Hippo and Croc hunting....

[STGS]

I wonder what Hippo tastes like?

A lot like chicken fried steak. I ate it a lot in Mozambique while hunting there. Tenderized and breaded with some potatoes and gravy. I enjoyed it a lot more than elephant. Elephant is too chewy.

[Mission408]

It old Hi8 video

Somebody that can convert this video please chime in!!!

[lovemylegacy]

Boddington pretty much nailed it. Water isn't to sporty. If you get between the hippo and water at dawn when it is returning you may very well get more than you wanted.
I shot on on land in Tanzania about 30 yrs ago, He saw us about 35 yards away and was ****** off immediately turned broadside and I dumped two 470 nitro rounds in his chest
he stumbled but didn't go down. He charged roaring and popping those big jaws, I brained him about 10 yards. All of it caught on video

Aww man, we gotta see it! Is that possible?

[lovemylegacy]

Somebody that can convert this video please chime in!!!

Yes please

[BRYAN RAY]

I shot my hippo in August in the Luangwa River in Zambia. Maybe not as sporty as getting charged on land, but still an awesome hunt. We spent most of the day hiking the river and glassing pods and lone bulls. I wanted an old hippo that was no longer the dominant bull in the pod and we finally found him. He was an ancient scarred up tank of a hippo off by himself on the far side of a large pod. The cows weren’t impressed with us and were snapping and blowing. My guide was ready in case of a charge.

I waited a long time for a shot as there were a lot of hippo between us and he wouldn’t expose his head often. I finally took a side brain shot. Shot was 50 yds + with a .416 Rigby. Shot placement is in an area about the size of a baseball but thankfully I was one and done. The current carried him downstream a bit till he wedged onto a sandbar. Seven of us had to strip down and wade out to roll him close enough to the bank that he could be pulled ashore and cut up. We had seen more crocs than I could count that day and wading into a croc infested river with a bleeding hippo was pretty unnerving.

One of the most memorable hunts I’ve ever had. After a couple of hours of butchering the locals started arriving and by the end there was nothing left but wet sand. We kept one tenderloin, the head, and one panel of hide. We had the tenderloin the next day prepared two ways, sliced and grilled, and in a hearty stew. It was absolutely excellent meat. Think of rich, tender beef with almost a slight sweetness. It was delicious. All in all an incredible experience.

[BRYAN RAY]

My wife shot a 13’11” croc on the same hunt. We didn’t want to bait as it takes much needed meat from severely protein deficient people. Crocs are incredibly hard to hunt. Big crocs even more so. Smart with excellent senses. There is a reason they’ve been around since the dinosaurs.

We spent most of the day walking the river bank stopping to glass every few hundred yards. My wife and the PH were up front with the game scout and I trailed behind with Kikoma, our PH’s right hand man. You have to move slow and glass often. Big crocs sunning on the bank and/or sandbars will be in the water faster than you can blink if they see you or detect your footsteps. She had several opportunities on 14+ footers and one 15+ footer. Twice she was busted getting on the sticks and once (on the 15 footer) I blew it trying to get closer to film the shot. Needless to say the PH was ******.

Finally, late in the day she had an opportunity on a good croc. She executed the shot perfectly and anchored him on the spot with a brain shot. She was shooting the PH’s .375 H&H. The PH didn’t even follow up. Anchoring them is crucial as they won’t float if they die in the water. With any life left in them and a current you’ll never find them if they get off the bank.

Unfortunately her croc was in the middle of the river on a sandbar with multiple other crocs sunning alongside him. When she shot those other crocs went into the water. There was also a highly annoyed hippo pod close by. The problem then became how to get her croc. Luckily Kikoma had seen some local fisherman far down the shore and went to recruit them. They agreed to swim out and get the croc for 3 packs of cigarettes and 100 kwacha each, which is less than $10 US. Craziest thing I’ve ever seen. They stripped down, swam out to the sandbar, tied a rope around the croc, and then drug/swam/floated it back to shore. We took pictures and celebrated while our PH radioed for the cruiser.

The skinner took the head and hide for us. The rest they dumped in the river for other crocs to eat. In that part of Zambia the locals won’t eat the crocs even though they’re starving. Someone told me they believe crocs are reincarnated witch doctors, but I don’t know. I do know it’s the only thing they won’t eat and I saw them drink elephant dung tea.

