Elephant Hunt – Botswana Nov 08

Botswana - 13th Nov 08





From left to right:
Modibedi- head tracker, Omkabetse – tracker, Roger Ramajaga – PH, Malebouo – Botswana game scout, Jeff Smith – PH "Unforgettable Safaris", Motlhasedi – tracker and myself.

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Running after this very agitated Black Mamba so I could get a better photo for Craig was probable one of the most stupidest things I have ever done! Jeff Smith (my PH) was yelling at me to get back, when I realized I was running to get a better camera angle but not gaining on this fellow, I got the hell out of there. Jeff then proceeded to tell me that “these snakes are really not my friends.” I was extremely stupid and very lucky, I was well aware how bad these are, I got to 15-20 yds from this fellow and was unarmed.

When I returned to Joberg I purchased an excellent little book on “Snakes and snake bite in Southern Africa’, quote: “Danger to man. This is without doubt one of the deadliest snakes in the world. It has large quantities of a very potent venom and the ability to inject a lot of venom in a single bite. Because of its length, it may also bite chest-high.” “The Black Mamba seldom permits a close approach (within 40 meters) if corned or threaded it will gape, exposing the black inner lining of it’s mouth, and will spread a narrow hood while waving the tongue slowly up and down. Any sudden movement at this stage will be met with a series of rapid strikes, often with fatal results."

Yes, Elephant hunting is available, quantities are limited, but the Elephant population is strong and growing, sadly not enough space for all the Elephants and man. Hopefully we will be able to offer some Elephant hunts for clients next year. It is the ultimate hunting as far as I am concerned, you need to be fairly fit. Elephant are hunted by following the tracks, one day we covered 35 K before running out of water and forced to quit, but more of that day later.



I used an old (1903) English double rifle in .470 NE, iron sights, a very traditional rifle for an elephant hunt and ideal for the job. She fires a 500 grain bullet at 2150 fps, the bullet is a Woodleigh solid. I took the shot from 25 paces, kneeling, it was a side brain shot and gave instant results

I have over 600 pictures to sort out and will post more as time permits. First to answer some questions;

No my shoulder does not sting, I fired at least 10 rds per day from resting at 50 yds to off hand at 25, 20 and 15 yds per day for the 14 days prior to leaving. I once fired 36 rds in one afternoon when working up my reloads, on that occasion I noticed I had a "slight" flinch the next day.

The locals were offered the meat, they drove out in their donkey carts with axes and knives to do the butchering. We had them cut off the head, 16 men loaded the head onto the back of the Toyota truck for us. This truck hit and killed two cows in the road on the way home, but then that is how the whole trip went, I had a real adventure.

No I do not have a close up of the Black Mamba, and I have no intention of ever trying to get a close up of a snake like that! No matter how much you pay me.

Also a Leopard had a near miss with me, but that tale is for later.

As for the taxidermy bill, I am just having the tusks prepared with brass end caps to hang on the wall. Pat is a great wife, but I would not try and bring a stuffed Elephant in to the house, even I know when to stop.

My PH was Jeff Smith, Unforgettable Safaris’, I have hunted with him on three different occasions now and he is excellent, we have become close friends and we would be very pleased to arrange bookings with him. Next year I plan to hunt a Cape Buffalo with Jeff and Matt is coming along to hunt some plains game, I am afraid that nothing will ever compare with hunting Elephant. When the first bull, a huge fellow 15 ft to the top of his head ran up and stopped only 20 yds in front of me with 4 young bulls in support, it was an awesome sight. He was lucky he had a broken tusk, so I held my fire.

What would you recommend for preparation for a hunt like this, other than your wallet?

Next year cost will be 20 to 25,000.00 US$. As for preparation, get fit, practice short range off hand shooting with your chosen rifle using your hunting loads and learn about Elephant. Research the Elephant, as a minimum read Richard Harland's "The Art of Hunting the African Elephant" and watch the 2 hour video "Hunting the African Elephant by Buzz Charlton" both are excellent. These are great animals and the more you learn about them the more you will enjoy the hunt. I am looking for two hunters to take back next year, any takers?

