Western Hartebeest hunting
View 7 hunts View all hunts7 hunting trips from 4 outfitters starting from $8,670
Where to hunt Western Hartebeest
There are eight subspecies of Hartebeest namely Cape or Red Hartebeest, Coke’s Hartebeest, Jackson's Hartebeest, Lelwel Hartebeest, Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest, Neumann's Hartebeest, Swayne’s Hartebeest and the Western Hartebeest also known as the “Major Hartebeest”. The Western Hartebeest is an isolated subspecies found across West Africa. It may now only be hunted in Benin, Burkina Faso and Cameroon where it may overlap with Lelwel Hartebeest in some areas.
Price distribution
In Burkina Faso a 7 day Western Hartebeest hunt sells for approximately $1,200-1,900 per day with a trophy fee of approximately $3,900. A similar hunt in the Cameroon will cost approximately $1,000-3,750 per day depending on what other species are hunted with Lord Derby eland hunts being the more expensive and the small animals the least expensive hunt. The trophy fees for Western Hartebeest also range from $775-2,350 depending on the area.
When to hunt Western Hartebeest?
In Benin the hunting season is open from December 15 to May 15. The Burkina Faso season runs from December 1 to May 31. In Cameroon the season is much longer from January 1 to June 30. The early part of the hunting season (Savanna Season) is when you need to hunt Western Hartebeest up until April 30. Being an animal that prefers open flat grasslands, the best months for hunting Western Hartebeest are the dry months when the grass is at its shortest and these animals come out to feed on the burns.
Hunting methods
Walk and stalk is you best hunting method of hunting. They are often found way out in the open so best is to walk along the tree line margins using this as cover while keeping in the shadows and glassing regularly into the distant grass plains. Once you see a suitable bull you will need to plan your approach very carefully as these animals spook very easily. However, they may also tend to be quite inquisitive and often stop to look back giving the hunter a chance to take a shot.
Why hunt Western Hartebeest?
As a group, Hartebeest are also known as Kongoni. They make up an interesting group of animals to hunt with each sub-species having their own colour variations and some interesting horn shapes. Sometimes it can be fun to outsmart them by using various hunting tricks to keep their attention while the hunting party sneaks closer in to get that final shot. The different sub-species are generally collected by true collectors and make great shoulder mounts or pedestal displays.
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