28 July 2019, 00:14
GunsCoreHave we screwed up elephant hunting? About The Spirit Of The African Wilderness
This is the title of Kai-Uwe Denker's new auto-biographical book about his elephant hunting in Namibia.
Most African hunting books are written like police reports but not this one. It is loaded with sensory detail and emotion. It will also challenge nearly all currently held beliefs about what constitutes a proper trophy elephant hunt.
It comes in at 650 pages but many are Kai's own photographs. Regardless the pages will fly by. I picked mine up during my recent trip to Namibia but you can order the english version from Trophy Room books. English is Kai's second or third language and he did the translation from German to English himself so there are a few awkward sentences but in no way is the originally meaning obscurred.
One sad conclusion that I came to after reading this book is that the decline in elephant trohpy quality is largely our fault.
As with buffalo, we need to change the criteria of what constitutes a permissible trophy to harvest. We have drifted away from buffalo with wide spreads to those with exceptionally old and hard bosses as being the ideal trophy.
If we want to preserve elephant trophy quality (large heavy ivory) we are going to have to do somethng similar with elephants.
I highly reccomend this book.
28 July 2019, 04:14
Bama15Thanks for putting this out. I'm headed to the Nyae Nyae tomorrow. I will defiantly order his book.
01 August 2019, 21:01
ledvmquote:
Originally posted by MJines:
About half way through the book. Denker definitely has some interesting views that will likely generate some heated debate among elephant hunting PHs.
For example, Denker takes the view that worn, smooth spots on an elephant's foot are an indication of youth, not age. He believes that far too many younger bulls are being tracked and shot based on tracks showing smooth wear. In his opinion the track of a mature bull is indicated by a pad showing deep cracks and furrows and the absence of any smooth spots. He also does not buy the notion that while that may be true for sandveld bulls, it is not true for bulls in other parts of Africa. He believes it applies to all elephant, including forest elephant.
Some other interesting views he expresses. He finds the old practice of cutting off an elephant's tail abhorrent. He believes another way to help determine whether a bull is truly an old mature bull is to examine the structure of the trunk, particularly the underside and the chin, looking for deep furrows.
Denker is definitely not a shrinking violet in terms of his opinions . . . many of which fly in the face of conventional thinking. Despite the occasional translation awkwardness in the text the book is a great read for those that enjoy elephant hunting. Some of the bulls he has guided clients on truly amazing.
Hi Mike,
Kai is definitely a controversial PH in his opinions. You are very well read and experienced on the subject...care to render an opinion on Kai's opinions?
01 August 2019, 23:50
FrostbitMakes me wish we had laid definitive eyes on "Deep Crack" during our hunt with Buzz.
02 August 2019, 01:06
GunsCoreKai also considers the edges of an elephant's ear to be a great indicator of age. The more wear and tear the older the bull.
He also states that anyone who thinks they can accurately judge ivory weight is kidding themselves. There are just too many variables involved to ever make an accurate assessment. He states an older bull will nearly always have heavier tusks than first estimated and the opposite holds true for a younger bull as its tusks will nearly always be lighter than first appears. Kai heaps scorn on clients who insist on long evenly matched ivory as the ideal trophy. He considers this as one of the reasons for the steady decline of trophy quality. Kai admits to sometimes shooting bulls that were too young and expresses regret.
02 August 2019, 02:09
BaxterBSounds like a fascinating book. I’ll have to find one...
02 August 2019, 03:40
ledvmquote:
His view is that younger elephant have a smooth, callous-like layer on their feet. This accounts for the smooth areas. So in his view a track that shows a smooth area is not worn or "turning smooth" but rather is unworn or "still smooth" because it has not lost its smooth, callous-like layer.
Ordered the book today.
As to the above though...if that were true...wouldn’t the majority of the small young ele tracks one would see then have smooth areas?
02 August 2019, 04:13
shootawayIf I were to spend 160 on a book I got to be sure it is exciting.This one doesn't sound that exciting.
I am pretty sure with just some common sense one can tell if an elephant is old.
02 August 2019, 07:42
jjbullquote:
Originally posted by shootaway:
If I were to spend 160 on a book I got to be sure it is exciting.This one doesn't sound that exciting.
I am pretty sure with just some common sense one can tell if an elephant is old.
And with just some common sense one can tell a bull from a cow buffalo.