I have always thought a Buff/Tuskless cow safari would be amazing. Chatting with one of my friends about it and he pointed out something that I had not thought about and I am wondering if it is true.

He said he could not shoot a tuskless as 90% of the time they either had a calf with them or they were pregnant and he just personally could not overcome that. That is his decision so please don't discuss that in this post.

He said it was up to the PH to determine if the calf was a sub adult and could survive.

Just wondering how much if any of this is true?

I am not trying to argue about shooting a pregnant animal but wondering the truth more than anything.

That is 100% true. Tuskless, and other for that matter, cows will almost always have calves with them. If they have a dependent calf, they will not be pregnant. If they do not have a dependent calf, they will almost always be pregnant.

The PH will make the determination as to whether or not the calves are dependent. That is the nature of hunting Tuskless. It has been my experience that the PH will call off the hunt if there is the slightest question of the calf being dependent.

LittleJoe,

By the time the elk season opens in most states, all the cows are pregnant. Same for pronghorn antelope.

465H&H

It gives you the Elephant experience at a fraction of the price, in fact you could spend more time amongst them as you look for a tuskless and whether or not they have dependents. That and the fact that their are more eyes and noses that may detect you and a cow calf herd can be a bit persnickety at best.

The above posts are 100% correct.

Remember, the whole point in shooting cow elephants, is to reduce the elephant population, because in those countries where elephant poaching is under control, there are WAY to many elephants for the habitat avialable.

Quite true. If they don't have a calf at heel, they will almost always be pregnant. Elephant also don't pass out of reproductive age, unlike humans. Even a very old cow will be pregnant.
The first time I shot a tuskless, it did bother me some. Then again, there are, at least for me, conflicting emotions killing any large animal, particularly an elephant.

Another question. Is a tuskless due to bad genetics or does it just happen?

Sort of one and the same, but it is genetic.

quote:

Originally posted by LittleJoe:
Another question. Is a tuskless due to bad genetics or does it just happen?

Tusklessness in elephants is genetically based but whether it is bad or not is dependent on what management goals have been set for the population. The proportion of tuskless in some sub-populations has been observed to be increasing. It is thought that it is primarily due to poachers and to a much more limited extent sport hunters selecting for tusked elephants whether they be males or females. From the elephants perspective it assures continued populations even under heavy hunting pressure. From a game department perspective, they want tusked elephants as they are more in demand and therefore generate more hunting dollars.

465H&H

If you have a problem with shooting a pregnant female, the other option would be to ask your PH to look for a younger cow that has not reached breeding age, which I understand is about 20 years of age. As someone else has already said, being specific means you get to look at a lot more eles.
Tim

Order Buzz Charlton video Essence of elephant hunting and Hunting the african elephant. Anything you want to know about tuskless in on the dvd.

I shot a large tuskless with Alan Shearing of CM Safaris and when we returned the next day for the butchering it had a nearly full term fetus inside of it. I am glad my wife decided to stay in camp and go fishing. The hunt was being filmed, but we did not take any video of that and I told everyone not to mention it back in camp. It is something you have to come to terms with if your are going to hunt a tuskless cow. It made me flinch hard, but I have hunted tuskless since then.

It is not an issue that you just face hunting tuskless cows. I shot a zebra mare two years ago that also had a nearly full term fetus. Same with hunting hogs. I had a guide tell me once that all female hogs either have piglets or are pregnant. It is just the unfortunate reality of hunting certain species.

I think shooting an elephant causes at least some level of conflicting emotions in most of us who hunt them, whether it be a bull or a cow. I also took a tuskless cow with a near full term fetus in 2010. It was a bit disturbing but the fact is that where ele hunting is practiced today they are over populated for the carrying capacity of the land. That being the case, the few that are taken by hunters are only contributing a positive influence on the long term prospects for the species so from that standpoint, I'll continue hunting them. I also understand those who prefer not to.

if shooting a pregnant cow bothers you, check out a management bull hunt in the Caprivi. it costs very little more than a tuskless cow hunt. the ivory will be small( 12-17 lbs) and is non-exportable but at least it is a bull.... and it is essentially a slam dunk. there are plenty of management bulls on quota in the various concessions. i could have shot 2 in a 3 day period if i wanted to( i settled for the 1- 45lbs and 42lbs- long story and i posted a hunt report a few months ago). Karl Stumpfe has a few left on quota last time i talked to him.