Saw some nice Gemsbok on my trip to S.A. and tried for them for two days, And figured out they are not too water dependant, so they don't come to watering holes too often, and where I was hunting them in the Limpopo, it was thick brush and trees, they move alot, and get spooked easily. Well my question is, How do you tell a bull from a cow? I have looked at several pics of them in the Hunting report section, and see a few cows, that look like bulls to me, Its hard to look at their underside because they are in thick grass or knee deep in some shrubbery, their bodies have the same blocky build (IMO), I was told to look at their horns, I was told that the bulls have shorter but thicker horns. Please enlighten me on some good advice, I know Namibia and some other places are better for Gemsbok but, I want to do it in S. Africa...Thanks, Chuck

I'm coming back to S.A. and I want a Gemsbok really bad!...but I want to work for it.

I had the same issue in the Limpopo. "Typically", the bulls have heavier horns, especially at the bases.

Gary
DRSS
NRA Lifer
SCI
DSC

Shoot one in Namibia for half price...and the grass is shorter so you can see the belly

Cheaper than $1200 ????? by the time I pay the extra cost to go there that Gemsbok would be a little more....CK

I paid $400 for mine in Namibia. Of course that was a few years ago, but I still see them at very reasonable prices.

In general, the bulls will have heavier bases and be a little shorter. Cows' horns are "skinnier" and may be a bit longer. Of course, there are exceptions to this. The best way to tell is to look for the penile sheath, which is difficult to spot but is the surest way.

As mentioned already, thickness of the horns is what I am told is the major difference when you cannot see the underside.

The grass is not always shorter in Namibia, not in a good rainfall year:





I think the trophy fee for my bull was $400. Looks like it has gone all the way up to $425 now. My airfare from JHB was not that much.

[Click pictures for larger version.]

Desert Ram, I have a question for you...I once was stationed with the A.F. in Alamogordo,NM and spent alot of time viewing the gemsbok (oryx)there at White Sands, someone told me the facial markings are a little different from cow and bull, is this true? I can't tell the difference. Also do the horns on the cows curve back more rather than the bulls that seem to me go straight up...I want to be sure on this and get really good at identification.

quote:

Originally posted by AKsheephunter:
Desert Ram, I have a question for you...I once was stationed with the A.F. in Alamogordo,NM and spent alot of time viewing the gemsbok (oryx)there at White Sands, someone told me the facial markings are a little different from cow and bull, is this true? I can't tell the difference. Also do the horns on the cows curve back more rather than the bulls that seem to me go straight up...I want to be sure on this and get really good at identification.

I relied on my PH for confirmation that it was the bull we wanted.

Thanks for the pictures Charles, I am learning now, looks like the bulls have a wider "V" (spread) too.

Charles Helm, I have viewed your pictures of the gemsbok thru your gallery posted...and that is a fine Gemsbok indeed!!! nice solid thick bases too with good horn length...I now have Gemsbok Envy!!! thanks for sharing...Ck

AKsheephunter: Lieb DuRaan in South Africa (Northern Cape) has some of the very best Gemsbok hunting in the country. My first bull with him was 42". My hunting partner shot a 41" female that year, and the next year shot a 41" male. Others who have hunted with him have consistently shot Gemsbok over 40". So, if you are interested, pm me for more contact details.

As others have said, cows are usually longer, thinner, narrower and often horns are not as straight, especially at the ends. Sometimes I think they look even longer because they are skinny and not as straight. A bull will usually have heavier straight horns that look like a V. If you see a really heavy bull, there won't be much doubt.

I do not believe you can count on the "shape" of the horns or the spread of the "V" as a relaible way of telling males from females. I have seen both males and females with curving (arced) horns, narrow V's, wide V's, etc. The best bet is looking at the bases. The very fine rings on the bases of a bull give it considerably more mass. I realize that seeing a gemsbok for the first time gives little room for comparison, but that is why you have a PH. Once you have seen a few, it is almost instantly noticeable.

Bill

http://www.zingelasafaris.com/gras/fees/

Gras Ranch in Namibia. Very nice quality there. $540 for a male, very reasonable daily rates, outstanding accomodations, and very, very friendly people.

When you're not hunting them, they lineup broadside in the open for you.



As soon as you even have a thought of shooting one of them they disappear into the bush.



