Most Coveted Animal in Africa?

[WyoBull]

This may sound bush league compared to what a lot of you put on your list but for me, I would love to get a huge Bushbuck. I was not successful in getting one on my first trip but only hunted them for one day near the end of our hunt. I just think they are really cool and one day will hopefully get one.

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

This may sound bush league compared to what a lot of you put on your list but for me, I would love to get a huge Bushbuck. I was not successful in getting one on my first trip but only hunted them for one day near the end of our hunt. I just think they are really cool and one day will hopefully get one.

They are cool. Even though I wasn’t hunting them, when opportunity presented, I didn’t hesitate to take a mature buck….

 

[FlyGuy]

This may sound bush league compared to what a lot of you put on your list but for me, I would love to get a huge Bushbuck. I was not successful in getting one on my first trip but only hunted them for one day near the end of our hunt. I just think they are really cool and one day will hopefully get one.

Bushbuck are mostly a target of opportunity.
They usually pop up when you’re looking for something else.
Best thing about them is that no special equipment is needed.
A good old 30-06 pushing a 200gr bullet, is more than enough for every bushbuck in Africa.

 

[MAdcox]

I’m just 32 days from going after my #1 animal- that I knew I would one day get to go after- Buffalo on the Luangwa River.
But when you add animals I will never have the funds to hunt it’s an easy choice of Lord Derby Eland, followed closely by a classic stalking hunt for wild lion.

 

[DLSJR]

This may sound bush league compared to what a lot of you put on your list but for me, I would love to get a huge Bushbuck. I was not successful in getting one on my first trip but only hunted them for one day near the end of our hunt. I just think they are really cool and one day will hopefully get one.

I was once visiting a friend, Dr. Bill Pritchard, who had vast African hunting experience (60+ safaris from the 1950’s to about 2016 or so) and we were sitting in his study discussing Africa. At one point I asked him what his favorite animal was to hunt. Bill didn’t hesitate and said “Bushbuck”. Here was a fellow who hunted through the Golden Age of African hunting, had taken hundreds of African animals in just about every country that one could hunt in and his very favorite animal to hunt was Bushbuck.

@WyoBull you're in good company.

 

[Throwback]

If you were to pick just one animal that you could hunt, outside of common PG, what would it be? This would likely be a high ticket item, to include DG and some of the more majestic and less commonly taken animals, or just difficult to hunt.

I always appreciate the reports about Bongo, Lord Derby Eland, Big 5, and Dry Land Hippo, I know there are a bunch more and that’s what I want to hear from you about.

Black Rhino.

 

[steve white]

IF I were to recategorize "most coveted" to only include what is realistically available, I might go with a great bell shaped Nyala.
Man, I saw a beauty outside Natal--unfortunately, I was riding in a jeep with others--in a game park.

 

[BGGMKLR]

I love different animals to hunt but that said I love different experiences in hunting. So I'm not especially looking for a specific animal as for specific terrains and experiences, different cultures and countries. I love to do a true rainforest hunt, a desert hunt etc.

Would love to hunt a Giant Forest Hog just to complete my "Swine Grand Slam".
Sadly, I'm not interested in traveling to or hunting in the few countries where they are on the menu.
That, and given the outrageous price tag (IMHO), rules out the possibility.
Soooo...that said...
Buff.
Every year...sometimes twice...
for the rest of my life.
Best
Spike

 

[Redfishga1]

1. Bongo
2. Lion

 

[Leadwood]

Pygmy forest elephant bull.
To finally settle the myth and long-standing debate about (1) it's existence and (2) it's classification using DNA.
[ A mature bull is the size of an average hippo ].

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

I just achieve my #1 with a giant leopard. After that it’s the exotic spirals Mountain Nyala, Bongo, Lord Derby, Lesser Kudu, Sititunga, followed by a giant dark maned wild lion and the gazelles/Massai

@FlyGuy youre 100% right on Ethiopia. It’s probably my #1 dream country to hunt in Africa

 

[AZDAVE]

Sunday- Elephant
Monday- Leopard
Tuesday- Buffalo
Wednesday-eland
Thursday-Buffalo
Friday-Elephant
Saturday-Roan

 

[Muskox]

Trophies I covet:

Mountain Nyla
Giant Forest Hog
Giant Eland
Bongo
Big Botswana free range lion with a black mane
Ancient elephant bull, don't care about the weight
50 inch Cape buffalo with a dry cap
Mr Spots
Black rhino in the wild 80 years ago


Hunts I covet:

Full Bag Ethiopia hunt with both the Bale mountains and the Desert

Full Bag 30-21 day lion, hippo, croc, leopard, elephant, with all the plains game someplace wonderful like the Luanga, Selous, Masailand, Rungwa, Okavango, Zambezi

Fun Bag Central African Giant Eland safari with multiple licenses and 21-30 days to do as much as you can do. A fringe Bongo-LDE area would be tops. I think Fred Duckworth's old area was that way.



Hunts I will probably get done in the next 25 years:

Non-Class A animal hunts in Central Africa

Non-cat 10-14 day hunts in Southern Africa for buffalo, croc, and hippo but probably not together

Plains game hunts in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana

Speciality night hunts for hyena, civet, and so on.

Not really interested in paying the steep price of North American hunts outside of self guided, and maybe some black bears.

Not done with Europe, but I have accomplished what I have intended.

 

[TheGrayRider]

Jack O’Connor wrote in his book, The Art of Big Game Hunting, on page 12, “ Where tall, thick brush or heavy forest or combined… The hunting is really tough. This is why that forest-haunting antelope of Kenya, the bongo, Is considered a trophy of such high rank… Even if the Hunter gets within a few feet of a bongo, he usually gets no more than a fleeting snapshot.”

Craig Boddington writes in his book, African Experience, at page 102, “ burnt orange in color, with prominent white side, stripes, black and white facial highlights, and thick, smooth, gently spiraling horns, the bongo is one of the world‘s most fantastic creatures… The African forest offers some of the most difficult hunting on earth. Visibility is measured in feet, there is Little wildlife to be seen, often for days on end, and the Hunter must constantly stoop and crawl to Negotiate the latticework Vines and branches. There are no easy options for bongo hunting..”

May 19, 2024. Lokomo area, SE Cameroon. Two years ago this month since the African jungle forest hunt. I still think about the journey almost daily and remain grateful, thankful, and blessed for the opportunity. I’m still awaiting the full-body mount of the bongo from the taxidermist and hope to return to the jungle someday.

Good luck this coming season and happy hunting to all, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.