Fair price for Kudu bull in South Africa?

What is everyones thoughts on what trophy fee price is fair for Kudu?
Flat price?
By the Inch?

I have seen prices all over the place and the outfitter I'm going with charges certian price up to 52" and then up to 55" and the another from there.

Whats your thoughts?
Also how the heck can you tell the difference between an 52" and a 55"?

You can't for the most part, one horn might be bigger than the other, you have to look at the mass, the curl depth....absolutely no one can tell you how big it is until it hits the dirt. The difference between 52 and 55 is very little! Actual a wide spread makes a kudu a lot bigger than he ever will be when you put a tape to him. There has to be 2 full curls...with the tips curving out to be a majestic one. And I have seen some start a third curl...a true GIANT. A kudu has to have huge curls for the most part to score well...along with mass.

That being said, I think $3000 for a 60 inch kudu is fair. And anything under 59 inches being $2500 to $2750. And I personally think anything in the 50 to 55 inch range is $2250. And under 50" is $1750 or less.....but I'm also talking about the SOUTHERN GREATER KUDU....not EAST CAPE KUDU.

And East cape kudu in the upper 40's" is very nice and anything over 50" is a giant!

As far as flat price or by the inch...it doesn't matter to me....but as a client you should know what a nice kudu looks like...before you fly over...I have seen way to many immature kudu shot.

Yes Southern Greater.
I have 2 friends that shot 49 3/4" and 49 1/2" with there bows and they are nice looking animals. I am not looking for a 60" since this will be my first trip to Africa but I would like a nice looking animal.
the place I'm going charge's $1950 for 52" and under.
$2950 for up to 55"
POR on bigger.
The ranch is 60,000 hec so its pretty good size and holds good numbers.

I would say on the lower end they are fine. The 52 to 55 inch they are pricey! and the POR on the above 55" is pure BS...that is just my two cents...no offense!

Personally if a person isn't hunting for inches...the east cape kudu is very cheap to hunt...very fun....would be on my wish day any day!!! As long as it has 2 full curls and is mature...I'm a happy camper. And the great thing is kudu in the east cape are around $1200 to $600....give or take. Most PH's give you a break on the price if you shoot more than one.

Thats what I thought also. I could shoot a Nyala for less than a 55" kudu.
I'm happy with a 50" Kudu though.
Thank you! Great advice.

Here you go:
Typical East Cape Kudu price:

Species - KMG Hunting Safaris

You know Eric, the East Cape Kudu has been proven to be a sub-specie to the Southern Greater Kudu. DNA does not lie. Saying this, Rowland Ward still refuse to accept it as a sub-specie, hense the East Cape Kudu still has to compete with the same Record list in the Rowland Ward book as with the Southern Greater Kudu. Still strikes me why they fight it.
Anyways , just a piece of useless information.

Best Regards
Marius Goosen

No apologies need Marius, the east cape kudu and southern greater are different! And Rowland Ward is wrong...the habitat is different and rainfall too according to the maps I have looked at too..No East Cape PH needs to explain the differences to me. They are both beautiful!!! And inches shouldn't matter...the hunt and how it conducted and carrried out should though, memories at the end of the day are alway more important thing.

I am not a fan of the inches method of charging trophy fees on any animal because it becomes too much as stated above, a matter of "buying inches". It takes us away from the hunting aspect of our safari if we get too hung up on inches, something we all fall prey to far too often. A trophy fee should be flat for whatever animal is taken. It took me three tries to get a kudu over 50, but the one on my wall, a European sheild type is the smallest one I have taken because it is the most symetrical of the three and quite handsome with 2.5 turns and tips pointing out. BTW a monster will not neccessarily have out-pointing tips.

Check out some of the low-fence operators in Namibia. I took a 55 last year on Eden (probably saw forty bulls and at least ten shooters) and a slightly larger one three years ago with Nick Nolte. We were simply looking for big mature kudu and there is none of this graduated cost which you see on the RSA game ranches. They typically do have a "non-trophy" cost for meat/bait animals. I notice Eden is listing $950 for a kudu on its site. And they will only let you take a trophy bull!

I agree sestoppelman, not every kudu has out-pointing tips...it's a good pointer....but on some kudu it can marks a younger kudu, plus every kudu is different genetically.

I agree Red Leg, in Namibia, kudu prices are better! And they for the most part never charge by the inch. And I know from reading your posts you have hunted with some good PH's and outfitters.

Originally Posted by enysse

No apologies need Marius, the east cape kudu and southern greater are different! And Rowland Ward is wrong...the habitat is different and rainfall too according to the maps I have looked at too..No East Cape PH needs to explain the differences to me. They are both beautiful!!! And inches shouldn't matter...the hunt and how it conducted and carrried out should though, memories at the end of the day are alway more important thing.

