Looking for great trophy Bushbuck hunting in South Africa? We have some of the best and most affordable Bushbuck hunting available in the entire country.
How much does a Bushbuck hunting safari in South Africa with you cost? For the 2023 hunting season, our trophy fee for Bushbuck is $1,250. They are also included in our Spiral Horn Antelope hunting package at a discount.
Contact us today to book your Bushbuck hunting safari in South Africa.
Bushbuck Scientific Name: Tragelaphus scriptus
What is a Bushbuck? Bushbuck are a medium sized species of antelope that is found across most of eastern South Africa. We hunt Bushbuck on our hunting area in Limpopo Province. The Bushbuck hunting on our main hunting area in Limpopo Province is particularly outstanding and we usually take our biggest Bushbuck there.
Bushbuck are not very large animals, with full grown adults standing about 32-36″ tall at the shoulder and weighing around 80-150 pounds. They have brownish grey colored coats with a few white spots on their flanks. Along with Kudu, Eland, and Nyala, they are one of the four spiral horned antelope species that inhabit South Africa and are the smallest member of the group.
Bushbuck are very elusive animals and can be extremely difficult to hunt. They prefer to live in thickly vegetated areas close to water, and are often found in the forests along rivers. They must drink water each day and are primarily browsing animals. Bushbuck are usually solitary animals and are extremely territorial.
How do you distinguish males from females when Bushbuck hunting? When Bushbuck hunting, it is pretty simple to distinguish between males (rams) and females (ewes). Only rams have horns. They are also larger and darker colored than ewes.
What is the best rifle caliber for Bushbuck hunting? Though they aren’t very large or tough, a wounded Bushbuck can be extremely dangerous and they are perhaps the most dangerous species of plains game. Because of this, it is very important to use a powerful cartridge shooting high quality bullets when Bushbuck hunting. With this in mind, we recommend the .30-06 Springfield using premium 180gr bullets as the minimum cartridge for trophy hunting Bushbuck in South Africa.
What is the best recommended Bushbuck shot placement? As stated earlier, you really don’t want to wound a Bushbuck. They can be very aggressive and vindictive when wounded: hiding in thick brush then charging the hunters when they approach. Their horns can be very sharp and are capable of inflicting serious bodily harm. Due to this, shot placement is extremely important when Bushbuck hunting.
Luckily, the shot placement is pretty simple: aim at the center of the shoulder approximately 1/3 the way up the body. Bushbuck are not very large or extremely tough animals, so no Bushbuck will run very far after a good shot.
Don’t forget to adjust your aiming point accordingly if the Bushbuck is quartering towards or away from you (aim slightly forward if it is quartering towards you and slightly to the rear if it is quartering away).
What is the average shot distance when Bushbuck hunting in South Africa? Because they are usually found in very thick cover, shots taken when Bushbuck hunting are often at short range: 25-75 yards. Even though the shots are usually taken at close range, you probably won’t have long to take the shot, so be prepared to shoot offhand.
What methods do you use when Bushbuck hunting? Most of our Bushbuck hunting trips are conducted via walk and stalk. Since they are very territorial animals, slowly walking through a Bushbuck’s home range is usually the most successful way to hunt them. Fortunately, even if a monster Bushbuck is taken out of a given area, another one will often move in and take over the territory later, making it productive to hunt the same areas season after season.
Another successful Bushbuck hunting method is to sit in a blind overlooking a water hole. This can be successful if you know (from a trail camera for instance) that a nice Bushbuck is habitually visiting the same waterhole.
What is the best time of year for Bushbuck hunting in South Africa? Though they may be hunted successfully through most of the year, our Bushbuck hunting has traditionally been most successful during the wet months of February through June.
What is your average trophy size of Bushbuck taken in South Africa when hunting with you? When Bushbuck hunting, the average trophy taken on hunts with us measures between 13″ and 15″. Our biggest Bushbuck (in the photo below) was taken in August 2016 measured nearly 16″, which is an incredible trophy. That particular Bushbuck was taken on our main hunting area in Limpopo.
If you’re interested in going Bushbuck hunting in South Africa with us, please contact us for more information or to book your hunt.
