Best species to hunt?

[thi9elsp]

I would break your list down into Primary, Secondary and Optional. Meaning, I really want these 1 or 2. But, if we come across anything really old or special from the other two lists, let's go for it. By talking these through with the PH they will know where to focus but also understand that you are flexible to take advantage of what Africa offers (as others have said). And, be open to something that doesn't make your list and the PH and Trackers get really excited when they see it - might be the animal of a lifetime and your priorities change right then and there.

 

[KAROO WILD Safaris]

My favorite animals to hunt - kudu, eland, waterbuck, mountain reedbuck and Klipspringer

 

[cls]

All the above! Spiral horn slam would do it for me, eland, kudu, nyala and bushbuck.

 

[ack]

Thanks for the replies!

Out of interest I notice zebra tends to come up a lot. Difficult to hunt? Good to eat? They’re one of the few that I do worry about non-hunters judging. People see it more like a horse compared to something with horns.


Reading the eland thread just now and they’re suddenly sounding far more appealing!

Zebra is very good to eat(resembles pork)and you will find a challenging adversary I assure you.

 

[Mekaniks]

My first time kudu was my one priority (in my avatar) and then whatever was good after that. I set a budget for trophy fees and told the outfitter in advance how much I wanted to spend. My son (age 13 at the time) and I ended taking 2 blue wildebeest, 2 springbok, blesbuck, black wildebeest, a jackel, a bunch of guineau fowel and still spent two days site seeing. We had a blast and tried to just take it as it came. All that said, I really liked hunting black wildebeest just because they are such crazy critters and difficult to hunt out in the open savanna.

 

[gillettehunter]

Not for nothing, but I notice that Thorndale has a pretty nice father/son package - 4 trophies and 5 cull/management animals.

https://www.thorndalesafari.com/standard-hunting-packages/

You might talk to me about Thorndale before you hunt there. Our experiences were not optimal. There are other places that I would suggest.
Bruce

 

[fourfive8]

Of course for plains game, probably such as nyala, kudu and sable get most of the press but I learned to not underestimate any of them. Mano a mano bushbuck, reedbuck or even impala in the thick stuff is no pushover hunt. And you can quadruple the difficulty if they have been hunted hard or have had to deal with big predators like leopard or lion. In broken country with thick cover I'll put zebra up against any of them for difficulty to hunt especially if lions have been working on them. And push an eland a little bit and look out!! What a challenging animal to hunt by tracking and much of my memories of the tracking type hunts have been watching how good some of the trackers really are!

As for aesthetics of the trophy, they all are special once you hunt them and watch them, learn about them then walk up to them on the ground after a successful hunt. I was very impressed, for example, with red hartebeest even though I had seen so many during many trips before even hunting them. A big red hartebeest bull in prime condition is a very impressive animal when you walk up to one! With red hartebeest and eland I think the phenomena of "ground shrinkage" kind of works in reverse! In the end, a good camp, good staff and good PH/trackers are so much of any safari hunt, exactly what you hunt kinda of becomes secondary.

 

[BWH]

4-5 animals..... Geez that’s a hard one & a little humorous. That’s how I first started. 3 trips & 20+ animals later.

Kudu
Gemsbok
Zebra
Springbok
Warthog or Nyala or Bushbuck


Then plan their next trips!

 

[Newboomer]

Seeing as this is your first time and everything is unknown, it might be a good thought to take a day or two and cruise the hunting areas to see what's there. If you see something interesting you have a start point for hunting the rest of your trip. For rifles, any deer or elk rifle is just fine. On my first hunt I used a 7mmRM and took a black and a blue wildebeest, kudu, zebra, nyala, waterbuck and some springbok. 7 mag was perfect. If you go for eland, 375H&H or bigger is preferable. They are huge and can soak up lead like a sponge. Good luck and enjoy whatever you encounter.

 

[wildfowler.250]

Thanks guys! Appreciate the suggestions and there’s a lot of common themes popping up.

For myself I’ll set a first couple,(kudu, nyala), would really like a springbok and impala,(these should be more plentiful?). And I can be flexible on the last couple.

I’ll keep an open mind for a gemsbok and zebra as they’re so frequently suggested.

Certainly enough regular species cropping up to make a reasonable first time list. Any other ideas then suggest away.

Out of interest do most take the zebra back as a rug or a shoulder mount. I’m more of a shoulder mount person but don’t know if that would look good or weird!

 

[thi9elsp]

You might do a google search of the following: Zebra Pedestal Mount Images, Zebra Wall Mount Images, Zebra Demask Images and Zebra Rug Images and get a feel for your preference as well as the space you have. I would decide up front so that when the zebra is skinned it matches what you want. I made the mistake of having mine skinned for a rug and then decided on the pedestal mount - Dennis had to work his magic to cover up the seam.

