Duiker vs Mountain Reedbuck vs Steenbok

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seattlesetters

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Im really wanting to take a small antelope or two in Africa, but without breaking the bank. Out of:

Grey Duiker
Mountain Reedbuck
Steenbok

Which have you all preferred to hunt and why? What’s the “must have” of the three? Which do you covet most? Which makes the classiest trophy?

Craig Boddington answered my question in his Live talk yesterday and said getting a small antelope is awesome. I’d like to do it on his advice.

I know I’ll hunt Vaal Rhebok someday but for now, one or two of these will have to do. Thanks!
 
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Personally, I vote Steenbuck. Hunting them in the early hours of the day and late evening is challenging, and they are just an awesome animal.
 
I never shot one, but I enjoyed watching the little duikers sneaking along at Blaauwkrantz, amazing little creatures. You can get pretty close to them by accident.
 
Steenbok, the four second animal. That's about all the time they give you've to shoot. :D This nice one took a horn from a battle with another and was dead the next day.

P1010083.JPG
 
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Steenbok hunting is a blast. They are beautiful, a very underrated trophy! I will say gray duiker can be quite clever! They hide in the bushes well and run at the first signs of trouble. The fur on a mountain reedbuck is very soft. They are can be hard to hunt at times too, they have good vision and can lock on you from far away. I definitely would like to do more steenbok hunting.
 
Steenvok and duiker are equally awesome. Duiker more common and visible. Steenbok also very territorial and see them today you will find them in the same area everyday!! Tend to stick around in pairs... both have superb, sharp horns and make beautiful full mount trophies.
 
I really like all three and to me all three are great trophies - usually a great hunt for a beautiful unique animal, and the trophy fees tend to be very reasonable - so, one or two this time and then the others next time. I would tend to hunt them by location, concentrate on whichever species has the best trophy quality in the area you plan to hunt, some places may only have one or two of the three.

My first hunts were in the Kalahari in Namibia, it was a great steenbok area, and a very challenging hunt, really enjoyed it. My third hunt was in the Waterburg Mountains, Limpopo province, they had good Mountain Reedbuck, so that was a natural. Saw a few grey duiker, they were extremely shy and wary, never concentrated on them and never saw what I thought was a shooter. But now they really have my interest, planning for Eastern Cape next, and most of the outfitters I talk to, cannot believe that I have Grey Duiker very close to the top of my hitlist.
 
To add a 4th...dik - dik !!!
I had this opportunity years ago in Tanzania. We often had to slow the vehicle down to let these little guys get off the track/ road...PH told me to take one, but my focus was on buff And other big 5 at that time...said I would take one AFTER the buff, lion and leopard!! There are SO many in the road etc. yeah right...after became never as we never saw a dik dik again! Now To go and get One is a fortune instead of just an add on to the 21day Safari. Live and learn....
 
I’m with IvW. Chasing a trophy mountain reedbuck is a wonderful experience - normally in beautiful surroundings.
 
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enysse said:
... The fur on a mountain reedbuck is very soft...
Click to expand...
Eric, are you confusing mountain reedbuck hair with Vaal Rhebuck fur? I can't tell the difference in the hair of my mountain reedbuck and common reedbuck mounts, but the fur on my Vaal Rhebuck feels like soft bunny fur. :)
 
Of those three I'm on team Steenbok. Beautiful little animals and my first African trophy. Would love to get a bigger one.
 
Steenbok are a nemesis for me. I've seen hundreds, perhaps over a thousand, but never one we wanted to take. So for me given an opportunity at a good one is a no brainer.

Mtn reedbuck are smaller versions of the Common, beautiful animal.

I still have not taken a common duiker either.

I guess my best advice is if a solid trophy of any of those three presents itself to you, don't think or argue about it, take him. You'll get over the money spent if that's even an issue soon enough. You won't get over the memory of "I should've taken that ____ when I had the chance" until you finally do, and that could be a long time.

Once you've got the first of the three down, take one of the other two again if it presents itself to you. Keep the third for your next trip.
 
@seattlesetters, In my experience, all of the "little guys" can be fun to hunt. Many times these little antelope are targets of opportunity while you are hunting larger animals, often if you are specifically hunting one of them, they can be very challenging. My advise would be not to pass on an opportunity at any of them.

Of the three that you mentioned, the Grey Duiker is probably the most common and widespread. I only saw Steenboks in one of the areas that I have hunted in South Africa, and like others have posted, they are quick to run. The Mountain reedbucks that I have seen have all been high in the hills and have keen eyesight.

They all make great trophies and shoulder mounts of them don't take a lot of room.

On the hunt when I took my first Steenbok, I had him skinned for a shoulder mount. Several days later at another camp that I went to specifically for Vaal Rhebuck, they had a full mount of a Steenbok inset in a wall that I really liked, but too late for my cape.

I've had shoulder or shoulder wall pedestal mounts, some on wood branches, of all of my little guys except my Cape Grysbok that I had done as a full mount.
 
They are all pretty reasonably priced..... I would think you could hunt all 3 for under $2k..... The Grey Duiker & Steenbok probably $500 each.... maybe $1000 or so for the Reedbuck.
 
I really enjoyed specifically targeting a gray duiker. We would see fleeting glimpses of them while transitioning the dirt tracks in the hunting area and caught a few flashes of them while we were looking for other species. They got into my head and after harvesting many other trophies I decided I really wanted to try for one.

My PH, Louw with @KMG Hunting Safaris, and I spent just over two days looking, walking and waiting for one to show before connecting. We hunted as hard or harder for the gray duiker than any of the other species.

This summer I have Steenbok very high on my list for Zimbabwe as well as another small antelope, the Klipspringer.

Put them all on your list!
 
I’d love a Klipspringer & a Vaalie.... both kinda pricey for little dudes. But man are they on the list.... it usually comes back to haunt me.... but I always say.... it’s cheaper to shoot one now, than pay to go back and get one later. Yet, I keep going back......
 
I saw lots of Steenbok and quite a few duiker on my first trip. I had not been interested in the small antelope and had ignored how reasonably priced they were so passed. I have regretted it. The little Steenbok is a beautiful animal and very high on my list for my next trip in 2019.
 
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