Trophy fees in United States dollars, typical sizes taken on this concession, and a straight difficulty read on every animal. 14 of them are realistically bow-huntable here.
Showing 30 of 30 species
Tragelaphus strepsiceros
The animal most hunters come to Africa for, and the one that humbles them. Old bulls hold the thick riverine bush and move at first and last light. Expect to walk, expect to be busted, and expect the stalk that finally works to be the one you talk about for years.
Rowland Ward from 53 1/8"
Taurotragus oryx
Africa's largest antelope, and a genuinely hard hunt on foot: a mature blue bull carries close to a ton and will walk a herd twenty kilometres away from pressure. Shot placement matters more here than on anything else in the plains-game list.
Rowland Ward from 35"
Tragelaphus angasii
The most striking antelope in the bushveld and, in good light, one of the great photographic trophies. Nyala bulls hold dense cover near water and are hunted slowly, from the ground, in the last hour of daylight.
Rowland Ward from 27"
Tragelaphus sylvaticus
Small, aggressive and almost entirely nocturnal in hunted areas. Taking a good ram usually means sitting a riverine crossing at dusk rather than walking one up, which makes it one of the more rewarding entries on the list.
Rowland Ward from 15"
Connochaetes taurinus
Tough, herd-bound and famously hard to put down. Blue wildebeest test both your rifle and your patience: the herd carries too many eyes for a casual approach, and a poorly placed bullet buys you a long day on the tracks.
Rowland Ward from 28 1/2"
Connochaetes gnou
A highveld species hunted on open grassland, where the shots are longer and the cover is your own patience. Endemic to South Africa, so it belongs on any serious continental list.
Rowland Ward from 22 1/2"
Oryx gazella
Desert-adapted, sharp-eyed and armed. Gemsbok are hunted in open country where the stalk is the whole hunt, and a wounded one is genuinely dangerous at close quarters. Cows often carry the longer horns.
Rowland Ward from 40"
Kobus ellipsiprymnus
Big-bodied, water-bound and heavier than they look. A mature bull with a deep, well-ridged set of horns is one of the most underrated trophies in Africa, and the riverine hunt for one is a pleasure in its own right.
Rowland Ward from 28"
Aepyceros melampus
The bushveld's most abundant antelope and the best value on any list. During the April to May rut, dominant rams are noisy, distracted and huntable in a way they never are for the rest of the year.
Rowland Ward from 23 5/8"
Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi
An open-plains hunt with almost no cover, which makes it an honest test of field marksmanship. Endemic to South Africa and often the animal a first-time Africa hunter takes on day one.
Rowland Ward from 16 1/2"
Alcelaphus buselaphus caama
Fast, nervous and rarely stationary. Hartebeest cover ground at a pace that ends most stalks before they start, so the hunt usually turns on reading where the herd is heading rather than where it is.
Rowland Ward from 23"
Equus quagga burchellii
Judged on the skin rather than the skull, so we hunt for an unmarked stallion. They are far tougher than their size suggests and are hunted in mixed herds where picking the right animal is most of the work.
Judged on hide quality, not horn
Phacochoerus africanus
Comic until the moment they turn, and one of the best bow animals on the property because they commit to water and mud in the heat of the day. An old boar with worn, thick ivory is a proper trophy.
Rowland Ward from 13"
Potamochoerus larvatus
Nocturnal, bad-tempered and hunted over bait after dark with a red lamp. Not a species you can plan a trip around, but if the opportunity comes up on your safari it is one of the more exciting nights you will have.
Rowland Ward on tusk length
Antidorcas marsupialis
South Africa's national antelope, hunted on open plains at ranges that will make you glad you practised. Common, black, white and copper colour variants are all available on request.
Rowland Ward from 14 1/2"
Sylvicapra grimmia
One of the Tiny Ten and far harder than the fee suggests. Duiker hold thick cover, break at speed and rarely give a second look, which is exactly why serious list hunters want one.
