I'm going to put in a word for hunting giraffe. And 9.3's. I was offered a chance to hunt giraffe last October in NW Namibia. The area we were in had been experiencing a severe drought for the last couple years. Worst in recorded history, almost 500 years. Game managers the whole region were very concerned about balancing the animals with the available habitat and food. A neighbouring property had just done a survey by helicopter with the aid of biologists and determined that there were about 90 giraffe in a particular area that could only support about 30, 40 at most. So they needed to reduce the herd by more than half. I was offered a chance to hunt giraffe there at less than the cost of kudu or gemsbok, both of which I'd already taken a couple of previously. I figured, why not give it a try, since they were going to be commercially harvested by professional cullers anyway. I could judge giraffe hunting for myself, and in the process, the "trophy" fee would be additional revenue that that would help pay for the management of all the animals, not just the giraffe. I was very glad I did.
I also took it as a chance to use my Merkel 140 AE, .450-400 3" Nitro Express on something even bigger & heavier than the Cape buffalo I had shot the previous week. Yes that's correct, mature giraffe are easily heavier than a buffalo. And they have thicker skin too. It was supposed to be a relatively "easy" hunt. It turned out anything but. We used binoculars and could spot giraffe in singles and small groups quite easily from the tops of the hills. Getting down into the sparse trees and then getting close enough to the correct young bull or old cow was another matter entirely.
We did something like six or seven stalks between dawn and late afternoon. Just try sneaking up to within 150 M of an animal with eyesight the equivalent of a pronghorn antelope but with those eyes mounted on top of a treetop - length neck. Those keen eyes were well clear of the branches, but their chests & vitals were usually effectively covered. We got a little frustrated as each time we tried, the giraffe moved off when we got within 200-300 meters. I wasn't about to try a neck shot with my Merkel at that range. Even though it is quite accurate, it is not that accurate. I'm not either. We even ran after some, knowing that they had spotted us and we had nothing to lose - except tearing our legs up on the thorn brush. But we failed to intercept. Each giraffe that we did spook seemed to be swallowed up by the countryside. Uncanny how they would make themselves disappear in relatively thin bush. We never got a second chance on any of them.
In the late afternoon, hot and tired and thirsty, I switched rifles to my Verney-Carron Impact Plus 9.3x62 with 6x S&B scope. That felt like a bit more appropriate equipment for the circumstances. My PH Johann and I spotted an ancient cow hanging out with a couple of younger ones. Once again we couldn't even get to 200 meters. Busted. On the long hot walk to meet the bakkie and our companions. we spotted a young bull moving towards us, not too far ahead. We snuck in for an intercept, and Johann set up the sticks when the bull got to about 150 meters. One carefully aimed shot and two quick follow up " insurance" shots high and well forward in the chest and we were done.
When we delivered the carcass to the butcher shop in town I learned that the giraffe meat was just as welcome for their biltong and sausage making as any game, and they were quite pleased to have the meat to work with. They paid the landowner well for the meat. I didn't get to try any, my only regret.
And Ardent, I respect your opinions and experience, but I must disagree with you on the efficacy of the 30-06 / 220 gr. vs. 9.3 / 286 gr. load. The Norma Oryx bullet I used is shown in the last photo. It penetrated about a meter of Giraffe, ( and through hide that was VERY thick) and made a permanent wound channel about double the size of what I'd expect from a .30 cal bullet. The giraffe only went about 20 M after a hit through the tops of both lungs. My PH would have refused if I asked to carry a .30-06 for this hunt.
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