What makes the Roan such a desirable trophy?

Not many of them around.

While I was hunting buf my wife waited at a watering hole and had 3 roan come up to them...However were not able to shoot... Even though they they were 25 yds or less...Wife very excited...

Mike

The money!

Roan, because there are so few around on offer, cost a lot of money to hunt. So, methinks, it is the prestige of being able to afford to hunt one that makes them so desirable as trophies?

Roan, with no room for argument the second biggest antelope is by far the most expensive to hunt. Go figure.

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren

I think they are a neat antelope, but I was blown away by the Zambian $4,000 US trophy fee. I think I'm going to have to pass.

If there is any way to swing it, better get one now before they are all gone. Roan are extremely hard to introduce into a ranch environment (apparently don't handle the stress of relocation). So if you have a chance at a wild one, it will probably be a once in a lifetime chance.

Regards,

Terry

There are roan in Mozambique, but none on quota.

Like sable they are expensive because they are few in number compared to kudu. And a lot of guys want one because they are few in number, which just pushes the price higher.

.

Check out my trip under the Hunting pages for a trip I took to Cameroon. I hunted hard for 7 days before I took a bull with 31 inch horns. I found them to be an extremely interesting animal to hunt.

If you want a big roan, check into Cameroon. I hunted with Ngong Safaris and they had huge herds of Roan in their concession.

Mac

The Burigi area in Tanzania
9close to the Rwanda border has huge herds of them but I've never hunted them up there.....

One of the places we use in Namibia also has a roan population on the property - They've never been hunted but we did catch a few this year and will probably hunt one or two either next year or the year after.

......Great looking animal though.

A Roan Antelope is a darned impressive mount!
Clownish black & white face, long fringed ears, and close to 30" sable like horns...he's a stunner in any trophy room.
I shot one in the good old days (1980) in the Tondwa-Kaputa Concession in Zambia and saw a lot of them at that time. This just south of Kantaga Province in what was then Zaire. I've had them on license in Ethiopia several times (Sudan Roan) but never was lucky enough to get a shot at a good one. Last ones I saw were in 1989 a days 4x4 drive from our Gura Farda elephant camp down on the Dima River. They were 500 yards away and running like crazy. Lots of Sudanese refugees (a.k.a. poachers) in the area then.
I did take a really nice Lelwell Hartebeest in the area though and then saw one that would have been in the top 5 easily. I'm sure there still are some areas in extreme Western Ethiopia that could support the taking of a few Roan bulls each year but...so much to do... so little time!

Rich Elliott

The only roan I've taken was in Tanzania's Maswa area, some ten years ago. I found out right away that they are not only somewhat rare, but old roan bulls are very smart and very spooky as well. In every way, they are a great trophy, and similar to the related sable.

I have my roan mounted in the same room, directly across from my sable, and both mounts were done so that those animals appear to be looking at you when you enter the room. Roan and sable compliment each other very well.

One of the most unusual and expensive trophy animals I've ever encountered in Africa was the unusual 'Angloan' roan, a herd of which Jan Oelofse maintained on his property in Namibia. I don't exactly recall what the trophy fee was, but I think Jan was asking right at $10,000 for a trophy bull!

I didn't want one that much!

AD

Usangu Safaris, has a lot of Roan in their Lwafi concession in Tanzania. CHEERS

If I remember correctly, the trophy fee for that 1980 Zambian Roan (Southern Roan) was the pricely sum of $750 as was the 41" Sable I took on the same Safari.

Rich Elliott

Scott,

Money is a factor in everyone's safari planning but if there is a roan on quota avaialble to you please tell John you want it. You don't have to shoot one but if you don't ask for it you'll not have the chance.

In my mind a roan is head and shoulders above a sable as a trophy. I shot a 27" in the Luangwa and it was 1 of 3 bulls we saw and the only one that was not running full tilt.

If someone is specifically looking for them as Rich mentioned Tondwa is an excellent place in Zambia for big roan, sable, sitatunga and you don't need to book a long safari to hunt them there. I also found them quite common in the Rungwa area of Tanzania and of course the trophy fee is much less than in Zambia.

Mark

LOOK AT THE WEST AFRICA

In Burkina Faso and Benin, the Roan (it's name is KOBA there)

is one of the most common antelope, for a price around 500$.
In touffic area You can see about 100 kobas every day. Only mature males are shootable.

In Cameroon and the CAR they are plentiful too but less than in BF and Benin, but more than in Senegal.

In Zambia I dont know the estimated numbers within the GMA's BUT there are a small number of Roan on private owner operated game ranches /

At our own Dendro Park Ranch we have around 60+ of the specie in total, male female & new borns

Cheers, Peter

Peter, just stoped by my office to check mails etc after watching Ken's hunt with Alan. It is fun to watch every now and then. Very nice Roan.

.

Alf,

You are not quite correct in your statement. Roan in Southern and Eastern Africa are fairly scarce, but not in North Western Africa. I made a safari to Cameroon in 2004 with Roan as the primary animal and I can state from first hand experience that there are a hell of a lot of them in that area.

I would imagine that I saw somewhere around 700 of them just in the area I hunted and from talking to others that have hunted other regions of Cameroon, Benin, Burkina Fasa and the CAR, they experienced the same thing. If you statement of only 10,000 exisiting on the entire continent is correct, then between myself and a handful of others have seen virtually all the roan in Africa ourselves. I just don't think your facts are correct. Roan are probably the most numerous large antelope in that region.

I looked over a lot of bulls before I finally took an old monster with over 30 inches of horn. See the photos on the hunting page here on AR. Roan are an incredible animal and I would not hesitate to hunt another one sometime.