Originally Posted by sestoppelman

I am not a fan of the inches method of charging trophy fees on any animal because it becomes too much as stated above, a matter of "buying inches". It takes us away from the hunting aspect of our safari if we get too hung up on inches, something we all fall prey to far too often. A trophy fee should be flat for whatever animal is taken. It took me three tries to get a kudu over 50, but the one on my wall, a European sheild type is the smallest one I have taken because it is the most symetrical of the three and quite handsome with 2.5 turns and tips pointing out. BTW a monster will not neccessarily have out-pointing tips.

Both of you are 100 percent correct. I too appreciate and enjoy a hunt when you get that feeling of accomplishment once you have taken a good mature animal, and you know that he made you work for it. It just reminds me why I do what I do.
Red Leg, i'm not sure who eden is, but mature animals, that has grown as much as its genes has allowed it to, is all that we take, at the pricelist price. Whether its the World Record or Not. Well, unless its a game management hunt.

Best Regards
Marius Goosen

Marius, though I have not hunted with you. Your prices are very fair. And your post always show that you are very concerned about wildlife conservation, how much you love hunting and that we need to take some of the greed on money out of hunting....points I all agree with 100 percent. I guy or gal has to make a living..."it's how much living" that bothers me somedays. I think some outfitters are out to make money...and it's a business...plain and simple.

Originally Posted by enysse

Marius, though I have not hunted with you. Your prices are very fair. And your post always show that you are very concerned about wildlife conservation, how much you love hunting and that we need to take some of the greed on money out of hunting....points I all agree with 100 percent. I guy or gal has to make a living..."it's how much living" that bothers me somedays. I think some outfitters are out to make money...and it's a business...plain and simple.

Friend,
Thank you for the compliment. You are correct in saying that I love hunting, and even more correct in saying that I appreciate nature through wildlife conservation.
I'm just worried that i'm getting soft...

Here is a nice bull shot in the Limpopo in 2008, not the world s record, but a beautiful animal.

It was also the most difficult shot I ever made, as he was runnig through the bush, and I could only see its head and neck.

It shot it through the neck, and had to hold on its horns to take the photo.

Originally Posted by KMG Hunting Safaris

Both of you are 100 percent correct. I too appreciate and enjoy a hunt when you get that feeling of accomplishment once you have taken a good mature animal, and you know that he made you work for it. It just reminds me why I do what I do.
Red Leg, i'm not sure who eden is, but mature animals, that has grown as much as its genes has allowed it to, is all that we take, at the pricelist price. Whether its the World Record or Not. Well, unless its a game management hunt.

Best Regards
Marius Goosen

+1 It's a personal thing for me, but I wouldn't hunt with an outfitter who charged by the inch.

I'm just worried that i'm getting soft...

I believe your attitude is the right one Marius, soft or not..

Here is my free range 50" Kudu. It took me two trips to Africa to get him and I still didn't bring him home. He sits in my PH's Boma however. We basically saw him from the Bakkie, leapt out, put in a short stalk and shot him.

He dressed out at 180kg which I beleive is above average. The hole on his shoulder is the exit hole from my 9.3x62 which is IMO Waaay too much gun for a Kudu.



I doubt you could tell the difference between a 52 and 55". I am going back to get a free range 55"+ Kudu in 2014 but would not pay more than US$1,500 - $1,900 for one based on current prices. If you pay by the inch for really big Kudu (60") you are most likely looking at cheque book hunting.

Thats a fine looking bull!
As for the 9.3 being too much gun for kudu? I would have to disagree with that, the 9.3x62 is about perfect for most if not all plains game, while not a long range round perhaps.. For the bigger stuff like kudu its perfect. To each his own.

Code4, your kudu is very nice, great shot too. For those out there who haven't seen a lot a kudu I suggest you look up Jerome's post on how to judge a kudu....it is excellent and I used it to really educate myself along with other guides I had at hand. Judging Kudu

Thank you to everyone for your advice.

We charge one price for all our kudu with that said we don't shoot kudu under 50" either and they must be mature. We have some years ago charged differently on kudu of 60" and more but decided against it.

We have some of the best kudu hunting in South Africa in instead of pushing up the prices because of quality we decided to charge a reasonable price and use it a pull to book a hunt with us.

We have however in the last 3 years only shot two kudu under 50" one was for mangament and bait animal bad genes and measured out 45" and the other went 49" but the client was half blind and it took him 8 days to finally see a kudu and have a go at one. We have also heard since then he has lost more of his sight.