Starting the Tiny Ten

[billc]

Well on this upcoming hunt thinking maybe of looking for a grey duiker and steenbuck.Seen a few on the last trip and never thought I would even think about hunting them.The cost is not alot for these two but trying to think how many will I want of the tiny ten after taking these.What some of the others cost seems alot for what they are when you see there 2 inch horns and then look at a kudu bull.Let alone the cost of mounting them all becuase most to see the beauty in the animal they all need full body mounts.How many of you guys got hooked hunting the tiny ten after starting with one or two.

 

[SafariA]

If you have doubts do not start ..... It will be like your first hunt in Africa ..... Addictive .... The tiny ten is like a BIG FIVE hunt on its own !!!! Some of them are a really big challenge !!! Good luck !!! It is the challenge not the size of the trophy .......

Happy Hunting !!!

 

[graybird]

Well, I passed up a 3" red duiker on my first hunt in KZN for the simple fact I wanted a nyala and couldn't afford both at the time as I was still in grad school. Been kicking myself ever since then!

I took a mountain reedbuck and common duiker on my last trip over. Going back in June for blue and red duiker, oribi and vaal rhebuck. If I see a suni while hunting red duiker, I'll figure out what to weed from the current wish list, or how to pay for it once I settle from the rifle recoil.

I've got the bigger animals, etc. but I probably get more comments from the live size duiker than I do all the other mounts together including that nyala I just had to have.

Hope this helps explain my line of thinking!

 

[Uintaelkhunter]

Sure if you measure your hunt by the inch or horn size they may not seam great. But if you measure your hunts by the difficulty and experience. The little guys far outweigh the bigger animals like kudu. The challenge is far greater to find a good mature trophy and the ability to shoot him when going after the little ones. The pure fact that they are on the menu of every predator our there yet still survive is amazing. But to watch them go about there daily route so cautious is incredible. I was hooked on my first one a klipsringer. I am now over half way to completing my little guys and I love hunting them more and more with each one. I do full body mount them all as like you said it just don't seam justified to shoulder mount one and cost is not much more than a shoulder mount for a kudu. They also seem to get the most attention in my trophy room as guest seem to be drawing to the full body little guys over all my bigger animals

 

[billc]

Wow you guys help so much.lol I was trying to talk myself out of starting by how small the horns are compared to like a kudu.Now all I hear is how fun and how much a challenge they will be.Was hoping to take the first two with a bow as there seems to be enough of them around to blow a stalk or two trying to sneak on one and still maybe harvest them by the end of the trip.That bad part is the kid will more then likely want to try also so double the fun in the end I guess.

 

[BRICKBURN]

...............Some of them are a really big challenge !!! ....
It is the challenge not the size of the trophy .......

I could not agree more.

...................never thought I would even think about hunting them...........How many of you guys got hooked hunting the tiny ten after starting with one or two.

The last trip over saw the start of my downfall with these little monsters.
Actually, to tell the truth it started with seeing a small red rocket during a hunt at Leeukop. I mistook the little red streak as a young Warthog. I was corrected in my misinterpretation: It was Red Duiker coming out from under my feet moving like a lightening bolt. I never thought about hunting them at that point either.

Read about some Steenbok and then on to various methods of hunting these little guys.

Then Diamondhitch went and chased a nice Vaalie. That was it. The mission started.

Marius had me looking at flights when he posted the latest Oribi hunt. If I could get a flight before it sold I would have likely been going. It sold quickly, so I lost out.

I have a minor substitution for my "tiny ten": Vaal Rhebuck

Then onward as usual.

Damara Dik-Dik
Steenbok
Common Duiker
Red Duiker

Those still in my hunting waiting room:
either Cape Grysbok or Sharp's Grysbok
Blue Duiker
Suni
Klipspringer
Oribi

 

[Code4]

My son is on a quest for the tiny ten with his .243W. Go for it.

A good .223 or .220 Swift would be perfect. Trophy fees aren't as high as large PG but you will spend more time and more on day rates chasing them.

Edit: Thousands of 'hunters' every year drive up and plug a Kudu in a day, these little buggers can provide great hunting.

 

[enysse]

I think it's special hunt for all of them, very addicting. I can see them as special as knocking over a 55 inch kudu.

 

[billc]

How many countries would one need to hunt to take them all.How many can be taken in SA or namibia.I am guessing taking them with a bow would be super hard to do and may take alot of time and money to get done without alot of luck.

