Hippo Hunts

Hippo Hunts

Many hunters that have a goal of taking Africa’s big five dangerous game animals decide to add a hippo hunt along with a crocodile hunt to upgrade their achievement to what is called the “Dangerous Seven”.   Very few hunters will start out their big game quest with a hippo hunt.  but many will eventually arrive at the decision to go hippo hunting in Africa..  A hippo hunt can be very dangerous whether the hippo is in the water or out of it. Hippos kill a good amount of people each year in the rural areas of Africa.  Bull hippos can be very aggressive while in the water and will vigorously attack boats and people that get to close to them.  Many a villager has been killed when an enraged hippo suddenly attacked their canoe and tipped them over and attacked them.  One bite from their enormous tusks can kill a man instantly.  Hippos are equally as dangerous on land and each year, natives are killed when walking the hippo’s paths between their nighttime feeding grounds and the water.  When startled, a hippo will flee towards the water and anything in its path is in peril.

Hippos are found throughout central and southern Africa and range southwards to Northern South Africa.  Hippopotamus are found in most bodies of water including lakes, rivers and streams.  They do require year-round water, as they spend the majority of the daytime in water to keep cool.  Many larger populations are now protected.  Hippo hunting occurs in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda and South Africa.  Many times a hippo hunt and a crocodile hunt are combined into a specialty safari.  Popular locations for hunting these aquatics include Lake Kariba on the Zimbabwe / Zambia border and Lake Cahorra Bassa in Mozambique.

A hippo hunt in Africa is usually conducted in one of two ways.  The first way is by stealthily sneaking along river and lake banks looking for a mature hippo bull.  Once a suitable bull is located, an accurate shot is required to harvest the trophy bull.  Many times the bull will sink down and the hunters must wait patiently on the bank for decomposition gasses to cause the downed hippo to rise and float on the surface.  The other way of taking a hippo hunt is to try to intercept the hippo traveling to or from his dry land feeding grounds.  Many times a hippo hunt will occur at night and this can be the basis for a dangerous and exciting adventure.