Questions about the Golden Wildebeest

[migrabill]

So while on Safari in RSA recently I took a magnificent Golden WIldebeest. One was not on my original "list", but throughout the week everytime I would see one, I would marvel at their beauty. On the last day of my Safari I added one to my list. He was a dandy. My PH told me that a Golden Wildebeest cannot be entered into SCI as they do not recognize the species. This lead me on a "Google hunt" and I see varying opinions on if they are a branch of the Blue Wildebeest or if they should be a separate species. My PH measured him and he qualifies as a Bronze Medal SCI animal. However because SCI does not recognize the Golden, he was measured as a Blue Wildebeest. My question is this: Is it "OK" or allowable to enter a Golden as a Blue, or is this considered bad form?

 

[Siennacoyote]

It’s a color variation of a blue wildebeest

 

[migrabill]

It’s a color variation of a blue wildebeest

Yes. So, in your opinion, it's OK to enter it in SCI as a Blue?

 

[Siennacoyote]

Yes. So, in your opinion, it's OK to enter it in SCI as a Blue?

In my opinion it is a blue wildebeest. Also in real life it is a blue . I see no issue entering it. That’s like having a separate category for a white bison . It’s still a bison

 

[Spearhead]

This post has me wanting to ask, are these bred for the color or natural thing? While asking, are the various colored impalas bred for that as well? The posted photo is gorgeous.

 

[375Fox]

This post has me wanting to ask, are these bred for the color or natural thing? While asking, are the various colored impalas bred for that as well? The posted photo is gorgeous.

Natural color variant but bred to proportions that never existed naturally

 

[Spearhead]

Natural color variant but bred to proportions that never existed naturally

Thank you. I had no clue.

 

[Red Leg]

There is a golden sable now as well that is breeding pure in a controlled environment. The first hunt for one sold at the DSC Foundation Dinner last weekend for $25+K. I did not bid.

 

[migrabill]

There is a golden sable now as well that is breeding pure in a controlled environment. The first hunt for one sold at the DSC Foundation Dinner last weekend for $25+K. I did not bid.

My PH said that 10 years ago a Golden Wildebeest was going for 200K! I got mine at under 3K.

 

[Ruraldoc]

I saw a herd of around 70 blue wildebeest. There was one golden in the bunch.

It was a natural occurrence. In places where they are common, they have been selectively breed.

Still a very pretty critter. It is just a color phase of blue wildebeest.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Natural color variant but bred to proportions that never existed naturally

Correct

 

[migrabill]

So I submitted the photo of me with, what is clearly, a Golden Wildebeest to SCI and asked for a Photo Medallion Plaque. The attached paperwork says Blue Wildebeest. They said this is not a problem and this is how it is to be entered. So there is our final answer. Golden Wildebeests DO get submitted to SCI as Blue Wildebeests.

 

[FlyGuy]

Natural color variant but bred to proportions that never existed naturally

Correct.
Nothing has given me more pleasure than seeing the colour variant and “rare” game pyramid scheme collapse.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

As I understand it they first occurred naturally in the Free State.

And there is also King's Wildebeest. Another interesting color variation.

If I read it correctly, there is no bronze or silver SCI black wildebeest. You're either gold medal or nothing. I shot a gold medal one in 2021 but the taxidermist over there boiled the horns to shreds. That bull had incredible bosses grown almost together. My outfitter set me up for another hunt the following year in spectacular high plains country. It was a very long stalk with a surprise short shot (100 yards). I haven't measured that one yet but he probably makes gold. Very good bosses and nice long horns. Hard to get both, just like buffalo.

 

[375Fox]

If I read it correctly, there is no bronze or silver SCI black wildebeest. You're either gold medal or nothing. I shot a gold medal one in 2021 but the taxidermist over there boiled the horns to shreds. That bull had incredible bosses grown almost together. My outfitter set me up for another hunt the following year in spectacular high plains country. It was a very long stalk with a surprise short shot (100 yards). I haven't measured that one yet but he probably makes gold. Very good bosses and nice long horns. Hard to get both, just like buffalo.

 

[migrabill]

Correct.
Nothing has given me more pleasure than seeing the colour variant and “rare” game pyramid scheme collapse.

I agree with you in terms of these animals going for more than 100K. But once the madness is over and they drop to only 2x the amount of the non-color variant, I am happy to pay that. I must say, the Golden Wildebeests are beautiful.

 

[mrpoindexter]

My PH said that 10 years ago a Golden Wildebeest was going for 200K! I got mine at under 3K.

That $200k price was for a breeder, not a hunt, I think.

 

[BryceM]

Well, they are blue wildebeest, in every genetic sense, other than a small color variation. While I can appreciate their beauty, the whole scheme of "making" designer animals to meet demand runs counter to my perception of hunting wild animals in their natural state, in their natural environment. Admittedly, lots of other parts about hunting encroach on that ideal too (high fence, selective breeding for horn size, put/take operations, mineral supplementation, predator removal, and the list goes on). Some parts of it are more palatable (to me) than others.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

As I understand it they first occurred naturally in the Free State.

And there is also King's Wildebeest. Another interesting color variation.

If I read it correctly, there is no bronze or silver SCI black wildebeest. You're either gold medal or nothing. I shot a gold medal one in 2021 but the taxidermist over there boiled the horns to shreds. That bull had incredible bosses grown almost together. My outfitter set me up for another hunt the following year in spectacular high plains country. It was a very long stalk with a surprise short shot (100 yards). I haven't measured that one yet but he probably makes gold. Very good bosses and nice long horns. Hard to get both, just like buffalo.

Golden Wildebeest originated out of an area between the Tuli Block of Botswana and the Limpopo valley.
They were part of the migrations in Botswana.

 

[FlyGuy]

Well, they are blue wildebeest, in every genetic sense, other than a small color variation. While I can appreciate their beauty, the whole scheme of "making" designer animals to meet demand runs counter to my perception of hunting wild animals in their natural state, in their natural environment. Admittedly, lots of other parts about hunting encroach on that ideal too (high fence, selective breeding for horn size, put/take operations, mineral supplementation, predator removal, and the list goes on). Some parts of it are more palatable (to me) than others.

The problem is that there is virtually no demand for them. Neither local, nor foreign.
The only demand for colour variants came from other game farmers / breeders that saw easy money.
Some guys bought into the scam so heavily, that they shot out all their natural coloured wildebeest or impala males, and others even took a second mortgage on the farm or used their kid' college funds to pay the ridiculous prices that these animals were going for.
They carved up their farms into multiple 60 acre camps and changed the look of game farms forever.

WRSA tried pushing their agenda to foreign hunters and organisations like SCI without much success.
Next thing you know, every second game farmer is sitting with wildebeest, gemsbok or some other species that either has no, or extremely limited market value, and the scheme collapsed.

The whole thing didn't come without its consequences though.
Thousands of km's of extra fencing severely limited the movement of free range game animals like kudu, warthog, cheetah etc.
Sable are now less expensive than they were before the madness began. I've seen sable priced as low as $ 40-50.00 / inch!
Game prices, especially in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West have have gone through the roof, as ranchers try to claw back the losses they incurred.
Common impala has now become some of the most expensive venison out there. It's cheaper to buy A-Grade lamb.