Gemsbok or red lechwe?

[dchum]

Neither,

Shoot another bush buck or kudu.

You are going to KZN in SA correct?

 

[wildfowler.250]

Cheers folks! Much appreciated.

Yes KZN in SA.


So I don’t know if and when I’ll get back out for another hunt. Funds and family etc. so may be a one off for a long time.

I doubt I’ll ever go somewhere where lechwe are endemic.

Obviously free range kudu on cattle farms is my main appeal and fair chase. I think the Karoo is a 12 hour drive away so I’m assuming that’ll be out when it’s an 8 day hunt.


Is there any difference shooting a lechwe in one of these areas vs say, a sable? Assume at some stage both have probably been reintroduced?


The main stuff is springbok , impala, kudu etc. I was just planning around if things were going well. I may end up taking neither gemsbok or lechwe.


Cheers!

 

[Nyati]

Unless you plan on hunting someday in Zambia or Botswana, take the Lechwe.

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

Except you just did. Hunters advising other hunters is very different than outfitters advising hunters about other outfitters.

This gent pointed out he is hunting in SA
I merely pointed out a fact about gemsbok as others seemed to be misinforming him of their natural range

I in no way deterred him from Namibia and would never

He asked about gemsie or lechwe and i gave my opinion

Im also an avid hunter and not only an outfitter

Im entitled to offer my advice as a hunter

 

[LIMPOPO NORTH SAFARIS]

Cheers folks! Much appreciated.

Yes KZN in SA.


So I don’t know if and when I’ll get back out for another hunt. Funds and family etc. so may be a one off for a long time.

I doubt I’ll ever go somewhere where lechwe are endemic.

Obviously free range kudu on cattle farms is my main appeal and fair chase. I think the Karoo is a 12 hour drive away so I’m assuming that’ll be out when it’s an 8 day hunt.


Is there any difference shooting a lechwe in one of these areas vs say, a sable? Assume at some stage both have probably been reintroduced?


The main stuff is springbok , impala, kudu etc. I was just planning around if things were going well. I may end up taking neither gemsbok or lechwe.


Cheers!

The free-state is on route to KwaZulu Natal and a definite stop you should try and make you can find both Lechwe and Oryx in the freestate at very reasonable prices. I think some guys mentioned it above neither oryx or lechwe is endemic to KZN somwthing else coming to mind is that Oryx is a hardy dry region or arid region animal , lechwe is more of a water adapted animal but will also adapt well in areas without water.
KZN being a very wet environment as this is were our rain comes from from the east coast this area will boast a lott of bacteria both external and internal parasites something that will affect both these species. Just something to keep in mind not saying they are not present in this region (Kzn) but maybe brought in many years ago not the ideal habitat for them

 

[MarkB]

Folks, the outfitter I’m going to in RSA has both these animals at a similar price,(in fact the gemsbok is $200 more expensive). The outfitter doesn’t seem to put up lots of gemsbok images so maybe less common on the ground that they have.

If it was either or, which one would you go for? They’re both ‘bonus’ animals for me if the week was going well so I thought it was worth asking. I’d say gemsbok are probably more on folks initial bucket list for some reason?


Thanks!

With some more thought on your question.

In all (limited to 5 so far) my safaris the ONLY species I regret is the ones I did not shoot when given the opportunity or "order" from my PH. I can promise the pain of not shooting far surpasses the pain of any extra TF when there, vs later on another safari.

The 43" sable in Zim that I passed 3 separate times at $2000 was $2800 in SA, 39" and NOT born wild free ranging as the Zim one was. Also the shoot for $500 big mature stink bull giraffe in Zim was passed on 3 times, after a Wife/Me talk I got the go ahead to shoot, we never saw it again. Reason he was offered cheap was he had an eye hanging out and badly festered. Thinking back now it should have been a no brainer bang flop for multiple reasons. I have yet to shoot a giraffe this many years later, but still want too.

So my new answer would be shoot both, save, bank and get the TF and shoot them both if there is the slightest possibility in both being on offer and you like. Choose one today and the other will cost more on the return, not be available or just never be attained if you are a "normal" safari hunter. Meaning blue collar, not wealthy and get 3 trips per year.

My new 2c and recommendation.

MB

 

[375Ruger416]

Have only had one safari and took a gemsbok - one of my favorites and a must have for me. It, a kudu, and an eland were my top 3 and I was lucky enough to get all of them.

In the area you’re going I’d hope for a lechwe, or more practically take either or both if opportunity allows. Some of the best advice I got was to take what Africa gives you. If you’re hoping for a lechwe, but a great representative oryx keeps showing up take it - and vice versa.

 

[375Ruger416]

That’s how I ended up with this blue wildebeest. They weren’t my list, but are such a great animal.

 

[Hooknbullet2]

I was fortunate to take both a Red Lechwe and a Gemsbok on my trip to South Africa earlier this year.

Both are great trophies. The Lechwe requires a Cities permit.

 

[wildfowler.250]

I was fortunate to take both a Red Lechwe and a Gemsbok on my trip to South Africa earlier this year.

Both are great trophies. The Lechwe requires a Cities permit.

