This July in Namibia, I can take one of each if I want them (and am lucky enough to find good ones and kill them).



I don't know if I want either one. Let's face it, they're not your typical African plains game trophies. Please help me decide.



If you had the chance, would you take one of these? If so, why? If not, why not?



Thanks.

I took a giraffe with my bow on my first trip to RSA. It was not easy and it took three days to get close enough. If you are on foot a giraffe will not let you get close all that easily. I finally made a 30 yard shot. I also had my PH back me, so I am not counting it as a bow kill but he said it would have expired on my shot alone.

I had to get the bull to face me. Not an easy task.

The skull is "cool as hell" and I am having a rug made, which I think is done, just need my taxi man to get it shipped.

Shoot an Ostrich and have it tanned in Africa in Tobacco color...That is the best of leather for boots etc. and wild Ostrich is much better than the domestic stuff.....A Giraffe has never been anything I want to shoot, its such a cake walk to shoot them..

I would comsider a giraffe especially in light of the reasonable trophy fee in Namibia. I spoke to a taxidermist about it and he said how about a huge rectangular rug with a tan leather border? Sounds nice to me.

Don't shoot if you'll feel sorry for it, a giraffe has those big eyes, isn't very wary and seems too damn serene to shoot...but that's just me (I would blast an ostrich, great meat, nice leather and something different from your average impala/warthog/kudu trophy)

mrlexma,

Save the money and use it to shoot a second greater kudu.
Both of the others are fairly low in trophy quality IMHO.
Giraffe are for taking pictures of.

Rich Elliott

I've killed a couple of old "stink bull" giraffe and it is definitely more of a shoot than a hunt. Shot placement is critical as they can take a lot of lead if not hit well the first time. A wounded giraffe can cover a bunch of ground in a hurry and they don't leave much of a blood trail.

We skinned the two I shot in three panels and had the hides tanned with the hair off. The leather is excellent.

I have a cow and a chicken that I will let go for trophy fees only. Cow $1000. Chicken $50. No daily rate but alcoholic beverages are extra.



P.S. Softs only, with a minimum of 5000 ft-lbs.



P.P.S. In case you guys in Massachuetts don't know what cows or chickens look like, I can't help you there.



P.P.P.S. The meat from cows and chickens are non-exportable. Dipping and packing skins and skulls $550.



P.P.P.P.S. Tips are optional.

I have often heard the giraffe called "the poor man's elephant." They are a big animal and take a bit of killing. The trophy fee is very reasonable in most areas. The skull is a great trophy. The hide makes beautiful rugs and pillows. My giraffe shoulder mount attracts far more attention from guests than any of my "plains game", so - so much for yet another kudu. And, it makes great lion and leopard bait, and lots of it. The ostrich, well, you can buy the hide or any of the products made from it cheaper than paying the trophy fee and finding someone who will tan it right. As far as mounting an ostrich trophy, the hide and feathers usually arrives a mess and all grease burned, at least as far as I have seen. I think most people who have an ostrich trophy probably bought it from a local ostrich rancher, lot of people here in Texas have a few of the birds grazing on their ranch.

Will,

I think some guy from Zambia already got your chicken.

Chicken Plucker

As for cows, you remind me of one of my favorite cow jokes:

A lady came up to me on the street and pointed at my suede jacket.

"You know a cow was murdered for that jacket?" she sneered.

I replied in a psychotic tone, "I didn't know there were any witnesses. Now I'll have to kill you too."

Besides, your trophy fees are too high and you charge extra for booze.

I wouldn't shoot a giraffe because of sentimental reasons. If one had to be put down, okay, but that's it.

Ostriches are obnoxious creatures who have blown many stalks for me. I might shoot them as vermin, but not trophies. You can buy tanned ostrich leather in Africa if you want boots or bags made from them.

George

MR,

I honestly feel that you will wonder why you pulled the trigger after you walk up on either a giraffe or ostrich. Now if I could shoot a giraffe and needed a lion bait badly it would be a different story.

Regards,

Mark

Mark,



That's exactly what I'm afraid of. There must be a sporting element in hunting to make it truly enjoyable, an element of "worthiness" in one's adversary.



Not to encourage Will, because he surely doesn't need it , but giraffes and ostriches do seem a little too comparable to cows and chickens to me.



But I've had a feeling that I may be wrong about this, and was hoping to solicit more "pro-hunt them" opinions. I do appreciate everyone's input on both sides.



I seem at the moment to be leaning more strongly against it than for it.

There is so little challenge to shootting a giraffe. They'll just stand there and look at you from close distances. Just didn't seem very sporting to me. Here are a few of the many I saw last October:

What the hell, you can always pretend they are for lion, hyens, or leopard bait (no pics please! )



To temper my purported disdain, I have never had any desire to shoot a hippo, waterbuck, croc, and some other stuff (I forget) either. To each their own.

Now I am not to keen on shooting either, but I watched one of those huge turkeys attack the hunter on Safari Hunters Journal program on the hunting channel...That damn bird stalked the guy for all the hunt for plains game and when the Ph turned his back and that ostrich knocked Steve Scott down and was on top of him...Then there was about 5 guys on top of that big turkey in a flash...Right there he would have been on the next days menu for lunch, supper, and the rest of the month.... It was funny though for a little while....

Mike