One day, in the Caprivi Strip, as we were driving around looking for elephant spoor, we spotted this old stud stallion zebra, just guarding his herd. My wife took this photograph with a long lens:



Now, you have to understand. Zebra were like vermin around there. More numerous than prairie dogs in Montana. Literally thousands.

So, over a week later, after I had killed my elephant, we put a stalk on a herd of zebra, and I killed one at 125 yards with my .416 Rigby.

My scope had gone belly up on the flight over, so I was using iron sights. Just as I broke the shot, as the zebra was quartering away to the right, a very powerful gust of wind slammed us hard, and moved heaven, earth and at least one bullet, from Botswana, on the right, to Zambia, on the left.

Among other things, my bullet was moved at least a foot. Given the quartering angle of the zebra, it did not break his front shoulder, but instead hit him hard in his right hip. He and all the rest of the herd broke and ran fifty yards off, away from us and the Chobe River.

We couldn't figure out what had happened. But then, we saw three stallions jump on and overpower another. They all pushed him and chewed and bit him all about the neck.

He was the one I had shot. We got up and walked up to the herd. Nothing but well-chewed and inches high grass separated us. They saw us coming, and all, save one, ran off. The one that stayed was mine. We walked to within fifteen yards of him, and then I spined him. He died instantly. Here he is:



I think he is the same one my wife photographed a week and a half earlier. I didn't realize this until we had got home, and I had sorted through our pictures. He sure looks the same as the one we had seen before.

My wife thinks so, too, but is not as sure as I am. What do you think?

I'd say it's the same one.

Several years ago, my hunting partner, PH and I put a long difficult stalk on a buffalo bull out on a flood plain. My partner shot him and he came straight for the tiny island we were on (the only cover for a half mile in any direction). The island wasn't going to be big enough for all of us and it was a gun battle to keep him off the beach.

We went back to camp with the old, old bull and a big story to tell. When my wife saw the buffalo she said, "That looks like the tame one I took a picture of a few days ago."

Sure enough it was. They had driven right up to the unmistakeable old bull and took several pictures when they were on a photo drive. My hunting partner will never live that one down.

Looks like the same one to me.

Yep:
Same Zebra, or his twin!
Congratulations, nice one.

I'm certainly have no experience making the call. So in my humble and worthless opinion.

Looks like the same zebra to me. Every distinguishing stripe mark on the face and body seems to match up. As far as I know those are supposed to be like fingerprints.

Maybe someone else can spot a difference.

No dissent here. Same zebra. Freaky co-inky-dinky.

Any slight differences in line and color are readily explained by the positioning, lighting and focus.

I'd say with out a doubt that is the same Stallion.

Look at the odd pattern of the two strips just forward of the hind quarter. It is the same boy no two ways about it.

You are now entering the Twilight Zone..

How cool is that ?

Can you get him to stand up in the second picture?

Looks to be the same. Ask his momma, I read somewhere that they recognize their young by the stripe patterns.

Same one. Great story.

To my knowlege every Zebra's skin pattern is different from the rest, it is like a fingerprint. The two photos are of the same Zebra. What a great coincidence.
Very nice trophy.

100% same, i have no doubt at all.

Nice zebra, I think they are one and the same.
He looks great in both pictures btw!

Can you tell us a little more about the scope failure and whether you attribute this to the scope, the rifle case or just one of those things?
Regards,

Gabe B

Great old Stallion you got!

And yes, for sure they are the same! There's no doubt in my mind, Zebra stripes are like finger prints, no two are alike. And this one has interesting markings, the best one is the two waves in the center of the body, then the one on the lower hindquarter, a short wing off the one stripe.

I also interested in the scope problem, great shooting with the iron sights, isn't it!

Wow great story, helluva coincidence! I think Jaco and WM 416 hit the nail on the head... stripe patterns are like fingerprints and no two are the same. The closed-in triangle pattern on the shoulder is another clue and the unique pattern on the upper middle backline and hindquarter identify him as the same stallion!

Looks like the same animal to me to. I've also read that zebra stripes are unique.

