AFRICAN INDABA

11    100 Pounder Elephant taken in Botswana

 Tharia Unwin, Johan Calitz Safaris 

A Mexican hunter, accompanied by professional hunter Willy McDonald took a magnificent elephant bull in the African Field Sports concession NG41, managed and hunted by Johan Calitz Hunting Safaris (Pty) Ltd (www.johancalitzsafaris.co.za). The party hunted from Joverega hunting camp at the start of the 2010 elephant season in early April. On Monday, 12 April 2010, as luck would have it, the hunting party’s vehicle got stuck and just after they got driving again, after several failed attempts they had a brief glimpse of two elephant bulls, a young askari and a big old bull. The hunters immediately knew the Old Man was a keeper and followed the elephant on foot in hot pursuit. Not long after, this magnificent giant and its young companion loomed out of the thick scrub and the Mexican hunter took it with a 458 Lott. 

This is the biggest elephant taken since the re-opening of elephant hunting in Botswana in 1996.

The official measurements, confirmed by Debbie Peake from Mochaba in Maun, are as follows:

 Left tusk                                   Weight:  104 lbs             Length:  77.3 inch     Circumference: 21.7 inch 

Right tusk                                 Weight:    99 lbs             Length:  77.4 inch     Circumference: 21.1 inch 

Although the news of this magnificent elephant is overshadowing everything else that has happened during the first week of the hunting season, it must be mentioned that this was not the only great tusker taken by Johan Calitz Safaris: PH Terry Palmer and his Spanish client, took two tuskers with ivory of 90/77lbs and 86/86lbs tusker in NG32 and Garth Robinson’s Mexican client a bull of 86/86lbs in NG34 – all in all a great kick-off to the 2010 hunting season.