This year’s hunt was in part a "reccee" for next years hunt, as a partner in Hunt Africa we will not book clients blindly with an unknown PH to hunt in unknown areas. At this time I will be a little vague on some details as Jeff first has to secure the elephant for next year, ideally he wants all of them (10-14) in this area, then there will be no other Elephant hunting. The area is huge, this year we worked from a permanent camp but next year the plan is to establish a tented “Fly” camp, we now have several prospective sites in mind, this will reduce the time spent travelling each day, this year I had 10 days hunting booked, but extended for another week, we were tagged out after 12 days. We drove 4,000 k in the bush. I would recommend a minimum of 10 days hunting, but ideally 14. I did not see enough Plains game in the area to recommend any additional hunting after you have tagged your Elephant in that area, this is something that we need to check out, it should be no problem in have some Plains game hunting organized in the event your Elephant is tagged early in your hunt.

A tented camp would be (in my words) be semi luxurious with toilets and showers, all the food would be prepared over an open fire, food is always excellent, you can lay on your cot and listen to the African wild life at night, this is all part of the experience.

In the event Jeff successfully securers all the Elephant for 09 I think the season would be from March to Sept but this is another detail that is yet to be confirmed. The plan would also be to operate a second vehicle with scouts so clients are given every opportunity for a successful hunt.

At this time I would estimate that the total cost for a 10 day elephant hunt next year would be in the order of 20 -25,000 US $ once you have arrived in Joberg.

If anyone is interested please send me an e-mail so that I can keep you updated as the 09 season develops.

The following is from Professional Hunter Jeff Smith.

Elephant Safaris Botswana

The elephant safari will be done in a community area. In this area there are people farming with Cattle, goats, sheep, maize and sorghum. Every few kilometers you will find a village or a single settlement with his house and cattle kraals. The elephant do raids on the farmer’s crops and destroy their maize and sorghum. During the day they are in the bush or some resting spot where they hide from people.

During the dry season the only water source for the elephant is the Shashe River, some dry river beds in the area and the Letsibogo dam.
In the area there are numerous herds of elephant varying from 10-50 elephant with 1-3 big bulls in the herd. There are also lone bulls and small groups of bulls in the area.

The area is about 500 000 hectares big with varying habitat. Some areas are Mopane trees other Marula, Redbushwillow and Boabab trees.

The best ways to get the elephant is by tracking and get information from the different villages in the area. It can be time consuming to find the herds or bull’s and for this reason I employ scouts 1 week before the safari starts to find a herd or bull elephant so when the client arrive we have a good idea in which part of the area to start looking.

Also, the border of Botswana and Zimbabwe is the Shashe River and this fence line will also be inspected from time to time to see if elephant has broken into Botswana. In the dry season there is very little water on the Zimbabwe side so the elephant stay mostly in Botswana.

We look for fresh tracks and then follow them if they look promising. A lot of walking is done and the client must be ready to do this. Also, there is not much other game species in the area so the client must not expect to see animals all over the area. There are small groups of Kudu, Impala, Duiker and Steenbuck. There is also Jackal, Brown and Spotted Hyena and Leopard.

Elephant hunting is not easy but very hard work, especially in the community areas so therefore the minimum days for this safari must be 10 days. The client must not expect to see and stalk elephant everyday but when a good bull is located then the client must take the shot or it will be an opportunity lost.

The trophy quality of the bulls varies and elephant of 35-65 pounds can be expected. The average bulls hunted in this area for the 2007 season was 45 - 50 pounds. Bulls over 60 pounds has been hunted and the biggest bull hunted in this area weighed 72 pounds and was hunted in 2005. The client must not arrive with great expectations to hunt a 60 pound plus elephant, it is surely possible but not guaranteed. This safari will give the client an excellent elephant hunting experience and if luck is on the hunter’s side he can hunt a big bull. We will do our utmost best to find the biggest bull possible for the client, this is guaranteed.

Elephant poaching in Africa is not the problem it was in the past, mainly due to CITES. “Convention on International Trading in Endangered Species” CITES applies to Elephant, cats and primates etc. anything that falls under the CITES protection can not be traded commercially. I understand that this means that I can not sell my trophy tusks, they will be numbered and certified. Recently it was a agreed that a limited “Tonnage” of ivory would be auctioned, this has caused a controversy but I do not believe it will re start commercial poaching.

