Elephant
Elephant/ Loxodonta africana
|
Habitat: |
The bush and the savanna, on the territory of the entire country. Most often encountered in the Northern part in the Zambezi valley and the high plateaus. |
|
Size: |
The largest land animal. A typical male is about 3-4 meters tall at the withers and weighs up to 6 000 kg, while a female weighs up to 4 000 kg. Life-span of up to 70 years. |
|
Habits: |
A typical herd animal. Very rarely will you see a solitary elephant – this is a certain sign that the animal is wounded or sick. It feeds on grass, foliage and the bark of trees and so look for it where there is lush grass, green bushes and plenty of water. It is not especially aggressive, but should the sanitary minimum be infringed or if wounded, it will attack. Very enduring to wounds and chase, very intelligent and cautious. |
|
Hunting advice: |
It is most often hunted by stalking. Aim at the head, should the animal happen to be too close to you. From distance, we recommend to shoot in the chest. The wounded elephant, especially the wounded female elephant, is, in my personal opinion, the most dangerous thing in Africa. |
|
Caliber: |
We recommend to use at least caliber .416. In my opinion, the best one is .470 NE with a 32-gram bullet. Actually, the minimum caliber allowed is .375 HH Magnum, but it is a bit light for a stopper to this “steam-roller”. We recommend an express so that one may fire twice in a very fast succession. It is out of the question to use a soft-point bullet. Do not tempt fate. Bear in mind that the elephant’s skin is very thick, its bones are enormous and very solid, and its muscles are over one meter thick. |
|
Trophy: |
Tusks, tail, ears and feet. You may have the whole head prepared as a mount or just the tusks. We do not suggest you do the taxidermy treatment in Africa. |
|
Location: |
Ranges in all territories we organize hunts in in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, RSA, Botswana, Zambia and Tanzania. The chance to harvest one in Namibia is slim. |