Hunting trophy blue wildebeest
Hunting Blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus)
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Best recommended caliber to hunt |
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Blue wildebeest |
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308, 30-06, 7mm (all), 300 (all), 338, 375. Generally: the bigger the better. |
Hunting notes when hunting blue wildebeest:
Hunting the blue wildebeest in Africa, also known as the Poor Man’s Buffalo will be a challenging hunt. Blue wildebeest are endemic to South Africa and have adapted well to almost any area where they have been introduced to. The blue wildebeest is also commonly known as the gnu: a name derived from one of the noises it makes from the belly region. It is related to the black wildebeest.
The best suggested caliber to hunt blue wildebeest with starts at the 300 range and larger. Average shooting distance will be in the 50 – 150 yard range.
Walk-and-stalking these gregarious animals can be challenging, depending on the terrain and the amount of animals in any particular herd. They are extremely tough animals that take a shot well. They have a hump on the shoulders that easily misleads the hunter in to placing a shot too high. This has led to many wounded animals that were lost.
The bulls are distinguished from the cows in that the bulls have much more mass on their horns than the cows.
Another interesting aspect is they are hosts of the Nasal Botfly, a relative of the common house fly. The nasal bot fly survives in the nasal passage in a larvae form until ready to be excreted when the animal sneezes. The larvae find their way into soft soil where they submerge and move on to become pupae. When the fly emerges it flies to find another host to complete the life cycle. Other South African game animals that are hosts to the bot flies are black wildebeest, red hartebeest, blesbuck, Lichtensteins hartebeest and tsessebe.
Description:
The blue wildebeest (sometimes referred to as the gnu) has a slight build towards the back section with a heavier build around the shoulders. The snout is wide and supported by a large head. Hunting blue wildebeest in the vicinity of a herd will challenge your every stalking abilities.
A number of darker vertical stripes occur from the neck to the end of the rib cage. These stripes account for the name “brindled gnu”. A thick beard extends along the throat area and a mane droops from the top of the neck. The tail is thick and can be compared to that of a horse. Faces are almost black with brown facial markings that occur on younger animals.
Habitat:
Wildebeest prefer open savanna bushveld to open grass plains. Access to stable water sources is essential.
Reproduction:
A single calf is born usually between mid-November and end of December, depending on factors like early rainfall and drought. The rut is usually between March and June.
General:
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Gestation period |
About 250 days |
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Average shoulder height |
52” – 60” |
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Average weight |
bulls |
Up to 500 lbs |
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cows |
Up to 400 lbs |
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Horns |
Both bulls and cows have horns |
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