Certainly hunting down armed poachers with the mandate to shoot to kill on sight would be, shall we say, “interesting!”

As for hunting Cape Buffalo verse Elephant: I have yet to hunt Cape Buffalo, I have certainly read that the Buffalo is a very worthy quarry, extremely tough and noted for laying in ambush if wounded. I have asked several PH’s which is the most dangerous of the “Big Five” (Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Rhino, Lion and Leopard) I have always received different answers, however the one PH with the most experience said he treats them all with equal caution and respect, and he is still alive to talk about his hunts. I will be surprised if a Cape Buffalo will be able to fill me with the awe and respect that the Elephant has. My first close encounter was when we tracked an old bull, we first saw him when we were approx 100 yds away, he was towering over the thorn bush that was 8-10 ft high, he rushed up to take a look at us, we all yelled and he stopped approx 20 yds in front of me, the four smaller younger Bulls with him also ran up, this was a small bachelor herd. He was fantastic, stood 15 ft to the top of his head. I heard Robert (PH) chamber a rd in his Mauser .375 H&H, I thought to myself, here comes the warning rd and then the s**t will hit the fan. Dam I don’t want to shoot this old fellow, he only has one tusk and he is important, he is training the young bulls. I also realized that the frontal brain shot (my only shot) was going to be extremely tough as the base of his tusk go so high in his head. I was also very surprised at how calm I was, I was so impressed with this old bull that I had no time to be scared, I also had supreme confidence in my double barreled .470 NE rifle. After a few minutes he turned and they all disappeared into the thorn bush, truly very very impressive. The picture below is the same bull, taken a little later. When you get amongst a cow calf herd and see how the cows attempt to intimidate any perceived threat by shredding trees and performing mock charges, one can understand why they are listed as one of the “Big Five”, I could very easily become addicted to hunting these noble beasts.

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This Bull is still out of range, we are not in a position to take a shot, he is unconcerned as we are down wind, his RHS tusk was broken off flush with his head. Remember also, if he charges, that thorn bush is no hindrance to him but I couldn't run through that to save my life, I would have to stand and shoot.

I have always found that one of the special attractions when hunting is never knowing what is around the next corner or over the next hill, this is especially true in Africa. It really pays to stay alert, the best photos will always come when least expected and in Africa danger can lurk round any corner.

Late one afternoon we had a second flat tire, at this time we only had one spare wheel so we had to wait for assistance. When I realized we had an hour or more to wait I told everyone I was going to hike up to the top of a nearby hill, I would wait up there and “glass’ the area for Ellie. One of the trackers was told to accompany me, I picked up my 2 Qt canteen and rifle and we headed off.

At the top of this rocky hill was one very large rock, I propped my rifle against a stunted tree and went to walk around this rock, but I spotted a toe hold at the end and was able to scramble up to the top. My tracker joined me from the other end, I had just started to view the area when my tracker yelled “Leopard”. I could hardly believe it, but a big leopard had been just around the rock, right where I had planned to climb up, I never even saw him. So I can claim that I was nearly run over by a Leopard and my .470 DR stood round the corner. I had even stopped carrying my hunting knife, I had no intention of skinning an Ellie, it lightened my load in the heat and I always have a small lock blade in my pocket. Well never again, next time I visit Africa my hunting knife will be worn on my shorts, all the time.



I christened this hill “Leopard Rock” I was standing between the two rocks on the sky line which sit on the big rock, just left of the trees, when the leopard came from the other side, another great afternoon, “Only in Africa”.

“I don't get it. I feel bad for those elephants. At $25,000.00 per? WTF!!!”

I assume you don’t agree with hunting Elephant or maybe even hunting in general? I respect your opinion, but I will try to explain a little.

The elephant population in Africa is increasing, in some small areas it may be declining but the total is increasing, so is the human population and the usable land base is decreasing. The result is that the elephant population needs to be controlled, if not an over population will cause needless habitat destruction which has an escalating detrimental effect on other species. Elephant birth control has been tried and many do not see culling in a favorable light so this leaves “sport hunting”. This is very strictly controlled (A Botswana game warden accompanied me the whole time I was hunting), sport hunting brings money into the local community.

