The best Kudu hunt?

[Saul]

I first dreamed of hunting Africa after watching the classic 1950 film “King Solomon’s Mines” starring Stewart Granger. What I cannot remember is how I came to have an almost singular focus on hunting Kudu.

With that in mind, what advice would you give to someone aiming to have the ultimate Kudu hunting experience? Can you recall any specific hunts that were especially memorable, and what made them stand out?

 

[WAB]

The upper Luangwa Valley, Zambia, or the Kalahari, Northern Botswana.

 

[375Fox]

It really depends what you are looking for. I’ve taken I think 11 kudu in South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. I think hunting low fence ranches in the mountains in Namibia has been my favorite kudu hunt because of the ability to glass and really see some ground. Hunting the Karoo in eastern cape South Africa I thought very good hunt as well because the ability to glass and plan a good stalk. All the other kudu I’ve taken have been in thick brush and more opportunistic with a short stalk from the vehicle more than really hunting them. Rut is in May/June depending where you hunt. Later in the season concentrates kudu as well. If I wanted a huge kudu now I’d hunt Botswana during rut, but if trophy isn’t priority I’d choose an area with mountains.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I have three on the wall and spent a lot of hunting for them. My advice is:

1. Be in good shape. Kudu typically hang out in thick cover and rough terrain.

2. Get a gun good for three hundred yards. Mine were shot at 330 yards, 440 yards (but not with my rifle), and 70 yards. 30-06 or 300 Win would be good choices.

3. Always put kudu at the top of your list. They are not easy to connect. May take several days to get your bull.

 

[JimP]

My first kudu on my first hunt in the Eastern Cape.

I wasn't fixed on shooting one but it was on my list. The first few days we saw some but never a shooter, so as we went I filled my other animals on my list. Then we got down to the last few days. My PH was busting his rear trying to get me one but again no shooters were found.

We headed to a couple different properties and all we managed to do on the first one was to break the starters mount on his vehicle. On the other property we took a very long walk, again no shooters were seen, but we were seeing some. Then the tracker found one down in a small valley, as all of us tried to get into a shooting position some noise was made and off he went. I also has a warthog on my list and on our way out of that area we spotted a very nice one, he headed into some brush but we never saw him again.

The last day came and off we went to another property. We hiked into a area and again only saw small ones. We took a short drive and hiked into another area with a second PH and tracker. We saw a nicer one but my PH said that we could do better, the other PH wanted me to shoot it, but on we went. We then spotted one up in some trees. We crawled the last 50 yards to get into position. The only trouble was that all I could see was his body and I wasn't going to shoot until I saw his horns. I was in a sitting position with my rifle on the sticks watching him through the scope. This went on for a good 45 minutes, then he moved to where I could see his head but not his body. A hour later nothing was happening but we noticed some cows in the valley below him and figured that he would stand up for them. The cows came up the hill and picked up another bull, there was no question that this bull was larger than the one laying down but he was moving through the brush so no shot. Then the cows came out into the open and stopped. He was right behind them and as soon as he stopped I pulled the trigger. I recovered from the recoil and the second PH said to shoot him again, but as soon as I got the scope onto him he was down.

While I wasn't after a kudu I had a very nice one on the ground. All the hiking, sweat, and glassing paid off on that morning of the last day. It is one that I'll remember the rest of my life when I look at the mount on my wall.