Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Zebra

Filaman:
You may change your mind about not wanting to shoot a zebra once you have the opportunity to actually hunt them. You may be put off by my description of "broadside at 80-100yds." This may sound as though these animals are easily approached, waiting to be shot. Believe me, these animals are "switched on" and alert to impending danger. They won't hesitate to rush off at the first inkling of some unknown odor, sound, or sight that they can't at the time, identify. After the dust settles, and your tracker has the spoor, your P/H will summon you to "Follow me," and now the hunt begins. IMO, zebra are worthy of the time/effort to hunt them to success. After all, what would an African safari be without a beautiful zebra skin rug adorning your trophy room floor?

Go to Africa, take your 9.3x62, and include zebra on you trophy list. You'll be glad you did.

My apologies for coming off as a Bunny Hugger. But thinking about it, it is a horse or related to them. However, I realize that if I went there and hunted them my outlook would change. Believe me, I'm no Bunny Hugger. I'm a hunter and I love to eat at least some of what I shoot. I will keep what you said in mind and I promise you that if I ever get an opportunity I will go for it.

...no need to apologize. I didn't get the impression you were opposed to hunting. There are many folks who can't seem to separate horse from zebra, and have no desire to hunt them because of the similarity. It is their choice, and their time/money.

Hunt hard, life's short

Thanks. I'll get over it. Like I said, if given the opportunity to hunt them I would probably go for it in a heart beat.

Aside from tasting good, zebra come with a printed target, unlike horses....

Actually, what really gives me a thrill is the thought of Cape Buffalo. I don't think I'd get a thrill over killing Dumbo, but the thought of shooting the mighty Buff does click my clock. But if I do I want nothing smaller than a .458 Win. if not something larger.

Ain't that the truth! They do make a pretty rug.

I think it is local preferences. I shot a zebra in the Eastern Cape. For whatever reason it was taken to the food bank/soup kitchen. They shipped it to SE Asia, said the locals would not eat zebra. Interestingly, the local blacks do not eat warthog. Again preference and when I shot mine, I picked up on perhaps some mysticism? The trackers said they were afraid of the dead warthog. They helped load it and skin it, but they would not eat it.

I've read several people who think zebra is great.

Filaman and et al - no one should have to apologize for not having a desire to shoot any particular species of game. Just because a species is "legal" to hunt, doesn't mean we all "have to" shoot them. At the same time, I have absolutely nothing against anyone else enjoying "the hunt" of any legally huntable species via any legally allowable method.

Personally, I have no desire to hunt cape buffalo. Growing up on a farm and being "put over the fence" by any number of mean bulls or even a few cows with calves, a CB is just another "cow". However, my wife and I did do an Asiatic water buffalo cull hunt in Australia's NT a few years ago and killed a boat load of culls. The difference, at least in my mind is, there they are an "invasive species" and once you see the ecological damage they do to the tidal flood plains, it makes sense.

I have no personal desire to hunt a leopard. While I love the baiting, checking and refreshing baits for clients, I don't have a personal desire to shoot one. Same with elephant. I love tracking/chasing them to get them to move away from or off a property and have been up close and personal "bluff charged" a couple of times, I have no personal desire to shoot one.

Same goes for a whole list of various PG species. Love to see them in the bush and up in the mountains, but just don't have a personal desire to shoot them.

Likewise for bear, moose and any number of American species. Not against anyone else perusing them, just not my personal desire.

I'd still like to hunt red stag in Scotland and/or maybe Romania and might try that in Scotland late this year.

I had a similar attitude about Zebra before my first African hunt. Why shoot a horse?

My mind quickly changed after pursuing them them with my hunting partner and his subsequent taking a huge stallion. I have since shot two and would not pass up the challenge of hunting another zebra.

They are also fantastic table fare.

I've shot literally hundreds of pigs, so I have zero desire for warthogs. I also don't care a thing in the world about buffalo, big cats, hippos, elephants, or any of the little antelope.

AB2506: There is a possibility your trackers were/are Muslim. They consider pigs dirty animals. I was with a skinner in Zim years ago who would not eat warthog. He was Muslim. He would gut, and skin them, but would not eat the meat. Unlike his mates...they had NO problem consuming warthog.

