Cross L,

shame shame on you!!


I think for me, the criteria would be 100lbs. Whether that be one monster like the one shown or two, matched.

Rich

xausa,

Looks like a fine old one-tusker, and a definite shooter, to me.

Still, I tend to think that those without representative and symmetrical trophies are more prone to turn down the broken, asymmetrical or worn down old men.

Good for the old men, I suppose!

I passed on a 70 pound one tusker on the second last day of a 16 day hunt. I took a 55 pounder with nice even tusks out of the same group of three bulls. I was happy with the decission. It was not even the best two tusk elephant I had seen as I had looked at least one better or two earlier in the hunt. No regrets! But I no I likely would shoot 100 lb single tusker if I ever saw one.

Well, times change. In today's world I am sure I would kill him and never look back.

However, back in the mid-'70's, while hunting in the Sudan I turned down one that we thought would go at least a 110#.

Piga. Chinni. Kufa. Piga picha. Kabubi.
Nuff said.

Guess I'm the lone dissenter.
I like symmetrical. But then, I will normally only shoot one of each species. Haven't taken an elephant yet but I'd want one fairly close to symmetrical.
Once I took that ele, I'd probably never shoot another. They're expensive to hunt and there's plenty of variety in the animal kingdom to be chased.
Life is short and I want to see as much as I can.

These days, I'm of the mind set that ANY opportunity to hunt elephant in this economy is a gift from the Almighty, and I'm fine growing to be an old man in possession of that mismatched set of ivory. I'm not kicking sand in the face of good fortune. If you feel otherwise, I respect that, but my trips across the pond are financially limited...

Mike,

Thank you for posting the photo of this "grand old bull".

Do you (AR members) think the sliding scale (trophy fees based on heaviest tusk weight) discourages the shooting of single tusked bulls?

As an example, you are hunting elephant and the PH tells you the single tusked bull will go low 70's. Do you shoot the bull and pay $$$$$$ more trophy fee or take a matched pair of 50's or 60's and save the money for another hunt?

Thanks again for posting the photo.

Kathi,

Sort of depends on the scale. If it's a $10k difference between 50 and 60lbs, I'd have to really rationalize what other kind of hunt I could do with $10k. Now that would be a symmetrical 50 to 60lbs.
If it were like jumbo on the pic where one was huge and the other half it's size then the answer would be let's keep walking.

wouldn't have to see him twice
would consider myself very very lucky
to encounter this bull in a hunting situation.
i would probably cut up the broken side
and build some knife handles,pistol grips
jewelry,carvings....

quote:

Originally posted by Kathi:
Do you (AR members) think the sliding scale (trophy fees based on heaviest tusk weight) discourages the shooting of single tusked bulls?

Good question, Kathi.

The old one-tusker pictured would have cost the hunter a $20,000 trophy fee.

Assuming that the elephant he ended up shooting was a 45 pounder, then we know that he paid a $7,500 trophy fee for him.

That delta seems as though it might be enough to influence a shoot or no shoot decision.

On the other hand, in the grand scheme of things, meaning relative to the total, all-in cost of a 21 day Tanzanian safari, $12,500 isn't all that much.

Hard to say.

Hunting, especially the Big 5, is akin to the Olympics. Few get the chance to participate in the experience. Those who do have sacrificed in their lives. The training is hard the expense is high and the determination to endure must be strong.

A true trophy is an old bull who has two respectably sized tusks. To lower this standard is to give into the mentality that is sweeping the us. The mentality that we should make it easy for everyone to be #1.

Do not lower the standards. Be thankful that you got the chance to participate in the game and revel in the fact that you took home second place. Let us all remember that the experience of taking any elephant makes you a winner.

Q

Yes I would.

If I decided to allocate my disposable income to hunting elephant and if he was mature and big bodied.

The broken tusk compared to the full length R tusk screams character, un-witnessed storys and wild Africa. It makes the imagination run wild.

quote:

Originally posted by Quehanna:

A true trophy is an old bull who has two respectably sized tusks.
Q

By your standards a two tusked old 70 pounder is a "trophy", but an elephant with a single tusk weighing 185 pounds is not a trophy.

I disagree.

The hunter who passed on the big one tusker that started this thread was a fool(IMO). Not 1 in 1,000 elephant hunters will ever have a shot at such a grand trophy today.

That elephant has lived a full life and is clearly in decline. There is a pretty good chance that he will end up hyena food and that grand tusk will be gnawed to dust by porcupines.

And the fact that the hunter took a 45 pound elephant(most likely far younger than the old one tusker) adds insult to injury.

But then, who am I to judge?

Yes,a trophy elephant needs both tusks,IMO.An elephant with half the tusks is half the reward.If I where a PH and gave the go ahead on a particular ele and then discovered that it had a broken or single tusk,I would apologize to my client.

quote:

Yes,a trophy elephant needs both tusks,IMO.An elephant with half the tusks is half the reward.

How do you figure do you do half the walking for a 1 tusked elephant? Both you must hunt hard for and the reward is not the tusk but the experience..

If you are hunting an ele with a single or broken tusks from the beginning then that is fine,IMO.

Well thats you if rather a mature bull who has passed on his genes on his last set of molars and is on his way out.If he has 1 of 2 tusk does not matter its the time spent that matters.

I agree that trophy size is not all what it is about but there is such a thing as a serious trophy hunter,IMO.

quote:

I agree that trophy size is not all what it is about but there is such a thing as a serious trophy hunter,IMO.

Yes there is and they have seriously deep pockets and go on safari 60 days for one specific anmial

quote:

Originally posted by Express_Rifles:

quote:

I agree that trophy size is not all what it is about but there is such a thing as a serious trophy hunter,IMO.

Yes there is and they have seriously deep pockets and go on safari 60 days for one specific anmial

I am sure there are plenty of the opposite with equally deep pockets that do the same.

I would say they are just more focused on a particular objective.

quote:

Originally posted by Quehanna:
To lower this standard is to give into the mentality that is sweeping the us.

Q

Q:
I do not mean to nit pick,but it's US
not us. I'm sure it was just an over sight on your part.

Paul K

quote:

Originally posted by ravenr:
wouldn't have to see him twice would consider myself very very lucky to encounter this bull in a hunting situation.

i would probably cut up the broken side and build some knife handles,pistol grips jewelry,carvings....

I'm with you. It would be the best of both worlds

I prefer the symmetrical tusks, but among those who would take a one tusker, how big does the single tusk need to be before it's a trophy? I'm sure there would be some variation between countries.