Lesser Kudu hunting
View 11 hunts View all hunts11 hunting trips from 3 outfitters starting from $39,940
Where to hunt Lesser Kudu
The Lesser Kudu prefers broken, wooded terrain with low grass. Its natural distribution once stretched all over Eastern Africa, from Somali, Ethiopia and Southern Sudan to Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. However, with political instability in some countries, and closure of big-game hunting in others, Lesser Kudu hunting can be done just about only in Tanzania.
Countries
Price distribution
Today Lesser Kudu is one of the most expensive African antelopes to hunt. Tanzanian outfitters typically sell their safaris in the old-fashioned way, as a big “journey” (the literal meaning of “safari”), which last at least ten days. After government fees, access fees and daily rates, the price for one hunter may go to $40,000 ($30,000 if you share the camp with another hunter), and that’s before trophy fees, which, in the case of Lesser Kudu, may run to $5,000.
Learn more from our blog story
If you’re not sure what all those “package deals”, “trophy fees” and “daily rates” in the hunt descriptions stand for, and how much to budget for travel, tips, taxidermy, and whatnot, check out this blog story. It covers all items of a safari budget, and average spending figures that will help you make a rough estimate of your African adventure.
17 Aug 2017 All said and done: What’s the bottom line for an average South African hunt?When to hunt Lesser Kudu?
Hunting season in Tanzania opens July 1 and runs to December 31. Usually, the earlier in the season the more successful the hunting for plains game species, including Lesser Kudu, because in the dry season (that runs from July to October) the savannah is more open and the animals congregate around waterholes.
Hunting methods All hunting methods (10)
Lesser Kudu stick to acacia forests and other broken terrain which offer good concealment. It doesn’t much care for tall grass, however. Early East African hunters often complained that in the open, where Kudu are easy to see, they are impossible to stalk, and in the bush, where stalking is easier, you can’t see them because of the protective coloring. This sums up the biggest problem in hunting Lesser Kudu by the spot-and-stalk method. Add to that that the terrain is usually too broken to cover ground in vehicles, African style. Hunting from a blind located near a waterhole or salt lick is a viable alternative, especially for bowhunters.
Why hunt Lesser Kudu?
In the Gold Age of the East African safaris, Lesser Kudu did not attract much attention, overshadowed by the bigger and more impressive Greater Kudu. Today, with the limited option and high price of Lesser Kudu hunting, it’s among the rarest African trophies. Lesser Kudu are smaller, and their antlers too, but many people say their cape, without shagginess but with beautiful spots, is even more attractive. Lesser Kudu hunting will take you to some of the best African locations, immortalized by classic safari books, including Ernest Hemingway’s Green Fields of Africa and short stories. First a German colony, after the WWI the modern Tanzania was incorporated into what was officially known as British East Africa, and colloquially called Kenia, and it was there where many early PHs took their clients. With the challenge it presents to the hunter, Lesser Kudu hunting is both an exciting pursuit and a connection to an old tradition.
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