2006 hunting season is upon us. Two short years from now the 2008 season will be about to kick off. In VERY SHORT ORDER I need to get my 2008 Elephant hunt booked. I CANNOT believe how fast the quality hunts are booking up in advance, and besides, I need the time to get the $$$ together. I am not new to this game. I will eventually put the peices together, BUT, I need your thoughts and recommendations. In your deliberations try to balance 1) hunt quality. 2) Probable average ivory size. #3) PH compatability....and 4) Price. As of this moment, I am NOT off to Africa for the first time since 1997. I hope I can survive staying home this hunting season.
THANK YOU in advance for all responses.

How much do you want to spend? Tuskless cow, PAC bull, non trophy bull or trophy bull? Where would you like to hunt?

Here are two options.

Where: Caprivi Strip - Vaughan Fulton
Price: $31,000
Reasonable expectation on Size: 50's or better.

Where: Tanzania - Kigosi
Price: $46,000 +/- (including Elephant trophy fee)
Reasonable expectation on size: 50's or better.

Bulldog: I would like to stay around 35-38K. Trophy all the way. Can you get ivory out of Mozambique??

You can not get Moz ivory into the US. You can get it into Canada, Mexico Europe etc. If you hunt a bull with a valid export permit from Moz.

This is why you see a lot of Spanish hunters taking the Mozambique Bulls. Piet Hougaard had 3 export permits, and every year, three Spaniards would shoot his Elephant.

Wintershoek,

On our leopard hunt this past September, our P.H. Terry Fenn recommmended Chirisa Safari Area in March for big bulls. Chirisa is my favorite area that I have seen in Zimbabwe and it is where my husband shot his lion. We encountered elephants every day while on our hunt. We booked with HHK Safaris for March 2007 (elephant for my husband and buffalo for me). From HHK 'S website,Elephant hunting in Chirisa
Similar to the buffalo, Chirisa has a stable, non migratory, elephant population and elephant are encountered on a daily basis. Every year a couple of bulls in excess of 60 pounds a side are taken, with the average size bull being in the region of 40 - 45 pounds a side. If a client is willing to work hard enough and he hunts the right time of year he can realistically expect to shoot an elephant over 50 pounds. The best time of year to hunt elephant in Chirisa is either early (March, April, May) or late (October/November/December).
Website: www.hhksafaris.com

Best of luck in wherever you choose to hunt.

You may like www.tshabezisafaris.com

I know a man who has taken five BULL ELLIES with this operator, (Dudley Rogers).

Dudley has some good Elephant. He does a lot of Elephant hunts. I think retreever hunted with his operation.

Reasonably priced and better than average Zim Elephant.

I have his prices:

He does 10-day hunts from $15,900 to $23,500 (Sliding scale based on the weight of the tusks)

He also does 7-day "Night Hunts" from $14,500 to $19,100

You can do a 16-day Elephant and Buffalo or Sable or Leopard for $1000/day.

Any suggestions for Mozambique?

Ian