Elephant hunting is one of the most challenging and fascinating hunting experiences on the African continent.
Known as the queen of African hunts, this adventure requires knowledge of the species, extensive physical preparation, and deep respect for the animal and its environment.
In Africa, there are two main subspecies of huntable elephants, which differ significantly in morphology, habitat, and behavior: the African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana africana) and the forest elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis). Understanding these differences is essential to approach the hunt with the right mindset and proper preparation.
SAVANNAH ELEPHANT: THE GIANT OF THE PLAINS
The savannah elephant is the largest land mammal in the world. Adult males can exceed 6 tons in weight and reach a shoulder height of over 3.5 meters. Their tusks are massive, with large specimens bearing tusks that can surpass 50-60 kg each and extend over two meters in length.
In terms of temperament, the savannah elephant is a territorial animal, accustomed to roaming vast areas, often in search of water. Despite its enormous size, it is agile and fast, and it can become unpredictably aggressive, especially if disturbed or wounded.
The natural habitat of this subspecies includes the vast savannas, semi-arid bushlands, and mopane regions of Southern and Eastern Africa, particularly in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Tanzania, Zambia, and South Africa. Hunting is primarily conducted on foot, following fresh tracks left in the sand or dust.
FOREST ELEPHANT: THE GREEN GHOST
The forest elephant is smaller but no less challenging. It rarely exceeds 3 tons in weight, has smaller ears, and possesses straighter, thicker tusks with a pinkish or yellowish hue—highly valued on the market for their quality.
This species is far more elusive and wary than its savannah counterpart. It lives in small family groups and is particularly difficult to approach, aided by the dense vegetation that provides it with a natural advantage.
Its habitat consists of the rainforests of Central Africa, including the Congo, Cameroon, Gabon, and the Central African Republic. Hunting the forest elephant is a unique experience, made particularly challenging by the nearly impenetrable vegetation and the difficulty of locating the animal. It is almost always pursued by following faint tracks, often with the assistance of local trackers.
HUNTING TECHNIQUES: FROM TRACKING TO AMBUSH
1. Tracking Hunt
This is the most traditional and widely practiced technique, especially in the savannah. The hunt begins at dawn, following fresh tracks left by the herd in the sand. It requires physical endurance, the ability to interpret every sign, and an excellent team of local trackers. The final stage involves closing in on the animal to a suitable shooting distance.
2. Ambush or Stand Hunting
Less common but possible in certain areas, particularly near waterholes or drinking spots where elephants gather. This method requires patience and the ability to execute a close-range shot with precision.
3. Forest Hunting
In the dense jungle, hunting becomes an almost primordial challenge. Progress is slow and difficult, often requiring the use of machetes to clear paths. Hunters rely on sounds, fresh tracks, dung, or stripped bark to locate elephants. The greatest risk is an unexpected close encounter, which can be highly dangerous.
IDEAL FIREARMS AND CALIBERS FOR ELEPHANT HUNTING
Elephant hunting demands specialized firearms designed to ensure deep penetration and lethality, even in the event of a last-resort shot during a sudden charge.
Most Common Calibers:
- .375 H&H Magnum – The legal minimum in many countries, suitable only with solid bullets and for highly experienced hunters.
- .416 Rigby / .416 Remington Magnum – A perfect balance of power and precision.
- .458 Lott / .458 Winchester Magnum – Excellent for savannah hunting, offering high stopping power.
- .470 Nitro Express / .500 Nitro Express – Classic English double rifle calibers, ideal for close-range encounters and forest hunts.
The lethal and famous .458 Lott elephant hunting caliber
Firearms:
- Express Double Rifle – Ideal for forest hunting, thanks to the ability to fire a quick second shot, which is crucial in close encounters.
- Bolt-Action Rifles – Chambered in the most powerful calibers, best suited for savannah hunting, where visibility is often better, and shooting distances tend to be longer.
Elephant Hunting Through History: Between Legend, Exploration, and Colonialism
The Early Days: When Ivory Was Worth More Than Gold
Elephant hunting has ancient origins. As early as Ancient Egypt and later in the Roman Empire, elephants were hunted—or more often captured alive—to be used in warfare or gladiatorial games. However, it was during the ivory trade boom from the 15th to the 19th century that elephant hunting took on massive proportions.
Ivory, known as “white gold,” was used to craft sculptures, piano keys, billiard balls, and luxurious ornaments. For centuries, this demand fueled expeditions and caravans along routes stretching from the African interior to the coast.
The Golden Age of the Great White Hunters
Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the arrival of European colonizers and the expansion of exploration, elephant hunting became the symbol of Africa’s great game hunting tradition.
This was the era of the so-called “Great White Hunters”—legendary figures such as Frederick Courteney Selous, Walter Bell, Karamoja Bell, and John “Pondoro” Taylor—who dedicated their lives to hunting and studying Africa.
For them, elephant hunting was not just about trophies; it was an art, a science, and a test of survival. There were no modern vehicles or equipment—hunts were conducted on foot, with caravans of porters, marching for days along dusty trails or nearly invisible tracks in the dense forests.
Weapons of the Time: Caliber and Courage
Early hunters relied on black powder rifles, which were often insufficient against an elephant’s massive size. Fatal accidents were common.
With advancements in firearms, “big bore rifles” emerged—massive smoothbore or rifled weapons with impressive calibers such as the 4 bore and the even more powerful 2 bore, capable of firing half-kilogram bullets. However, these weapons were difficult to handle and equally punishing for the shooter.
A turning point came with the introduction of Nitro Express rifles, such as the .450, .470, and .500, which allowed hunters to confront elephants with greater efficiency and safety.
