Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Top plainsgame you still need to collect

As the title says what remaining plainsgame you simply must hunt, and are willing to pay the freight to bring back for mounting?
These are the ones you have pictured in your mind how they would look mounted, but as yet just haven't come across the right one in the field.

I imagine everyone will have different species in their remaining list and that's what makes it interesting.

I have two on my list:

1. Common Sable - My top of the list. Big, jet black, heavy horn, battle-scarred, and as I told one PH only half-jokingly "can stand there and scratch his back with his horn tips".
I'd have that trophy on a floor pedestal mount with his head turned 90 degrees looking straight at the Kudu at the other end of the room.

2. Niassa Wildebeest - again, big, heavy horn, with really striking striping on his neck and shoulders that will be evident on a shoulder mount.
Half the fun will be simply getting to Northern Mozambique to search for them.

So those are my two remaining must-haves. What are yours?

Nyala is the only one I would get mounted.

Kudu, bushbuck, and impala euro mounts only.

I agree a Sable would very nice.I have a Kudu and an Impala mounted.The impala is a beautiful ram.
A zebra rug is awesome-got one of those and it's a beauty.Aside from a Sable there is nothing else I would really want to mount.
An Eland would be good to hunt-I would consider hunting one if they were in the area and were on license.
That said,I wouldn't mind hunting another Zebra and mounting another rug.

Nyala, bushbuck and a big kudu.

Could be talked into a huge waterbuck

I think waterbuck is an under appreciated trophy. They make spectacular mounts.

I once came across a beautiful sable in a very wild area in Zimbabwe.Since I was short of cash I turned it down.It would have been difficult even if I tried since I had my 500 double.If I had a scoped rifle the chances were much greater.However I only use an open sighted rifle for Africa-excpt for leopard.My Ph managed to use the wind to our advantage and get me to within five yds of a zebra which I took with my double.

Sable. I have a really good Roan and would like a Sable to go with him.

Tommy, Grants, Roberts, Gerenuk, Lesser Kudu, Val Rhebok.

I've been on three trips, in three different areas and while Sables are beautiful and I think Nyala's would make a hell of a mount in the area's I've been neither animal seemed very bright.

Last trip I took a very nice Bushbuck, but it was one of the ugliest animals I've ever taken. They figured it was 12+ years old, didn't have any hair on it's face and was a bit straggly. Tried for one the 2nd hunt and took some effort this last hunt (Easter Cape). Would like to take one in it's prime for a mount.

Also took an exceptional Steen buck this last trip and would like a big Duiker. Say what you will, but I think some of these smaller antelope should cost more than some of the larger more easily obtained critters.

Zebra hunt was fun and I put in a few miles chasing after the one I took. Was hesitant my 1st trip to shoot one, but think they're one of the spookier game animals in the places I've been.

I didn't think I'd ever go once and now looking at my fourth trip in '25. Primary will be a cow cape buffalo and probably just cull animals after that, but we'll see...

A super nice warthog

I once was in Mozambique's coutada 9 and it was raining warthogs.I took a very old one by a waterhole.
I still have the skull and tusks but never mounted it.

Coutada 9 is a special place for plains game. The kudu and eland hunting there is superb.

2021 Warthog

Borrowed .243 Mauser of some flavor that I would have loved to taken home with me. PH & I were in a makeshift blind a 1/4 or so mile away from a planted field. Busted out of cover an hour or two after we had sat down from being spooked by something. Running straight at us from about 200 yards to within 75 yards when I took the shot, just as he was quartering towards us and slipped one in and he dropped.

PH was more excited than I was over the size (10 1/2" exposed tusk).

Very nice!

I’ve killed a couple dozen Plainsgame but have never had a shoulder mount done due to taxidermy costs and space limitations. I’ve had European mounts of the following:

1) 40” Gemsbok Bull and 41” Gemsbok cow;
2) Three Warthog tusk mounts;
3) Three Baboon skull mounts;
4) Two Waterbuck Bull mounts;
5) Two Kudu mounts;
6) Two Eland mounts;
7) One Steenbok
8) One Springbok
9) One Blue Wildebeest
10) One Black Wildebeest
11) One Zebra rug

Most of my mounts are on my garage walls except a Kudu, an Eland, a Springbok and the Zebra rug which are in my basement Man Cave.

Monster warthog 69!!! Outstanding!!!

Of plainsgame, I enjoy hunting the spiral horns most. Of the 9 main spiral horns, I’ve taken 5, including Greater Kudu, Bushbuck (all 4 I’ve shot have been Chobe), Livingstone Eland, Nyala & Lord Derby Eland. I’ve hunted Sitatunga twice, unsuccessfully. I’m next hunting Sitatunga late 2025 in Zambia on a hunt specifically dedicated to just that. If I’m successful, that’ll leave Lesser Kudu, Bongo & Mountain Nyala. I’m booked for Bongo in ‘26 and considering a Masailand hunt for ‘27. If those are all successful, that’d leave only Ethiopia and Mountain Nyala.

I've been tracking hunting reports on Sable for a while now and it appears that so far, the the most consistent reports on really big Sable have been coming out of Zambia.

Western Zambia has long been one of the most consistent producers of big sable. Western Zimbabwe and western Tanzania also, but not as consistently as Zambia. I won’t consider South Africa at all since they’re bred and hunted behind high fences. I’ll take my 42” Tanzanian and 45” Zimbabwean Sable every day over a 50” farm raised and high fenced sable.

Sable, nyla, buff and giraffe for me. I was blessed with outstanding kudu(61) eland(39.5) and gemsbok(40&42). But I want to do it on big property. Had an excellent time at Bokamosa in Botswana a few years ago.

Yup. I'm thinking along the SW border of Kafue NP. Free ranging, no fences.

61" Kudu? Well done!

Going back to the eastern cape this July and looking for a red Hartebeest. Nothing else special at this time

Getting the itch to scratch a few more ff the bucket list. Sable and bushbuck, possibly a nyala. Leaning towards Mozambique, but those big sable in Zambia are hard to beat. Wouldn't turn down a big waterbuck or another kudu if the right bull presented itself. No way to pull it off this year, so working on 2025.

Nothing for me.
Plains game are fun and I have no regrets concerning my African hunting but there’s nothing beyond my kudu, gemsbok, impala and warthog that I want. Got a blesbok too but that was an add on because there was time to hunt more. I’d rather hunt other critters in other places as far as non dangerous game. Good on everyone though for pursuing their plains game desires.

I am booked for cape buffalo and crocodile next year in Zambia. One never knows with me if something else will die while I am there, but I have nothing specific in mind.

Sable and roan.

I still want a really nice Impala, warthog, nyala, and wildebeest. That, with another buff (euro next time) will fill up the gun room I’m building about perfectly. I currently have a 38” buff, Kudu, waterbuck, zebra, and puku at the taxidermist.

For me it would be East African impala, the various bushbucks I don’t have already, roan and Lord Derby Eland.

I need really big Warthog and Bushpigs, Wife wants the four colors of Springbuck and a copper colored Wildebeest bull ; ]

Spotted hyena, sable and roan.

Waterbuck, big warthog, spotted hyena, Roan

I have at least one mount of each of the 36 species of African animals that I have hunted. Still waiting on my taxidermist on 5 from previous hunts.

Ones that I would still like to hunt would include a Roan, Kob, Puku, Black and Kafue Lechwes, a different Hartebeest than my Red, a Grant, Roberts and Thomson Gazelles, a Lesser Kudu, a Gerenuk, Suni, Dik-dik, a couple of Forest Duikers, and a Bohor Reedbuck.

Then I would need a place to put them, as my Living and Trophy rooms are pretty much full now.

I shot a pretty nice warthog in 2012 with my pre-64 358 Win and the 200 gr TTSX.

That's what I'm talking about! Nice warthog:)

Big nyala and Limpopo bushbuck.

Another nice Warthog!

I shot mine with a 270 grain A-Frame out of the .375 H&H. No special reason; it's just what I happened to be carrying that day.

I'd hate to try getting one through agriculture inspection today tho, it's turned into a real trial (re: $$$ storage) in some of the airports.

Sichifulo, Kasonso Busanga, Lunga Busanga, Illinda and other units in that area can all produce Sable over 45”.

Sable
Lesser kudu
Roan

The most impressive Sable I've yet to come across was unfortunately while on the dirt track traveling to meet the outbound plane.

I believe that's called perfect timing - for the Sable.

Can do you one better:

Gemsbuk Bull and cow/Aroab,Namibia., Same trip Blesbuk Ram, Impala, Zebra skin 1998 Bought and paid for Taxidermist
Black Wildebeast Bull, Red Hartebeast Bull, Blesbuk skin South Africa 2002, Bought and paid for.