Mac

Alf,
I fear your informations are not correct. In Burkina I saw about 100 roans every day and the other team the same.

Toufic the outfitter told me yesterday that only on his area there is more than 1000 roans roaming, for the benefit of the lion. Roan are the favourite lion's prey.

I saw plenty of roans in Benin too.
In the CAR, they were scarce in the area I hunted last year (I'll hunt in 4 weeks again) for this region is not the savannah but has a more closed and dense vegetation, turning in deep jungle in the valleys. The roan habitat is the savannah and open plains so as to protect themselves from lion.

Here is a picture of an old Koba I sweat a lot to shoot . The old guy wearing a hat is the poor Diadama, our guide who has been killed last year.

.

Dear Alf

God forbid, I don't want to constest the work of Dr Philippe Chardonnet, a world specialist concerning the lion and who is now in charge of surveies of all the antelopes in Africa.

"quote" Lower valley of Singou 1.5 roan/km2, Burkina Faso
Eastern Burkina Faso 0.77
Western Africa
Benin Pendjari complex 0.61"

I know Toufic area, 800 km2, in Singou region; that makes 1200 roans. Toufic says 1000.
Add many similar outfits in the same part of the Burkina Faso....... = a couple of thousands of Roans
When travelling in the Pendjari region in Benin (continuing the Arly reserve in Burkina) I saw at least as much roans. The Pendjari-Arly complex is spreading by far over 10 000 km2.......>6000 roans. The Atakora is similar........>2000 roans.
So, one can say that there is over 10 000 roans in Burkina F, at least the same in Benin.
Toufic (who met Chardonnet 2 weeks ago) told me that the North of Ghana is swarming with game, a pity hunting is closed. Here can be found a couple of 1000 of roans. BTW, I hope to have a look at the hunting opportunity in Ghana in march and help to reopen hunting there.

You know Alf, Dr Ph Chardonnet is a very capable guy and a leading expert, the kind of people who can mess up when believing he is acting for the game and hunters' wellfare. I have an example concerning Burkina's lion.
My four best Africa-hunting experts+friends are permanently linked with Chardonnet. On my post back from the CAR when answering Gabriel Boghossian, I wrote "Concerning poachers :
I saw they don’t even pick the elephant meat. In the past they picked any meat to make biltong, they collected lion hides and eland trophies.
Now they collect only ivory and kill buff or eland, for their meat is the best.
These guys are over 3000 and have 3 huge headquarters in the CAR. My PH and a scientist flew over these camps to have GPS locations of them. They are crawling with hundreds of camels, horses and asses." I am speaking of Chardonnet, the scientist.(By the by, I am still waiting for JORGE carpet-bombing these bastards
When I said my lion was an old warrior, Chardonnet estimated him about 12 years old and ask the skull for the Paris Museum.
IMO this expert could be a real asset for this forum.
Thanks to you, I'll do my best to entice him to join us.

send me a PM I know where you can hunt a Roan on a ranch in Namibia added to a 10 day typical PG hunt the trophy fee is $2500.

quote:

Toufic (who met Chardonnet 2 weeks ago) told me that the North of Ghana is swarming with game, a pity hunting is closed. Here can be found a couple of 1000 of roans. BTW, I hope to have a look at the hunting opportunity in Ghana in march and help to reopen hunting there.

JB,

While I was in northern Ghana, I didn't exactly see swarms of game, but we did see quite a lot, and more than in many other areas of west africa. I'd be very interested in hearing more about what you find out regarding Ghana, and potential hunting there. It's quite a nice country, with friendly people.

Hi Erik,
First of all, I am extremely upset (and infuriated) by the BS Carmello spat on You. If You want to corner him I'll be pleased to help You.

Concerning Ghana.
Poor Toufic was in France and in deep shit for his cardiac valves had to be repaired ASAP. I and a couple of friends checked him but we couldn't have him operated on before Xmas. He has been operated on in Reims (Champagne maintown) and is feeling well.
During the preparation for his surgery we spent long days talking about Africa, hunting in Africa and Burkina......and secret projects.
To thank us we are welcomed in march in Burkina for a very sensible price.
It happens that my cousin is looking for special agricultural products easily available in Ghana.
It happens that Toufic is badly wanting the Ghana hunting to be reopened and wanting to have a closer look at the North-Ghana where he is observing plenty of game. Derby eland? Perhaps Bongo too.
It happens a wellknown sucker, myself, is stammering English and can help.
Thus, albait our hunting the CAR in january, we'll hunt in Burkina and visit and explore the Ghana. Toufic is a famous and prominent VIP in Burkina, Benin and Ghana. This is a real challenge, but it can be won.

Hello Jean B. de Runz /

Thank you for the good information on west africa region, and good luck for the future in Ghana as well ..

Just a short questions,

Do you MAYBE also know of a French hunter & Outfitter [ MR. Nicolas de Lesguern ] whom has a hunting company based in Bukino Faso ?

Regards, Peter

Hi Peter,

Nicolas de Lesguern.

Damn, I cannot know all the aristocrats in France. NdL is a genuine aristocrat from Brittany. He is a rich and capable man. He was trained by my friend Toufic in Burkina Faso and then ran a camp draining posh guests.
He is kind of a trade agent for French gov in Burkina Faso. His job is mostly transportation, but last news say he is now in Abidjan (Ivory coast).
Ndl is no longer an outfitter.
Regards jb

Hi JB de R

Thank you for the reply and information.

I dont know Ndl myself but he did actually visit our ranch in Zambia some few years ago now with some of his own personal clients whom wanted cape buffalo //

All the best for 2006

Peter