I am new to African hunting and planning my first plains game hunt in 2005. I have seen more than one post where somebody talks about an upcoming hunt and what they are going to shoot. Usually, they will list Kudu, Wildebeest, Zebra, Gemsbok, Cape Buffalo, ect, ect, and sometimes dik-dik. Why a did-dik? I mean, come on. Am I missing something? I not going to bring my 22 rifle. Are they as much fun to shoot as armadillos or turtles off of logs? Will a varmint bullet make 'em explode into a red mist? Okay, sarcasm mode off. I would really like to know what is the attraction of the little antelope. I am actually contemplating shooting one and presenting him with a full body mount.

RAC,

At first I had no interest in the miniature antelope, also.

After a couple of trips to Africa, I have taken a Steenbok, have no interest in duikers, and would love to have a dik-dik mount hanging next to a L.D. Eland shoulder mount, just to give my friends a glimpse into the stunning diversity of game on the Dark Continent.

Rick.

Why not a dik dik,or a steinbuck or duiker or klippspringer?
Dont sell the little African antelope short.They are,as a whole,very challanging to hunt, They make beautiful trophys,they are inexpensive to hunt and to mount and one wall will hold a whole bunch of their mounts.What more could a hunter ask for?

Bravo

you should bring your brother and let him feed the dik-dik out of his hand and when the thing impales him on twin 5" horns hell be screaming for you to shoot the dame thing off of him.

I found hunting Damara Dik-Dik to be quite challenging actually! They were smart little guys, and it took quite a lot of sneaking around to finally get one. I tried for about 4 afternoons before getting lucky.
I had no interest in small antilope the first time I hunted in africa, but found after a while that the little ones are just as diverse and interesting as many of the big ones.

Not everything is about size!

Erik D.
www.dunia.no

I think the small antelope are as sporting as the larger species. A good Klipspringer of Duiker seems like a better trophy to me than a Zebra or Wildebeest.

Well, I've never hunted dik-dik but I have hunted Steenbuck. In fact, on my last trip to South Africa in 2002 Steenbuck was high on my priority list; right behind Bushbuck which was number one on my list. And as Bravo said above, I found them to be a challenge to hunt. We spent an entire day trying to get a Steenbuck. As the photo shows, I took this guy about 4:25pm in the afternoon. I wasn't having much luck so I settled for the first decent one I could get a shot at. This one's horns only ran about 3 3/4". He's not a great trophy as far as horn length is concerned, but he's a nice representative example of the species. Don�t overlook the little guys or turn up your nose at them. They can be a real challenge.



Just my 2 cents�

-Bob F.







Ruger M77 .30-06 using 220gr Woodleigh soft point at 2460 fps.

As a challenging hunt the "tiny ten" are as tough as any Africian game. Granted they are not as dangerous as the big five but they are hard to get, I mean hunting them not taking one by chance. I have 7 of the 10 and want the other three more than finishing the big 5. They are good hunts and very hard target. The single most prized trophy I have is my Blue Duiker I am proud of those 1 3/8" horns. I hunted 3 days for my Dik-Dik and I am very proud of him. I am having all of mine mounted full body. As to price pound for pound they are very expensive. figure it out $1000 trophy fee for a 5 to 6 lb. Suni. I won't be able to hunt for any on them this year but next year probably will go to RSA just for them and maybe take some incendental things like Warthog and Impala just for the fun of it.

the small antelope are very challenging to hunt & my table top pedestal mounted duiker is beautifull. I wouldn't mind a Steenbuck & Klipspringer to go along w/ it.

RAC,

Like others mentioned I was not interested in the small antelope on my first safari but now I try to shoot whatever of the small guys are available. As for the dik-dik I did finally get one last year in Tanzania. We saw tons of them but getting into shooting position was a real challenge. All the small antelope are great sport and should not be ignored because of their size.

Good Hunting,

Mark

Hunt the little guys just once and you will be hooked! I think I would also rather have a trophy room full of duikers from around the continent than a complete big 5. I certainly know they could fit in the trophy room easier.

Best,

JohnTheGreek

ErikD!
Where did you hunt the dik-dik..? Outfitter? Booking agent?
I`m going to hunt dik-dik as well as other plains game in Namibia this summer..
Your trophy looks nice! How many inches?

Anyone who knows what the Rowland Ward minimum is?

Anders,

The Dik-dik was shot a little south of Kalkveld with a guy named Georg Engelhard. I wouldn't recommend him. To be honost, he was more than a little bit of a Nazi and went on quite a lot about how big a pity it was that Germany lost WW2! Something my mother, who was hunting with us didn't appreciate much, since she and her family were kicked out of their house/farm so the Gestapo could use it as their regional headquarters... Obviously he didn't know much of Norwegian history! The hunt was though Sigurd Halvorsen a couple of years before he quite the hunting business. Maybe for the best?

The Dik-diks horns are 7 cm (2 3/4 inches?) long each, and 4 cm (around 1 1/2 inches?) around the bases each. Not huge, but a decent adult. I'm sure you'll enjoy Namibia, it's a great country.

Btw, do you have any input on our countrys gunsmiths? I'm thinking of having a rifle built instead of buying a factory gun. Time to sell the Blaser .375H&H and go back to a bolt action in that calibur!

Erik D.

www.dunia.no

"Hooked" is the right term!

I'm really into the small antelope myself, and I can't think of a class of animals that can be more challenging or more fun to hunt.

AD

Sounds like a great country and great animals to hunt!!

Regarding gunsmiths. I haven`t got much experience with different gunsmiths.
I`ve used V�gsland for some small jobs (repair, recoil pads etc.). Very good. But I`ve heard he`s a great gunmaker as well. He has a good reputation of both wood and metal work.
As we speak, I`m waiting for a rifle from Kjell Tonheim. I bought a Schultz & Larsen without a stock, and he`s making the stock for me. Upgraded wood and better fit for a tall guy like me...
I`ll give you some input on the result.

Anders

BTT