I wonder if the PHs here can estimate the average number of miles a client walks to bag an elephant. And maybe what the extreme was.

Also, when on an elephant track how many miles do you typically walk per day, and again what is the extreme?

Finally, what do you estimate the typical pace to be? 2 mph? 3 mph?

So far I have been lucky because I do not think I have followed any spoor more than 10 miles at a time.

Interesting question, 500grains!

I look forward to the answers. Some friends and I enjoy the sense of satisfaction/accomplishment that comes from "time and distance". The two that coined the phrase got it from their enjoyment of hunting mt. lions with dogs, and it spread to other things. As a result we have done a number of hikes and hunts that incorporate "time and distance" as a critical component. Another friend calls it going beyond the "barrier of effort" that limits most others. As an example, a friend of mine and I once packed an elk 31 kms without horses (the one in my signature pic). It took 5 days. Some people think that is kinda sick, but I gaurantee the memories of that trip will NEVER fade.

To be honest, the only thing that attracts me to elephant hunting is the idea of "walking them up".

Cheers,
Canuck

Canuck,

I figure it takes me 100 miles of walking or more on average for a bull elk, but only 20 miles for a buck deer, on public land.

500,

Neat stats! I'm going to have to start tracking that.

By gut feel, I'd say my elk hunting with a rifle is lower than that, but with a bow is much higher. Deer wise its probably pretty close (I don't hunt from a stand).

One of my close friends keeps a pretty good diary...I'll have to get him thinking about summarizing it that way.

Cheers,
Canuck

My score so far, IIRC:

50 miles or so and no elephant.

Why not figure out where and when they go for water and wait along the track?

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:
My score so far, IIRC:

50 miles or so and no elephant.

I've probably walked a few thousand, and haven't seen an elephant around here, yet!!

Then again, I was talking to our vegetarian bookkeeper at work one day. Told him about my .375 and 2 - 458's. He said "What do you need two guns that big for??"

I said "You never know when you're going to find a rogue elephant in your backyard!"

Dan - Very generally speaking...much of which you probably know but for the benefit others, and using my recent hunt as an example knowing you will be in the same general area...Buzz likes to go on up to three "walks" per day, two in the morning and one in the afternoon. Typically, with the first walk, the longer it takes after sunrise to pick up tracks to follow, the longer the walk will be. However, several times we'd follow ele across a dirt track, which had we driven on instead of the one where we picked up the tracks, we would have caught them sooner.

On the second walk of the morning, time permitting, you would typically catch the ele's resting in the heat by 11am-1pm, especially the herds with small calf's. The third walk in the later afternoon is typically to an area where there might be elephant movement, such as a water pan or spring, where tracks can be found and followed.

But even in my limited experience, I have seen so many variables, depending on the area, water situation, weather that day (cloudy is good walking weather, for us and the ele!), cows versus bulls, etc. Some of it depends on what is going on in that particular bull's head, that particular day (which for me is a lot of the fun of following/hunting elephant...playing Columbo and trying to figure out what they are up to).

We gave up on two bulls after ~3hrs as they showed no sign of slowing, and they were just "average" tracks. Others we caught literally less then 1km from the dirt road where we found tracks. One in particular, we got all loaded up...downed a water, ate a Cliff bar, went to the bathroom, strapped on the cartridge belt, and head off. Not more then 100-yards in, there he stood, all 20lbs of him. And to top it off, he had the audacity to charge us! The trackers knew the spoor was fresh, at which point they turn-back and give the go-ahead to follow.

"Dangerous Dave", who posts on the forum and hunted a bull with Buzz earlier this year (May), ended up walking many, many miles (10?) every day for 14-days. Just never know.

Tracking speed is comfortable, Buzz figures about 2.5mph (which is not enough to catch an ele on a walk-about, they need to stop to catch them). However, it is the "back" walk to the truck that is the most tiring, and were I think the majority of "damage" is done to a sport hunter. Knowing the road system, having a topo map, and repositioning the truck helps keep this to a minimum. After a couple of 8-10k walks, once for ele cow and another for buffalo, the distance to where we met the truck was only 2-3K per the GPS. However, it is brisk and we as sport hunters are not as gifted at weaving through the jesse/thorns as the trackers are, and get hung-up a lot more then they do.

I think the biggest decision one needs to make is how hard to push the first few days. Does one ease into it and get their legs (which takes me a few days to a week to start to feel really good), or go balls-to-the-wall day one perhaps feeling the pressure of time limits and/or the number of elephant on quota? Somewhat related to this, I found it easier to stay motivated when following the bull versus the tuskless, I guess because there was the ultimate goal of catching A particular elephant, and of course the uncertainty and anticipation of the ivory the he might be carrying. Once caught though, tuskless are more exciting given the additional danger before and after the shot. So, personally, I like tracking the bulls, but mixing it up with the cows.