They were "supposed" to be part of the group shipping (to save costs) however. The two trips were a combined effort, with trophies sent right after the 2002 trip. However, my Afrikaner Outfitter friend got twisted off with me when I would not support his financial agenda. The rest of the group received theirs in one shipment; mine were not. My "paperwork" was not "done", etc. Went back and forth, hard words via Fax/phone calls, etc. I resolved to just "give them" to the Taxidermist (very good man) to sell and invest back into "his" business. I took the Taxi/costs on the chin. Friendship ruined of course. In 2004, out of the blue, he called me and "again" wanted to me support him financially. I politely refused and said, " Don't contact me again". What I learned..."some Afrikaners" love you just fine, "until" it looks like the "American" won't Pay for their Lifestyle choices. No...I never went back and I am "never" going back to Africa. I have my memories and my photos. "Beware of Afrikaners Bearing Gifts" they say?

My store is much the same - I had no intention of shooting a warthog. Of course, first morning out, we see a good one. PH and trackers were adamant I should attempt to shoot it. My first African animal was one I no no intention of taking.

Sable. But I believe my Africa days are over. It's gotten ridiculously expensive, to the point I simply can't justify nor stomach stroking a check.

I feel much the same Fost. I'd love to hunt sable and roan, but not enough to justify the cost, shipping trophies home, taxidermy, etc.

Yep, on my first African hunt I had made it plain I wasn’t interested in a warthog in spite of a lot of encouragement, including my taxidermist. So we were out looking for a kudu when we encountered some warthogs. The PH said, “Al, I know you don’t particularly want to shoot a warthog, but that’s a very nice warthog.” Bang! 😂

I can relate to what you guys are saying (and my wife could not agree more), but I simply refuse to put pay to at least always hope I have one more trip to the Long Grass...

LOL- pretty much a carbon copy of mine....

Roan. Shot multiples of most of the rest of the southern African plains game.

Time for you to collect another booster or two isn't it Dr?

I wondered how long it would take you to make an irrelevant personal attack. Obviously not long. Do you have an alarm set?? Get a life- obviously you don’t have one now. I’m betting less than 6 hours to respond with another personal attack. Pathetic….

Not to be Captain Obvious, but I must ask: Is not having the mounts a deal breaker for you all?
If you don't have things mounted, you also pay no shipping/CITES/whatever other charges they nickel and dime ya with....and a safari can easily be 1/2 the price if you take that into account.

I want to get a barbary sheep and maybe a roan. A steenbok would be nice. For some reason I want a puku, but I doubt I will ever hunt where they live. Always an impala. Another red lechwe would be awesome. Other than that, a lot of culling.

Not to be Captain Obvious, but I must ask: Is not having the mounts a deal breaker for you all?
If you don't have things mounted, you also pay no shipping/CITES/whatever other charges they nickel and dime ya with....and a safari can easily be 1/2 the price if you take that into account.[/quote]

If this is in South Africa, you can easily just give the capes/horns to a Taxidermist. They fix them up, sell to tourists/decorator's, etc, all the time! If you know someone, on the three trips (four hunts) my Outfitter had arranged for the local butcher to purchase all the meat which reduced our costs tremendously. We didn't have a fancy Safari camp, we hunted just like we do here. Stayed at a Farm House ( we would call it a Ranch) and drive out on the property. hunt in anyway you want. I suggest a good, slow walk through the area, take it all in! Hired local trackers/skinners for a song. Cooked ourselves. There is always a way!

We should never forget who the enemy is......that is you and every other covtard/libtard out there.

You’re slipping. Took you 3-4 hours longer than usual to make another irrelevant comment. Come on troll, get on the stick!

You're pathetic self is like putty in my hands........I pull your string....you start to dance. Good thing you had no kids to grow up a coward like you.

I much prefer the "English" South Africans over the "Afrikaner" South Africans. Not so bossy and pushy and much more trustworthy IME. This is from observing them (Afrikaners) in hotels, at hunting shows where some are very pushy (and lost my business), and I find some of the offers from Afrikaners to be suspect. Then there is my work with my local SCI Chapter. We have one Afrikaner donor who gives a 70% donation. He wants his 30% immediately. We're volunteers, he will get 30% ASAP, but it might be a few days or a couple of weeks. The number of Emails he sends asking about his 30% is unreal. We're left wondering if his donation is worth the hassle. So that is my experience. It would seem that some Afrikaners think the world revolves around him/her. They are the cock of the block. The world doesn't work that way anymore. They don't understand that.