[RifleBowPistol]

Hell, if you don't get that hippo to drop before it gets into the water, you might have to be wade out there with the crocks and recover your hippo. Might result in you getting a crock or two, or it might be your last hunt. I would prefer not to tangle with those big lizards in their environment, meaning getting in the water with them. I know tarzan battled big crocks in the water with his knife on a regular basis, but I think I would pass on that one, my vision under murky muddy water ain't that good. I think I would hunt with a harpoon and reel whatever I shot back out of the water, with a 15,000 lb. Warn winch.

[257]

In 3 hours the hippo will float to the top. shot placement, shot placement, 375HH wile do the job.

[Sunnylab]

Friend of mine shot a hippo with his bow. Hit him absolutely perfect. When he jumped up out of the water blood was spewing out of his nose. It was on video as well. Pretty awesome hunt as he stalked up on it.

[toledo]

What do these hunts run? One of the only African hunts that truly seem wild.

[az2tx]

My wife shot a 13’11” croc on the same hunt. We didn’t want to bait as it takes much needed meat from severely protein deficient people. Crocs are incredibly hard to hunt. Big crocs even more so. Smart with excellent senses. There is a reason they’ve been around since the dinosaurs.

We spent most of the day walking the river bank stopping to glass every few hundred yards. My wife and the PH were up front with the game scout and I trailed behind with Kikoma, our PH’s right hand man. You have to move slow and glass often. Big crocs sunning on the bank and/or sandbars will be in the water faster than you can blink if they see you or detect your footsteps. She had several opportunities on 14+ footers and one 15+ footer. Twice she was busted getting on the sticks and once (on the 15 footer) I blew it trying to get closer to film the shot. Needless to say the PH was ******.

Finally, late in the day she had an opportunity on a good croc. She executed the shot perfectly and anchored him on the spot with a brain shot. She was shooting the PH’s .375 H&H. The PH didn’t even follow up. Anchoring them is crucial as they won’t float if they die in the water. With any life left in them and a current you’ll never find them if they get off the bank.

Unfortunately her croc was in the middle of the river on a sandbar with multiple other crocs sunning alongside him. When she shot those other crocs went into the water. There was also a highly annoyed hippo pod close by. The problem then became how to get her croc. Luckily Kikoma had seen some local fisherman far down the shore and went to recruit them. They agreed to swim out and get the croc for 3 packs of cigarettes and 100 kwacha each, which is less than $10 US. Craziest thing I’ve ever seen. They stripped down, swam out to the sandbar, tied a rope around the croc, and then drug/swam/floated it back to shore. We took pictures and celebrated while our PH radioed for the cruiser.

The skinner took the head and hide for us. The rest they dumped in the river for other crocs to eat. In that part of Zambia the locals won’t eat the crocs even though they’re starving. Someone told me they believe crocs are reincarnated witch doctors, but I don’t know. I do know it’s the only thing they won’t eat and I saw them drink elephant dung tea.

That's a huge croc, I have never seen more or bigger croc's than in the Luangwa. I remember looking straight down off the edge of a cut bank and there was a croc who's back was as wide as a front door and about 15' long.
They creep me out.

FYI the natives are starving for meat because that place has been poached for years, every elephant of buffalo has some sort of lead in them or scares from the snares. Anti poaching efforts are a waste

[Dejashoot]

When we were in Africa my buddy shot a Hippo in a lake off to the side of a river. I have video of two of the trackers swimming into the middle to get a rope around the hippo so they could hook the rope to the winch. While they were in there they had crocks swimming around in the same lake but they weren’t afraid so they said. Funny how as soon as they got the rope around him, they climbed on top to get out of reach of the crocks. One of them got bit by a catfish while trying to get the rope under the hippo. Catfish was eating blood floating in the water. Locals took every last bone and meat they could.

Same buddy also shot a 16’4” crock on that trip. Huge beast they said was over a hundred years old. Locals wouldn’t have any of the meat off of it.

H and H custom in 375 HH is what he shot both of those and a buff with.

[RiverRat1]

Now that's my type of catfishing! Shoot a hippo in order to chum the waters. I'm in for that.