They are much bigger than a typical red stag, though by African standards a fairly soft, slab-sided animal. They are magnificent anytime but to me the height of the rut in May–June, with the mask darkened up and that white chevron glowing across their faces, is the pick of it. If you’re frustrated by slow silences, subtle movement and stealth, this may not be the game for you.īut if you enjoy the truly classic moments of hunting – ghosting along with the cool evening breeze in your face, glassing for the shine of a bull nyala sunning himself in a tiny clearing, still hunting the twilight riverine shadows, then you have found a tribe that can keep you fascinated for life.Įveryone starts with kudu. I know another who took a 64" bull on the first hour of the first day of his very first safari. I know a man who has hunted kudu for four decades and never found a truly big one. Yes, you can work hard and in general hard work pays off, but with these animals that relationship is always uncertain. The thing they all share is a fickle unpredictability. Nyala translates somewhat loosely as ‘the shifty one’ and you don’t need a degree in zoology to figure out where bushbuck live: deep in some of the thickest tangles you can imagine. In every article ever written on kudu they are referred to as the ‘grey ghost’ – I believe it is some kind of law among outdoor writers. ![]() They can be supernaturally elusive, and the giveaway is in the nicknames. In a bushbuck or cow eland the twist is subtle, in a big open-curled kudu bull it will be massive. ![]() It comes from a series of uneven growth pulses, fast at some times, slower at others, that cause the horn to grow in rotation around its axis. The one thing they all share, from sitatunga deep in his swamp to eland in the Kalahari desert, is that twist to the shaft of their horns. Fortunately these rarities are greatly outnumbered by good populations of accessible species in most of southern Africa, where a 10-day safari is within the reach of many. There are rare ones that demand a specialised trip that is probably beyond the reach of the ordinary hunter – mountain nyala in Ethiopia, Lord Derby eland and bongo in the Cameroon, lesser kudu in Tanzania. For their elusiveness, majesty and stealth they stand among the top game species of that great continent. Nor do they flee in the manner of ordinary animals – they drift into nothingness even as you watch. The spiral-horned antelope of Africa – kudu, bushbuck, nyala and the rest – don’t wander into view. ![]() The pursuit, even of the best things, ought to be calm and tranquil,” said Marcus Tullius Cicero, and he was right.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |