Most Overrated Hunt and Most Underrated Hunt

[Osama Mahdi]

Overrated hunt: Whitetail deer.
Underrated hunts: Red duiker and night hunting in Africa.

 

[dogcat1]

White-tailed deer out of a stand over bait - OVER-RATED with a bow or rifle... not hunting, just shooting

Eland by tracking, especially Lord Derby Eland - Highly underrated. Easily my favorite hunt

 

[375Fox]

Again, why is it that sable behind fences seem so much less wary than just about any other species behind the same fence? The sable in your "wild" areas may be more wary but are they more wary than kudu or buffalo in the same areas? Or even comparable?

Again, you’ve been told the answer multiple times. The search function with your username and sable should produce all the threads you need to see very quickly.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Again, you’ve been told the answer multiple times. The search function with your username and sable should produce all the threads you need to see very quickly.

Again, the question has never been answered by you or anyone else. Sable are stupid behind fences but springbuck, gemsbuck, buffalo, and zebra behind the same fence are spooky. Why is that? Hmmm.

 

[375Fox]

Again, the question has never been answered by you or anyone else. Sable are stupid behind fences but springbuck, gemsbuck, buffalo, and zebra behind the same fence are spooky. Why is that? Hmmm.

Yes, it has. One of several examples.

A

Thread 'Inquiry for Safari Company'

Jan 13, 2025

A friend and I recently went to the DSC show in Atlanta this weekend. We are looking to book a buffalo and sable hunt for 2027. We spoke with several different outfits and have landed on wanting to do a trip to Mozambique if possible. Does anyone here have any experience with the following outfits and can provide how their experience was?

Chapungu-Kambako Safaris
Niassa Safari Company/Paul Stones

We also spoke with Dalton and York about Zimbabwe, but they weren't confident about their area being good as far as Sable goes.

We also talked with HHK Safaris in Zimbabwe and Robin Hurt...

• ALHunter98
• Replies: 41
• Forum: Hunting reports Africa

 

[Turner12971]

Most overrated hunting.., N.America hunting
Most underrated hunting… Africa hunting

 

[Slickshooter]

Most overrated for me would be Stone/Dall sheep hunting.
Most underrated would be Kodiak Island Brown Bear hunting

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

I want to preface this by saying; This will probably be inherently controversial, because one person's trash is another's treasure and vice versa. But I'm sure we can give our opinions with the understanding other people might not have the same.

What do you think is the most overrated hunt, and which hunt do you think is the most underrated?

For me:
Most overrated hunt would be Nilgai
Most underrated hunt would be Eland

This is just my opinion but to me the most hyped overrated hunt in Africa is hunting cape buffalo. I've shot 2 pretty big free range bulls. Yes you have to stalk up on them. I'm looking through the scope and I'm like OMG how can anyone miss the vitals on this beast. I put both of mind down with a 375 HH 300 grain bullet.

My heart was through my chest with lion, leopard and croc.

I haven't done it but I've been told the 2 most underrated hunts is hunting leopard with hounds and a brown bear hunt in Alaska.

 

[revturbo9967]

Underrated - squirrel hunting.

Overrated - anything behind a farming fence.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Most overrated: Nothing. I absolutely love it all !

Most underrated: Hunting hippopotamus bulls on land (esp. in the sugarcane fields at night). If you’re an adrenaline junkie, then this one’s definitely for you !

 

[steve white]

I have always considered real hunting to be a roll of the dice. How does one "rate" a roll of the dice? I avoid situations I know don't fit me (e.g. shooting over bait or water holes). So far I haven't been hugely disappointed. My last safari didn't end up with any of the animals on the list but that was okay. Still shot a very nice impala and respectable gemsbuck bull (5th impala and 3rd gemsbuck). Would have been okay if I'd shot nothing. Weather was perfect, scenery was spectacular, and wildflowers were in full bloom.

If you get a chance, EAT a lot of meat from animals that have eaten those wild flowers! There is a farm in Namibia where a German man flies in just to do that because he has Multiple Sclerosis. His symptoms massively rebate when he eats that meat.

 

[steve white]

Most overrated: Nothing. I absolutely love it all !

Most underrated: Hunting hippopotamus bulls on land (esp. in the sugarcane fields at night). If you’re an adrenaline junkie, then this one’s definitely for you !
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Now that's one sport where I would definitely feel under gunned with a 375. If I want to encounter a land Hippo at close quarters in a sugar cane field, I want something that will REALLY whack him.

My over/under rated hunts have been mentioned several times, so...

 

[DLSJR]

Now that's one sport where I would definitely feel under gunned with a 375. If I want to encounter a land Hippo at close quarters in a sugar cane field, I want something that will REALLY whack him.

Steve, they’re not all that big or intimidating on dry land!

 

[STXhammer]

I want to preface this by saying; This will probably be inherently controversial, because one person's trash is another's treasure and vice versa. But I'm sure we can give our opinions with the understanding other people might not have the same.

What do you think is the most overrated hunt, and which hunt do you think is the most underrated?

For me:
Most overrated hunt would be Nilgai
Most underrated hunt would be Eland

Out of curiosity why do you believe hunting nilgai is overrated? And where did you hunt them if you don’t mind me asking ?

 

[Hillbilly Marine]

Underrated for me is almost all small game. No secret I love squirrels!
Overrated is deer with dogs

 

[R eight]

Most overrated: Whitetail deer hunting. Especially from a tree or blind. I’m sorry, I just can’t get into it, no matter how much I try to.

Most underrated: anything a pack of hounds can jump and run (including whitetail deer). I absolutely love the action and interaction with the dogs, the frustrations and victories, and the look in the eyes of a good working pack waiting to get turned loose. Particularly, if it’s on a cat.

I agree with Betterinthebush. White tail deer hunting is overrated. Especially after you have hunted spot and stalk game in Africa.
Underrated, probably bushbuck. Hard to find in the area I hunted in Limpopo and hard to get a shot.

I’ve never hunted from a tree stand or hide. But hunting whitetail deer on Stewart Island NZ is certainly a challenge. Ridiculously challenging.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

Most underrated hunt: hunting with your wife, a dear friend or taking out a new hunter or child to hunt. I get equally if not more excited when they are successful!

Most overrated: Haven’t encountered that. I believe happiness is a personal choice and I have found a way to enjoy all my hunts.

Sable have been mentioned several times as overrated. I had zero interest in them because everywhere I had seen them, they appeared to be about as wild as a plow mule. However, Mama wanted a sable hunt and I bought a “2 sable 2 hunters” package at the DSC Life members breakfast a few years ago at an obscenely low price. It was with Quagga. They have a 50K+ piece of property in the Limpopo area and a lovely lodge, crew and staff. Covid was just kicking in so everything was on hold for awhile. When we finally were able to travel, we had a full dance card of hunts and tours with different outfitters packed into several weeks.

We went to Quagga last as we had heard about their luxurious lodge (all true!) and even though they had a huge property, we were expecting to have our sables in the salt no later than day two. Our experience with sable was seeing them arrogantly and calmly observing us while we stalked other animals. We were already thinking what to do with the other days of our 8 day hunt.

Well, these sable didn’t get the memo on how easy a prey they were to be. By day four and numerous blown stalks in the thick brush, me and Mama were wondering if we would get our sables. Mama killed hers the evening of day 5 and I got mine the following evening. We still laugh about how easy we thought it would be but were glad we were proven wrong.

Safe and happy hunting.

 

[Hunting Hitman]

Overrated- Rhino
Underrated- Dry land Hippo

HH

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Now that's one sport where I would definitely feel under gunned with a 375. If I want to encounter a land Hippo at close quarters in a sugar cane field, I want something that will REALLY whack him.

My over/under rated hunts have been mentioned several times, so...

A very sensible philosophy, Steve. In my humble field experience, when a hippopotamus bull (hunted on land) receives a heart-lung shot with a solid non expanding bullet fired from any caliber lighter than .450 bore… he will often manage to make it into the water right before he expires. In recent years, I’ve taken to exclusively employing the 300Gr Barnes TSX in my .375 Holland & Holland Magnum for hunting hippopotamus. They tend to down these gigantic hard framed creatures rather quickly with heart-lung shots.

 

[steve white]

I’ve never hunted from a tree stand or hide. But hunting whitetail deer on Stewart Island NZ is certainly a challenge. Ridiculously challenging.

Yep--if you're doing the moving and they are not, it gets hard in a hurry. Stalking a mature buck that knows it is being hunted, even more so.