The Pioneers’ Hunting Techniques
The most common technique was the brain shot, the only guaranteed way to bring down an elephant instantly. However, hitting the elephant’s brain, protected by thick bone, required precise anatomical knowledge and nerves of steel.
Hunters were often alone or accompanied by a small team of African trackers skilled at reading signs in the savanna. Pursuits could last for days and often ended with a close-range shot—within 20 meters.
The Dark Side: Mass Slaughter
While elephant hunting created myths and legends, it also led to the decimation of African elephant populations. Entire regions were emptied of elephants due to the insatiable demand for ivory.
During the colonial period, professional ivory hunters killed hundreds of elephants per year, driven by European trade. The image of the hunter became dual-sided: on one hand, the romantic explorer; on the other, the destroyer serving the market.
The Rebirth of Hunting as Conservation
From the 1960s onward, with the decline of mass hunting safaris and the creation of national parks and reserves, elephant hunting evolved into regulated and conservation-based hunting.
Today, in countries where it remains legal—such as Zimbabwe, Botswana, Tanzania, and Namibia—elephant hunting is strictly controlled and integrated into environmental management plans. Funds generated from hunting licenses finance conservation efforts and support local communities
THE GREAT HUNTERS AND LEGENDARY ELEPHANT SAFARIS
Frederick Courteney Selous: The True Hunter-Explorer
Considered one of the greatest hunters and naturalists in African history, Frederick Courteney Selous (1851–1917) spent over forty years hunting big game across South Africa, Rhodesia, and Mozambique.
Selous was not just an elephant hunter but also an explorer and a passionate observer of African wildlife. He was among the first to provide detailed scientific descriptions of elephants’ habits in the wild.
In his writings, such as A Hunter’s Wanderings in Africa, he recounts the harsh realities of safaris in that era: months of trekking on foot, hundreds of kilometers without water, blood-soaked trails, and close-range shots fired with heavy black powder rifles. Selous hunted over a thousand elephants but was also one of the first to recognize the need for wildlife conservation.
Karamoja Bell: The Master of the “Brain Shot”
Another legendary name is Walter Dalrymple Maitland Bell, nicknamed Karamoja Bell for his safaris in Uganda’s Karamoja region. Bell became famous for his surgical precision in hitting elephants’ brains using a .275 Rigby (7×57 Mauser) rifle—a caliber considered “light” for such massive animals.
His technical prowess earned him fame among professional hunters, as he was able to take down elephants with a single precise shot, thanks to his exceptional anatomical knowledge and absolute composure. His accounts, such as The Wanderings of an Elephant Hunter, capture the epic nature of early 20th-century safaris.
John “Pondoro” Taylor: Technique and Rifles
John Taylor, a professional hunter and author of the renowned African Rifles and Cartridges, is another iconic figure in elephant hunting.
A firearms expert, Taylor meticulously described the various calibers and rifles suitable for elephant hunting, turning his book into a “sacred manual” for safari weapon enthusiasts. He was among the first to theorize the importance of “stopping power” and developed the “Taylor Knock-Out Factor,” which is still used today to assess the effectiveness of big-game hunting calibers.
THE GREAT SAFARIS OF PRESIDENTS AND WRITERS
Theodore Roosevelt: The Presidential Safari
In 1909, former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt embarked on one of the most famous safaris in history, organized by the Smithsonian Museum. Accompanied by his son and an army of porters, Roosevelt traveled across East Africa, hunting over 500 animals, including dozens of elephants.
His stated goal was to collect specimens for science and museums, but the safari became a global media sensation, cementing the image of the hunter-explorer and contributing to the myth of Africa as the last frontier of untamed wilderness.
Ernest Hemingway: Hunting as a Novel
Ernest Hemingway, a passionate hunter and deep connoisseur of Africa, immortalized the epic of elephant hunting in his famous works Green Hills of Africa and The Snows of Kilimanjaro.
For Hemingway, hunting was not just about prey and trophies but an inner journey—a confrontation with oneself and one’s limits. The figure of the elephant, enormous, majestic, and rich in symbolism, represented for him the ultimate challenge, the boundary between life and death.
Robert Ruark: The Philosophy of “Fair Chase”
In the 1950s, another American writer, Robert Ruark, helped shape the myth of the safari with his book Something of Value and, most notably, Horn of the Hunter, which detailed his elephant hunting experience alongside the legendary professional hunter Harry Selby.
Ruark portrayed hunting with a more modern perspective, where respect for the animal and nature began to emerge as a fundamental value, foreshadowing what is now known as “ethical hunting.”
The Legacy of the Greats: Between Legend and Reality
Elephant hunting throughout history has been much more than just a hunting activity. It has symbolized the conquest of unknown territories, encounters with different cultures, and the epic struggle of man against the wild nature.
Today, it remains an extremely rare experience, deeply different from that of the pioneers, yet the stories of those great hunters, their feats, and their fears continue to live on and inspire those who approach this extraordinary challenge with respect.
The elephant remains, then as now, the symbol of true Africa: powerful, mysterious, and unforgettable.
A Hunt for the Few, Rich in Meaning
Elephant hunting is not just a matter of brute strength or size. It is one of the most difficult trials for any professional hunter, requiring composure, technique, and a profound understanding of the animal and its environment.
Facing an elephant in its natural habitat, whether in the vast savannah or the dense equatorial forest, means immersing oneself in a primordial Africa, where hunting becomes a silent dialogue with nature and with one’s own conscience.
A challenge that few can afford to experience, yet one that remains forever etched in the memory of those privileged enough to face it.