There is a saying in Africa regarding the wild game “If it pays, it stays” The large increase in wild animal populations is due to the favorable economics of hunting. For example: Public auctions are held where captured wild game is sold; this enables landowners to purchase breeding stock and improve the quantity and quality (improved genetics) of the animals on their property.

I have seen Rhino on property being fed and nurtured, one day some of them will be hunted, but the trade off is that their population is increasing, this has to be good, whether you believe in hunting or not.

As for feeling bad for the Elephant, they are very capable of looking after them selves.
Elephant always manage to kill a PH or hunter or two every year, apart from several unwary locals. Not for nothing are they a member of the “big five” I feel very privileged in being able to hunt them, after I shot my bull I carried the video camera, I stood unarmed and “shot” film instead, it was great. They are very noble beasts, the thrill of hunting them ranks as one of the best experiences of my life. I can’t begin to describe the feeling of aw when the first big bull (15 ft to the top of his head) trotted up to 20 yds from me, to check me out, he had four young bulls backing him up. I was so pleased that he had one tusk broken off, he wasn’t the trophy I wanted so I did not have to shoot him. I will carry that memory with me forever, that and the huge grins on the faces of the trackers and PH when I looked round and said, “So that is an Elephant, they are real after all!”

To me Africa is magical, the animals and the country have me enchanted, it matters not if you carry a rifle or camera, the experience of a trip there is unbelievable.

I have yet to see any game meat wasted in Africa, the locals even eat parts of the animal that I would only feed to my dog, their basic hygiene when butchering in the field often leaves a lot to be desired, but in hunting camps the game is butchered and cooled in excellent conditions, choice cuts are always available for meals in camp. Why ask for beef steak when local game can be enjoyed.

In the case of my Ellie, we told the local village where he laid and took guides to him the next morning. The locals were following us on foot and with their donkey carts to transport the meat home. By the look of the dirty sacks, old knives and rusty axes I was pleased that they were not supplying meat to our camp, sadly I never got to sample him. With hind sight I should have slept under the stars beside my Ellie, until the locals arrived the next day.

The area where I was hunting is a tribal area. This area was cris-crossed with dirt roads and traditional round mud brick thatched houses, Cattle and goats were all over the place, lots of them with bells on. The local Leopards evidently love these goats! Next to these houses were kraals or thorn boomers where the animals spent their nights. Water was “trucked” in 5 gall plastic drums by donkey carts. Next to these houses were small (2 to 5 acres) fenced in fields where maize and sorghum was grown. The first rain came when I was there so the donkeys started to plough these fields as I was leaving. I have great respect for these farmers who’s only means to keep the Ellies out of their crops was to sit in the field all night with a stick. Another reason for limited hunting so the Ellies would have a fear for man and keep away.

I also do not support killing simply for sake of killing. Animals should only be harvested for meat or trophies, obviously the destruction of pests and problem animals is another matter. I also believe very strongly that hunting should always be conducted in an ethical manner, in accordance with traditions of a “fair chase.”

True hunters are the best conservationist, I find it extremely encouraging to find that this is especially true in Africa, where previously the numbers of many species were dropping dangerously low but are now enjoying an increase due to the demand for hunting. I am very please to report that the Elephant is making a strong come back.



Local housing


New kraal with goats.


These wells are constructed and used in the dry season. It was water from a well like this that saved us one day, but that’s another story.


Trucking water home, donkey harness is made from old conveyer belting from the local mine, no polished brass here.


With the first rains , ploughing started.

Importing Ivory: Basically the international trading in ivory is prohibited, the importation of trophy ivory is OK assuming all the correct paper work is in place, including CITES. In my case into Canada is approved. In to the US, I believe the US may not allow the importation of ivory from some African countries, please ask the US authorities for exact details.

As our temperature here in Manitoba has dropped to a balmy -30 C I have to think back to day three of the hunt, that was a “killer” day!

