Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis

The giant of the African bush

Few animals capture the spirit of Africa quite like the Giraffe. Standing high above the thornveld, with its extraordinary neck, long legs and unmistakable markings, it is difficult to appreciate just how large and powerful a mature bull is until you stand beside one.

A mature giraffe bull can stand around 16–18 feet tall and weigh well over 2,000 lbs, with exceptionally large bulls exceeding 3,000 lbs. Older bulls become noticeably darker with age, and a truly old bull can carry the scars of years spent fighting rivals and surviving predators.

Giraffe bulls are not the gentle giants they may appear to be. Mature bulls fight for dominance by swinging their powerful necks and heavily ossiconed heads against one another in spectacular battles known as necking. These fights can cause serious injury and occasionally death.

Hunting the Giraffe

Hunting a giraffe is a very different experience from what many hunters expect.

Their height gives them an extraordinary advantage. They can often see danger long before the hunter has spotted them, and once they decide to move away, their enormous stride can make closing the distance surprisingly difficult.

We hunt giraffe by spotting, stalking and, where necessary, tracking. A hunt may begin by glassing from high ground or searching likely feeding areas for the characteristic silhouette of a mature bull. Once a suitable animal is found, the real challenge begins—using the available cover and terrain to get within range without being detected.

Following an old bull through the Kalahari bush, dry riverbeds or thornveld can involve considerable walking and tracking. More than one hunter has discovered that what appears to be a slow-moving giant can cover ground remarkably quickly when it decides to leave.

For us, the objective is not simply to shoot a giraffe. We look for a mature, old bull, often identifiable by his dark coloration, heavy build, worn horns and the scars accumulated over many years.

When you finally stand beneath an old giraffe bull, the sheer size of the animal puts the hunt into perspective. It is an experience that is difficult to appreciate until you have been there.

The hunt is only part of the experience. A mature giraffe provides an enormous amount of meat, and the animal is utilized extensively after the hunt. For the hunter looking for something different, a giraffe hunt is one of the most memorable experiences Namibia has to offer.

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