Just curious as to why not much is mentioned on this forum regarding southern Nyala. Discussion on Kudu, Waterbuck, Sable, Eland, Bushbuck, Gemsbok and the dwarf antilope are all prevelent not the mention dangerous game.
Are Nyala just not challenging to hunt? I believe they are about the most beautiful animal in Africa.
With the exception of Mountain Nyala, I do not believe this game animal has ever been brought up in some time. I had it high on my list as an animal to pursue on my first Safari.

Nyala is No. 1 on my list for the cape in 2010.

A beautiful spiral horn and a real trophy. I have taken two over the years.

Addendum: First, a Silver, taken in KZN, RSA 1998 and second, a Gold, in Coutada 11 in Mozambique 2003. I've seen more big bulls in Mozambique.

Just out of curiosity what would be the best area9s0 for Nyala?

I just booked my first safari, and Nyala is #1 on my list. I have a family friend who had one in his trophy room, and I've been dreaming about one since I first saw it at 15 years old. (Actually, I'm glad I fixated on the Nyala instead of on his Sitatunga or Bighorn sheep, or I'd still be waiting and saving).

I'll let you know if I learn anything by the end of July.

My choice would be Natal, as this is an area they are native to.

KwaZulu Natal is best in my book, too.

And, after I pack my wife and kiddies onto the flight going back to the states on the 15th of June, that's where i'm heading, and why I'm heading there.

quote:

Originally posted by Shikaribabu:
Just out of curiosity what would be the best area9s0 for Nyala?

I've been hunting an area in KZN for the last 20 odd years and when I hunted it last week it had more nyala than it had impala........ and it had an awful lot of impala....... Trophy fee was only USD1700 until recently but it's just gone up.

eez, you'll find reports and pics in the Hunting Report forum but true, not a lot is mentioned about them. They can be very challenging to hunt, with evenings generally the best time to catch a mature ram out feeding IMHO. I've hunted them a number of times and taken decent rams, but in 3 weeks I will be in Natal specifically for Nyala. Hopefully, one at or above the 30 inch mark. I am devoting a full week to nothing but Nyala. I consider Natal to be one of the best bets in finding a mature ram that will go 28 inches or above. Northern RSA, Mozambique and southeastern Zim are other good choices, but I see bigger rams consistently coming out of the Natal area. I do agree, they rank at the top in beauty, but they can be very elusive, especially when hunted. I'll post our report when we return. Hopefully with success. They remain one of my favorite sprial horns.
Regards,
David

Nyala among my three top animals for upcoming Zim hunt in the Bubye. Will hopefully show ya'll a pretty one around the last week of June on my return.

Good luck with yours.

I've taken three Nyala. Here are pictures of the last two taken, one (bell shaped) in the Limpopo and the other one (Lyre shaped) in KZN:

eezrdr

Nyala are great trophies and widely distributed over RSA through stocking programs. Natal province in RSA and specifically the Mkuze reserve may have the best trophies. There is limited hunting for them in Zimbabwe but the real free range populations are in selected areas of Mozambique. I'm specifically looking for one with Bahati on Coutada 10 in Sept.

Mark

Mark,

We spoke in Reno and I suspect I am going to book with Mokore in 2011 for Buffalo and also on my list in order of "want" are Sable, Kudu, Nyala, Waterbuck and Eland. A big wish list but the SAVE is one area it appears I have a chance at all these trophies. Mokore also said there is a chance we might be able to go to Mozambique as well. Allot if "if's" at this stage.

EZ

Nyalas are definitely one of those animals that deserve a full body mount. Beautiful coats.

that is the one animal that got me off sheep mountains and in africa

The way I see it, one of the most beautifull of the antilopes.
Mine is not that big just around 25" (the Nyala), but it was a challenging hunt in the Northern Limpopo bushveldt .
Just looking forward for the trophies to arrive

I have two shoulder mounts and one full body mount. They are beautiful full body mounted and the full body mount does do them justice.

2004 KZN for my nyala. Probably my favorite trophy!

Here's one thats still roaming around KZN.



And another one - both these still a little young.



And..

Very pleased with the response on this thread. Woke a sleeping giant! WOW, so many GREAT pics!
Makes me all the more anxious to chase one of these great animals.

EZ

quote:

Are Nyala just not challenging to hunt?

I think nyala are a lot more shy than the other animals. It was my experience that if you looked at them wrong they took off. I wanted an nyala for years before my first trip over and got one on my second trip. Now a buddy of mine stumbled into one on our last trip and his make mine look small.



Here is my buddy's

David,

Bloody nice rams, both of them/

Where did you take them?

A mature nyala with the open flaired tips is got to be one of the outstanding African trophies... So far they have eluded me..

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Blair338/378:
David,

Bloody nice rams, both of them/

Where did you take them?

Both were taken in the Limpopo in RSA. I took mine after having spent 5 days in the hospital with some stomach bug. It was my last day hunting of my 2005 trip and the nyala kept me running all day after them. My buddy took his in 2007.

I recommend to anyone who seriously wants an older mature ram to devote 7 days minimum to finding one. Be willing to pass on lesser rams and if you were to have good luck and get one early, you can spend the rest of your spare time hunting other game or sightseeing. It's what separates the Nyala shooters from Nyala hunters.
Cheers,
David

Agreed. The first one that I took years ago was the only bull that we saw and he ended up being about 25". I was happy with him until I went back in 2006 and 2007 and shot two more that were 30". We also saw one on the very last day of my 2006 KZN trip that would have gone an honest 32" or better, and the PH wanted me to shoot him, but I had already shot mine. So, I flipped the safety off, put the cross-hairs on his shoulder and. . . flipped the safety back on, much to the chagrin of my PH and the trackers and skinners. What's a couple of more inches anyway when you have two that are 30"?