My friend John McKenna and PH Armin Fietz with an oryx cow taken a couple of months ago on Etemba Hunt and Safaris farm. Note the longer but skinner horns of the female gemsbok.



Here's my bull oryx taken a couple of years ago. Note the shorter but thicker base of the male horns.

Namibiahunter

Like has been said, the bull's horns are heavier and may be shorter. I've found that the shape varies more by animal than by sex. At 200 or 300+ yds it can be real difficult for the visiting hunter to positively identify the best bull. In a small herd there may not be alot to compare, and in a large herd they will all tend to blend together.

I shot this bull last year in the Northern Cape. We stalked the herd for over an hour and couldn't get closer than 348 yds. There were two good bulls in the herd. My PH liked one, our Tracker liked the other. I couldn't tell the difference. When my PH and Tracker finally agreed on this one, I did my part and made the shot.

Trust your PH to find you the best bull.

You all have some really nice Gemsboks!!!! Probably one of the nicer looking animals of all the P.G. I do notice that from the pictures, although both blocky build, the bulls seem to have a bigger body than the cows... I don't know maybe its just me. So do the cows tend to score higher than bulls, as a result of their significant horn length??? Just curious.

quote:

Originally posted by Russ Gould:
Shoot one in Namibia for half price...and the grass is shorter so you can see the belly

I agree that Namibia is the place for oryx (gemsbok). The trophy fee at Nomtsas (close to the Gras mentioned above) in south central Namibia is €350. Below is my son's second oryx. Our guide thought it was a male right up until the time we rolled it over to see. He had been right on the three bulls we took beforehand, so even the seasoned pros can have a problem from time to time. Unless you can acutally see the bull's sheath underneath, the only guide is the horns: Longer and narrower at the bases for the cows and shorter and heavier at the bases for the bulls.

Since length counts so much much more than mass, the cows almost always score better. We have three skull mounts displayed on one wall with the cow in the center and higher, being "guarded" by the two bulls. Visitors find them quite impressive.

I knw it is diffycult to see the differnce, but I have one question ?

Why worry YOU ARE PAYING FOR A PH THAT SHOULD KNOW THE DIFFERENCE,

I know we make mistakes, that is true and trust me I have paid some dearly, but that is what we get paid for, We make the call,

quote:

Originally posted by Kwan:
I knw it is diffycult to see the differnce, but I have one question ?

Why worry YOU ARE PAYING FOR A PH THAT SHOULD KNOW THE DIFFERENCE,

I know we make mistakes, that is true and trust me I have paid some dearly, but that is what we get paid for, We make the call,

Yup.....that's what you paid him for!!!!

Namibia is THE place for Gemsbok! Sine quo non. I was amazed on our safari last year where we hunted both RSA and Nam. The Gemsbok are bigger and the horns longer, period. And did I mention less expensive. My only drawback to taking another Gemsbok will be where to put it. My first South African Gemsbok has a half inch clearance horns to ceiling, and it's not even a particularly good trophy size. Still I have my eyes on another big Namibian Gemsbok in 2010.
LLS

not all bulls have shorter horns than the cows. this one is 44 inches with 8 3/4 bases. tak en in central Kalahari area of Botswana. it pretty much dwarfs the 40 inch cow i took in RSA

HELLUVA TROPHY, Jdollar!

Excelent trophu Jdollar.

gemsbuck is hard to judge especialy when they are alone there horns and body size stay in relation the whole time. a lot of young gemsbuck have been shot thinking its a big animal. i look at the bases thick = bull thin = cow and if you can fit a horn between the two horns its normally a cow.
its not always easy

Length and girth of horns may be the medal criteria for the gemsbok trophies but, for me, how the horns are protuding from the head is equally important. I've passed on oryx bulls that had impressive length because the horns were offset at different angles, upwards, back, and/or sideways. Too noticeable of a bend in one or both of the horns also detracts from the aesthetics of the trophy presentation. The oryx, to me, one of the most beautiful animals on Earth, should have symmetrical horns to be trophy-worthy.

One-horned oryxes have their worth also - as delicious table fare.

Namibiahunter

quote:

One-horned oryxes have their worth also - as delicious table fare.

Oryx was by far the favored game meat on the farm we hunted in southern Namibia -- but I suppose that is only because they had a commercial contract for all of their springbok so they ate none of it at home. All of the orxy backstrap I had was excellent -- grilled, fried, and broiled.

