Researching dik dik hunts…

I may be naive, but why not hunt them with a shotgun? I think any gauge shotgun with #9 TSS would be outstanding on these tiny antelope. It’d also be a lot easier to hit them. Am I wrong?

Russ16 said:

Regarding perfect rifles. Didn’t Connecticut Shotgun make a Model 21 double rifle in .22 magnum? How great would it be to take them with that?! LOL

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I actually held a Winchester M21 in 22 LR. It was priced something like $20,000? Been a few years.... may have been more? I remember being shocked

DLSJR said:

I may be naive, but why not hunt them with a shotgun? I think any gauge shotgun with #9 TSS would be outstanding on these tiny antelope. It’d also be a lot easier to hit them. Am I wrong?

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There are guys who will hunt them with a shotgun. It’s a common method to hunt the Blue Duikers in the Eastern Cape as well. They’ll run them with dogs and it’s exactly like rabbit hunting. They run a route, often in a big circle.

The only problem with the dogs is you don't get a good chance to assess the trophy or gender. It's certainly a successful way to get one.

I took mine in Tanzania

Love that 2nd photo pose. Look at the mass! Wow.

DLSJR said:

I may be naive, but why not hunt them with a shotgun? I think any gauge shotgun with #9 TSS would be outstanding on these tiny antelope. It’d also be a lot easier to hit them. Am I wrong?

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Shotgun is likely to break their horns.

I was just hunting Blue Duiker in the Easter Cape. You could use a shotgun but I didn't want to ruin the horns.

I guess if you don't care about display the trophy.

ftrovato said:

Shotgun is likely to break their horns.

I was just hunting Blue Duiker in the Easter Cape. You could use a shotgun but I didn't want to ruin the horns.

I guess if you don't care about display the trophy.

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I’m sure that’s part of it, but a lot of duikers are taken with shotgun and horns are still largely fine. I think it’s more the hunting style. Shotgun is used when called in or chased with dogs and likely to be moving. I’ve seen 3 species of dik dik. The shots are generally the same 25-100 yards away standing alongside road. It’s not suited to a shotgun that I’ve seen.

My Damara dik-dik mount is ready to come home.

I requested that they try to have his little mohawk standing up on the mount,
It’s not the best mount I’ve ever seen, but I do think dik-dik can be pretty tough to get right, especially with that unique “trunk” like nose and their facial features.

All in all, I’m pretty pleased with him and ready to get him home. Maybe I should have just done the little skull?


Also... I had the "back skin" tanned What on earth was I thinking?
My friend said a beer can Koozie .... better than my idea of a thong for my girlfriend.

375Fox said:

I’m sure that’s part of it, but a lot of duikers are taken with shotgun and horns are still largely fine. I think it’s more the hunting style. Shotgun is used when called in or chased with dogs and likely to be moving. I’ve seen 3 species of dik dik. The shots are generally the same 25-100 yards away standing alongside road. It’s not suited to a shotgun that I’ve seen.

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Yeah, I would say for where I hunted dik-dik (Damara subspecies) in Namibia, I was glad I had a scoped .22 Hornet.

The scope became pretty useful just to pick him out of the grass. They camouflage like crazy.

He was also paired up tightly with a female, as they typically are in a bonded pair. It was a little too far for a shotgun, and with the female staying so close to him, I wouldn’t have wanted to risk wounding or killing her.

The scoped .22 Hornet was pretty much perfect for the situation.

Was that 22 Hornet a rental or your own? I've brought my own but it sure is nice to borrow a rifle for 1 or 2 shots

@dchum I like the mount just fine. If I ever kill a dik-dik I will probably full body him to show off the blue colors on the back but the back skin is an option as well.

I shot a damara with 375 h and h solid in Namibia as a target of opportunity. I did take a blue duiker in Eastern Cape with a benelli SBE and shot it with bird shot from a blind at a water site. Didn't mangle up the body.

dchum said:

My Damara dik-dik mount is ready to come home.

I requested that they try to have his little mohawk standing up on the mount,
It’s not the best mount I’ve ever seen, but I do think dik-dik can be pretty tough to get right, especially with that unique “trunk” like nose and their facial features.

All in all, I’m pretty pleased with him and ready to get him home. Maybe I should have just done the little skull?
View attachment 792406

Also... I had the "back skin" tanned What on earth was I thinking?
My friend said a beer can Koozie .... better than my idea of a thong for my girlfriend.
View attachment 792409

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Although having a girlfriend with a thong made of Dik-Dik would be priceless!

When I get mine, it will complete the tiny 10 goal. For that reason and because they are so small, I will have mine in a full mount. If I ever got a 2nd round of tiny 10, it might be cool to have them all in euro mounts but not as my first choice. Beautiful creatures.

slam8031 said:

I shot a damara with 375 h and h solid in Namibia as a target of opportunity. I did take a blue duiker in Eastern Cape with a benelli SBE and shot it with bird shot from a blind at a water site. Didn't mangle up the body.

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The only one I have hunted without success so far is the little blue. We were at a little spring in the woods of EC. The female would come to water and the male would hang way back. If given a chance, I don't want to take the females even though that is easier sometimes. Ugh...I hope to get one in Moz next year along with the suni...leaving only the dik dik of the 10.

Green Chile said:

Was that 22 Hornet a rental or your own? I've brought my own but it sure is nice to borrow a rifle for 1 or 2 shots

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It was a camp gun, An old German Anschutz with a little Nikon scope.

We put out a redbull can at 40 yards and hit right in the center so we took it out that afternoon for the dik dik, worked great. The ammo provided was CCI FMJ 22 hornet, dropped him.

I saw a lot of them just north of Otavi. It was the last species I needed to finish the tiny. They were just too docile and small for me to pull the trigger. We saw a monster with a broken horn and the owner/ph shot it cause he had never killed one in 20 years of guiding. I took a picture with it and I figure I saved about 7k tag + shipping! Sometimes it just ain’t worth it? He shot it with a 458 solid from the truck as it wondered about- no damage! Only awesome trophy I got was this ancient eland! Never seen ivory tips on any of my 9 previous eland? He had worn out teeth also.

Namibia in the Kunene region. We got 3 of 'em w/ John v.d. Westhuizen (Westfalen Safaris-Son got 1 w/ a rifle, then bow and I got one as well.) All in similar country-where the Kopje-covered hills meet savannah and within reasonable proximity to water (puddles in a small river that winds through the bottom of the same country, eventually becoming a dammed up lake a couple miles downstream, aka Elephant Camp. They have since built a beautiful modern lodge, but the old one was just fine with us!) 14 days but we had a lot on the plate. No pics where I am, but perhaps on their website. (I was hoping my Son would marry their daughter, but it was not to be.) LOL He even went back to see her, but now 15 yrs later, he's somehow found the courage to survive. Will not be a hard hunt (but you will see lots of pretty country! HOT/DRY country,) and I think the ranges ranged from 10-30 yds. The bow was fine, the 375 w/ solids was fine, but the 264 WSM (I put a 160 gr Woodleigh in thinking with the high SD it'll just poke through like an arrow...nope! It blew a nice chunk out the exit side, but the taxidermist took care of it with a pose featuring the other side. I'd suggest a .22 WMR w/ 40 gr FMJs and the damage will be minimal (and you're good to <150 yds!)

Hi All
A mate and I hunted using KMG Hunting Safaris. shooting 2 Dik Dik
one was 3" one was 3.5" had a great time.