Limpopo Bushbuck is next on my list for safari #3. What an awesome critter! I'd love a life-sized mount, if I score.

The closest I've come was June of 2001. I was stalking beside a river near Ellisras when a full SOLAR eclipse occured. It was one of the strangest things I've ever seen. Birds began roosting and normally nocturnal animals started moving. A shooter bushbuck ran across the road, but alas, too quickly for this old fart.

I've heard they can be mean bastards if wounded ... true?

Love to see some photos of yours ... mounted or in the field!

PS Anyone here taken a bushbuck with a bow?

My Limpopo bushbuck, taken in the Save Valley:


My Chobe bushbuck, taken near Chinoyi:



George

I was very luck to kill one on my first trip to RSA last fall. I had him on my list, but din't want to get my hopes up too high after reading storys from guys here chasing them on a couple trips and not getting one. I wish the hunt story could have been a little more exciting, but after chasing them along the river for 3 evenings in a row we just happened apon him at about 2:30 in the afternoon bedded under a bush looking the opposite direction at about 75-80 yards.

The rest is history. He's 17.5 x 16.5 with 6" bases. My PH said that they had been chasing this guy for the last couple years. Later that evening while we had called hunting quits for the day and where down along the limpopo watchinf game come out with our wives, we spotted another monster... probably 16ish... We watched in awe. We coudln't believe that we had seen two monster bushbuck in the same evening!

Here's an example of the Chobe variety taken in Zim's Ntabeni Conservancy in 2001.

Here ya go.

East Cape bushbuck. Second photo shows the PH hauling the bushbuck back to the side of the lake I'm on. The X marks where it stood when I shot it from a ridgetop across the lake. Shot was a ranged 255 yards with a .264 WM and 140 gr. PP bullet. -TONY

Stagman,
Here's a Limpopo bushbuck I took this past August.



I had shot him at dusk, but not very well and he got into 8' reeds. The PH and I went back to camp, got some bright flashlights, picked up the little Jack Russel blood spoor dog, loaded a Rem 870 with slugs, had a stiff drink and a smoke, then we went back after him. He was prepapred for the worst as the bushbuck do have a nasty temperment when wounded. We found him dead in about 5-10 minutes, and he had made only about 10 yards into the reeds. We were fortunate.

They are a great trophy and I wish you luck in your pursuit of one.

BigBullet

Limpopo Bushbuck taken along the Limpopo River in 2002.
Ruger M77 MkII in .30-06 Springfield.
Limpopo Province, South Africa

-Bob F.

Here's a Limpopo Bushbuk from my 2004 hunt right in he Limpopo River dry areas.

Wow, some great monster bushbucks here folks, I'm impressed. Here's mine, taken in June05 with John Sharp. We saw and heard many, finally got this guy coming out of the reeds. 15/3/4". 300 Weatherby (yeah I know overkill) 180gr Prtitions.. Bullet entered the front left shoulder, he was quartering towards me, and excited near the rear ham. Bugger still ran back into the reeds and the PH wasn't happy. These little SOBs can be right nasty when wounded. jorge

Yes, they can be mean bastards when wounded. They can also become one of your obsessions in hunting Africa, and one bushbuck is usually not enough as you can see from the beautiful pics posted here.

Here's my Limpopo Bushbuck taken in 2003.

I hate to say it, but I'm almost green with envy. I've yet to get a Bushbuck and I've been over there 5 times now. I've seen em, I've shot at em, I've seen other people shoot em, but I've never cut a hair off one. For some reason I go all to pieces when it comes to Bushbuck. Nothing else seems to rattle me, but put a Bushbuck in front of me when I'm hunting and it's pretty ugly.

But, I'm going back in 2007 to try it again. Terrible sickness I have.

Cheers

Mac

Bushbuck is on my list this fall in the Selous. Thanks for the posts. I had no idea I would be hunting dangerous game (other than the buff and croc I'll be chasing). I guess those little buggers could punch some nasty holes in you if they had a mind too. they are pretty.

