Is the Gemsbok coming back to Limpopo?

[migrabill]

So I went to RSA this past June for my first Safari ever. There were 2 animals on my wish list that I did not get. One was a Honey badger, he just never showed up on our decaying stinking bait pile for the 3 nights that I hunted it. The other was a Gemsbok. My PH explained to me that Gemsbok populations have been devastated due to a certain tick. He said they were still prevalent in the Kalahari areas as that tick was not present down there. During my 10 day hunt in Limpopo, we never saw one Gemsbok.
A conversation with my PH's assistant said that they were working on breeding Gemsbok that were resistant to this particular tick. It was his thought that Gemsbok would once again come back to Limpopo in greater numbers in the future. I then suggested that prices on them would probably be ridiculous when they are reintroduced due to supply and demand.
As anybody heard of this issue? Has anybody seen Gemsbok in Limpopo recently? Do you guys agree that this will effect price going forward?

 

[WildWill]

This May in the Thabazimbi area of Limpopo I hunted on two properties that both held herds of gemsbok. One herd was probably around a dozen animals the other larger property maybe 20. When I began looking around the price in Limpopo was much higher then most other areas. One of the reasons I decided not to hunt one there and save it for a hunt in a area where they are more endemic. I'm thinking Namibia myself.

 

[Reed Thoma Outdoors]

Last year my father had gemsbok on his list while we were in the Limpopo and the property that we hunted had a herd but it was not big enough to get one out of it. Our PHs tried to find another property to hunt one but they had a very hard time finding one. I can believe that the ticks are devastating based on how damaging they are to other species like eland.

 

[375Fox]

Gemsbok aren’t originally native to Limpopo. They only exist there because of game ranching. They are native to the Kalahari.

 

[Red Leg]

Go to Namibia and hunt them free range in their native environment - A great affordable experience. Shooting one on a game ranch in the Limpopo is a bit like collecting one from the Hill Country of Texas.

 

[Piet-Vis]

Back in the late sixties my Old Man and a few colleagues from the Department of Nature conservation caught six Gemsbuck in the then South West Africa and translocated them to the Transvaal. There must have been translocations after that, but that was the beginning.
Remember that there were virtually no game in the old Transvaal as the game compteded with cattle and the farmers shot them out, as the game belonged to the state and not the landowner. It's only after they managed to change the legislation to move owership of the game to the farmers if the property is fenced that the game numbers started to increase. I would not say they never occured there, as game used to migrated all over, but gemsbuck are desert species and don't tolerate ticks well.

 

[Creigh]

Saw a herd on last year's hunt. Couldn't get a shot on as they just wouldn't settle before heading into the bush.

 

[Kiwifire111]

My wife shot a nice Oryx earlier this month near Steenbokpan in Limpopo, one of a herd of 8.

 

[cgdemakis]

My wife shot a nice Oryx earlier this month near Steenbokpan in Limpopo, one of a herd of 8.

I was in that general area of Limpopo in June and took a nice Gemsbuck, saw several on a few properties the outfitter has and most of our group saw several, but I was the only one in our group who connected.

 

[Hunt anything]

Saw a few around Thabazimbi in the Limpopo in 2021, we moved to the big cattle ranches and a potato farm close to where RSA, Botswana and Namibia come together and saw a lot.

 

[Ryan]

There's plenty of other great places to hunt a wide range of species.
If you have another hunt in the future in mind think Namibia or somewhere else in South Africa. I know my outfitter in the East Cape (KMG safaris) had access to them and plenty of other species for a reasonable price. And my first two hunts in Namibia had plenty along with great kudu, both for a far better price than the Limpopo.

 

[Sika98k]

Gemsbok are the national animal of Namibia. They survive exceptionally well in the arid climate of this country. Beautiful animals to hunt and,er, eat !

 

[migrabill]

My wife shot a nice Oryx earlier this month near Steenbokpan in Limpopo, one of a herd of 8.

If I may ask, was the trophy fee way higher than usual?

 

[migrabill]

I was in that general area of Limpopo in June and took a nice Gemsbuck, saw several on a few properties the outfitter has and most of our group saw several, but I was the only one in our group who connected.

If I may ask, was the trophy fee way higher than usual?

 

[375Fox]

Gemsbok are the national animal of Namibia. They survive exceptionally well in the arid climate of this country. Beautiful animals to hunt and,er, eat !View attachment 642421View attachment 642416

Reading some of these responses I really think something is lost not hunting gemsbok where they are native and do well. I’ve taken 6 from Namibia. I don’t think I’ve ever looked at less than 100 prior to taking one usually more. I don’t see the appeal of hunting a small managed herd in Limpopo. I also don’t see the appeal of taking an animal like a nyala or red lechwe on a ranch in Namibia. I like hunting game where it’s native and usually the trophy fee price reflects that too. $600-$800 in Namibia for a gemsbok vs $1500 in Limpopo.

 

[Hunt anything]

Agree with @375Fox, I try to hunt animals that are native , sometimes it’s difficult.


If wanting to stay in South Africa, the kalahari is a great place for big gemsbok. No rocks to wear down the horns, native to the area but depending on the outfitter they can be more expensive than in the Eastern Cape, I think mine was $1,100. I don’t have any experience with Namibia.

 

[Lee M]

My first Safari was in 2014 in SA in Limpopo. And my first animal taken was a gemsbok. I hunted in Namibia in 2018 and 2024 and took 3 with a bow. Namibia has many Gemsbok. I don’t think I’ve hunted a day there without seeing many of them. I agree you should hunt were you find the native game. In Namibia they are Gemsbok, red hartebeest, springbok, and warthog. Lots of them and at prices better than SA

 

[JvW]

Gemsbok aren’t originally native to Limpopo. They only exist there because of game ranching. They are native to the Kalahari.

Not 100% true. There was a small population of gemsbuck native to Limpopo. The Langjan Nature Reserve near Alldays was set up specifically to look after them. Over the years, they have done so well that many have been transplanted to game farms in Limpopo and elsewhere. I hunted one of these Limpopo gemsbuck in 2022 on a farm near Musina bordering the Limpopo River.

 

[375Fox]

Not 100% true. There was a small population of gemsbuck native to Limpopo. The Langjan Nature Reserve near Alldays was set up specifically to look after them. Over the years, they have done so well that many have been transplanted to game farms in Limpopo and elsewhere. I hunted one of these Limpopo gemsbuck in 2022 on a farm near Musina bordering the Limpopo River.

I’d think fringe range at best. It’s difficult to clearly identify what was and wasn’t because so many translocations and removals of game have taken place. Cattle and lack of burning has likely significantly changed the land from what it historically was at one time too.

 

[BryceM]

They are sooooo fun to hunt in the Kalahari. Beautiful animals. Tough as nails too.