The Sable is the most regal looking and beautiful plains game species, or so it's been said by more than a few visiting sportsmen. Magnificent is another adjective that comes to mind.
Is hunting them the challenge one would believe it to be, considering their place in the African hunting world? Are they as tough as many believe? How do all of you rank them?

With limited experience...the following comments. (1) They are very regal looking and very tough. (2) They occur in herds and as long as they have some distance between you and them, they can be slow to take off and tend to look at you back over their shoulder as they move away. That said, when they decide to go they are as quick as a quarter-horse at getting off the mark. I loved to watch them go.

The kudu is a much more elusive animal that, for me, it was tough to get a clear shot on them. They do seem to fade in and out of the background. Theis is almost a cliche but they seemed easier to keep on the ground than a sable. Their body-type seems almost "lanky" in nature while the sable is built like a solid welter-weight boxer.

Another beautiful animal is the oryx or gemsbok which is also a "horse-like" antelope like the sable. Beautiful and tough and hunted in much different terrain mostly.

As far as ranking them, and ignoring the high-dollar hunts like the bongo and Lord Derby eland, I would put the sable and kudu as #1 and #2 and you pick the order...with the gemsbok as a strong #3.

An aside! The sable looks best from the side and the kudu looks best from the front.

John,

I have probably shot about 15 sable, and there is no doubt in my mind that they are the toughest of the plains game animals I had the opportunity to shoot.

I have had some tough hunts, and some very easy ones.

Sometimes we would be driving along, and we would see a sable, follow it for may be a half hour and bag it.

On other occasions, I have followed sable for hours on end, without being able to take a shot. But as you know yourself, this is part of the fun of hunting in Africa.

I have used two rifles to shoot all these sable. Some were shot with a 270 Ackley, using both teh barnes 130 grain X bullets and the 140 TBBC. And some were shot with a 375/404 with the Barnes 300 grain X bullet.

The ones shot with the 375 seem to die quicker than the ones shot with the 270. But, we have noticed this with most animals anyway.

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saeed@ emirates.net.ae

www.accuratereloading.com

He is undeniably regal, majestic and self-assured. He his rugged and willing to stand his ground. He has driven off and killed lion. He is to be approached with caution until confirmed dead. With all that, he is almost too easy to hunt. A very beautiful yet highly vulnerable animal whose future is in question.

Athletic is the word I've used to describe sable. They are very beautiful and move with a very fluid motion. The area I hunted them in was more open than the area I hunted kudu so we saw a bunch of them but they were very tough to get up on. We found them in the long grass at the edge of heavy bush. When they took off they were just as apt to go for one as the other.

I "collected" several ticks as we hunted for them in the long grass... uuuggghhh..

My sample size is very small (one) but the sable I shot dropped like a rock. As soon as I shot my PH made me run up next to the obviously down and dead sable and shoot him again. He said the year before a hunter dropped one the same way and they walked up to him, the hunter laid his gun against the shoulder and broke out the camera. The hunter got behind the sable and the PH went around to take the picture. Just as he was snapping the picture the sable jumped to his feet and took off into the long grass never to be seen again. The hunter paid his trophy fee and all he had to show for it was a black blur in a photograph... Tough luck, huh? They figured the shot had gone high and caught one of those bones that sticks up above the spine knocking it out and the rest is hist... Well, the rest is a really good story, isn't it?

Crosshairs,
Yep, that's a good story alright ... as long as it happens to somebody else!
"Athletic" is real good. - Nick

I've never been to Africa and don't know if I ever will (It sure would be nice though). I called my good friend and taxidermist Ian Chase Dunn the other day in which he excitedly told me the results of his recent safari in Zimbwabe(forgive me if I spell wrong). Chase told me how he took a 47" sable and possibly a world record hyena.(21" skull). Apparently another PH told Chase and his PH about a huge sable his client (a Spainard) had missed. After loosening up the PH with a few drinks , Chase's PH was able to figure out the general area where the huge sable was missed. The next day after some hard hunting, the duo happenened upon a huge sable in which Chase took em with his 338win mag. The PH stated the sable was the largest he has seen in his entire hunting career. The hyena was taken at night from the truck using a spotlite and playing a tape of a lion vs hyenas tape. Live weight of this hyena was estmated at 315lbs. Chase's PH was escatic about both animals and could not get over how someone could be so lucky on their first safari. I think this story will be in the SCI magazine. Chase also told of Texans driving hundreds of miles across South Africa to see this huge sable he took. I don't have the name of his PH but I think he went with Safari Trackers out of Zimbwabe. I'll confirm this later. sure-shot

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I'm headed to the Selous next year. I have a sable on my trophy list. I understand the sable in the Selous are the Roosevelt's sable. I also understand that the Roosevelt's sable is the smallest of the sables (both in body and horn size).

What would be a respectable trophy size on a Roosevelt's sable?

Regards,

Terry