Thanks folks. Certainly a lot of mixed views on the above. A Namibia gemsbok would make a lot of sense but I don’t know if I’ll ever get. But from that perspective , see what turns up makes sense.

The cites is one small pain for the lechwe I have to agree. Probably massively slows the import down? But also maybe more likely to be banned in the future?

 

[Firebird]

Alert your shipping importer that you are bringing home a lechwe and let them deal with it and you will have no problems at all. By the time it clears dip and pack the permit should be ready and no one after that really cares.
(I dealt with this on mine and it was not as big a deal as I thought it would be)

 

[JG26Irish_2]

That’s how I ended up with this blue wildebeest. They weren’t my list, but are such a great animal.

View attachment 651827

I agree that it pays to keep an open mind and be flexible. That was also how I took my first Wildebest. And I must say it was one of the more memorable hunts of the trip. We were hunting for Zebra on a friends farm and had just been busted by a small herd of them which ran off to the East and down into a riverine valley. My PH made a short call to the owner and then turns to me and says, we can put on another stalk on the Zebra which were 400y away now or we can stalk that magnificent Bull Wildebeest which is on your list for 2025 anyway. What say you? Do you want to trade a Zebra for this Wildebeest now and hunt the Zebra next year? It turned out to be a SCI Gold Record Alpha Bull WB. It was an easy decision made on the fly and great fun to hunt.

I cannot speak to the behavior of all African species in the field but there are some that I saw that seem to be pretty unconcerned about we hunters roaming around. Some of those were: Giraffe, Eland, Sable, even some of the Waterbuck which showed no fear of man. We did not see Lechwe on that trip but all of the Kudu, Buffalo, Blesbok, Impala, Gemsbok, Wildebeest, Zebra, Warthog, Baboon, Bushbuck, Steinbok, Duiker, and many others were as they say, "Wild enough to shoot at".

While I was not hunting them, there were a number of both small and large cats that were also pretty wild. Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Cerval, African Wildcat, and one or two other of the small cats (Givet?). Saw a small group of White Rhino which also seemed quite docile but we kept our distance from them and honestly, I think that is normal for Rhino as their eyesight is poor and as long as we stay far enough from them to not notice, they will ignore us. So far, I have avoided hunting an Eland for this reason, even though doing so would complete my Spiral Slam. I know that Eland's natural range is most of the Southern half of Africa from Kenya all the way to the Cape. Just the ones I encountered seemed more like cattle than wild antelope. Try to walk up to an Eastern Whitetail out in an open field and see how long it takes it to see you and run away. We will wait and hunt one elsewhere.

 

[Hunt anything]

JG26Irish_2, your eland experience is 180 degrees from mine. The ones I’ve seen have always been on the move but I’ve actually never hunted one. I plan to one day.
I totally agree about being flexible, I go into a safari with one main target and take whatever Mother Nature provides within my budget for that particular safari. Next year it’s a tsessebe and then maybe a blue wildebeest and another bushbuck but the tsessebe is number one.
The one exception would be in countries that you have to buy licenses upfront or there is limited quota for animals that need to be spoken up for in advance.

 

[Nyati]

The free-state is on route to KwaZulu Natal and a definite stop you should try and make you can find both Lechwe and Oryx in the freestate at very reasonable prices. I think some guys mentioned it above neither oryx or lechwe is endemic to KZN somwthing else coming to mind is that Oryx is a hardy dry region or arid region animal , lechwe is more of a water adapted animal but will also adapt well in areas without water.
KZN being a very wet environment as this is were our rain comes from from the east coast this area will boast a lott of bacteria both external and internal parasites something that will affect both these species. Just something to keep in mind not saying they are not present in this region (Kzn) but maybe brought in many years ago not the ideal habitat for them

Shot my Lechwe in the Free State

 

[JG26Irish_2]

JG26Irish_2, your eland experience is 180 degrees from mine. The ones I’ve seen have always been on the move but I’ve actually never hunted one. I plan to one day.
I totally agree about being flexible, I go into a safari with one main target and take whatever Mother Nature provides within my budget for that particular safari. Next year it’s a tsessebe and then maybe a blue wildebeest and another bushbuck but the tsessebe is number one.
The one exception would be in countries that you have to buy licenses upfront or there is limited quota for animals that need to be spoken up for in advance.

H-A, Thank you Sir, for the insight. I am glad to hear that some Eland may be more wild than others. I would love to hunt one but just had no desire to hunt what looked like a big horned cow standing out in the pasture, lol. May I ask where you encountered the Eland which you spoke of? We have a group that will be hunting both Limpopo and Free State and I know that these are sort of like hunting with training wheels, but it is both within our budgets and our tolerance for risk and hardship (both being too low, lol). Assuming I stay healthy both physically and financially, I hope to hunt in Tanzania and/or Zim in a couple years for some of the beasties I cannot get at in RSA. I did hear they had some wild free range Eland up in Tanz. My list for next year is almost full.