The other animal with a "fingerprint" is a Gemsbok. No two has the same face mask.

Seems just the same zebra to me ... good story and quite a curious thing to happen !

Mike,

Cetainly looks like the same zebra to me. Not only that, but he is a stud. Look at his neck in the first picture. Quite a beast. Great story too.

George

I gave your photos a good going over and the two are the same. Good shooting!
Jeff

Defintely looks the same but to double check what does his ears look like on the trophy photo I cannot see if they have gaps in as well and if they are the same gaps and tears then you would know if it is the same excat zebra.

Otherwise I think you are spot on on being the same one.

There are 9 distinct features that is the same on both, 2 on the tail, 2 on the hind quaters, 4 on the body and 1 on the top of the front leg.
With so many similarities there is no question that it is the same stallion.

Without a shadow-stripe of a doubt...its the same stallion!

Cheers,
Canuck

He is the same one. Those stripes are like finger prints!

Thanks for the input on the zebra. We saw so many of them, and I looked through so many photographs, that they ALL started looking alike to me.



I still haven't figured out the cause of my scope problems. My .416 had started this trip with a Swarovski 1.25-4x24mm scope on top.

I had been shooting it very well for several months before the safari. It was very accurate out to the maximum range I used it, which was 200 yards.

It looked fine when I uncased it in camp. But at sight-in off the sticks, I wasn't even on the paper at 75 yards! I thought Vaughan was kidding me when I asked him where the bullet had struck and he replied, totally deadpan, "You missed."

"No way!"

"Yes."

There followed all sorts of adjustments and more shooting. But turn the adjustment knobs as carefully as I would, I could produce no predictable response. The bullets just flew everywhere.

Finally, we removed the bolt and tried bore sighting the rifle at 25 yards. It quickly became clear that the scope was a no-go. Somehow, the thing had broken in transit and the reticle had developed a will of its own.

So, I had to take the scope off and rely on the iron sights. I still haven’t sent the scope back (it’s under warranty), so I don’t know what went wrong. I have two other Swaros in this model, one on a .458 Lott and the other on a .416 Remington, and both have given me good service. Hard to figure.

There must of been some kind of scope curse operating in Salambala last year.

When we went to check sight-in, the 416 was fine but the 8 mag was shooting about eight inches high and left. No problem, I thought, just crank it down and to the right.

Nope. Still shooting high and left.

Crank it down some more. Same results.

I think we ended up with a five or six shot group that you could cover with a half dollar with a scope adjustment between every shot.

The last shot finally landed more or less where I wanted it to and Vaughan said, "Good enough."

I went ahead and shot an impala and a zebra with that gun, but I certainly didn't have any faith in it after the sight-in.

And back home it was shooting two feet low!

Now it has a different scope on it and all is right in its world.

BTW, the original scope was a 6x42 Leupold.

I don't think they are the same. YOu need to go back and shoot a couple more to be sure...

That would be the excuse I would offer my wife...

Could not be the same zebra.

On your wife's photo he looks, alert, vibrant, alive and in total control. On your photo he looks, well, dead!

Very nice story and zebra.

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren

Not to be the lone dissenter here but lookie here.

The shots are taken at different angles relative to the zebra's body i.e. you can't see the area along the spine in the first shot very well. What you can see in the first photo is not inconsistent with what you see in the second shot. Very likely to be the same animal in both photos.

Dean

quote:

Originally posted by ElCaballero:
Can you get him to stand up in the second picture?

Looks to be the same.

I concur, Number 1!

friar

P.s. just looked at Vapo's redline, and I'd second maki's observation. The "kill" shot is simply taken from a higher relative elevation.

Also, look at the distinctive left center shoulder.

Notice the triangular area right in the middle; then note how the short black strip immediately above and left of the triangle nearly touches the tall vertical stripe descending from the spine. Same in both pictures!

I concur number 2, with maki and friarmeier1

You have two different angles with your photo's. There is to many other markings that match up perfectly

I'll concede that camera angle may be the cause of my finding.

There are definitely similarities that are uncanny for sure......and then I, too, must agree.....same zebra!