Current Roland Ward has Nyala at 32 7/8 inches (longest horn). I think topping that would be a feat of any hunters lifetime if done in fair chase. UEG Taking one 30 incher is outstanding. Taking two...remarkable. Passing up a possible 32 incher....thanks! Now email me where he's at
Cheers,
LDK

LDK: The last that I saw him he was in KZN on the Falaza Game Concession. I thought that I was going to be sacrificed on the spot by the PH and the trackers and skinners for not shooting that bull. Now, I am beginning to understand why. . . . .

Not meaning to start a debate or anything, but just wondering - because I truly do not know:

1. What is the natural range of the nyala?

2. Can they be hunted within their natural range, or anywhere else, on a truly free range basis?

They are beautiful.

Ok, ok, I've got to correct myself on some facts as I don't want to lead anyone astray. I went back and checked on the two Nyala. Just one Nyala at 30" and the other one at 28". The bull that I passed up was between 30 and 31" Sorry for getting everyone stirred up! I blame it on the fisherman's fish size syndrome!

Shot this nice 27.5 incher last year

My brother shot this nice 30.3 incher

Agood friend shot this nicw 29 incher
all of these where shot in limpopo with Matswane safaris

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:
Not meaning to start a debate or anything, but just wondering - because I truly do not know:

1. What is the natural range of the nyala?

2. Can they be hunted within their natural range, or anywhere else, on a truly free range basis?

They are beautiful.

Very good questions Mike. I've been wondering myself a good bit lately. I think the likely answer is Moz and maybe certain areas of Zim. Hopefully someone with some knowledge will answer your questions.

The property we hunted last September with Pieter Kreil was near Pongola in the Natal province.

The base camp was at Somkhanda but we also hunted another property called Hlambanyati plus two more adjoining properties.

I understand these former hunting concessions were purchased by the government then given to the Zulu people.

The properties in that area are reverting to a natural state now. The roads and other improvements seem to be deteriorating. If a tree falls across the road they just drive around it.

All told I suppose there was at least 80,000 to 100,000 acres maybe much more. Although not technically free range it is big enough for a fair chase hunt.

As I understand it, that NE region of SA is the natural range of the Nyala and where some of the biggest ones are found.

Our group of 4 hunters shot 8 Nyala (two each) that ranged from 28 to 30 1/2". Since they frequent the same brushy areas as bushbuck its a fun hunt and we all took one or two bushbuck as well.

quote:

What is the natural range of the nyala?

MR, check out the map here:

http://www.wild-about-you.com/GameNyala.htm



For free-range Nyala, I'd 1st look at Mozambique, then the SAVE Conservancy (or other southern area) in Zim. Mine came from a fairly large property in KZN on my 1st trip to SA, and although an old bull w/28-29" horns and a nice full mount, I have at times wished that I would have saved this trophy and still had it on the list of "to be hunted" for some future Moz trip.

They are indeed a beautiful AND affordable trophy considering their relative modest distribution (when comparing to the sitatunga, for example).

Distribution
Dense lowland woodlands and thickets near water in southern Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and eastern South Africa.
Countries: Botswana [introduced], Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia [introduced], South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe (IUCN, 2002).

Ecology and Behavior
Nyala are very shy, and are very cautious when approaching open spaces. Most sightings of wild nyala are at water holes. They are most active during the early morning and late afternoon, resting in thick brush during the hottest times of the day. The alarm call is a sharp, dog-like bark. Individual nyala home ranges average 0.65 square kilometers for males and 0.83 kilometers for females. These individual areas overlap extensively, and there is no indication of territoriality.
Family group: Single sex and mixed troops of 2-10 individuals, old bulls solitary.
Diet: Leaves, fruits, and grasses.
Main Predators: Leopard, lion, Cape hunting dog.
Nyala ("N"-Yah-Lah)Swahili name for this Antelope. Tragelaphus angasii: Tragos (Greek) a he-goat;.elaphos (Greek) a deer; in combination referring to an antelope. English explorer, artist, and zoologist George Francis Angas (1822-1886) drew pictures of various animals in South Africa in 1846. There you have it sports fans, we've been hunting He-Goats all this time. Who knew???
LDK

Hopefully the South Africans can weigh in in on this one: "ginger forehead".

As I understand it, as they get older, there is less of a ginger color on the forehead. I haven't really seen it well enough to understand it exactly. I do know we passed some up last year becasue they had a "ginger forehead".

quote:

Originally posted by David Culpepper:

quote:

Originally posted by Blair338/378:
David,

Bloody nice rams, both of them/

Where did you take them?

Both were taken in the Limpopo in RSA. I took mine after having spent 5 days in the hospital with some stomach bug. It was my last day hunting of my 2005 trip and the nyala kept me running all day after them. My buddy took his in 2007.

Nice work, David.

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
Ok, ok, I've got to correct myself on some facts as I don't want to lead anyone astray. I went back and checked on the two Nyala. Just one Nyala at 30" and the other one at 28". The bull that I passed up was between 30 and 31" Sorry for getting everyone stirred up! I blame it on the fisherman's fish size syndrome!

This is the correct answer to them UEG

truly free range with NO fences? basically Moz and that's it. if big properties with border fences are included, go to KZN or southern Zim. pick your poison and go for it.

SE Zim with SSG Safaris 9/2008