How hard is it to shoot an elephant?

Oh I agree. if all you do is shoot, kill, cut off antlers and leave the rest to rot then you are scum.

(speaking in gerneral, not directed at you)

yup, It's called "culling the heard". We have friends that raise trophy whitetail deer. He sells the semen to other ranches (makes a shit load of money). Once the breeder bucks get too old they are "culled". someone gets the meat and the antlers.

elephant tail jerky

 

Regarding the Trump bros, the story is reported by Yahoo "News". They don't exactly have a history of unbiased objective reporting. We only have the facts that Yahoo reported. Maybe the whole story, maybe not.

 

Without an explanation of how and where the elephants and other game were killed I don't see a problem. If they were shot in an enclosure of any kind fine start the shitstorm. But if the hunt was on a wild elephant who are not the gentle giants the writers of the article assumes they are then I don't see a problem. (This is not the circus or zoo)

I will say I have never been to Africa on one of these hunts and will acknowledge that the "safaris" you see on TV are not necessarily the same as what really happens (I've watched shows where Bill Dance pulls out nothing smaller than a 5lb bass from dawn til dusk and it pisses me off every time) but these things are dangerous. They can trample you and I've seen video similar to the one of that lion where they were hell bent on trying it.

From what I understand a killshot on a charging elephant is no easy task. They are gigantic creatures but that doesn't mean hunting one requires no skill with a rifle. The intended target is very small. (I would compare it to a killshot on an alligator since I'm assuming you've all seen swamp people)

And before this turns into a rant no wild animal lets you walk up to it and just shoot it. You don't survive in the wild doing this. They use native guides to narrow down the area where they will be hunting to what could be several miles. Yes it would be more sporting to have no idea where the animal is but these hunters are paying an ass of money for these trips and some would say that entitles them to a little better odds at acquiring that trophy.

This is all based on the hunting background I have growing up hunting with my family the way it is accepted to where I live. There are always exceptions but I have found that most hunters are outdoorsman who enjoy understanding these animals as much as they do actually killing one. Maybe the millionaire Trump boys do not but the article doesn't present any evidence that they didn't hunt those animals in a "sporting" way thats accepted by the government there and the hunting community.

 

I havent, but I've had panda bacon and it tastes like christmas

 

" trolled "by PETA, i think not. educate yourself to the issue, not one side of the story.

 

lol, not an issue, ben, simply a topic. perhaps my op is too harsh for some to fathom. hey, nothin' wrong with a little lively debate here at TW, is there?

 

if hunting an animal for a trophy is ok, then why do so many people still cringe at Asians eating dogs? its not like they're cutting off lassie's head and hanging it over their rice hut. and from what I hear, Bear paws and bile is good eatin.

 

Because when people hear about eating dogs, they relate it to their dog. Personally, I don't agree with eating dogs for that reason, but I don't necessarily think it's wrong either. Just how I grew up...

 

^^^^this...just sayin'

 

I agree ^^^^
I grew up in Africa and have witnessed many hunts. Some people hunt for food, others for trophy. I don't really like to hunt, but enjoy being out there in nature. When people hunt for food, I eat with them. If people hunt for trophies, and the food is used by the locals, which typically happens, then I am fine with it. If people hunt for trophy and leave the meat to rot, I will hunt them and let them rot in the Africa sun - I despise that. A hunt done by the Trump brothers will surely be an organized hunt by a reputable company, so I am sure nothing was wasted or done unregulated. Nothing wrong with that - as mentioned above these animals have to be controlled due to over population etc. (that's another long discussion)

The only reason this is in the news is because it was done by the Trumps. PITA does not say anything about the thousands of hunts hapening everyday by regular folks like most of us, because it does not draw media attention. This is an attention issue, nothing more.

 

Nice post.

The arguement above with OP is poaching and hunting really..

 

I am from down there where most of these hunts happen. This is business people. The meat doesn't go to the locals and most of them will not eat that meat the meat is used to feed other carnivorous animals on this private game reserve. That's the key word, private game reserve... It is a business that these predominantly white owned game reserves offer to the hunters from around the world. Some of the money from these businesses are pumped back into the local communities just with the sole intention of boosting tourism within those areas.... Nothing wrong with the hunts, and yes the cutting of the tail is a customary act in quite a few tribes. End of the day the community and the game reserves benefit.

I have worked many Anti poaching stings ranging from the the Kruger National Park to Botswana and the ass holes that should be brought book are the fucking Asians ( not gonna say which ones specifically) who kill for the sake of people getting awesome fucking erections and leaving the fucking carcasses to rot, by the way I am east Indian.

 

what people won't do for a buck, what the desperate won't turn a blind eye toward for a buck. Thank you for working on busting these pricks. There are better ways to support deperate communities than to poach out a dwindling population of nature's predators..

 

Oh good one PETA.

Take away jobs, instead of hunting a elephant... PETA can go suck a bag of dicks

 

hear,hear,...................

 

seemingly an informed, intelligent reply............

 

X2^

 

#1 - somebody show me where there's any indication this is a "trophy hunt"

#2 - this is biased article, in that it quotes one side right off the bat (PETA - which is virulently anti-hunting, ..all hunting...). where's the "pro-hunting" side?..

#3 - i didn't know trump had sons, but based on his words i have newfound respect when he said " In one update, Trump Jr. writes:
"I don't apologize to cater to public opinion when I did nothing wrong. To do so would be to sell myself out."
And in responding to criticism from PETA, he wrote, "yea ok peta not exactly known for credible and unbiased info."

#4 - I'm no expert on hunting, especially african game, ..but i do have a lifetime subscription to american hunter magazine . what i have learned is that elephants are "culled" in certain areas because too large a concentration impacts the villagers and habitat for other species.. also, i've read that elephants are very difficult to hunt, and are the most feared by hunters because they are fast depsite there size and will charge when spooked...