Bushbucks are one of my favorite trophies in Africa I've taken 3 Limpopo's. Check out the different colors of the 3, they were all taken in the same area, Southern Zimbabwe, Chiredzi River, same safari company and PH (Buffalo Range Safaris - - Brent Leesmay)3 years in a row - - - -

2001- - 14 5/8 horns



2002 - - 13 6/8 horns




2003 - - 17 2/8 horns

quote:

Originally posted by stagman:

I've heard they can be mean bastards if wounded ... true?

Last August in the Selous I shot an average size Chobe bushbuck with a 300 grain .375 as it was running straight away from me. It was a classic butt ringer shot. It went down in some weeds.

As the trackers, PH and I approached it was down and facing away. Blood was everywhere. I could see that the bullet went in just beside the tail.

As we were about 4 paces from him he jumped up, spun 180 degrees, pointed his dagger-like horns straight at us. They were roughly parallel to the ground as it came quick for Dominic, the tracker in the lead of our group. It all happened nearly as fast as the time it takes to snap your fingers.

Dominic just leaned forward and grabbed him by the base of the horns just before the bushbuck would have stabbed him in the gonads. It was a good thing the horns were not longer than they were.

Then Dommy threw him like a cowboy throws a steer and twisted his neck trying to choke him.

That little feller kept kicking and twisting such that Twiga had to jump in and help choke him as I grabbed the back legs trying to keep him still.

Pierr'e had a great laugh over all our antics.

I would not have imagined that bushbuck could do all that after being reamed out with the .375.

hey palmer!

Hope your mounting him in a fighting pose!

Taken in 2004 in Binga area of Zambezi Escarpment with a 300gr. Swift out of a .375 H&H.



Neat little animals.

Kyler

Kyler,

great color on that Bushbuck!

Congrats!

.

On page 2 of trophy rooms you can see my full body mount, I agree the full body mt is the only way to go to pay due respect for such a great animial. He measured 14 4/8 both sides.

I'm sold. Bushbuck will definately be on the menu if I go in '07.

Never had considered Bushbuck as a priority in the past. Your postings, Gentlemen, have made a serious impression on my future desires. Thank You all!
Max

Bushbuck? Happy to oblige. Took this one last week. I have pursued this animals for three trips, and finally decided a different tactic- got down in the jess near a river in Limpopo with a 12 guage! Rousted one and popped him from 30 yards. Well, after spending days and days pusuing this species, the novel approach paid off...in about 20 minutes! Just noticed----why is my rifle in the photo???? and not the 12 g.? Ooops!

live4the stalk

Nice bushbuck! Really good heavy horns!
love those Buchbucks! got mine kinda the way you did, but no shotgun, a .270. Walked the river bottoms, few steps, stop and watch method. stalk all 3, none ever saw us.
"Bushbuck Walks" I called them. Would do it again in a second!

Congrats on a great buck!!

quote:

Originally posted by MAC: I hate to say it, but I'm almost green with envy. I've yet to get a Bushbuck and I've been over there 5 times now. I've seen em, I've shot at em, I've seen other people shoot em, but I've never cut a hair off one. For some reason I go all to pieces when it comes to Bushbuck.

Sorry Mac for sounding cruel. If I'm in the vicinity you won't shoot a bushbuck...

Its amazing how diverse their colorations and body-types can be. Some dainty, some all bulked up ... some fawn-colored, others dark and thick haired. Such neat trophies.

Thanks to all ... I think this post just made my cravings much worse!

Stagman:

If you really want an unusual bushbuck hunt as part of your safari, consider a Zimbabwe hunt with Matapula Safaris. I hunted with them at their northern camp. They hunted bushbuck by rubber boat in the Zambezi River. It was great fun doging hippos and looking at crocs bigger than your boat. Very productive too, took a 15" and probably would have done better if I had any patience. Matapula is a great outfit!

I had to join in the fun.

