Seems like when anyone talks about their trophy bull elephant safari, it is always in Zimbabwe, Tanzania or Botswana. What is the story on elephant hunting in South Africa?

A friend got one from RSA late in the season this year. Overall, RSA doesn't interest me for elephant as it's quite expensive and there isn't a lot of wide open country to my knowledge. Elephants need a lot of space as you know.

Some of the RSA guys may come along and say otherwise, and that's fine, but as you noted, most guys book elsewhere and for good reason.

One of the TOP ele trophy spots is in Namibia of all places and I'm not talking about the Caprivi. Kai-Uwe Denker has the concession.

I once was offered an RSA c.i.t.e.s. elephant for $7500 U.S. I took the offer. I was already in the country and inbetween safaris.

It took a couple of days of hand-walking permits around offices in J'burg or somewhere to get the permit or license or whatever the heck was needed to shoot the thing.

While awaiting the process, I went to the ranch. It was about 60,000 acres and the fact that it had a fence was forgettable if you tried (and I tried). I was told that there were eight elephants on the ranch and one in particular "had to go".

Finally, with my blinders firmly in place, off we went. After driving about five miles, the PH reached in the back of the Land Rover and pulled out a direction finder and explained that one of the elephants in the group was collared.... and btw, did I have the cash with me for the trophy fee?

My blinders fell off. I got my deposit money back, absent two days daily rate, and went to visit friends at another concession...

In other words, make sure what you are getting before you go. Thank goodness I was already in country and didn't waste a plane ticket and not much but a couple of days.

I'm sure that RSA has some very real elephant hunting and some of the biggest jumbos in the world. I think the King of Spain hunts a place that has a 70 lb minimum and is unfenced and only cost $200,000... but I'm not he... alas.

On ocassion I get a fair chase elephant hunt in RSA adjacent to Kruger park, usually a rogue type, some of that area is wide open and the elephants escape into it and after they put them back several times and the elephants return, the park says shoot'em...I had a 100 pounder some 4 or 5 years ago to sell but the rancher decided to just keep the old boy and as far as I know they both died of old age..Not a bad ending to a rather neat story...

Yeah. Neat story indeed.

I have some Ele up in the Kalahari region this year. Bulls range in the 30-65 lb class. 7 day, 1x1 hunt for under $27K. All inclusive except airfare to Jo'burg. From there you are provided ground transportation (6 hr drive) or you may charter a private plane for $1700. For the traditional Elephant hunt, we have Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania or Mozambique.
LDK

quote:

One of the TOP ele trophy spots is in Namibia of all places and I'm not talking about the Caprivi. Kai-Uwe Denker has the concession.

Yukon, Kai-Uwe Denker's area is south of Khaudum Park, in Bushmanland (Nye-Nye conseravncy). The Caprivi is also a very underrated area though.