I recently spent a couple weeks in RSA and Namibia. I'll try to report on various aspects of the trip as time permits. In RSA my first hunt was with Zulu-Nyala Safaris, Rory Turbitt the PH. They are near Richards Bay and part of the Zulu-Nyala Lodge. I was after Nyala and Common Reedbuck. I took a representative reedbuck the first day and a 28" Nyala on the second day. Third day we went after a better Common Reedbuck and stumbled onto this one. This is Rory Turbitt and his crew.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/mattnorman/Reedbuck2.jpg



Here's another photo with me. Tape measures are not something I carry with me when hunting but am told this one will score quite high. Rory said it was 15 1/2" and that didn't include the base "bulb". He said it was the biggest one he's seen come out of Zululand recently.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/mattnorman/Reedbuck1.jpg



I was using a 300 Weatherby Magnum on a Pre-64 Win action. Ammunition was stiff handloads pushing a 200 grain Nosler partition. I shot this reedbuck at about 100 yards quartering away and the bullet did not penetrate all the way through, which I found odd. This same load as gone through a couple kudu and gemsbok, but the offside shoulder of a 100 pound reedbuck stopped it.

Matt,

I've taken 3 common reedbuck but yours dwarfs my largest of 14+ inches. That thing is a trophy of trophies. It may not mean anything to you but I would have it officially measured for SCI. I'm sure it will rank very high.

You brought up an interesting point about penetration. I shot my last reedbuck in its bed at about 175 yd. and the the 180 SAF at 3150fps from my 300 entered left of the brisket broke the right shoulder but did not exit. Weird! The same rifle with your 200 gr NP at 2960fps shot completely through a 65" moose and broke bone. As long as I hunt I'm sure I'll never figure out anomalies like the above.

One more thing. You mentioed that your reedbuck only weighed about 100 lb. Perhaps it is feed and area but I have shot reedbuck that would easily go 150lb. or more.

Regards,

Mark

It might have weighed 125 or 130 pounds. I will have it scored and entered, but I make a point of not allowing a number on a tape measure determine how much fun I had hunting. I knew it was a good thing when it took the PH a 2 second glance through the binos and said "TAKE HIM!". I dumped him in his tracks and when Rory ran up to him and threw the shooting sticks up in the air in celebration I knew it was a special trophy. Rory Turbitt of Zulu-Nyala Safaris is a good guy and this is a good place to go for nyala. He works out of the Zulu-Nyala Lodge. I saw 8-10 shootable nyala in three days of hunting.

I'm going to try one more time getting this photo posted in real time....

Wow, what an old war horse!

Fantastic Redbuck!! Congratulations!!


Regards,
Dave

If he is as old as he appears, his teeth are probably worn to nubs, which would account for low body weight due to trouble eating.