Looking for great trophy Nyala hunting in South Africa? Nyala hunting is one of our specialties and we offer some of the best trophy Nyala hunting in all of South Africa.
What is the average cost of an Nyala hunting safari in South Africa? For the 2023 hunting season, our trophy fee for Nyala is $2,600.
Contact us today to book your Nyala hunting safari in South Africa.
Nyala Scientific Name: Tragelaphus angasii
What is an Nyala? The Nyala is a beautiful, medium sized spiral horned antelope. They are bigger than the Bushbuck, but smaller than the Kudu and Eland. Nyala hunting is one of our specialties and we have excellent Nyala hunting on our Mpumalanga hunting area.
Male Nyala (bulls) are larger than females (ewes). A mature male normally weighs 200-300 pounds and females often weigh 100-150 pounds. Along with Bushbuck, Eland, and Kudu, Nyala are one of the four spiral horned antelope species that inhabit South Africa.
Nyala have a shaggy brown or grey coat. Females and immature males will also have a series of white vertical stripes on the sides of their bodies. Both males and females also have a single white chevron on their face between their eyes (which is just about all you can see in the Nyala bull in the photo below) and to go with a bushy crest of hair running down their back.
Like the bull in the photo above, Nyala normally live in thickly wooded bushveld areas. They are very shy and cautious animals and are not often encountered in open terrain.
How do you distinguish males from females when Nyala hunting? Male and female Nyala are very easy to tell apart when Nyala hunting. As you can see in the photos below, they look very different, and you could be excused if you didn’t even think that they were the same species (click on the photos to zoom in).
Mature males (left) are a dark brown or grey color and have horns. Females (right) are smaller in the body, lack horns, and are a light brown or rust color.
What is the best rifle caliber for Nyala hunting? Nyala are not particularly tough animals, but they are often hunted in pretty thick brush. Due to this, I recommend the .308 Winchester (using premium bullets) as a minimum cartridge for Nyala hunting to make sure you hit him hard enough that he does not go far after the shot. The .30-06 Springfield, .300 Winchester Short Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum, 9.3x62mm Mauser, and .375 H&H Magnum are also excellent choices for Nyala hunting.
What is the best recommended Nyala shot placement? Like with Kudu, shot placement on Nyala is also very important since you probably won’t get many good shots on these elusive animals. Luckily, they aren’t extremely tough, and won’t go far if hit hard. I recommend the traditional shoulder shot on Nyala. When the animal is standing broadside, simply aim at the center of the shoulder, approximately one third of the way up the body. Due to their shaggy hair, it can be difficult to precisely judge exactly where the bottom of their chest is. When in doubt, aim slightly high, as opposed to slightly low.
Don’t forget to adjust your aiming point accordingly if the Nyala 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 Nyala hunting in South Africa? Since most of our Nyala are found in areas with relatively thick vegetation, most of our shots are at relatively close range. Historically, the average shot distance when Nyala hunting is around 25-100 yards.
What methods do you use when Nyala hunting? We conduct virtually all of our Nyala hunting via walk and stalk. Nyala hunting can be a pretty physically demanding endeavor and involve walking many miles through some very rough country. We highly recommend that anyone interested in Nyala hunting with us be in good physical condition.
What is the best time of year for Nyala hunting in South Africa? Like Kudu, Nyala are another species that may may be successfully hunted virtually all year round. However, May through November, and September through November in particular, are the best months for Nyala hunting in South Africa.
During this time, there is much less vegetation present, which is allows for much improved visibility out in the bush. Additionally, there are fewer water sources and the Nyala tend to be more concentrated near reliable water sources.
What is your average trophy size of Nyala taken in South Africa when hunting with you? The average trophy taken when Nyala hunting with us measures just over 28″ (on the border between SCI silver and gold). We have very strict Nyala hunting quotas and only take a few bulls each year. However, this means that the ones that we do take are usually very big.
Below is our largest Nyala taken to date, which measured 30 1/4″. This massive old brute was taken on our Thabazimbi hunting area in Limpopo Province, which is where we historically have some of our best Nyala hunting.
If you’re interested in going Nyala hunting in South Africa with us, please contact us for more information or to book your hunt.
