Top 5 plains game?

[Killo]

Sable, Roan, Kudu, Eland, Nyala

 

[FlyGuy]

As others have suggested, it depends where you are hunting and under what conditions.

In a free range environment, I think trying to walk down an eland is the most difficult and rewarding plains game experience in Southern Africa (note that I did not say South Africa). Both my Cape Eland in Namibia and Livingstone from Mozambique are two of my most satisfying achievements. On the other hand, shooting one at a waterhole (or anything else for that matter) is a very different thing. Some extremely large South African game farms can offer such traditional opportunities.

A mountain zebra in its native range in the mountains of central Namibia is a very challenging and memorable hunt. Oryx in the same native range are equally so.

A mature sable from its free range environment is a difficult and worthy objective. Trying to work the edges of alert free range herds to get a look at a bull is a very different hunting experience than jumping off the truck to shoot a lone bull on a South African game farm.

Kudu and bushbuck, whether free range or within the confines of a game fence, are challenging animals. They instinctively use whatever cover is available to escape. Taking a quality older animal of either species is worth any amount of effort.

Finally, a trophy quality warthog is never a wrong selection regardless of the environment in which he is hunted. Like the kudu and bushbuck, he will make the most of his escape options.

Walking down an eland bull is every bit as satisfying as walking down a buffalo.

 

[375Fox]

Are there free-range areas to be hunted there? Hunting the Kalahari I always envisioned would be some free-range opportunities.

Yes, but If you have a certain idea in your mind of hunting red sand dunes I’d make sure that’s what outfitter can offer on the properties they hunt.

 

[SETH RINGER]

I'M A LITTLE LATE TO THIS CONVERSATION BUT TO THE ORIGINAL QUESTION, AND GUESSING THIS IS A FIRST SAFARI OF MANY, I WOULD HAVE 2 ANIMALS I REALLY WANTED TO LEAVE AFRICA WITH AND KNOW WHAT I HAD IN MY OVERALL BUDGET AND WHAT THE PRICE LIST WAS AND TAKE REALLY NICE ANIMALS AS MOTHER AFRICA PRESENTED.

 

[Rare Breed]

Folks I’ve been back reading old posts with interest and there seems to be lots of top 10 posts - basically covers a good chunk of what’s available!

What would your top five plains game be for a week hunt? And even better, why?

Just to get some ideas for myself going forward. I’ve a mental idea. I think if I could split a South Africa hunt down to kudu, springbok, impala and zebra, I think I could still come away and say I’ve covered a few key animals but interested to hear what folk rate? Maybe throw a wildebeest in there.

For me for PG it would be Kudu, Gemsbok, Eland, Sable and Zebra

 

[Sabre]

Folks I’ve been back reading old posts with interest and there seems to be lots of top 10 posts - basically covers a good chunk of what’s available!

What would your top five plains game be for a week hunt? And even better, why?

Just to get some ideas for myself going forward. I’ve a mental idea. I think if I could split a South Africa hunt down to kudu, springbok, impala and zebra, I think I could still come away and say I’ve covered a few key animals but interested to hear what folk rate? Maybe throw a wildebeest in there.

Are you kind of trying to come up with 5 animals to hunt on your upcoming safari you have mentioned in other posts?

If so, I think the 4 you listed are really good choices, in that they are likely to give you a variety of different kinds of hunting.

For your 5th animal, would you be looking for a fairly expensive plains game animal or a fairly cheap plains game?

 

[Brent in Az]

My 5 would be what I consider as the more iconic African species.

Kudu
Sable
Zebra
Impala
Warthog

 

[HookMeUpII]

Yes, but If you have a certain idea in your mind of hunting red sand dunes I’d make sure that’s what outfitter can offer on the properties they hunt.

I assume that would come with a premium. Either way, its a destination that's high on my list.

 

[wildfowler.250]

Are you kind of trying to come up with 5 animals to hunt on your upcoming safari you have mentioned in other posts?

If so, I think the 4 you listed are really good choices, in that they are likely to give you a variety of different kinds of hunting.

For your 5th animal, would you be looking for a fairly expensive plains game animal or a fairly cheap plains game?

