Black Springbok hunting
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Where to hunt Black Springbok
Black springbok is a color phase variant of the common springbok, a small, graceful antelope with lyre-shaped antlers, which is one of the symbols of South Africa. Melanistic animals are not infrequently born into herds of free-ranging springbok, but for a real chance to harvest one, a hunter is advised to focus on game farms in South Africa and Namibia, who sometimes practice selective breeding to improve the probability of the occurrence of rare and desirable color phases.
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A black springbok trophy fee starts at about $500 in South Africa, and may go up to $1000 in Namibia. Add two of three days’ worth of daily rates, or from $500 to $1000, for the price of complete hunt. Some outfitters offer combination hunts for all color phase variants, including also white, copper, and common springbok. Such “springbok slams” are typically priced in the $5,000-$7,000 range.
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Learn more from our blog story
“I beheld the boundless plains, and even the hill sides which stretched away on every side of me, thickly covered, not with" herds," but with " one vast herd" of springboks; far as the eye could strain the landscape was alive with them, until they softened down into a dim red mass of living creatures.” wrote Rouaelyn Gordon-Cumming of the springbok “trek-bokken”, or migration, he witnessed in 1843. How did they hunt springbok back then, and how have things changed since?
24 Mar 2019 Good Times, Bad Times: Springbok hunting in Gordon-Cumming’s “Five Years in South Africa” and todayWhen to hunt Black Springbok?
It’s not easy to pinpoint the best times for springbok hunting. In many areas of South Africa hunting opportunities exist year round, and in Namibia from February to November. Springbok is one of the animals that don’t have a specific time for the rut, so this is not a factor either. If you have to pick a few months, that would probably be the end of the dry season.
Hunting methods All hunting methods (13)
Springbok are the creatures of open plains, and spot-and-stalk is the method of choice for springbok hunting. The hunter and PH travel through the concession in search of a suitable trophy. Trophy estimation in case of a springbok may not be easy, as both sexes carry horns, and the springbok have an unusual in the mammal world case of sexual dimorphism, with females larger than males. Look for a smaller animals with horns that are bigger and thick at the bases. Fortunately, hunters are accompanied by a PH, whose job is to notice such details. Long shots are the rule in springbok hunting, and the target is small (a springbok seldom weighs more than 50 pounds), so it’s a good idea to select an accurate rifle for a cartridge with a flat trajectory.
Why hunt Black Springbok?
In the XIX century hunting was often the means to “clear the land” for cattle and farms. Today, the situation is totally opposite. Hunting concessions and game farms often use the land that formerly housed pastures and fields, rewilding it to the ecosystem that existed before European colonization. The process is financed totally by hunters’ dollars, so “hunting for conservation” is not just empty words. A hunter who pursues springbok to collect a slam of all color phases does not only engage in a challenging spot-and-stalk hunt, but also helps bring the legendary “trek-bokken” back into the picture.
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