I've dodged some big hippos while hunting the hippo pools in Rungwa (Tanzania) area. An early morning stalk can catch them coming back to the pools from night feeding and you will look up on the bank above you and see them dropping off at you like brown missiles!

I'm surprised there are enough people on this forum that have hunted elephant to make them number one over the buffalo. Buffalo being by far the more affordable there would be a lot more people here having hunted them. As far as wishes go I too would pick elephant but buff is what I have hunted.

A lot of guys say cat hunting is boring but I really like checking the baits and shooting bait is fun too. Sitting in the blind isn't boring to me.

Buffalo is a good hunt, but honestly, I would rather be elk hunting on a horse (I think).

I have only shot one ele and it was a fairly simple affair. Shot him from the side.

Hippo in the water isn't my cup of tea; not much of a challenge. Would love to shoot one on the ground but IMO a hippo will never be the focus of a safari.

I have taken 2 elephant bulls and those were exciting hunts. I have also taken 6 cape buffalo and 1 western savannah buffalo. I voted for CB because i like it and it is much more afforable than elephant.

So far its Buffalo

I think what makes buff get the nod for me, is something Capstick wrote concerning charging beasties.

It went along the lines of "a charging elephant and lion will almost always break off the charge when shot, charging buffalo almost never do" (or words to that effect).

Also besides the expense of the hunt (and difficulty with CITES permits), once you get your ivory back home (in the USA anyway), you can never legally sell it.

At least with a mounted Cape Buffalo head, you can always sell it for a couple grand (or at least your heirs can).

The one ellie I killed had about 60 # of ivory a side. A really nice bull that I seriously doubt I could ever top without spending at least $75K on a hunt.

The one thing I remember most about the kill, was not the series of bluff charges the bull made prior to my shot (although certainly exciting), but the large tear drop that ran down the ellie's cheek as it closed its eyes for the last time.

According to the PH, elephant and kudu are known for their final tears as they die.

As much as I enjoyed the experience of the hunt, I personally, would probably only shoot another elephant in case of self-defense, or to take out a rouge animal.

(But of course, if someone was to give me a free elephant hunt to do animal control, I would have a most difficult time saying no.) Smile.

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
A lot of guys say cat hunting is boring but I really like checking the baits and shooting bait is fun too. Sitting in the blind isn't boring to me.

Buffalo is a good hunt, but honestly, I would rather be elk hunting on a horse (I think).

I have only shot one ele and it was a fairly simple affair. Shot him from the side.

Hippo in the water isn't my cup of tea; not much of a challenge. Would love to shoot one on the ground but IMO a hippo will never be the focus of a safari.

Hunt a cat properly and it is an experience that will always be etched on your mind.

quote:

Hunt a cat properly and it is an experience that will always be etched on your mind.

No statement could be more true, Andrew.

I've only killed two leopards. Both hunted properly, but unusual in the sense that while baited, neither was shot in the tree. Both hung out on the ground for a long time. One had a female companion and bred her under the bait tree before he met his demise. The other laid under the bait tree for over half an hour before standing and offering a shot. But what is the most humorous is that both large toms rolled on their backs in the grass, with all four feet in the air, like a big housecat, right before I shot them.

I've told several PH's that I won't shoot another leopard unless I see him roll in the grass on his back first. I have no takers so far.

To me, lion is the epitome of dangerous game, and has been the most adrenalin producing just seeing them.

That being said, elephant and buff seem to kill more PHs than the cats.

I enjoy all of them, and will do all of them again, given the opportunity, but nothing beats a full bag hunt and seeing what the concession will produce for you.

Of the possible choices, I've only hunted buff and hippo. Buff hunt was uneventful. Hippo hunt involved dry land hunting, and ended in a charge, so my vote for hippo seems to be the lone vote for hippo in the poll.

Nothing like tracking lion. Not often done due to soil conditions, but when you can, it's incredible.

Leopard for me.

As I posted earlier, I have never hunted DG.

But the most awesome experience in the wild was when I saw a tiger at 50 meters and then at 10 meters.

Seeing a leopard at 40 meters in a tree and watching it for 20 minutes in daylight was another incredible experience.

The elephant charge mentioned in my earlier post was of course tops for challenging my laundry chores!