The easiest and most difficult species of plains game

[MJ75]

Out of all of the species of plains game you have hunted, what would you say was the easiest? What was the most difficult. I'd be very interested to see if people could put them in some kind of order such as :-

1) Kudu (most difficult)
2) Black wildebeest
3) Springbok
4) Blesbok

etc, etc, etc


I think it will be interesting to see if any patterns develop.

Cheers
MJ

 

[Nyati]

It will all depend on the specific conditions of the hunt that day.

I shot a springbok at 200m+ on a very windy day which I wounded and had to chase all over the farm, but shot another the following year on a very quiet day that just dropped dead on the spot.

 

[Wolverine67]

1 bushbuck
2 gemsbuck
3 kudu
4 black wildebeest

It depends on the situations and I am sure there are species more difficult than this ones. I would guess bushpig are pretty hard to get sometimes..

 

[Blue Skies Hunting Adventures]

Let's not forget Zebra, bump one of those guys and they will be running till the morning.
Black wildebeast, if you get them to stop all that damn running around.
Kudu, damn things just vanish in the bush.
easist would be warthog, bump one of them just freeze and a few minutes later they will come right back to check out if your gone yet.

 

[James.Grage]

This depends on weather you are talking rifle or archery. Big Difference...

With both disciplines a hunter possesses different skills and that plays into it...big time...

Taking this off shooting sticks...

If you have Difficulty in placing shots accurately out to 100 yards almost all animals will be difficult.

If you have Difficulty if placing shots accurately out to 200 yards the difficulty decreases with your expertise.


The old "can you make the shot" comes into play with your question... i do not take a shot if i know i can not make a good hit...

So It all depends...one day an animal is easy to sneak up on only to turn down because you can do better and the next day you could work your butt off to get with in rifle range of the one you want...

Weather conditions play a big factor in determining animal behavior...
Calm sunny days most animals if not spooked are relative easy to work into rifle range.

 

[davidhein]

I think this is very difficult to answer.
Maybe specify a little more - which is the easiest to get a shot opportunity on or so. One of my mosy difficult hunts was an impala, but also one of my easiest was impala... They know when they being hunted I believe... The ostrich I'm still trying to shoot (with bow) will definitely rank high up on that list when I get him.
If we talking tough - to me the black wildebeest was the toughest - but then again some will say blue, others will say warthog when talking pound for pound.

I dont think there is an "easy" animal to hunt anywhere, but there definitely are difficult ones! Some will be tough and can take a heavy knock from a bullet/arrow and still run a good 150 metres, others will just "vanish" when they were there a second ago, and then some just have to many eyes and ears on the lookout to bust you when you trying to get a shot.

 

[Diamondhitch]

This really depends on luck and chance. My toughest have been.

1) Duiker (still looking)
2) Kudu
3) Zebra

My easiest have been.

1) Impala
2) Vaal Rhebok
3) Bushbuck

On most hunts the Vaal Rhebok and Bushbuck should have ended up on the hard list along with something like Sharpes Grysbok or daytime Bushpig or something along those lines.

 

[richteb]

On my hunt:

1 Kudu
2 Bushbuck

Easiest

1. Eland

 

[Frostbit]

I'm talking free range - no fences

Smartest and by far the most difficult - Roan

Tie for easiest - Puku, Impala, Sable

It's hard to believe Sable and Roan are related. One rides the short bus and the other is Einstein.

 

[Fritz Rabe]

Most difficult for me.

Mountain Nyala.
Forrest/Dwarf Buffalo.
Blue Duiker.
Red Duiker.
Suni.
Oribi.

Easiest.
Warthog.
Bushpig.
Giant forrest hog.
Dik-dik.

I am only talking Bow hunting here with clients. On rifle hunting the list will be totally different.

 

[sestoppelman]

Still looking for eland bull.
Sitatunga was challenging but got one!
Sable came easy.
Took 3 tries to get a kudu over 50.
Both buff were realtively easy.
Botswana lechwe was easy.
Lion was tough hunting, didnt get one.
Its why its called hunting.

 

[teenhunter]

1:kudu
2:wildbeast
3:hyena(really not lucky)
4: oryx
5:baboon;impala
But like nyati said it depend

 

[Stretch]

All are difficult if you don't take the plunge, book a trip and go. You can't test them if you never get there.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Hardest: (That I'm Still looking for)
Steenbok
I have never had one slow down long enough (outside a protected area) to barely identify them, never mind a get a shot.

Red Duiker,
About the same thing. I thought the one I saw was a small Warthog running for its life from under my feet in thick cover.

Hardest that I was successful on:
Kudu Bulls. That grey coat just does appear and disappear at will.
They remind me so much of smart Elk.

Easiest:
Warthog. They just kept walking out in front of me. (As Frostbit said about Roan, I feel this way about Warthog)


PS:
The hardest I hunted for Nyala was near Otavi.

 

[Frostbit]

(As Frostbit said about Roan, I feel this way about Warthog)

It was Sable I found easy, Roan was very difficult.

 

[BRICKBURN]

It was Sable I found easy, Roan was very difficult.

Dyslexia. Blame my own ride on the short bus today.

 

[enysse]

This all depends where you hunt and what you are looking for at the time?

Hardest: Baboon, warthog with big tusks!!!! Bushbuck are difficult and eland in certain areas are damn difficult to hunt on foot.

Easiest: springbok, blesbok
impala can be easy and the devil...depends where you are hunting.