Hunting/processing a Giraffe: suggestions/tips ?

**BBT** · 19-02-2018, 19:32

Originally Posted by driepootx

I myself have a utility knife with the hooked blades for cutting carpets. The blade I still have in it has done many animals and is still sharp. Skinners all want to use it as a cut is so easily started down the legs. Very good suggestion Carl. The only hassle is that the hooked blades are sometimes hard to find.

Go to your local flooring company that installs carpets. They keep it in stock as it's used daily. Buy a few from them

**Gert Odendaal** · 19-02-2018, 21:13

I will definitely purchase carpet knives with a lot of blades..this is a great tip...thinking out of the box..

At this stage it seems not such a daunting task to slaughter a Giraffe, all these suggestions/tips makes for looking forward to hunting the Giraffe..I will as usual upload a lot of photos...Please keep the suggestions/tips coming members, I and I am sure a lot of members are learning a great deal...

**BBT** · 19-02-2018, 23:25

Please don't waste your time buying the retractable Stanley knives, the mechanism is not strong enough.
Rather buy the olden days fixed type that's cast metal and grey in colour.
Stanley still make it

**brick.wall** · 20-02-2018, 06:20

Just a small contribution to this already excellent amount of advice. We used to use a chain saw to cut through bone on large animals which resulted in a lot of small bone fragments. Then hunted on a farm that used a reciprocating saw . Got one for myself and never looked back.

A few tips though....

The blade must be long 30cm

So far I've found the blade meant for concrete/metal works well

It only cuts through bone not meat so use a knife to cut a line through the meat to get to the bone .

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**MyLani** · 20-02-2018, 07:17

Originally Posted by brick.wall

Just a small contribution to this already excellent amount of advice. We used to use a chain saw to cut through bone on large animals which resulted in a lot of small bone fragments. Then hunted on a farm that used a reciprocating saw . Got one for myself and never looked back.

A few tips though....

The blade must be long 30cm

So far I've found the blade meant for concrete/metal works well

It only cuts through bone not meat so use a knife to cut a line through the meat to get to the bone .

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We have tried a reciprosaw on a giraffe and it did not work.
Had to get the chainsaw.
The bones are just to big for the reciprosaw.

We do however still use the reciprosaw on smaller animals

**brick.wall** · 20-02-2018, 08:37

Oh ok. I've never done giraffe. Biggest was a 1 ton bull.

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**brick.wall** · 20-02-2018, 08:45

Cattle. Cut through the bones like a hot knife through butter. Sorry for the clichè.

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**driepootx** · 20-02-2018, 09:07

I see that Gert is going to have a major report back on how successful all the tips were !!!!!!!!!!!

**RogersP** · 20-02-2018, 09:31

Greetings Gert

Just hunted 3 Giraffe this last week in Vaalwater area. One on Thursday and two on Saturday. All carcasses were processed in situ. No chain saws or reciprocating saws were used. There were 4 in the slaughtering/skinning team and they used a butchers hand saw, an axe, and knives. They used a small generator to run a belt sharpener. Entrails that the staff did not take were left in the veld. It took them approx. 2 hours per carcass. The carcass was cut up into manageable chunks and fitted onto a long wheel base bakkie.

Skins were moved to a shed where they were prepared and salted. Meat was stored in a cold room before being transported to the final destination. The weight on the one bull shot (the larger of the three) was 577kg excluding skin, entrails, legs etc. Probably over a ton on the hoof.

To try and move the carcass is a mission in itself. Depending on the outfitter/farmer experience, this would be the best way to carry out this exercise.