Bit of both! When you look at the top 10 posts previously, folk list most of the plains game. Really wanted to see what folk would strip it down to if they ‘had to’.

Kudu, eland , bushbuck , oryx seem to be the main repeats!

I’ll definitely add a few more than 5 if I can. It’s just trying to remember a budget at the end of it. My real decider will be if I have my main ones, do I go for an extra of 1x something higher end like a lechwe or 2x animals like a reedbuck and wildebeest but it just depends how the week goes!

 

[wildfowler.250]

My personal cut-off is historic range.
E.g. Historically, sable antelope only occurred in small areas of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Therefore I won’t hunt one in the Northern Cape.
It would be like hunting a Dik Dik in the Eastern Cape.
With regard to Oryx, they are native to the Northern Cape, North West and the far western areas of Limpopo in S.A.

That’s interesting. I’d have thought there would be more chance of put and take with sable in Limpopo than in other areas of RSA?
Completely get the idea of native range though!

 

[Sabre]

Bit of both! When you look at the top 10 posts previously, folk list most of the plains game. Really wanted to see what folk would strip it down to if they ‘had to’.

Kudu, eland , bushbuck , oryx seem to be the main repeats!

I’ll definitely add a few more than 5 if I can. It’s just trying to remember a budget at the end of it. My real decider will be if I have my main ones, do I go for an extra of 1x something higher end like a lechwe or 2x animals like a reedbuck and wildebeest but it just depends how the week goes!

I think what is good about your original list of 4 is that it is a nice variety of animals and should be a nice variety of hunting.

If you decide on one bigger animal I would go with Eland or Nyala, or for less money and still bigger, Gemsbok.
If you went with two smaller animals I would go with Warthog and Duiker. These two would be much cheaper and help add even more variety to your current list.

Have you already booked a hunt? When are you planning on going?

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Bit of both! When you look at the top 10 posts previously, folk list most of the plains game. Really wanted to see what folk would strip it down to if they ‘had to’.

Kudu, eland , bushbuck , oryx seem to be the main repeats!

I’ll definitely add a few more than 5 if I can. It’s just trying to remember a budget at the end of it. My real decider will be if I have my main ones, do I go for an extra of 1x something higher end like a lechwe or 2x animals like a reedbuck and wildebeest but it just depends how the week goes!

If it was me, I’d probably suggest the 2x since it’s a little more hunting and lets you stretch your dollars a little more on trip #1.

Like i said in my post, I prefer hunting animals where they’re endemic. So in South Africa and parts of Namibia I can cross a bunch of animals off the list depending on the area, as well as color variants. This logic also has me planning and brainstorming future hunts before completing the current one. In doing this I’m often able to analyze what overlaps and what doesn’t, cost and trophy quality.

 

[Rellik]

I just returned from my first trip to Africa and and I couldn't pick 5. I figured this was once in a lifetime deal and wanted to make sure it was worthwhile....so I shot 8.
Gemsbok, Nyala, Kudu, Impala, Waterbuck, Zebra ,Sable and a bonus Steenbok.
Never saw a bushbuck other than females.
But......Now I NEED a good bushbuck, and maybe a black Impala, and an iconic black Wildebeest and ???
I will be going again.

 

[RichD]

I don't have a Top 5, but can easily think of Top 25. Got kudu, eland, gemsbok, warthog, Burchell's and black wildebeest the first trip. This year going for nyala, bushbuck, blesbuck, black wildebeest, impala, springbok, zebra, and cape.

 

[318AE]

I was fortunate enough to hunt gemsbok in the red dunes of the Namib-Nauklauft, near Sossusvlei, on my first safari over 25 years ago. I didn’t appreciate how special that hunt was at the time. It remains the only gemsbok I’ve taken. Mountain zebra in the Hartman’s remains a memorable hunt as well, and the furthest shot I’ve ever taken at game.

For a top five for a first hunt, a trip to Namibia for gemsbok, springbok, warthog, kudu and mountain zebra would be hard to beat.

If you do enough of this, you’ll really begin to appreciate hunting these animals in their native environment. Your walls will fill with taxidermy that puzzle your heirs, you may move to euro mounts, but the memories of game in their native range will stay with you.