Africa Big Five

[Aussie_hunter_JD]

If I could hunt any animal in the world it would be a tiger, any place in the world and it was be an indian shikar. In the realm of possiblity (excluding financially) a lord derby eland tracking hunt hands down.

Of the big 5 leopard and elephant interest me most. Both wily and both dangerous. As any ph would tell you, a wounded leopard will charge nearly every time and unlike a lion won't announce it vocally until he is upon you. I don't like the contemporary style of leopard hunting, Jim Corbett stalking would be my only interest. It sounds much similar to stalking mountain lions given they're both secretive. Very hard, but then guys like JC who really knew the animals intimately could always find them.

I'm an oddity I think, kudu hold little interest for me when most seem to hold it above all else. If I ever do hunt africa it will be a no fence eland tracking safari. But then even that seems expensive next to my aussie buff hunt.

 

[Zach]

Interesting perspective @Europe, doubt I'll ever make it to Africa.
My 5

1. Kudu~ I just love the look of a Kudu, the spiral horns, eye white, body stripes.
2. Eland~ Fascinating horns
3. Gemsbok~ Beautiful creature with wonderful head markings
4. Impala~ What I would call the African equivalent of the Pronghorn
5. Warthog~ Most fascinated by the skull structure and those teeth.

I've not been much of a lion/leopard person although if they are legal a black leopard/puma would be a good substitute player.

 

[duck wrangler]

I’ll never have the funds to go, but my five would be:
Cape Buffalo
Kudu
Gemsbok
Sable
Wildebeest

The trip itself may not be overly expensive, but the taxidermy bill/shipping/customs can break a man from what I hear!

 

[mtmuley]

Bet I'm an outlier, but I'd rather go to Alaska. mtmuley

 

[BrentD]

Bet I'm an outlier, but I'd rather go to Alaska. mtmuley

If you are an outlier, you have me for company - sorry about that

Having hunted in Africa, and glad to have done it, I would (and will) prefer to go to Alaska. But Africa was great - once. To get me to go again, Cape buffalo would be the one temptation that would be hard to turn down. And warthogs. Ya gotta love warthogging. I don't know why but you do.

 

[buffybr]

I think most African hunters (myself included) start off with plains game, and usually with a Kudu at the top of their list. With over 170 different huntable animals to choose from there is certainly no shortage of targets. Although I do have some duplicates, I chose to mostly hunt different species of animals on each of my trips to Africa.

The Big 5 can be very expensive and are out of reach for many hunters. I have only shot two. I shot my Cape Buffalo in Zimbabwe in 2005 and it took us 5 days to find a shootable bull. We had several exciting stalks, then my shot was good and after a short track, we found him dead.

I shot my Leopard in Mozambique in 2015 and got him the second night in our blind, which was just a screen of brush that we set up in front of us. Nights in a Leopard blind are full of unfamiliar sounds, like the sound of the brush scraping against the sides of elephants walking less than 50 yards from us. We could track the approach of the Leopard as the screeching of the baboons got closer and closer.

Again, my shot was good and we found the Leopard dead only 19 yards from the bait, but it took us over an hour to find him as we went back to camp for more lights, staff, and an extra rifle before we crept through the 50 yards of thick brush to find him.

Before I booked my Leopard hunt, I was considering a spot and stalk Lion hunt, which would have been very exciting, and now it is very difficult, if not impossible, to bring a lion back into the US.

I have a friend that has been on several elephant hunts, and having been fairly close to several elephants in the brush, I can see that it would be a very exciting hunt. Unfortunately, now you are not able to bring any elephant parts home.

I have also been fairly close to several rhinos, and I don't see that as being a difficult hunt.

 

[buffybr]

Bet I'm an outlier, but I'd rather go to Alaska. mtmuley

If you are an outlier, you have me for company - sorry about that

Having hunted in Africa, and glad to have done it, I would (and will) prefer to go to Alaska. But Africa was great - once. To get me to go again, Cape buffalo would be the one temptation that would be hard to turn down. And warthogs. Ya gotta love warthogging. I don't know why but you do.

