Designed by Hunters, for Hunters
Big game hunting in Africa presents a separate set of challenges when hunting specialty game animals. Understanding the individual animal anatomy is vitally important when on an African hunting safari.
Perfect shot placement makes a difference to a successful hunt, while hunters have a moral obligation to ensure a clean kill. A humane kill doesn’t only show respect towards the specialty game animal but also a commitment by big game hunting enthusiasts to the conservation and sustainability of these specialty species found throughout Africa.
Specialty game animals have distinctive features and skeletal structures, making each species unique.
Porcupines make an excellent trophy to add to your African plains game or dangerous game hunting safaris. When porcupine hunting in Africa, do not be deceived or fooled for a second, as the porcupine is a very difficult specialty animal to harvest with a small caliber rifle such as a .22. To execute perfect shot placement on a porcupine, the hunter will need to aim at the center chest area.
The challenge is that the porcupine does not always present the hunter with a clear shot.
Game hunters have also considered swopping the .22 for a low gauge shotgun. The problem when trophy hunting porcupine with a shotgun is that the bird or buckshot will ruin the quills and the porcupine trophy.
A headshot can be considered, providing that the porcupine presents one. When threatened, porcupines raise their quills, obscuring the line for perfect shot placement.
Bat-eared fox hunting in Africa is often undertaken in conjunction with an African plains game hunting safari. Should the hunter spot a bat-eared fox during daylight hours, there is inevitably a larger caliber rifle on hand as the target species would be African plain game.
The bat-eared fox is not a large animal and has a similar body anatomy to African plains game. A direct shot to the heart/lungs will ensure the bat-eared fox humanely expires. As the hunter may use a larger caliber rifle, a center shot to the chest is also a consideration.
As these animals are nocturnal, hunting the bat-eared fox can also be done at night using artificial lighting. If the bat-eared fox is a key target species when booking the game hunting safari, the hunter can consider packing a smaller, more specialized caliber rifle.
Head and brain shots should not be considered due to the possibility that the trophy may be ruined.
The Cape fox, also known as the silver-backed fox, is not a large animal and is a great add-on for any game hunting safari. The Cape fox is a soft predator and an expanding bullet from a low-caliber rifle will suffice. Headshots are not recommended as the trophy may be ruined, due to the energy of the projectile.
A well-placed bullet on the broadside will enter the heart/lungs and break shoulders. The fur is fragile and soft, and large exit wounds can damage the pelt.
I do not think there is a game hunter, who on any game hunting safari in Africa, doesn’t enjoy warthog hunting!
I know of a hunter who visited Africa on numerous occasions to hunt a 60-inch kudu bull. The hunter, seeing the perfect kudu bull, opted to shoot a monster “pig.” Like with any game hunting safari, these things happen…
When warthog hunting in Africa, the hunter must differentiate between a male and female warthog. The hunter must count the warts on the pig’s face. If the warthog has four warts, two more than the female, the game hunting safari is in full swing!
There is nothing like a warthog to lift the spirits of tired and miserable big game hunters!
When hunting warthog, unless it’s being hunted for meat, avoid the head/brain shot.
The ideal shot placement is the heart/lung shot taken from the broadside position. This will be the shot recommended by your professional hunter. A frontal shot can also work well. The hunter needs to look at the positioning of the vitals when the warthog is quartering towards or away from him.
A neck shot, while always possible, is not the ideal shot placement.
When on an African game hunting safari, a successful nocturnal bushpig hunt is a great achievement. Shot placement for bushpigs is critical as the lighting may be low, and these pigs are extremely tough and can run for miles through rough terrain!
A well-placed headshot with any 30-caliber rifle will easily drop a big boar, should he not be hunted for a trophy. When hunting bushpigs for trophies, avoid the head/brain shot. A heart/lung shot from the broadside position just behind the shoulder, or a center shoulder shot, will also bring down the bushpig. The bushpig has large lungs, and if the shot is pulled a little to the back and not too low, the bullet will hit the lungs. The hunter needs to take due consideration of follow-up shots into account. A wounded bushpig has the advantage in the dim light and will gladly charge and attack the hunter.
