Brought home my Red hartebeest that we finished last week. At 25" and 12+" bases, it is a fantastic trophy. I thought we did good, but my wife thinks they are horses with horns. What is the general concensus on these guys?

To each his own. I have a full mounted Hyena in my house. My wife hates it because its a good mount and it looks exactly like a hyena.

Me personaly if I ever shoot a Hardebeast I will just get the skull. I think the horns are great but the rest of the animal looks goofy.
Another one I don't care for is Roan. They are a coveted expensive trophy. However I doubt I will ever shoot one, I think they look like a Mexican donkey with horns.

I like them, especially the shape of the horns. Also, they are fun to hunt and can be some very tough animals. When I took one and approached it had to put another round right into its chest thinking that would finish him off. No, he got up and ran another 75 yds. before the end.

i think thier pretty ugly, but the full turn left or right showing the side of the face appeals to me. I'll have one in my trophy room one of these days...

Nice mount BTW.

I think it is a stunning trophy , great colour. A bit of info if you do not know already it gets it's name obviousaly the "red" from the colour of its skin then the " hartebeest " Hart meaning Heart in Afrikaans. Looking at the horn's from front on it looks like a " Hart " thus " Hartebeest ". So Blank tell your wife it has romantic conatations and I am sure that will make her feel better about the trophy !!!

Good looking mount. I have to admit, the first one I saw many, many years ago stuck with me as one of the ugliest animals I had ever seen. While planning my first trip to Africa, I vowed not to take one, ever. However, there were an awful lot of them on the ranch I hunted my last day in Namibia and they struck me as particularly wary and difficult to hunt. We were hunting springbuck, but they always busted us and thus spooked the springbuck. Ever since then I have had a desire to go back and hunt them. They just seem to kind of grow on you.

It is a stunningly handsome trophy!

I think they make a beautiful trophy especially the red coloring. Difficult to hunt as well.

Thanks for the info and comments. I think they are "attractively different". I do love the various colorations, and will admit that out on the plains in Namibia, they made stalking eland and springbok extremely difficult.

quote:

Originally posted by Blank:
Brought home my Red hartebeest that we finished last week. At 25" and 12+" bases, it is a fantastic trophy. I thought we did good, but my wife thinks they are horses with horns.

I have two hartebeest adorning our walls, and my wife holds the same opinion as yours. I think the look grows on you, they are a bit homely - but are in great contrast to the perfect spiral horned critters.

With some mounts I look at them and recall the hunt, for the hartebeest, I mostly remember how good they tasted!

Nice trophy and mount by the way! And T, I like the picture on the wall beside the mount, great idea.

Hartebeest have yellow hazel eyes. Taxidermists seem to always put brown or black eyes in them? I wonder why

quote:

Originally posted by sculptor:
Hartebeest have yellow hazel eyes. Taxidermists seem to always put brown or black eyes in them? I wonder why

You are right, here is what the eyes should look like.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.trekn...-42,GGLR:en%26sa%3DN

quote:

Hartebeest have yellow hazel eyes. Taxidermists seem to always put brown or black eyes in them? I wonder why

Some animals with yellow eyes look kind of devilish when mounted (IMO). I shot a Hawaiian black sheep a couple years back and had the taxidermist use brown eyes to prevent this. Maybe this also holds true on the hartebeest.

Blank,

I think they are great trophies. I'd shoot one and have it mounted. I have a tsessebee up on my wall, now that's a strange looking animal.

Before my first, and only so far, safari I had never thought about wanting a Hartebeest, but he came as part of the package. I, like alot of PG hunters was primarily after the elusive Greater Kudu. The hunt for the Hartebeest was tough, alot of work, one of the best shots I made, and I will not disappointed with the trophy at all or the memories. In hind sight I would have had the hartebeest higher up my list.

The mount isn't completed yet but will post pictures when he is secure in the house.

Fred Gordon

Seems like you either love em or hate em!
I for one love em!

I also have two hartebeest on my walls, a red and a Lichtenstein's. They are among my favorite mounts.

Not ugly at all. Just different.

I agree with Mrlexma, the heartabeest is one of my favorite animals in Africa's plains game species! I don't have one, and it is one of the thing I want to collect if I live long enough, but I want a big one, like your's!
Another thing some find ugly, is the wildebeeste, of any kind, but here again, I love to hunt them, and to get real trophy examples of the verious willies, you will work for your trophies. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, some folks think the Cape Buffalo is ugly, but not me! A real duggaboy is about the most regal mount you can have, if properly done!

Blank, I think your heartabeest mount is very well done, and I consider it a beautiful animal, that is hard to get in your sights, if you want a real trophy! Congratulations!

quote:

Posted 23 August 2006 23:48
quote:
Originally posted by sculptor:
Hartebeest have yellow hazel eyes. Taxidermists seem to always put brown or black eyes in them? I wonder why


You are right, here is what the eyes should look like.

http://images

This image is not of a red hartebeest. I have seen red hartebeest eyes that range from golden yellow/brown to brown.

Red hartebeest have to be one of my favorite African animals. I knew when I first saw them that I wanted to hunt them. I think they make a great shoulder mount and certainly do not look like a horse! The horns are unique and the color of the animal is fantastic. The photo of the mount with the gray patch on the top of the head is cool. Great trophies

Thanks for all the responses; glad the majority like to hunt for these guys. I too believe that the red hartebeest is a cool looking mount, especially when it is on a big form. As for the comments about the eye color, we believe that some of the most important photos taken at the kill site should be of the eyes, ears, and nostrils. Hard to see color in pics of mounted animals, as they aren't very close. Both Van Dykes and Research Mannikins have very realistic coloration eyes for hartebeest mounts, and mine match perfectly. Started the blue wildebeest mount today, and hope to have pictures soon.

Blank,

Congratulations on your Hartebeest. It looks very good.

On my first trip to South Africa, I too thought the Red Hartebeest were too ugly, and I turned down a opportunity to shoot one.

I thought about that Hartebeest for 5 years, and it was high on my "want list" for my second trip to South Africa last year.

My girlfriend uses the picture of my Hartebeest as the background on her computer at work.

They are neat looking. Like something from a Dr. Suess book.

I can't wait to get mine finished.

Mine is one of my favorite mounts. It is especially nice, because it was the first animal "mama" was with me when I shot it. After the Sable, it is her favorite too!

My red hartebeeste is mounted at a full right turn and looks very cool. These guys remind me of Namibia; another animal that many think is less than spectacular is a topi, but in my opinion, they really represent Tanzania's Kigosi.

If everything in your trophy room was an elk, sable, caribou, kudu, moose, or anything else with huge horns it would kind of look wierd.

My trophy room is full of elk, caribou, kudu, and moose, but unfortunately, no sable -- yet, and a few other critters with large horns, and that is one reason that I wanted a hartebeest -- they are wierd, but they are totally Africa and I think they look cool.

not bad