The early morning wake up call was 4.15 am as we tried to leave camp by 5 am every morning, just as dawn was breaking. We found tracks at 7 am, after the normal short “Chinese Parliament” we set off. The tracks were of a very large animal, probably the largest we were to see on this trip. Let me add that I was following advice and drinking lots in the evening, I always do, but seldom water, I was drinking at least a liter with and after supper and taking another liter to bed which was gone before breakfast. This is a lot of water for me, but no way was I going to drop out due to heat exhaustion. Plenty of juice and tea when I got up, must be good to go.

When we left the Land Rover the cooler was emptied into the two small rucks the trackers were carrying, unbeknown to me there had not been enough water in camp that morning as the staff had underestimated our requirements. I also carry a 2 quart US canteen, this enables me to drink when ever I want to with out disturbing the trackers concentration, on this occasion I was to wish I had kept this in reserve.

Elephants amble along at 6 mph, Jeff had us stepping out at 4 mph which was fast given the conditions. The only way you can gain on an Elephant in this type of tracking hunt is when they stop to browse, an adult Ellie has to eat for 15 hours a day as they require 500 to 600 lbs of food, they normally stop at mid day and stand in the shade of a large tree gently flapping their ears. Not us, as the mid day sun reaches it’s height our pace quickens and the excitement of catching up increases.

After 2 hours we had a 10 min break, Robert and Jeff conferred in whispers, this was a BIG BULL and he was not stopping to browse, why not? Maybe he had heard us, the wind was in our favor, at least what little there was, may be he was in “Must” a hormone change in males which has them searching for a receptive mate. All I could do was dream of giant tusks, but was it hot, very very hot, I was glad I was traveling very light, but tomorrow I would leave my knife behind (Something I will never do again in Africa!) and half my shells to lighten my load even more. How soon will we catch up with him I asked, Robert reply “Mid day” Jeff just grinned. I thought to my self 3 to 4 more hours, I will give this my “best shot” we carried on.

By mid day I was burning up, no breeze, no shade from the noon sun and water almost all gone, I needed a pail of cold water to dunk my head in but there was nothing, not even a cattle trough. This big Bull had me beat, dreams of taking his ivory home were wilting in the heat. A halt was called at the base of a rocky outcrop, the trackers were sent up the top to scan the area, normally I would also climb up with them but not today. My head felt like it would explode, and my whole body was on fire, I sat on a rock and tried to throw up, the water in my canteen was now hot, I had a couple of swallows and decided to save the rest, the day was not over. I remember that I that point I saluted the old bull, it makes me smile as I write this, he was king not me.

The PH’s conferred, I watched a tiny lizard crawl under a rock and wished I could do the same. They estimated the bull was still 1 -2 hours ahead, it would take us until 5 pm to catch him up at the rate we were going and our water wouldn’t last that long. It was also obvious that I was suffering the first effects of heat exhaustion, the decision was made to call the hunt off. The GPS gave us a direct heading back to the Land Rover, two scouts heading of separately as they thought they could find water.

Time to head out, I was given a fresh bottle of water and Jeff took my rifle, the shame of that, no one has ever carried my rifle before, it hurts to admit that, but I was very thankful. Now we took a leisurely pace and stopped every time we passed a shady tree. The time is blurred but after a few hours we came to a couple of native huts, we were invited over to them. We propped our rifles against the fence and walked over, chairs were provided. In front of us were plastic 5 gall cans of water, water from the wells in the river, this was the best tasting water I have ever drank, it was hot from sitting in the sun and I tried not to think of frogs. I walked over to a small bush, lent over, took my glasses off and poured a bottle over my head, this hot water hit my head like it was icy cold, with in 10 mins I felt very much better. We thanked them and left, I shall never forget that elderly couple. Later the GPS told us we had walked 35 K. Little did I know that by the end of the trip I would be totally addicted to hunting Elephants.



Inspecting one of the wells in the river, although the river was dry water is flowing underground, this is used to water livestock and taken to their huts.




A close up of a well, see the frogs!



The start of the walk back to the Land Rover, by 2 pm the temp was starting to slowly drop.




Enjoying the local hospitality.




Yes, my water came from the Castrol jug. Certainly a day to remember.

More to follow, time permitting.