When your African hunting safari includes hunting red river hogs, you know the action will be plentiful! Shot placement when it comes to hunting red river hogs is like that of bushpigs as the species are closely related. Red river hogs are incredibly unique and beautiful animals and make excellent trophies, constantly reminding the hunter of the successful game hunting safari.
A headshot is not recommended when hunting red river hogs unless the purpose is to harvest meat.
When hunting red river hogs, the preferred shot, as recommended by your professional hunter, will be a third of the way up the shoulder. This shot is ideal if the Red River hog stands broadside.
For a heart/lung shot on this hog, the point of aim will be to follow the line of the inside front leg and place the shot just behind the shoulder.
A neck shot will be fatal and will cripple the animal. This shot placement is not always recommended, as the target is on the small side, and a miss can result in the trophy being lost forever. When hunting the red river hog, the hunter is not always able to have a follow-up shot, so make the first one count.
Vervet monkeys are often included in vermin package deals and shot while on an African plains game hunting safari. In some African areas, these vervet monkeys are such pests that the outfitter will allow the hunting of vervet monkeys at no additional cost.
The anatomy of a vervet monkey is like that of a baboon or a human. A small-caliber rifle, like a .22 or .243, fired dead center into the chest will bring down the vervet money.
If the hunter is not planning on hunting vervet monkeys for a trophy, a brain/headshot can be considered, but the hunter needs to remember that this shot presents a small target. When hunting vervet monkeys, a shoulder shot while the vervet monkey stands broadside is also an option.
Baboon hunting in Africa is normally included in a vermin package. Baboons are extremely difficult to shoot as they are highly intelligent and have a permanent sentry on day and night watch, 24/7. A baboon’s anatomy is remarkably like a human’s. A well-placed shot to the center of the chest will bring it down. A broadside shot up the front arm is another consideration.
Taking a headshot while on a hunting safari may be exceptionally challenging, as these animals are rarely stationary for more than a second and are often seen bouncing up and down on rocks or running through grasslands. A headshot in the interest of humanely killing the baboon should not be considered while on your African hunting safari.
When baboon hunting, the same quartering towards and away from the hunter will apply. When baboon hunting in Africa, hunters must remember that while they may not be that big, baboons are exceptionally dangerous and will not hesitate to turn and attack members of the game hunting safari.
A brown hyena is a highly sought-after trophy on any game hunting safari. Shot placement is critical when hyena hunting in Africa.
Male brown hyenas are larger than females, so your professional hunter will have greater confidence in identifying your trophy male brown hyena. Ideal shot placement when on a hyena hunting safari is one-third of the way up, and the bullet is to be placed just behind the shoulder. This will ensure a fatal shot into the heart and lung area.
A head or brain shot when hunting brown hyenas will not be recommended by the professional hunter, as the hydrostatic shock created can ruin the hyena trophy. When the brown hyena is quartering away or towards the hunter, the shot placement must change to a position just in front or behind the shoulder.
Neck shot placement options are not a consideration when hunting the brown hyena. When approaching the shot hyena, the hunter must ensure that the animal is really dead, as a wounded brown hyena is an exceptionally dangerous animal!
Hunting spotted hyena, also known as the “laughing hyena” is a great add-on to an African dangerous game hunting safari for nocturnal game such as lions or leopards.
When it comes to shot placement on a spotted hyena, the hunter has the following choices, should the shot be presented:
Head/Brain shot: Not recommended as the hydrostatic shock on impact can ruin the spotted hyena trophy. As the spotted hyena also has a very large head housing powerful jaws, the brain position on the angling of the head needs to be considered. Do not consider this shot when hunting spotted hyenas.
On the broadside, a solid hit on the shoulder or just behind the shoulder into the vitals. This would be the recommended shot to execute when hunting spotted hyenas.
If the animal is quartering towards or away from the hunter, make adjustments to shoot just before or behind the shoulder.