JMHO's. I look forward to the replies from PH's as requested and others, including those who have hunted areas besides the Zambezi Valley where I am sure it is completely different.

Regards, Bill

I killed 3 elephants last June in Zim.2 cows one bull. We saw a herd of cows while driving in the Land Cruiser. We drove down the road a bit and "snuck" up on them. We snuck in, out, circled around ,snuck in then out etc for about 3 hours. Shot the cow at 6 yards, frontal brain.

Second cow, also spotted herd while in the Cruiser, exited, stakled up to intercept the herd walking, side brain shot at 12 yards.

Bull, saw a good bull across river while eating lunch in the field, did not have bull on quota. That night in camp made radio call, got bull on quota.
Went back to river next am, saw same bull 400 yards from where he was yesterday. Began stalk across river. walked for 6 hours NON-STOP. never saw the bull again. Snuck up on 3 smaller bulls when enroute back to Cruiser.
Did a fair amount of walking next few days anytime we cut elephant bull tracks.
Saw elephant bull from camp while eating lunch.
Drove for 1 hour to get to river crossing. Parked Cruiser crossed river on foot and began search for bull. About 3 to 4 hours later found bull. Fired 2 shots at rapidly walking bull, almost broad side hitting him in the shoulder and front leg from @ 120 yards. Bull spun around and came for us. I ran a short distance toward him, he fell down, and when he got back up I frontal brained him from about 60 yards.
All shots fired from my 450 No2 double rifle.

It is not how far you walk, but how tough the terrain is. This part of Zim [the OMAY ] was very rugged or when flat very thick Jess.
I was suprised at the elephants being in the rough, steep areas.
Be prepared to walk for several hours in steep rocky terrain or thick Jess.
Hunting Elephants is the most fun hunting I have ever done.
I cannot wait to get back.

500 I am not a PH <Ideal Job>. However, it does not matter. Once you get one you would walk for the rest of your life for another.
But for the record an average of about 5 - 10 miles per day, If you hunt with Ganyana... if he likes you about that much, if not then 20 - infinity.

BWN, if you only did 5-10 per day, he pampered you!

500 -
He made me walk 30 miles per day. Go figure...

The PH we hunted plains game with talked about one of the PH's that he used to hunt with that hunts with pigmy trackers. They still often sleep on the tracks. They pack a bit of water and some bisquit. They walk all day.When dark finds them they make a fire if wood is available and sleep on the tracks. No blankets, no cot, no shower. They send a tracker for resupply of water and food. A tracker will be there the next day and catch up to them on the tracks. He said they kill some nice bulls that way. I am with Canuk. The style of hunting is the only thing that seems atractive about hunting tembo to me.

I went through my diaries for elephant hunts over the past 3 years. Distance walked varied from 75 yds to 9 miles. This data is for one way, from the vehicle to where we found the animals or abandoned the tracks. These are straight line distances (from GPS locations in some cases or seat of the pants estimates in others)and do not account for turns, retraces or wanderings. A rough estimate would be to double the distances given to estimate total distance traveled.

Cow or mixed herds = 2.3 miles (+- .8) miles, N = 89

Bulls = 4.8 miles (+- 1.3) miles, N = 27

Confidence intervals in parenthesis. For those of you that are statisrically challenged (lucky you!) This means that there is a 95% chance another walk would fall between these estimates.

I suspect that cows travel shorter distances because of the calves in the herd. Although I do not have data to support it. My memory tells me that cow herds with out young calves traveled further. Elephants in other areas may have travel distances substantialy different then what I report here.

IMO the walk out on the tracks is reatively comfortable since the trackers move at a moderate pace with frequent stops or slow downs to read tracks. The walk back is often a "Death March" as the trackers and PH want to get back to the vehicle for lunch, shade etc.
465H&H

One Bull Elephant. 17 miles.

Looking at my GPS traces, we walked an average of 6 miles a day until day 8 when we picked up a really good spoor. Walked 14 miles to the shot. Walked 23 miles until we got the second shot and collected.

Obviously this applied to the client and I. The trackers walked a heck of alot further.

I would think that that is about right unless, as often happpens, you pick up a "jaws" track and find he's a little guys with big feet, or broken tusks etc.

14 + 23 = 37 miles in a day.

I will wear out the bearings on my treadmill getting ready for that.

You can save a lot of walking if you use a big enough gun and make the first shot count!


465H&H

No, the 23 came over the remainder of that day and most of the next.

It is sure alot easier to have everything over at the chosen spot and not not 3/4 of the way between the last road the the parks boundry... but that is hunting.