Which Animal is the Most Challenging to Hunt?

There are many animals that present great challenges to the skills of hunters. Among those animals in the United States that are most often described as extremely difficult to hunt are such elusive prey as the bull elk and trophy deer. Those who live in places where they can hunt mountain lions will almost always explain how hard those are to shoot, because they are nearly impossible to even find in the first place. But what all of the various hard to hunt prey have in common, as you may have already figured out if you are an experienced hunter, is that they are tough to track and locate.

You cannot shoot what you cannot see or find, so generally speaking the hardest and most challenging animals to hunt are the ones that are rarely seen by humans. To get a bead on these animals it may be necessary to go out and spend many hours and days waiting and watching for them, which can strain the patience of all but the most determined and tenacious of professional hunters.

Any prey that tends to stay away from humans, has powerfully perceptive senses to detect hunters from a long distance away, and is endowed with natural camouflage will be extremely challenging to hunt. In order to chase them down it may be necessary to enter into dangerous situations or hike deep into the wild - while hauling along sufficient camping gear and hunting equipment.

In Africa, for example, where the vast wild regions of the continent offer the most exotic and diversified wildlife and where the safari hunting expeditions are world famous, one professional hunter was asked to name the top contenders for the status of "hardest animals to hunt." Based on his years of hunting experience he put three types of prey that have one thing in common - they all inhabit the treacherously difficult rainforests of Africa. Just traipsing around in any rainforest can be a hardship, and to go into the rainforest during a wet season and try to track down animals while managing to camp, keep reasonably dry, eat, and survive is next to impossible for many people.

Amp-up the challenge by putting hunters into one of the most dense and wild rainforests in the world and you will automatically have a very strenuous hunting environment. The forest hog or boar grows to a frightening size in those kinds of wilds, and the African forest buffalo - another tricky animal to hunt - is both shy and clever.

Then again, even those animals that are relatively easy to find and track down may be the most difficult to hunt if the person doing the hunting creates extra hurdles to add to the sportsmanship and challenge. Take, for example, the hunting of a rabbit. Most hunters find them very easy to kill with a small caliber rifle like a .22, and they are usually even easier to drop with a basic shotgun. But try to approach within striking distance using only a bow and arrow, a slingshot, a blow gun, or a spear and suddenly the hunt gets much harder. It is easier to miss the target, and once you scare the prey away it is harder to catch it and kill it. For that reason many hunters will use a variety of weaponry - especially simpler and more old-fashioned types of weapons - to make the hunt more difficult, more fun, and even more exciting and satisfying.