The most important consideration when hunting spotted hyenas is determining the animal’s sex. It is very difficult to differentiate between male and female spotted hyenas. The rule of thumb that your professional hunter will make is to shoot the spotted hyena with the biggest head.
Any successful striped hyena hunting in Africa will add substance to the overall game hunting safari experience! Striped hyenas make magnificent trophies and look incredible in any trophy room, especially when fully mounted.
A headshot is not an option, as the trophy could be spoilt. Should the hyena present a broadside position, the hunter will need to take the heart/lung shot, as recommended by the professional hunter. Going straight up the leg one-third will break the shoulder bone.
When hunting hyenas, they move and turn regularly, and a frontal shot straight into the chest can be cleanly executed from a well-placed bullet.If they quarter to or away from the hunter, the shot placement needs adjustment to just in front of the shoulder or just behind the shoulder.
Striped hyena hunting in Africa is top of many game hunters’ wish lists.
Not all big game hunters know the elusive and nocturnal aardwolf is the hyena family’s fourth member. The other three, the striped, spotted, and brown hyena, share similar anatomical structures.
Shot placement on an aardwolf will be identical to most other mammals. The hunter will aim for the heart and/or lung shot that will sit just behind the inside of the front leg. A brain/headshot should not be considered as the target is small, and the aardwolf game hunting trophy will be compromised.
A solid, well-placed shot one-third on the shoulder will break the shoulder. Should the Aardwolf stand perfectly broadside, and the hunter uses deep penetrating bullets, it will break the opposite shoulder. When considering shot placement on an aardwolf, the usual principles of heart placement will apply when taking the quartering away or towards the hunter shots. The neck shot breaking the spine can also be considered, but this target will be smaller with less room for error.
Should you stumble across a honey badger while on your game hunting safari, count yourself exceptionally lucky! Also known as a “ratel, ” these animals are tough, fierce, and brave! They are not scared to challenge lions, leopards, and buffaloes. They are such warriors that in the late 1990s, the South African government named one of their best-armed vehicles after this unique animal!
When hunting a honey badger, aim for the chest with a solid round. Taking a headshot is not advisable, as the trophy may be ruined. From the broadside, aim on the shoulder.
Honey badgers, the world’s most fearless animals, make excellent game hunting trophies. When you approach the honey badger, check that it is really dead before handling the trophy!
If your African game hunting safari is going to include a giraffe, the hunter needs to prepare as follows:
1) Bring enough gun
2) Be 100% percent of shot placement
Until the hunter has successfully hunted a giraffe, they will not comprehend the sheer size of a mature giraffe bull.
Giraffes don’t throw a blood trail due to their thick skin. Chasing a wounded giraffe at full speed through the African savannah is not as much fun as it sounds, trust me, I have been there and back.
The lungs of a giraffe sit a little higher than the heart, so if the heart is missed and the shot is pulled to the back, this will not result in an effective double lung shot. Do not, and we repeat DO NOT shoot behind the shoulder.
When hunting giraffes from the broadside, the shot placement is in the bottom third of the animal and directly above the front shoulder, following the center line. Do not let the protruding chest bones alter the view of the shoulder. This will result in a direct hit to the heart. A little higher will result in the bullet entering the lungs. Slightly lower will still break the shoulder with the correct caliber rifle. This is the shot that the professional hunter will advise the hunter to take.
The shot is not a good option to consider as the vertebrae are surrounded by thick muscles, making penetration a possible issue along with the size and positioning of the target.
Head/brain shots should be avoided, as thick bone surrounds the brain. The position of the brain in the skull also changes as the giraffe turns its head up and down or side to side.
We have stumbled upon ostriches on many game hunting safaris which I attended. The amounts of times I have heard the question, “Where do you shoot an ostrich?” Plenty!
Shot placement on an ostrich is straightforward: place the shot in line with the front leg. The same standard one-third rule applies one-third from the bottom of the chest to the top of the back.
If the ostrich turns and quarters, apply the same principle. Bisect the angle of the front legs and place your shot one-third of the way up. Headshots, unless the hunter is shooting for meat, are not recommended. I have seen many attempts at the head and brain, none of which have been successful.