I agree with Namibiahunter that the symmetry of the horns is as important as the length/mass to the trophy quality. We saw lots of oryx on this place and all seemed to have two nearly perfect horns arched in a graceful "V". It seems to me that oryx from wetter, brushier locations may tend to have more asymmetrical horns and horns that depart the skull at different angles or which have different curves, sometimes even exhibiting "bends" or odd deformaties. Could this be a result of inbreeding? My impression is that the oryx, a desert dweller, when found on South African farms in the wetter areas, are all stocked game which did not previously occur there indigenously.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:

quote:

One-horned oryxes have their worth also - as delicious table fare.

Oryx was by far the favored game meat on the farm we hunted in southern Namibia -- but I suppose that is only because they had a commercial contract for all of their springbok so they ate none of it at home. All of the orxy backstrap I had was excellent -- grilled, fried, and broiled.

Now you guys are onto something...

Let the PH worry about identifying the bull while you concentrate on placing the shot. They are damn strong animals but there is no tastier meat IMO. T-Bone steaks braaied with a lemon & herb marinade.....

quote:

When you're not hunting them, they lineup broadside in the open for you.

As soon as you even have a thought of shooting one of them they disappear into the bush.

Amen to that, but it seems most of the time that it true with all animals.

AKsheephunter If you can't see the penis sheath the bulls will have heavier horns. One of my clients took this 40 plus bull in S.A.

Very nice bulls guys! so I guess 40" is the benchmark to shoot for in a bull huh? trying to figure out length wise whats exceptional and whats not. How long of a shot did you all take? My experience in the Limpopo, when stalking these guys they always looked towards you, they had very keen eye sight, I swear they can see thru trees and brush, just couldn't get a decsent shot.

I think alot of my problems was when my PH said, "take him when your ready" I took it for granted, and my pre-shot routine took too much time,they are not kidding when they said you have to shoot fast!!! especially Gemsbok!

The latest issue of African Outfitter magazine had a VERY informative article on gemsbuck, with some great ideas on estimating a decent horn length.

Here is their link:

African Outfitter - Gemsbuck article

Thanks Stephen
its a great magazine with alot of good tips i havent missed a issue there is a few AR members in it too

Sir,

I cannot find annything wrong with the advice given here, and I can also ad (I did not read ALL the threads, so sorry if I repeat something that have been said) the cows sometimes have one horn that has got a "kink" in it, or the tip pointing outwards. Not as a rule though. Your PH should have this squared away, and the trained I can see the difference immediatly.

The best way to hunt Gemsbok in Northern Limpopo is in August or September, when the leaves are down a bit, and then track them from Waterholes or slat licks. It works for all the bigger animals in that area, and makes for a great hunt.

PH must of course be able to do this, and it is sad to say that too many guys nowadays does not have the skill....

Good luck, and let us know when it is on the ground!

www.infinito-safaris.com

No shame in shooting a cow. Some of them are darn nice!!!

I just wanted a nice one. Cow or Bull didn't really matter to me. On day 8 when my PH insisted I shoot the one in the middle, I didn't question, I just pulled the trigger. I got a bull I'm very happy with. I know there are bigger ones especially in Nambia but this was the biggest bull I saw on my trip to RSA.



Just 35 1/2 inches. Very heavy though with nicely pronounced character rings at the base. No regrets, I like him quite a bit.

Trust your PH, Gemsbok aren't easy to judge and at first they ALL look great!

Your PH is the one to trust, if he is a PH he knows which one for you to shoot...He can tell by the bases of the horn if its a bull or cow and he should be able to com within a half inch of size...

Namibia or RSA both have excellent trophy Gemsbok, just depends on whos concession your on and how well its managed..both have open range low fenced hunts.

Sorry for the delay. I've only looked over several hundred oryx here and in Namibia. However, I have not noticed for sure that there is a difference in facial patterns. There is some variation in the pattern among individuals, but I could never tell that those differences identified the sex of a gemsbok.

When I got my first Gemsbok the PH said there is your bull. The Gemsbok was standing on a hill top alone and he thought it to be a lone bull. It turned out to be a big baren cow. Total SCI score 95 2/8. I am happy. I have taken some others for Leopard bait in the 34"-35" size bulls and cows.

Beautifull animals indeed.
The one I got was an old bull who was kicked out of the herd and suffered from a fighting wound in the belly.
Not big in horn, just over 30", but heavy bases and a worthy old warrior.