 

[Hunt anything]

I’ve encountered eland in Mozambique, the Limpopo, Northwest and Eastern Cape provinces out of the ones in South Africa the EC were the calmest and the ones in the Northwest the highest strung. The Limpopo ones were in the middle. That’s not to say that the ones in the EC were tame just not as squirlly as the others.
The eland in Mozambique just never seemed to never stop moving.

 

[375Fox]

H-A, Thank you Sir, for the insight. I am glad to hear that some Eland may be more wild than others. I would love to hunt one but just had no desire to hunt what looked like a big horned cow standing out in the pasture, lol. May I ask where you encountered the Eland which you spoke of? We have a group that will be hunting both Limpopo and Free State and I know that these are sort of like hunting with training wheels, but it is both within our budgets and our tolerance for risk and hardship (both being too low, lol). Assuming I stay healthy both physically and financially, I hope to hunt in Tanzania and/or Zim in a couple years for some of the beasties I cannot get at in RSA. I did hear they had some wild free range Eland up in Tanz. My list for next year is almost full.

I did not notice your original comment about eland. I’ve taken 8 all free range except for 1 in Limpopo. I would hunt eland over buffalo any day. A wild eland is extremely switched on and covers huge distances. It’s generally a true tracking hunt and can be very difficult to get a shot. However, in most circumstances I would not take one on a game farm because it just isn’t the same hunt. For a South African hunt, hunting one in the mountains in eastern cape would be the hunt that interests me the most. However, I think Namibia generally gives the best opportunity for a quality eland hunt. They need to be hunted on very large areas. You can hunt eland in every common hunting country in Africa but not all areas have them or good numbers.

 

[coreydb]

Folks, the outfitter I’m going to in RSA has both these animals at a similar price,(in fact the gemsbok is $200 more expensive). The outfitter doesn’t seem to put up lots of gemsbok images so maybe less common on the ground that they have.

If it was either or, which one would you go for? They’re both ‘bonus’ animals for me if the week was going well so I thought it was worth asking. I’d say gemsbok are probably more on folks initial bucket list for some reason?


Thanks!

I was in the same situation a couple years ago. I asked the PH which ones were more prevalent in the concession, but ended up shooting the trophy that came across me first.

 

[SCHUNTER73]

I would lean towards which option presented itself first. Then be ready to decide. A gemsbok mount is beautiful. But so is a lechwe.

 

[Red Leg]

I agree that it pays to keep an open mind and be flexible. That was also how I took my first Wildebest. And I must say it was one of the more memorable hunts of the trip. We were hunting for Zebra on a friends farm and had just been busted by a small herd of them which ran off to the East and down into a riverine valley. My PH made a short call to the owner and then turns to me and says, we can put on another stalk on the Zebra which were 400y away now or we can stalk that magnificent Bull Wildebeest which is on your list for 2025 anyway. What say you? Do you want to trade a Zebra for this Wildebeest now and hunt the Zebra next year? It turned out to be a SCI Gold Record Alpha Bull WB. It was an easy decision made on the fly and great fun to hunt.

I cannot speak to the behavior of all African species in the field but there are some that I saw that seem to be pretty unconcerned about we hunters roaming around. Some of those were: Giraffe, Eland, Sable, even some of the Waterbuck which showed no fear of man. We did not see Lechwe on that trip but all of the Kudu, Buffalo, Blesbok, Impala, Gemsbok, Wildebeest, Zebra, Warthog, Baboon, Bushbuck, Steinbok, Duiker, and many others were as they say, "Wild enough to shoot at".

While I was not hunting them, there were a number of both small and large cats that were also pretty wild. Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Cerval, African Wildcat, and one or two other of the small cats (Givet?). Saw a small group of White Rhino which also seemed quite docile but we kept our distance from them and honestly, I think that is normal for Rhino as their eyesight is poor and as long as we stay far enough from them to not notice, they will ignore us. So far, I have avoided hunting an Eland for this reason, even though doing so would complete my Spiral Slam. I know that Eland's natural range is most of the Southern half of Africa from Kenya all the way to the Cape. Just the ones I encountered seemed more like cattle than wild antelope. Try to walk up to an Eastern Whitetail out in an open field and see how long it takes it to see you and run away. We will wait and hunt one elsewhere.

If I can be honest, you know absolutely nothing about hunting an eland. I would urge you to try taking one somewhere other than behind a fence - or if behind a fence, on a huge property. Trying to track down a free range eland is one the most demanding hunts Africa has to offer - every bit as hard as trying to walk down a buffalo. You can hunt a free range Cape Eland in Namibia or Livingstone in Mozambique. The first is affordable and it will seem nothing remotely like hunting cattle.

A real eland hunt in Namibia

Thread 'Eland in Eden'

Mar 22, 2011

We had been dogging the four bulls for almost five hours. The cold morning had given way to warm mid-day and we finally were getting close. Twice before the tracks had started to meander as the huge animals slowed to feed. On both occasions the stride had again straightened and lengthened as the bulls resumed their purposeful march toward some distant bedding area. A dense band of acacia and thorn brush was just ahead, and I needed no caution from Naude’ to understand that things could happen quickly.

They did. Unfortunately it was the snort and crash of several big cows exploding...

• Red Leg
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Hunting Africa