After reading a number of Bushbuck threads in preparation for my September Zambia safari, they were high in my trophy to-do list (following the buffalo of coarse.) So you can imagine how stoked I was to get this guy while hunting with Sarge in Peter Chipman's area in the Luangwa Valley. He measured 16 1/2 inches.



One question for you all - My bushbuck had a pretty spotty cape/hide, with lots of gray patches void of hair. Is this common for bushbuck, or maybe a factor of time of year (late September)?

Thanks

Outdoor Writer,

How the heck did you accomplish that pose on this animal without any visible props?? The head appears completely unsupported.

Neat trick, if you don't mind sharing. The eyes look great too. Did you do anything there as well?

Chobe bushbuck taken on the Mkwasine River, Save Conservancy with Buzz Charlton this past June. This was a great stalk and hunt. We dropped off at the river crossing into the Mwkasine block and Royal drove about two miles ahead so we could cover the riverine terrain slowly on foot. Beautiful, cool, clear morning and all the birds out singing. After the first mile we spotted this ram on the sand warming himself in the early morning sun. We closed to about 125 yards using the river reeds as cover and one shot from my .375H&H capped off a text book spot and stalk hunt! Wish I were back there right now.

quote:

Originally posted by Widowmaker416:
Bushbucks are one of my favorite trophies in Africa I've taken 3 Limpopo's. Check out the different colors of the 3, they were all taken in the same area, Southern Zimbabwe, Chiredzi River, same safari company and PH (Buffalo Range Safaris - - Brent Leesmay)3 years in a row - - - -

2001- - 14 5/8 horns



2002 - - 13 6/8 horns




2003 - - 17 2/8 horns

Damn...Brent looks like a little kid in that picture.

Jeff

quote:

Damn...Brent looks like a little kid in that picture.

Hey Jeff!

Brent was a little kid in that picture! 19 years old!

This is a chobe bushbuck shot in the Zambezi valley, with my sako .375 H & H at 219meters (rangefinder). great animal to hunt.

and i have it full mounted and it also made great eating.

quote:

TheBigGuy: How the heck did you accomplish that pose on this animal without any visible props?? The head appears completely unsupported.

The photo has a bit of border around such as I get when I photoshop it. Probably nothing more than an edge-enhace technique like "unsharp mask," though.

Jaywalker

quote:

Originally posted by Jaywalker:

quote:

TheBigGuy: How the heck did you accomplish that pose on this animal without any visible props?? The head appears completely unsupported.

The photo has a bit of border around such as I get when I photoshop it. Probably nothing more than an edge-enhace technique like "unsharp mask," though.

Jaywalker

If the supports or props for holding up the head were photoshopped out, that was a good photoshop job indeed. But if there does exist another way to accomplish that effect, with out visible props. I'm interested.

Dougaboybuff,

Your Chobe bushbuck is really beautiful with excellent coloration. Must look fantastic as a full mount.

JPK

thanks JPK, here is a (not very clear) picture of it mounted.

I shot this one on the Limpopo river on my first and only trip so far. Bushbuck were really the only thing on my listtat I was dead set on getting. He was shot off of Dennie the PH's shoulder ath 125m and he dropped on the spot.

the funny thing was that I was trying to get Dennie to sit still so I could shoot it and he was trying to glass it and see if it was good enough!! I'd already had a good view of him and had made the decision but with ear defenders and whispering neither of us could hear what the other was saying!! The ranch we got him from had produced a couple of huge bucks in the last couple of years and mine was probably a bit below the average size, but I wanted a banker. Next time I'll be more fussy.

Anyone that has Bushbuck as a priority I would really reccoment speaking to Dennie. They have heaps up there.

Big Guy,

I used PS and cloned out the single prop that was on the left side of the head. Did it with all the critters because those props drive me nutso. Even got rid of the ones in my warthog's mouth. Nothing done to the bushbuck's eyes, however. But as I always do and suggest to everyone, use a FLASH, even during mid-day! -TONY