I was wondering if anybody out there would be willing to help me out. I'm hunting in SA near Upington on a buddies sheep farm (30K hectares)for five days with my brother on a self-guided hunt in June. I'm currently studying abroad at Stellenbosch University for a semester and I have never hunted gemsbok or springbok before. I haven't been able to locate any advice on field judging for trophy quality on the web and can't locate any info (other than expensive books. If someone out there does't mind sharing there knowledge, I would greatly apperciate it.
Thanks in advance.

A Gemsbocks face is about 17 inches long, it will be larger or smaller for different gemsbocks. Thats kinda a rule of thumb for the PH I hunted with. So if the face looks to be about 1/2 of the horn length, the gemsbock would be around 34 inches long. Another thing to take into consideration is NEVER shoot a Gembock by itself unless it looks huge (horns just look 4 feet long.) For the straight horned species its tough to judge an animal if its by itself. Within a group it makes it a little easier since you can distinguish between large or small animals and then start judging horn size.

Off subject but on area. Is there still a Ralph's Restaurant in Stellenbosch?

quote:

Originally posted by wamuley:
I was wondering if anybody out there would be willing to help me out. I'm hunting in SA near Upington on a buddies sheep farm (30K hectares)for five days with my brother on a self-guided hunt in June. I'm currently studying abroad at Stellenbosch University for a semester and I have never hunted gemsbok or springbok before. I haven't been able to locate any advice on field judging for trophy quality on the web and can't locate any info (other than expensive books. If someone out there does't mind sharing there knowledge, I would greatly apperciate it.
Thanks in advance.

Gemsbok grow in proportion. That is a small Gemsbok will have horns in the same proportion to it's head as a large one.

That is another reason to never shoot a single animal until you have seen a lot of animals to make an educated guess by. Also distance is decieving because a small one can be closer and a large one farther than you think be cause of the proportionality.

A grazing gemsbok that has horns that carry on up past the back will be interesting. But then you have to check to be sure it's male (not always so easy if the grass is belly high. Look at the bases for mass and see if the body is blocky and massive appearing. I'd not heard of the face length comparison, but factor it in, too.
On Springbok, look for mass in the bases and horns that curl back. Believe there's a formula for horn length vs. ear length, but can't recall it.
Regards

I'm with Tim. I was told that a Gemsbok whose horns are above its back with its head down grazing is a nice trophy. The further above the back, the better. Again, with Tim, if the tips of the springbok's horns have turned to the rear, and it has nice bases, it is a decent trophy. Kudude

Does anybody know the back to brisket dimensions for gemsbok and springbok??

- mike

I've never had an animal I struggle with more to be 100% certain that it's a big trophy specimen. The comments above which have undoubtedly come from expereicned PH's telling clients these things are spot on.

A gemsbok horns and body grow at what seems like the same pace. Unlike most other animals whose body grows first and then the horns grow and mature later. Gemsbok are the only antelope born with horns, which is likely why they can seem larger then they really are even when the animal is small.

For many of us we use the ear length on deer, Pronghorns, bears, Wildebeast, etc and as known measure. It will not work with gemsbok, nor will the length of the face. If you were to assume the length of the face was 17" for a mature adult with horns twice the length that would be fine. However that same gemsbok when it was younger will have had a 12" face with exactly proportional horns and body size. How would you know that? Especially if he were alone.

Another very good suggestion is picking one out when you see lots of them in a group. Odds go up from there very quickly that you will shoot a larger animal. Shooting one that is all alone, while you're in a rush, without plenty of time to look it over is nearly always a bad idea. Seeing a single Gemsbok at a great distance you will struggle to make good sense of what you're seeing for trophy size.

When you can get within 100 yards of one, and you have some time to look him over you can make a good decision. But beyond 100-150 yards a lone animal will not be easy for a novice to judge for trophy quality.

As A side note, you may be doing this on a friends farm but to get the trophies out of RSA you will still need a PH with a log book to finsih the paperwork. Should not be a difficult issue but be aware that non-resident hunters cannot get the tropies out of RSA without that Log book page from a PH.

I don't know about springbok, but if you see a mature gemsbok that can scratch his Butt with his horns you should take him.jj



MIne had a nice rub spot on his backside where he had been scratching.

Thank you very much for the replies. Billinthewind, as far as I know there is not a Ralph's restaraunt in Stellenbosch anymore.
JJHACK, I really apperciate you letting me know about the paperwork necassary to export trophies from RSA. I'm trying to put this together while trying to do well in school and it is a pain in the ass! What would you suggest I do, contact the closest taxedermist and get his opinion or what? I'm going to be hunting out of PE for 14 days right afterward with a regular outfit, should I contact him and see what he thinks? I do know that the neigboring farm is owned by Americans and leased for hunting, maybe they could arrange any neccasary paperwork for a fee. Please let me know what you think.

Wamuley
Use the following to judge trophy size:
1)Springbok - The ear = 7", Where the horns curl=12" (ram)
2)Gemsbok - Where the rings end = 18"
Hope this is of help.Enjoy that self guided trip!
Jan

Kudu

I took my tape to 5 Gemsbok that range from 36 to 44 inches, all males. The rings range from 12" to 23". There is no correlation between the longest rings and the longest horns.

I guess where the rings end being 18" is as good a guess as any other means! I have three sets here handy from 34" to 37" and the rings end at 12-14-15 inches. The 37" bull had the rings end at 14" The 34" was just over 12" and the 34" was just under 14". Non have them at 18" but then none are 40" bulls either.

With this little bit of Data collected from these couple posts I would be more inclined to say that the rings end more around 14" but this may also be a regional thing as well. From the PH perspective, When judging game I would always error on the smaller side with my guess anyway!

It would be interesting to see what others have found with this measurement. Is there any way to compare a bull/cow to horn length with the span of the rings? On the surface I would say not for real accuracy. However it may define a young smaller bull or a much larger bull when they are alone without others for size comparison.

I have a 42 incher and the rings end at 17 1/2

quote:

be interesting to see what others have found with this measurement. Is there any way to compare

My female is 43" and her major rings stop at 17".

Hi guys
Guess I am a "normal" hunter, always want it bigger and better.Looks like I will use 14" in future, this way one can end up with a bigger than expected trophy.
Jan

I too have a 42" male and the rings on his right horn stop at 23". He was taken near Douglas, South Africa.

The back on a mature gemsbok is a good measure of length. When a bull lowers his head to drink or graze look at how the horn tip relates to the top of the back.If it is even with the top of the back he will measure about thirty-six inches.Any more than that and I start to get ready for a shot.

Also the mass should be a consideration although for most, not the primary one.