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Are there any outfitters that consistently take big Eland in Namibia or Botswana? There doesn't seem to be much hype about big eland. I know there are a lot of outfitters that kill big eland, is it simply luck, or are there areas that consistently produce big bulls? Or do hunters spend so much time focused on kudu and gemsbok, that they don't invest the time it takes to really hunt a big eland? If anyone can post some pictures or stories from their hunts, it would be appreciated. | ||
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Please define 'big' and I'm not trying to be funny. Last one I killed weighed 1800lbs on the scales and that was BIG to me. I have no idea what the horn measurement was but the number 34 is in mind. Whatever he was he was 'BIG' to me in all respects. They are the most remarkable antelope in all the earth. When an animal this size can walk up to a 6' fence look over it and then just hunch down and jump it he is truly remarkable. The only ones I've shot have all been in Matabeleland in Zimbabwe. SCI Life Member NRA Patron Life Member DRSS | |||
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I don't have a photo Len, but I shot a 38" Cape Eland in RSA in 1995. I'm going after Livingstone Eland with Mike Kibble in Namibia next year. He is quoting 36"-38" if we spend some time and energy on them.......... Verbera!, Iugula!, Iugula!!! Blair. | |||
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Most of the better ranches in Namibia have some outstanding eland. I think if you're looking for length (younger bulls) and high score, you are missing half the fun of eland hunting. Tracked on foot, stalked to within 50 yards, and taken cleanly with a single shot is the way to do it. An old "blue" bull is truly a memory. Not a monster by any means at only 32 1/2" and heavy, but this one was hard earned and fantastic to me. The largest dewlap we have ever seen on a Cape Eland. Another friend simply walked up to a 37"er and tipped him over. I know several of the hunters here on AR have favorite spots in Namibia where that is possible.  | |||
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Those old 'blue bulls" are fantastic, Blank  Verbera!, Iugula!, Iugula!!! Blair. | |||
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I guess I should have quantified "big"- to me, big = heavy, with deep ridges, and good length. Blair, I thought that cape eland were almost always the larger between the cape and livingstone variety- I was not aware that livingstone got to be 36-38 inches. Those sound like some absolute monsters! Zimbabwe, the challenge is the reason I am looking seriously for a great eland ranch/concession. I hunted them briefly in Zim, and was quite impressed on how elusive they were. We never found a quality bull, so we never got into serious hunt mode, but they always seemed to be the first to vanish if we ran into them, especially in mixed herds. They were like ghosts. | |||
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There's also the east African eland. - Scroll to the bottom of the page on the link below for a good example. - One of my clients took this animal 2 or 3 years ago. Had he entered it, it would have been # 4 in RW & # 1 or 2 in SCI. http://www.kuduland.com/hunting-in-tanzania.htm | |||
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It took me two hunts to "walk down" an eland and man did we walk! On a "good" day we did 20kms. I shot mine in RSA, Limpopo Province, in very heavy bush so it was hard getting a shot. I think the inches might have been 32 or 36, I honestly can´t remember but the bull was very old and on the decline so he only weighed around 750kgs... | |||
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There is no such thing as a small Eland, only a young Eland. I took this Eland in the Kalahari of Botswana in March with Bushman trackers. I didn't put a tape on him, so I don't know what he measures. He is huge to me. What a great hunt. There really is no other common plainsgame animal like the Eland. To hunt them by tracking is a treat. A hunt that any African hunter should consider doing at least once.  | |||
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Howdy, Just back from Namibia, and on two ranches we did see "Blue Bull" Eland. I wasn't carrying a heavy rifle, so I was not in the running for an Eland. Meanwhile, what IS a big Eland? Everyone I have seen on the ground and in the salt has been a doggone BIG animal. Try http://www.arugamelodge.com/ for a super experience. One of their sites is well into the Kalahari (camelthorn trees and all that) and the other is located slightly further North (closer to Windhoek) Good Hunting LLS Mannlicher Collector  | |||
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This is not a big trophy hornwise, but as mentioned above there aren't any small eland. I took him with Jaco Human in Limpopo province in October 2005.  _________________________________ AR, where the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history become the nattering nabobs of negativisim. | |||
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Here's an eland that scored pretty well. From the SCI score sheet, one horn was 38 1/4" and the other 38 3/8". The circumference of one was 12 5/8" while the other 12 3/8". This gave him a total score of 101 5/8", which would qualify him for the SCI Gold Medal if I sent it in.  | |||
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Namibia is probably the best spot for aquiring a bruiser eland.I have hunted there four times now and taken some great eland each time.The north of the country around Grootfontein is especially well suited for growing good eland.I took three with my bow last trip, one from a blind and the other two stalked on foot.To be in bow range of a big herd of feeding bulls while trying to get a look and shot on the biggest one is a real rush. My best in 2006 was a 38 incher, young and not wore down on the ends. The most impressive was 35 inches, dark blue with a very heavy ruff and shoulders as wide as a brahma bull. We seldom get to choose But I've seen them go both ways And I would rather go out in a blaze of glory Than to slowly rot away! | |||
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Eyedoc, thank you for the input- it was exactly what I was looking for. Who did you hunt with, if I may ask? Wendell, Spring, and Wink, thanks for the photos- those are all great bulls, and I doubt they would get a pass from me. I think eland are definitely a trophy where the old phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" fits. I love the deep ridges and mass of Wendells bull, and the shape of Wink's bull is plain awesome. I don't get hung up on any one feature when evaluating a trophy- I just know it's what I want when I see it. I just want to get in the right area, and work on it from there. Thanks, Len Hawkins | |||
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Quite a bit of the trophy on an Eland is in the face. A nice dark forehead with a huge stinky mop of hair is a true trophy Eland. | |||
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not a Kalahari bull, killed 05 in Zim, Save Conservancy.  Birmingham, Al | |||
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Len, I thought the same with regard to Cape and Livingstone. We'll see what Mike Kibble comes up with, but he hasn't failed yet! We ran into a PH at Windhoek airport as I was leaving last year and he told Mike and I that a client of his had just grassed a 38 incher.............one reason I'm going back.  Verbera!, Iugula!, Iugula!!! Blair. | |||
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Currently the best Eland in Namibia come from the area northwards of Otjiwarongo around Otavi, Tsumeb and Grootfontein. I hunted the area south of the road between Grootfontein and Otavi pretty hard and the eland you get there are massive. Try Hagen Eggert and Hartmut Freyer of http://www.gausshunt.com or Winni Ritzdorf of http://www.ritzdorf-jagdsafari.de/main.html | |||
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 Namibia, Okandukasiebe, last year. Elephant Hunter, Double Rifle Shooter Society, NRA Lifetime Member, Ten Safaris, in RSA, Namibia, Zimbabwe | |||
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