There are various subspecies of the Greater Kudu so for brevity we will lump all of them together and not get stuck nitpicking the small differences between a Cape Kudu vs Southern greater Kudu, etc.
Marvelous animal, sneaky, shy and a superb quarry for first timer or veteran alike. Okay all, let's here some hunting advice and maybe a story or two thrown in!

A nice Greater Kudu is #1 on my list when I leave for RSA----tomorrow morning!!!

I suppose the Kudu will always be my number one choice of Plainsgame,followed by Sable and Roan...I like to hunt Eland and I love Eland meat. Now I just thought of another canidate or two, better quit before I run the trophy fee tab up past my pocket book AGAIN !!

------------------
Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

My advice to a first-time kudu hunter is to look at as many photos of quality kudu bulls as possible before heading off on safari. Like most animals, dead kudu shrink when you walk up on 'em, so you need to have a clear picture in your mind's eye of what a truly good kudu looks like.

You also need to keep in mind that not all areas that claim good kudu HAVE good kudu. If kudu is a top trophy animal on your list; before you book a safari, ask what the average trophy kudu bull has scored over the last several years in that particular area with the PH in question. Ask to see some photos, and don't take anybody's word for anything.

When you're in the bush, work very hard on your own behalf. LIVE behind your binoculars. Kudu are the African counterpart to our own North American elk, so treat them accordingly. They are elusive, intelligent, and wary. You may only see a small part of an incredibly good kudu bull, but that small segment of hide or horn that your tracker of PH did not see may make the differenence between coming home with a buster bull, or else coming home with an also-ran bull - or possibly no bull at all. When it comes down to the nut cuttin', your own actions will have a major bearing on the quality of trophy you take photos of after the spotting and shooting is over.

AD

I'll have the choice between hunting kudu in Namibia, my first stop and then RSA afterwards. Which typically would have a better quality trophy, or is there a difference?

------------------
~Ann

Every day spent outdoors is the best day of my life.

Kudu are the exact reason I got hooked on Africa. I saw one being brought in to the shop of a taxidermist I know. It had been shot here in Texas on a game ranch, and although I don't have much interest in that (whole 'nother topic), I couldn't get the animal out of my mind.

To make a long story short, two years later my wife and I were on a flight to Namibia. The only regret I have is that I didn't get hooked earlier.

Our second safari will be May 2002 in Zim. The main species is Buff but Kudu is on the list. This time my wife will be going after the grey ghost.

Hopefully there will be many more safaris in our future and every one will include Kudu.

------------------
Good Hunting & Hunt Safe,
David

Ladlies and Gentlemen,

Here is a picture of a kudu

http://www.kenyabeasts.org.uk/kudu2.htm

Here is a map showing the kudu's range and population density

http://www.antelopetag.org/greater_kudu.htm

Regards,

Terry

I admit that I harbor a great passion for the spiral horned species, be they bushbuck, nyala, kudu or eland. However, the kudu might just be the most fun of all to hunt! I have had the opportunity and good fortune to have hunted them in Zimbabwe, Namibia and Tanzania and would say that regardless of locale they are a challenge to stalk. Not too hard to bring down, they seem rather soft compared to an elk. Calibers suited to them would range from 270 on up through the 375 but nothing over 30cal is really necessary, IMO. Of the four trophy kudu I've taken none required more than two shots, and only one received that many!

i havn't made it to africa yet , hopefully in a few years . from previous posts a lot of shots at kudu are very fast , a few seconds before they disappear into the bush, are the PH's that fast on judging a trophy ?i want to hunt with a bow can they be hunted at water holes ? if so wouldn't be easier to judge trophies at water holes ?------ herb

Hey guys,
Let me see if I have this correct, as I'll be going after my first next June. The picture T.Carr posted would be about a 45" or so, according to what I interpret as two full turns, maybe a little less. A picture posted down the main page has a guy with what I see as a 1 1/2 turn Kudu, and it looks pretty good. Would this be about a 40-45", and a really good 1 1/2 turn? Forgive me if I'm way off base, but this is my first time trying to judge one. Thanks
Adam

Adam,

When you say "a picture posted down the main page" are you referring to the posting titled "RSA safari August 1999"?

If that is the one your are talking about, then I would judge that kudu as having one horn measuring 46 7/8" and the other measuring 47 5/8".

I will bet anyone here $10,000 that I am within 1/2" of the correct measuremts.

Regards,

Terry

P.S. I cheated that is a picture of my kudu.

No, I was referring to the one in "safari pictures". Thanks for the reply though. Am I correct in calling your's a 1 3/4 curl? It looks like the horns wind up pointing towards the front. That's one impressive animal! You have some beautiful trophies my friend. My guess would be that the one you posted above(alive) is pretty similar in size. Is this a fairly close estimation?
Thanks,
Adam

Adam,

I'm no expert, I would say you are correct on mine; 1 3/4 headed toward 2 full turns.

It's really hard to tell on the picture of the live kudu. He does appear to have pretty thick horns, but from the picture it appears that his horns don't have the classic spread or V shape (if you were looking at him from the front).

I think field judging trophies would be the toughest part of a PH's job.

Regards,

Terry

Where are the greatest concentrations of Kudu? From reading and my very limited experience in east Africa, I know that they are very scarce there. But how about southern Africa. I have personally seen relatively few in RSA (though i have only hunted in Natal, not exactly kudu country I guess),and very few (suprisingly) during the 2 weeks that i spent in various parts of Namibia. On the other hand, central and northeastern Zimbabwe seemed to be thick with them.