 

[enysse]

I think it would be crazy hard to do with a bow, you can take a lot of them in Namibia or RSA, Moz would be another great option.

 

[huntsolo101]

I have . Dik-dik, klipspringer, Oribi, steenbok, grey duiker. All life size. Have hunted cape grysbok with no luck. Will be hunting blue duiker, red duiker and cape grysbok with kmg safaris as soon as money and time allow. Oh and we will be climbing the mountains for another Vaal. I will get my tiny ten with my muzzleloader. I prefer animals that are hard to hit. I tend to stay away from the animals that want to stomp or eat me.

 

[Norwegianwoods]

How many countries would one need to hunt to take them all.How many can be taken in SA or namibia.I am guessing taking them with a bow would be super hard to do and may take alot of time and money to get done without alot of luck.

I would guess the Vaal Rhebok would be one of the hardest one to get with a bow, if not the hardest of all.
But a PH knows this much better than me
I hope to be able to get as many as possible of the Tiny Tens with my bow. Only time and money(or lack of ) will tell how it goes

 

[SafariA]

How many countries would one need to hunt to take them all.How many can be taken in SA or namibia.I am guessing taking them with a bow would be super hard to do and may take alot of time and money to get done without alot of luck.

You will need at least two .... Only Dik Dik does not occur in South Africa . The rest you can do in South Africa . Mozambique has options on a few but your best bet is South Africa !

Happy Hunting !!!

 

[billc]

Not sure if this is easy to answer or may vary between areas.Which of the ten take a special permit to hunt or specail tag to bring back to the states.

 

[Uintaelkhunter]

Oribi are limited on permits in SA. Dik dik only have a few in Namibia but from my research you can get them without to much trouble. No special permits required for US import. Sharps grysbuck only occur in the far northern part of SA so it may be hard and cape grysbuck only on the eastern cape they seem to be the harder ones to hunt as they are very shy and mostly nocturnal. Blue duiker take time and I now some guys use dogs to hunt them. Suni and red duiker are in kzn the suni is another one hard to hunt or find most the time.

 

[HuntingGold]

It looks like I wasn't the only one that really got wound up when Marius posted the Oribi hunt. Even after it was sold, I spent a considerable amount of time on the computer doing research. I woke up this morning thinking about it again...
I may have to put a slush account off to the side to take advantage of offers like this again.

 

[Uintaelkhunter]

I have searched these little guys for a few years now there is a section in the Africa hunter two book about them if you get the chance to read it. I am trying to get the oribi permit for next year with Marius this year I can't make it already tide up with a trip to Asia.

 

[BRICKBURN]

I would guess the Vaal Rhebok would be one of the hardest one to get with a bow, if not the hardest of all.
.......

I agree. I don't recall ever seeing a picture of a Vaalie with a Bow hunter.

These animals stay alive by using open short grass country and will run with the slightest provocation at long distances.
They don't come to water and live in herds, with those obvious benefits to the bow hunter.
One behaviour that helps is they are territorial.

I managed to get into Bow range once in 4 days of hard hunting.
That was not a shot opportunity, it was only in range.

I think it could be done if you spent a week or so at it in a good area.

Rifle range was tough enough.

 

[INGOZI]

I agree. I don't recall ever seeing a picture of a Vaalie with a Bow hunter.

These animals stay alive by using open short grass country and will run with the slightest provocation at long distances.
They don't come to water and live in herds, with those obvious benefits to the bow hunter.
One behaviour that helps is they are territorial.

I managed to get into Bow range once in 4 days of hard hunting.
That was not a shot opportunity, it was only in range.

I think it could be done if you spent a week or so at it in a good area.

Rifle range was tough enough.

None by fair chase any way...

Of the three recorded, one was shot by accident over a waterhole by a unsupervised client mistaking it for a huge Duiker.
The second was a semi tame ram which kept with a group of sheep in a small camp. (The ram was well known and well advertised.
The third and largest was shot with a gun yet the "hunter" posed with a bow. (The tracker who accompanied this "hunter" now works for another well known outfitter and tells that the animal was even kept in a fridge over night).

So no, no man has yet taken a Vaalie by means of fair chase walk and stalk hunting with a bow. I have personally been trying on and off for the past 10 years and will be going on my SEVENTH hunt for one later this year.

 

[enysse]

I think Spiral Horn Safaris offers bow hunts for tiny antelope. I thought even Vaal rhebok too, they use rocks to hide behind and wait for game to come within distance as one tactic.