I too love to hunt Alaska. My first trip up there was in 1980 when several of us did a DIY caribou hunt out of King Salmon, and again last December on a semi-DIY hunt on Kodiak Island for Sitka Blacktail deer. I would also like to hunt Brown Bear or Alaskan Moose, but those hunts are about twice what a couple of weeks and a half dozen African animals would cost.

 

[mtmuley]

Interesting. While I would like to go to Alaska, I could spend the rest of my life hunting elk, antelope and mule deer here in Montana. And die a happy man. I do like to read about others adventures though. Just not on my list. mtmuley

 

[Panda Bear]

Bet I'm an outlier, but I'd rather go to Alaska. mtmuley

If we are moving or changing the thread or original question from which Big 5----- to where do you want to hunt or an animal you want to hunt

I would like to hunt the Marco Polo and I believe my 275 H & H is up to the task. Now all I need is for that lotto ticket I bought earlier today to be a winning ticket.

That being said buffybr makes a good point. If I win I could probably hunt several Africa animals for the price of one Marco Polo hunt, and Africa would be warm. That would be novel

Brent, what rifle would you take to hunt Buffalo in Africa. What rifle did you take when you hunted Africa in the past. Just curious, as you have some very nice rifles, but not rifles used by most hunters.

 

[geetar]

The animals I have an interest in hunting in Africa are

1. Kudu
2. Leopard
3. Tuskless Elephant
4. Vervet Monkey
5. Warthog

 

[Aussie_hunter_JD]

Bet I'm an outlier, but I'd rather go to Alaska. mtmuley

I'd prefer that too, but not being able to hunt it diy and a guided moose or dall hunt setting you back in the vicinity of $40,000 aud all said and done puts it on the outer for me.

Having said that, free range african hunting is no different.

Reckon I'll stick to Aus, NZ and cashing in my points lower 48 side on diy hunts.

 

[BrentD]

...

Brent, what rifle would you take to hunt Buffalo in Africa. What rifle did you take when you hunted Africa in the past. Just curious, as you have some very nice rifles, but not rifles used by most hunters.

I used an 1874 Sharps (Shiloh) in .450-100-535. Let's see, here it is http://www.bpcr.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=753

Were I to take on a buffalo, I would love to have a .450 BPE or a .450 No. 2 double rifle. But I would have to do some homework to be sure. I would consider the Sharps, but a multishooter has some advantage that might be appreciated with a buffalo.

the Marco Polo's would be interesting for sure. I don't know if I would want to hunt them so much as I would want to see the Himalayas or any of the eastern mountain ranges.

 

[Pucky Freak]

I’ve been lucky to see them all in the wild. All but leopard were conspicuous and close.

Leopard is a fascinating animal, being nocturnal, ghost-like, and slipping through tree branches. No desire to hunt them or lion, although they’re very cool to watch.

I have a hard time seeing rhino as anything other than an iconic conservation animal. In a different age they might have been an animal of interest to hunt.

Elephant and buffalo I think would be a lot of fun with archery. I’d love to have a set of elephant tusks from a hunt, but of course with the current political situation that’s not doable now.

 

[Europe]

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your responses.

To those who like Alaska, so do I. It is beautiful and has a wonderful variety of animals to hunt and the fishing is not to bad either. Everyone should hunt Alaska at least once as it is a fantastic place to hunt/fish/explore

But in my humble opinion, I will never regret having hunted Africa and if God would give me a new body, or even a slightly better one, I would go again.

Obviously I am only talking about free range hunting or if there are fences, something like a 50000 acre enclosure.

Many books have been written about hunting Africa and they describe what hunting Africa is like much better than I, but what they write is true.

Brent, if you have not read Drummond, Barrow, or Baldwin --you might enjoy those books as they enjoyed the type of rifles you like

Cheyenne, I also wanted to hunt the Marco Polo but it never happened. Aleena was able to do so approx 10 years ago and from memory she used a 280, so your 275 H & H should work just fine.

buffybr and elkfever2, I also never was a Rhino hunter but they are an impressive animal

Huntingwife, Randi, mkelkhuntress, and if all you ever hunted was the various species of Antelope you would not be disappointed

Kansasdad---what great memories (-:

I enjoyed plains game, a lot ! But there is just something about tracking an animal like an Elephant for days and then suddenly something the size of a semi truck to coming right at you, or when the PH tells you that the lion you have been hunting is now hunting us, when a buffalo is less than one hundred feet away and you can just tell his entire focus is killing you ----- I may be nuts, but that was hunting and I would do it again in a heartbeat if I was physically able. Waking up in the morning and seeing elephant footprints beside the tent, the roar of the lion, the beauty of the land and the variety of landscapes, the pygmy trackers tracking a lord derby in the jungle, the food, the fishing, even simple things like setting on the veranda sipping a cocktail in the evening watching the animals come to the river at Victoria Falls-----yes I love Alaska, but I also love Africa.

Brent, Aussiehunter, Gary, Vaspeedgoat-----Corbett certainly lived a life most hunters would be envious of, that is for sure. They say he was a very relaxed and happy man. I often wondered if the fact he never married had anything to do with that (-; i.e. Brad Paisley --I am going to miss her

p.s. David, Cheyenne, Don, Randi----Guy has not chimed in on this thread, but he is headed to Africa next year for a plains game hunt

 

[VikingsGuy]

Heck with Africa, hunt Az.
We have similar animals, just in miniature form:
Dik -dik = Coues Deer
Jaguar= Mountain Lion
Wart Hog=Javelina
Kudu=Elk
Gazelle=Mule Deer
Costs a lot less also.
You still get the fear factor from Rattlesnakes, Tarantulas and the
various cactus/ flora that can scratch you, poke you and find different ways
to disembowel you. OH, and then there is the guaranteed sunburn that will blister your skin!
Enjoy your stay in sunny Az., Now Go Home...Ha!, Ha!

Good list, but if you are a non-res, Africa is cheaper, plus you can get them all in one hunt.

 

[VikingsGuy]

1. Cape Buffalo
2. Rhino
3. Leopard
4. Hippo
5. Lion

I would pass on Elephant (and giraffe). No rational reason, just two animals in have no interest in killing.

Have killed Kudu, Sable and Zebra. Fabulous animals.

 

[Pucky Freak]

I enjoyed plains game, a lot ! But there is just something about tracking an animal like an Elephant for days and then suddenly something the size of a semi truck to coming right at you, or when the PH tells you that the lion you have been hunting is now hunting us, when a buffalo is less than one hundred feet away and you can just tell his entire focus is killing you ----- I may be nuts, but that was hunting and I would do it again in a heartbeat if I was physically able. Waking up in the morning and seeing elephant footprints beside the tent, the roar of the lion, the beauty of the land and the variety of landscapes, the pygmy trackers tracking a lord derby in the jungle, the food, the fishing, even simple things like setting on the veranda sipping a cocktail in the evening watching the animals come to the river at Victoria Falls-----yes I love Alaska, but I also love Africa.

While I’d consider a plains game hunt someday, a Big 5 hunt is pretty much out of the question due to cost. Sound like some incredible adventures though! The property where I worked was about 8000 acres, and like @Europe noted the allure is so much more than animals themselves. Even if not to hunt, Africa would still be on my bucket list for the wild primitive landscape, culture, southern sky at night, food, etc. It’s kind of like if you had an opportunity to visit 250 years in the past, or a foreign planet, would you do it? That’s how exotic many places in Africa can feel.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

I think any hunt that you could hear a lion roar would be at the top of any list.

 

[Bambistew]

My list is short, buff and jumbo.The later seems to be more and more shunned to the point that a guy could end up in jail for having done it at some point. I've seen all of the big 5, pretty neat to see. I've lost many of the pictures unfortunately.

I'll never forget tracking a wounded gemsbok and looking up and seeing the eyelashes of an elephant move at about 20 yards. None of us saw him until that point... amazing experience.

I'd be happy chasing birds and bunnies in Africa, just such an amazing place to experience. That said next year there may be some hunting done there by myself and the misses... Bushbuck, nyala and kudu would be fun, along with a few other critters tossed in along the way, but mostly will be happy to just be able to be amongst them.

 

[AggieHunter]

As for the Big 5 I would be Cape Buffalo. Although I have respect for hunting the other 4 its just not something I would do, but I have a ton of plains game I would like to hunt such as Kudu.