The bulk of my experience has been hunting the the slightly smaller cape kudu. I've been fortunate enough to kill a couple nice bulls, one exceptional for the region.

The bulls all seem to be quite difficult to judge once they get to about 46-48". The size of the curl makes them quite difficult to be accurate when field-judging. My largest bull, a 52" has really big turns, but doesn't appear that tall. Ironically, kudu that appeared not only much taller, but also twice as wide actually measured substantially shorter.

I watched one of my best friends and my step dad both kill beautiful kudu bulls in the Kalahari that appeared to be much larger than my own, but both are almost 3 inches shorter. The length is gained or lost in the size of the turns.

They're all great trophies, and no one is interested in nit-picking an inch or two of horn. But if you're really intent on breaking that magical 50" mark on a cape kudu, you better really look over a lot of bulls first. And certainly try to look at some mounts of 50"+ bulls.

One thing that really helped me out was that one of the ranch's we hunted in the E. Cape had a whole barn full of kudu horns that were either picked up or killed by the ranch's family. We had about 20 good bulls to look at and measure and you really start to see the difference when you're putting the tape to the horns yourself and actually handling the horn. Off of the animal, the horns appear much smaller.

Next year, Namibia, and hopefully I'll finally get to see the big bulls in the mid-50's.

Don Martin.

Steve Richards,

If you look at the map showing kudu density, that I posted above, it appears that Namibia has very large concentrations of kudu. The northern areas of the Northern Province of RSA and the northern areas of Zimbabwe seem to have very large concentrations.

Regards,

Terry

I have had an awfully hard time deciding what my favorite trophy is from my trip. I decided the other day it had to be my Kudu, Boy did I luck into a beaut, and I aint even Irish.

You guy's are right, they are truly majestic animals...........10

Kudu Geographics,
Another angle on Kudu. I have done a lot of research over the years and have been made privy to some long-term studies conducted in southern African countries. What the kudu distribution maps don't tell you is that, on average, the further south and west one travels in southern Africa, the larger the kudu. This is not to say a hunter can not acquire a phenomenal bull in the Omay, the lowveld areas or 3 miles out of Beitbridge, Zimbabwe. Southern Mozambique, the Messina area, the Lydenbergs or along the western border (Limpopo) of the R.S.A., all offer the possibility of a special bull, as does Botwana.
Generally, however, my money is on Namibia. The bodies are bigger, the horns are heavier and they are everywhere. Game records, encompassing periods of drought, kudu specific disease and habitat variation indicate the Omaruru area as the producer of the finest kudu, over the decades. Some of Namibia's hunting elite, have born this out, indictating to me that they would look for record kudu "along the road between Wilhelmstahl and Karibib", to the north as far as Kalkfeld or south to the Swakop Valley.

See www.bigbores.com / Sunrise Hunts

[This message has been edited by Nickudu (edited 06-30-2001).]

Ok, I will go for kudu in Namibia, that seems to be THE place for a large animal! This has been very informative for someone like me who is going for the first time. I am less than 5 weeks from departure!!!

Thanks to everyone who has posted their experience, you are a great value.

------------------
~Ann

Every day spent outdoors is the best day of my life.

Ann,

You should not "hold off" on a nice kudu in one area expecting to get a monster in another. I would take the first good one I saw, and try to better it if truly interested in a trophy. Game is where and when you find it! Even in Africa.

All,

What are the mating and herd habits of kudu? How seasonal are they? I saw many large groups of female kudu with young - and very few males - when I went in June. Are the males in bachelor groups part of the year? I saw a few groups of 2-3 bachelor males. Were those just the immature bulls? Heavy growth kept me from seeing them often or for long.

Don

[This message has been edited by Don G (edited 06-30-2001).]

Don G,

According to Kevin Robertson in his book "The Perfect Shot", kudu are herd animals with the herds usually comprised of 6 to 12 mature females and their offspring. Mature bulls are generally found with the females only during the rut, which occurs at the beginning of the winter dry season. When not breeding, mature bulls will remain solitary or join up with other bulls of varying ages to form bachelor herds. Cow herds have more permanent home ranges, while bulls establish home ranges during the breeding season. When not breeding, bulls wander over large areas. Dominant breeding bulls are usually seven or eight years old. Life expectancy of kudu is about 12 to 13 years.

I hate to get into a numbers game when it comes to judging a "trophy" kudu. [Both of my kudu measure less than 50", but they are some of my favorite safari experiences]. Robertson says that kudu bulls measuring in the low 50's are fairly common. 55" and larger should be considered a really good trophy. 60" or better kudu are rare but would be considered an exceptional trophy.

Regards,

Terry

Don G,

Thanks and I will take the first good one I see. Since I am starting out in Namibia I wasn't really sure if kudu were common there. Concensus says they are so I will begin hunting for kudu while I am there. I was going to wait until I got to RSA.

Being that this is my first trip they are ALL going to look like monsters to me!!!

------------------
~Ann

Every day spent outdoors is the best day of my life.

[This message has been edited by Aspen Hill Farm (edited 07-01-2001).]

DonG,
When I hunted Kudu in Zim 1999 it was the beginning of July. The Ph told me the bulls were starting to get with the cows. We would look for a batch of cows then glass until we spotted a bull close by. At this time almost every batch of cows had at least one bull with them. This was in the Lions Den area and there was a tremendous amount of Kudu in the area.
Ralph