M3taco: I'm curious...just exactly how did you manage to move elephant? And, was your method successful in preventing the elephant returning?

The only times we've "moved" elephant have been at my friend's place in Namibia.

First time was in 2012 at Jan's father's, who owns the farm adjoining Jan's. He called Jan and said he had three elephant hanging around the home site keeping the workers from going out to check on the cattle. He asked if Jan would come and "move them off". He, Jan, asked if we wanted to come along - "absolutely". Loaded up and cut thru the 2-track over to his father's farm.

Sure enough, there under the acacia trees were three bull elephant, not more that 300m from the homestead back gate. It was an old bull and two younger "askaris" (guards) bulls. We, all three, had solids in our rifles and my wife and I held back 50-75m from Jan while he initially approached the bulls yelling and waving his arms. When he got to maybe 50m and he could see the elephant were looking at him, he simply fired a shot in the air way above their heads, but with the muzzle in their direction. That got them moving away. From then on, it was just a bit of a foot chase to keep them moving way. We pushed/followed them for the rest of the afternoon - maybe 10K. When they slowed to feed, we'd just whistle another shot over them.



The second time was a couple of years later, again at one of Jan's father's farms on the other side of Jan. Three different elephant there had been hanging around a water tank/trough for several days, keeping the cattle from drinking. Same drill, only this time we got there in the morning and pushed them off the same way. Only thing different was this area had less trees and a bit more open so, once they got moving, they pretty much kept moving (fast) and we never again got to within more than 1K of them. They knew we were behind them and never stopped to feed longer then a few minutes and quickly moved off again. We pushed them all day and all the way across Jan's father's farm and nearly all the way across to the next farm over from it as well.

In that part of NW Namibia the elephant are very nomadic. Normally, they never stay in one area for more than just a day or two. They know where all the man-made water holes are and simply move around feeding between them over a several million sq. kilometer area. In the case of the first ones, it was late Aug and they were in the river bottom next to Jan's father's place eating the seed pods from a species of acacia tree. They had food and water from the cattle tank and had been hanging out there for nearly a week. Not sure why the second group hung around that waterhole for several days. Jan said the way they moved and stayed well ahead of us, that group had been shot at or likely had an elephant killed from that group in the not to distant past.

Zebra shish kebab. It was delicious

After a handful of trips there my last was in Namibia. My PH suggested mountain zebra before we hunted. Offered it as likely the most difficult hunt of the trip. It was a proper mountain hunt. The tracker said, "perfect shot".

Very nice mountain zebra Ed. And it looks like is was "family" event too. Great times and great memories!! I think your shot was maybe 1/8" to high!!

The most humbling thing to me about hunting the Namibian mountains is how effortlessly the game moves up, down and all around and how much we "humans" struggle. Unless you just sit at a waterhole, you will "earn" your zebra stripes!

I was one of the I’m not interested in shooting a horse group until a friend of mine needed a zebra cape.

It was my first trip to Africa and part of it was hunting Hartman’s zebra south of Etosha with Byseewah. It was a great trip and the zebra hunt was outstanding. I would gladly hunt zebra again. I found the meat very tasty.

I have shot 7. I shot a Burchell with a Bow. And 6 Hartsmann's with a & 7mm Rem Mag. Two facing me in the chest. One high sholder shot. And three in the front shoulder. The high shoulder shot dropped him immediately. The others ran off!!!

M3Taco:
Interesting story about your 2012 encounter with elephants at Jan’s father’s place. I was there right after you and the elephants had actually destroyed a bunch of acacia trees very close to Lourens’ house. I asked Jan if a tornado had blown the trees over and he said no, the elephants had pushed them over to get at fresh green leaves and seed pods. Jan actually obtained a permit to shoot a problem elephant and Jan asked me if I wanted to shoot one. I passed on the chance.

Speaking of Zebras, I shot a beauty on Jan’s Ranch in 2012, and we brought the whole butchered Zebra to the Himba AIDS orphanage in Kamanjab. It made me feel good to help feed those poor kids without parents. When I returned to Jan’s in 2013, I brought home my Zebra rug and Euro Mounts from the prior year as Excess Baggage and I think I paid only $75 in fees versus $500+ to ship it. You were most helpful in teaching me the required paperwork to clear US Customs myself- Thanks.