Here's a link to mine that Dennis posted here: https://www.africahunting.com/threads/member-thi9elsp-sable-zebra-custom-base-poses.44913/

John

 

[Ryan]

I prefer a head mount. I actually have a pedestal that I wrapped the remainder of the back hide around the base loosely. I like it, but pedestals take up a lot of space.

If you go that route make it clear to your PH and outfitter. Some seem to think rug is the only way to go and automatically want to skin it that way. Mine almost ended up that way and I had a friends that did.

 

[fourfive8]

As far as fishing goes it is under-promoted in most parts of Africa and can be excellent! From rainbow trout and largemouth bass to of course tiger fish to various saltwater types. Just have to check with the outfitter as to what is available. The same holds for bird shooting/hunting- some areas and times... excellent!

Also, not sure what you mean by "best species to hunt". Does that mean easiest to get with little effort, easiest/cheapest travel, cheapest to hunt, nicest lodge accommodation, greatest inch score or most wow factor in mounted form? All very subjective questions with equally subjective responses.

 

[wildfowler.250]

Thanks again for the replies, plenty to work with!

Also, not sure what you mean by "best species to hunt". Does that mean easiest to get with little effort, easiest/cheapest travel, cheapest to hunt, nicest lodge accommodation, greatest inch score or most wow factor in mounted form? All very subjective questions with equally subjective responses.

By best I mean, what would be your favourite? Either due to difficulty? Location,(either in scub or plains ect)? Or whatever reason would put some higher on a pedestal than others?


Cheers again!

 

[Newboomer]

I had my zebra skinned for a shoulder mount and the rest of the hide for a rug which ended up as a table cloth.

 

[fourfive8]

Thanks again for the replies, plenty to work with!



By best I mean, what would be your favourite? Either due to difficulty? Location,(either in scub or plains ect)? Or whatever reason would put some higher on a pedestal than others?


Cheers again!

Understood. My first post in this thread does reflect my ideas about PG species where each one is unique and should not be pre-judged before actually being around them. Preconceived notions sometimes don't square with reality. Tracking eland, wildebeest, zebra and the like or DG like buffalo appeals most to me. Next would be still hunting thick cover for PG like impala, bushbuck and reedbuck. And, spot and stalk can turn into tracking/still hunting. My least favorite would be sitting on a waterhole no matter the species. I've had great hunts in all manner of habitat types, but there's just something about the Kalahari right after the rainy season

 

[Philip Glass]

So very open ended question but I’m going to try and convince my old man who only does a little bit of rifle hunting to join me when I get my first trip,(likely SA) organised.

If you were to go for a simple few animals for a plains game type hunt, what would you recommend to someone for a weeks hunt? 4/5 animals? Any suggestions?


Funnily he’s much more into his fishing, anyone done much fishing over there in their winter time?


Cheers!

RSA: Kudu, zebra, impala, wildebeest (either one)

 

[chonk34]

I do agree with some that the Zebra is an awesome trophy for a hunter, but that it is one of the hardest trophies to explain to a significant other or friend who is not a hunter. My dad's wife was fine with him hunting deer and elk in America as well as the various African antelope, but when he shot his Zebra she sent him a nasty message and gave him the silent treatment for a long time. With that in mind I think my list would be something like:

Warthog
Gemsbok
Kudu
Blue Wildebeest
Black Wildebeest

Out of the plains game we hunted on our trip I would say those offered the best combination of hunting experience and trophy novelty/variety. Really you're probably going to end up with an Impala as well.

 

[fourfive8]

I do agree with some that the Zebra is an awesome trophy for a hunter, but that it is one of the hardest trophies to explain to a significant other or friend who is not a hunter. My dad's wife was fine with him hunting deer and elk in America as well as the various African antelope, but when he shot his Zebra she sent him a nasty message and gave him the silent treatment for a long time. With that in mind I think my list would be something like:

Warthog
Gemsbok
Kudu
Blue Wildebeest
Black Wildebeest

Out of the plains game we hunted on our trip I would say those offered the best combination of hunting experience and trophy novelty/variety. Really you're probably going to end up with an Impala as well.

Agreed,
Sometimes there is going to be "romance" attached to any equine. Same holds for feral horses and donkeys in the western US. Think of Mr. Ed's donkey cousin with a barcode.

 

[wildfowler.250]

I do agree with some that the Zebra is an awesome trophy for a hunter, but that it is one of the hardest trophies to explain to a significant other or friend who is not a hunter. My dad's wife was fine with him hunting deer and elk in America as well as the various African antelope, but when he shot his Zebra she sent him a nasty message and gave him the silent treatment for a long time. With that in mind I think my list would be something like:

Warthog
Gemsbok
Kudu
Blue Wildebeest
Black Wildebeest

Out of the plains game we hunted on our trip I would say those offered the best combination of hunting experience and trophy novelty/variety. Really you're probably going to end up with an Impala as well.

That would be a worry too. Much easier to justify something that looks similar to a deer. Surprised so many listed it as one of the classics which is interesting