Rowland Ward from 4 3/4"
Raphicerus campestris
A Tiny Ten species that freezes rather than runs, which makes the shot easy and the finding hard. Almost always taken as an opportunity on the way to something else.
Rowland Ward from 4 3/4"
Oreotragus oreotragus
Hunted on the koppies, on foot, usually before the rock faces heat up. The climb is the hunt. Bring boots with an edge on them and expect a long glass before you ever move.
Rowland Ward from 4 3/8"
Hippotragus niger
The bull most hunters would put above kudu if they were honest about it. Jet-black, arrogant, and willing to fight a lion. Availability is limited each season and bulls are allocated in advance, so book early.
Rowland Ward from 43"
Hippotragus equinus
Africa's second-largest antelope and a genuinely scarce trophy. Numbers are managed tightly and every bull is inspected and approved before the hunt, which is exactly as it should be.
Rowland Ward from 27"
Giraffa camelopardalis
Only taken as an old, post-breeding bull on management quota, and never casually. The meat feeds the camp and the surrounding community, and the hide and bones are fully utilised.
Taken on management quota
Syncerus caffer
Free-range dagga boys on tracks, hunted on foot, at the range where it matters. This is the hunt the rest of the list builds towards. Minimum .375 H&H, and you will want to have shot it standing before you arrive.
Rowland Ward from 42"
Hippopotamus amphibius
Hunted on land at night or on a brain shot from the bank, and both are serious propositions. Permit-bound and limited to a small annual quota on the concessions we hold.
Rowland Ward on tusk length
Crocodylus niloticus
A crawl-and-wait hunt on a sandbank, measured in hours, ending in a single brain shot at distance. There is no second chance and no follow-up, which is what makes it worth doing.
Rowland Ward from 13 ft
Panthera leo
Free-range and wild, hunted on a permit against a specific allocated male. We do not offer captive-bred lion and never have: if what you want is a two-day hunt in an enclosure, we are the wrong outfitter and we will say so. Expect to walk, expect to sit bait through the night, and expect a hunt measured in weeks rather than days.
Judged on age and mane, not on skull
Panthera pardus
Strictly permit-bound under South Africa's CITES leopard quota and only hunted where a specific problem or surplus tom has been allocated. We will not take a booking against a permit we do not already hold.
CITES quota, permit required
Caracal caracal
Called in at night or hunted with hounds on the neighbouring stock farms, where they are a genuine predator problem. Opportunistic rather than bookable.
Judged on cape quality
Lupulella mesomelas
Called in at dawn or over a carcass and always a welcome one to take. The cape makes an excellent flat skin and the local farmers will thank you.
Judged on cape quality
Papio ursinus
Intelligent, destructive and hunted on management quota. Big old males are far harder to approach than anything else in this category, and a full-body mount of one is a conversation piece.
Judged on size and cape
Struthio camelus
A hard-running bird with excellent eyesight, hunted on the open plains. The leather is genuinely worth having tanned, and the meat is the best on the property.
Judged on plumage
All fees are indicative, quoted in United States dollars, and move with the rand/dollar exchange rate. The rate on your written quote is the rate you pay, and it is held for the duration of your booking.
A trophy fee is charged per animal taken, on top of your daily rate. It is settled in camp on the last day against a trophy sheet you sign with your PH. An animal that is wounded and not recovered after a full day of follow-up is charged in full.
Lion are hunted free-range on an allocated permit. We do not offer captive-bred lion and will not arrange one through a third party. Lion, leopard and hippo are hunted only against permits we already hold, and we will not take a deposit against a permit that does not exist yet.
White and yellow blesbok, black springbok, golden wildebeest and other colour variants are available on request. Management animals — old, past-breeding or surplus — are offered at a substantial discount on the fees below.
Send us the species you still want and we will tell you which of them are realistic in the time you have, and which are worth a second trip.