[PhilLozano]

Dear Mr. Hi Ball,

Yes you are correct. Elephants can be easy to kill, IF you make the correct shot. But there is no caliber/cartridge that will match his weight in ft. pounds of energy. If you hit him correctly, with a good bullet in an adequate caliber, he will drop in his tracks.

On the other hand, if you shoot him in the chest, you will generally have a long (and where I hunt) tough tracking job. If you aim for, and miss, his brain, he is gone, and you have very little chance of finding him again. If instead of running he decides to come at you, he will be at your feet as fast as you can blink.

Lions are not nearly as smart as Elephants (IMO). Dangerous? You bet! Lions are bloody dangerous. But, you can hit him in the chest and follow his trail without too many problems, if you go slow and are observant and if you hit him well, you will find him dead. If you are following him in the bush, he generally will growl or roar and warn you of his location. Not always, but typically.

As I said before, I know a few P.H.'s that have survived to relate the story of their Lion mauling, but know no one that has been whacked by an Elephant, who is still around to tell the tale. I have heard rumors that a P.H. from Zim was killed by an Elephant last week.

Lions kill P.H.'s as well, as one did 3 years ago, when a P.H. I knew was killed.

They are ALL dangerous. That is why they call them the Big 5 and/or Dangerous Game.

As I said, people will choose based on which animals have given them the most problems or the closest calls, I think. A P.H. that does mainly Buffalo hunts, most likely will rate the Buffalo as the most dangerous, due to the fact he sees more wounded Buffalo than Lions, Leopards, etc.., and for him, he is 100% correct !

However, as I said, I have been charged by far fewer Elephants than the rest of the 5, but I still think he is the most dangerous, because he is smarter than the rest and with his sheer size and speed he can take a 'big poke' before you turn out his lights.

The Brain shot is not as easy as it appears. Yes, I can explain on the skull I have in camp and talk you through it when we see Elephants and when the moment comes, but that does not mean you will pull it off. Unless you have done it a few times, it is not all that simple.

As I said, my Trackers do not agree as to which one will do you in 'more dead' than the others. FOR ME, I would rather be standing in front of a wounded charging Lion with an empty rifle, than a wounded charging Elephant. But that may just be me. (scary thought).

If you could not defend yourself, perhaps you could get up a tree. But with an Elephant, that tactic is useless.

Each P.H. will have 'his own' list of the Big 5. I have presented mine and tried to give my reasons why I ranked them as I did.

I cannot fault your choices. They are all dangerous. I don't like following the cats into the bush when the sun is going down either.

None of them are any fun. I would rather face a Cobra with a Fishing pole, than follow a wounded Leopard when the light is fading.

I think a made a good case for my choices.

Best,
Phil