunting Africas Dangerous Game" to read on the plane.

Prepare for the most fun hunt of your life.

Prepare for the possibility of remorse after you kill an animal as old as you just to pull its teeth.

Prepare for the realization perhaps months later that it was in fact the trackers and PH that hunted the elephant and you were just the man who paid to pull the trigger.

Speaking of books, the seminal treatise on elephant hunting is Ndlovu, The Art of Hunting the African Elephant by Richard Harland. Lots of information in there on shot placement. Pretty sure that Safari Press carries it.

I always make sure to tip the laundry boy BEFORE I go hunting so that he won't tell everyone about the stains in my grundies.

The first elephant I shot was blowing mud over his shoulder and the PH let me get within "spray" range.

I've done some interesting things in my life, but I doubt that my heart ever beat faster than being within 12 yards of an elephant bull that I had followed for half-a-day and had brought my rifle up to kill. An elephant at that range looks like an apartment building. "Use Enough Gun" at that range begins to mean more than anything you learned in kindergarten.

It was a rush great enough that I've done it almost yearly since. March 2010 and I'll be pooping my drawers again.

Just remember what was said on another thread if you want to brain an elephant. You are shooting at the brain, not a spot on the trunk or in some respect next to the ear or eye. Instead, breaking the broomstick... you'll find references... is pretty much the idea.

But remember, there is no vice in putting a solid through the heart. A double tap there will usually result in a dead elephant in 70 or so yards.

Just save some for me, please.

JMHO.

This might help: http://www.shakariconnection.c...-shot-placement.html

I'd also highly recommend Boddington on Elephant.

I've never hunted elephant so they only advice I can give is to be prepared to tell us all about your hunt when you return.

+3 Charlton McCallum DVD. Excellent. Review the shot placement section every day until you leave. Go outside daily and shoot two bullets from your rifle at 15, 25 50 meters. I cannot stress enough the quality of the CM Safaris DVD. It will help you visualize your shot. Good luck.

Africa, I am still working up loads for my doubles. The 375 fl Searcy is almost finished. I had to order some different bullets for the 450-400 (Barnes solids won't come together) and the 470 Heym is up tomorrow for chrono and zeroing.

I have got the DVD ordered and I'll look at it closely.

I appreciate all the advice and especially the pictures and discussion on some of the other threads.

j

Get both the Buzz Charlton DVD, AND the Boddington DVD. No reason to skimp here. I think Buzz's video has a more thorough and better shot placement guide, but both are excellent. You should watch these videos repeatedly. The perfect shot book in a good compliment, but the videos give you multiple angles and real world footage for comparison.
Enjoy!

Bill

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
Speaking of books, the seminal treatise on elephant hunting is Ndlovu, The Art of Hunting the African Elephant by Richard Harland. Lots of information in there on shot placement. Pretty sure that Safari Press carries it.

Excellent advice, that book is an absolute must read.

Harland has forgotten more about elephant hunting than most PH'S will ever know.

Shoot the elephant at 10 yards or less if possible.

However if shooting BIG ivory, take the shot your PH tells you to take.

Elephant hunting is the best hunting on the Planet, IMHO.

The best piece of advice I can offer is to make sure you can run faster than your wife.

As far as other suggestions go... always shave all the hair off the elephant's trunk before the pictures. I hear it makes it look MUCH bigger.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
Speaking of books, the seminal treatise on elephant hunting is Ndlovu, The Art of Hunting the African Elephant by Richard Harland. Lots of information in there on shot placement. Pretty sure that Safari Press carries it.

+2

As far as video's go get Buzz's and Craig's video's and you won't be able to sleep picturing all of those brain shots.

The more you know about all the aspects of Eephants before your hunt, the more you'l enjoy the hunt.

You might like to take a look at the suggested reading list at the bottom of this page: http://www.shakariconnection.c...hant-management.html

Makes me ache.

Here's some Pics