I thought some on the forum might enjoy seeing these photos.

After I killed my elephant, it was pretty much a free for all.

People came from all of the neighboring villages to get at the meat.

It took half the afternoon and half the night, but as you will see, by the next morning the local villagers hadn't left much behind but skin and bones.

In a word ...........Decimated!

Theres nothing left for the vultures, its good to see that nothing goes to waste

Thanks for the photos. I've read that nothing goes to waste and this sequence of photos proves it conclusively.

Interesting....those dogs look pretty thin. Ribs sticking out badly.

It's a good feeling to see that nothing goes to waste.

I'm a strong believer in eating what you shoot, before I did my first African trip I did research and found that all the meat and guts are used, that made me happy to see.

Good photo's! Reminds me of my Hippo and what was left, some blood and the contents of the stomach.

Good work!!!

make me want to go hunting.

great sequence of pics. captures the essence of the moment perfectly.

It is good to see all the meat being used. I look down on those who take an animal and have no ambiton in using the meat, but in africa as previously stated it seems that nothing is wasted. In my opion that is the way it should be throuout the world. On my recent trip to africa it amused me that all the trackers and skinners could have all the meat they wanted, but all they cared to eat was the liver, stomach and colon of the animal. I guess they enjoy the taste more, beats me.

I also agree with vapodog. The dogs in the picture looke emaciated, they must be left to fend for their selves.

Thanks for the pics!

Thank you for posting the pics. Makes me want to go elephant hunting. I wish I could send these photos to the lady I met at a party the other night that upon hearing I had just returned from Africa said, "I hear that people shoot animals over there and just leave them lying". That sure beats them having to steal the rotten zebra quarter one hunter was using to bait a leopard. Great pics.

Great photos!!!

Phil

its great to see no waste, any many gratefull locals i'm sure.

I dont mind seeing some of the carcass left behind. If some bit's are left over it doesn't go to waste as there is all those scavengers like Vultures, Hyena and Badgers to clean it up.

Great Photos

I wish someone could show these photos to PETA so they can see how the locals benefit and nothing is wasted.


Hamdeni

quote:

Originally posted by hamdeni:
Great Photos

I wish someone could show these photos to PETA so they can see how the locals benefit and nothing is wasted.


Hamdeni

Hamdeni, PeTA doesn't want the truth! The truth will not generate any $millions in donations,from the ignorant bleeding hearts, to buy Yachts, and first class travel for the PeTAHeads.

It's always amazing that no matter how far out in the bush you think you are when you hammer the old boy, fifteen minutes later there is a whistle and two locals com skulking in. Shortly followed by six more, then eight than there are thirty folks quietly waiting for the real fun to begin. Makes me wish I were doing it right now!

I'm curious about cuts of meat. Is there a favorite/coveted part that is considered choice by the natives? How does it get divided? Orderly fashion, or does one simply start swinging a machete and hacking off whatever he can haul off? Not terribly important information, but it's fascinating to me.

Also, did you try any meat? If so, what's it like? Did you recover bullets, or ask the natives to give them back to you as they dismantled the great beastie?

Thanks for any response, and for the pics; good stuff!

In the area of the Zambezi Valley where I hunted, Dande South, the trunk and the shoulder the bull fell on belonged to the chief. The trackers were allowed the next cuts and it seemed the cheek meat was prized by them. It looks like they are removing the cheek meat on MR Lexma's bull above. After the villagers moved in it seemed wherever they could get an open slot worked for them. What a melee! Just my observations on the two elephant I have shot.

Thank you very much for the photos I am saveing for my first African hunt and have a problem with taking horns and leaving the meat ( I live to hunt and eat what I shoot ) these photos prove that the meat is not wasted. Will the camp cook some of the game meat for the hunters? I would like to try some of the game.

8MAG,

I ate a bit of my elephant. The chef prepared some grilled back strap. It was quite good.

Great Photos

8MAG - I had the same concerns before I went on my first trip last June. Need not worry nothing goes to waste...in fact it is 'us' that are wasteful.

I hope that someday you can make the trip.

A few people began to trickle in about 30 minutes after I had fired the shots. Then more and more showed up, until by the end, there were around 75 or so.

Nearly everyone walked of course, although a few rode bicycles. Somehow they found us. And they brought along wheelbarrows, basins and bags for the meat. They also brought along a half dozen or more of their starving dogs. Every little village seemed to have a small, bony pack of them. I can't imagine how they survive on a day-to-day basis. But that afternoon, these lucky few circled the elephant, smelled its blood and whined in anticipation of the feast to come.

And of course every man, woman and child also brought a knife, hatchet, axe or machete as well. The noise of dozens of blades scraping on stones filled the air.

Our game scout explained to one and all that we needed to wait for our trucks to arrive. Mostly people just sat or stretched out in the shade and waited with us for the trucks. Many people walked around and around the elephant, amazed by its up close size and bulk. When the trucks arrived with our cameras, the whole crowd respectfully backed away so that we could take our photos.

Our guys—our game scout, trackers and skinners—then began removing the elephant's trunk and head. Only after they had taken the cuts they wanted did the locals get involved, and then the butchering began in earnest. The only organizing principle that I saw in action was "first come, first served." Everyone just piled on and began slicing and hacking away like ants dismembering a grasshopper.

We gave a big portion of the trunk, along with some neck meat, to the local "nduna" or sub-chief, who had been very helpful to us. Everyone seemed to think that the choicest cuts were the trunk and neck meat.

The majority of the people in this region generally eat only "mealy," which is a kind of cornmeal mush, supplemented by whatever vegetables they might grow in subsistence plots. They rarely get meat of any kind, so they were naturally ecstatic about this opportunity to load up.

Several of them implored me, more than once, to shoot more elephant!

Mike,

It is a spectable watching the locals take care of the ele...We two gave the trunk to the local chief headman...

Mike

WOW! That is an excellent photo sequence.

Mrlexma,
photos appreciated.....Question;

did you yourself try any of the meat?

I did not eat any of the meat. It's not that I intentionally avoided it. I just felt that I would be taking it from others that needed it a lot more than I did. Maybe next time.

AR Member Kyler Hamann had a great article like this in last month issue of Sports Afield. I think this was a great post, and a great article for Kyler.

Sportsmen do a lot for the economy, as well as the environment, and the nearby populace.

Great photos. Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
I did not eat any of the meat. It's not that I intentionally avoided it. I just felt that I would be taking it from others that needed it a lot more than I did. Maybe next time.

Excellent reply, should provoke some serious thought on the part of non hunter/antis!

Yum, pass the Mustard!

Shot mine in the midde of nowhere. After photos, the trackers started buchering. The ph went back to camp for more help. One of the trackers cut a trail so the truck could get to the kill. When the crew arrived, the buchering started in earnest. I turned around and saw a couple of black faces. Every time I looked there were more. A truckload of meat was loaded for the camp crew. As the ph and I were leaving, the head tracker asked if he and the crew could stay and hand out the meat. He said if they didn't, the women and children wouldn't get any. The ph said ok and we headed for camp. Driving down a steep straight road, there was a line of people about a mile and a half heading for the kill. When it was all done, ther wasn't anything left for the vultures. Driving to different locations in the following days, there was meat hanging to dry for miles around. The local chief got the trunk, what was left of it. The poor old elephant had lost about half of it in a snare. I did eat some of it, tasted pretty good, tougher than shoe leather.

Dave