Bontebok hunting in Southern Africa

Hunting trophies always draw comparisons about which animal has the larger horns, which animal has the better coat, and which was the better trip to target the animal when hunting in the wild, and so forth. But when your trophy is the bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus) and the rarest antelope in Africa, that’s all that matters!

These Africa plains game antelopes call the coastal fynbos and Renosterveld areas in the Western Cape home. Populations of bontebok can also be found in Swaziland, Lesotho, and on hunting farms in Namibia. Bontebok are active during the day but have rest periods during the hottest hours. Males are very territorial and will take on other bontebok males through aggressive displays of dominance and fighting. These antelopes aren’t expert jumpers but are skilled at crawling under obstacles.

Bontebok herds can be gender specific or mixed, but usually never number more than 40 members. They breed from January to mid–March and births run from August to September. Females are sexually mature from around two years of age. During the breeding season, a male bontebok usually forms a harem herd of himself, 2-8 females, and eventually the calves, while younger, less dominant males will group and steer clear of the females.

The bontebok’s predators include lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, caracals and jackals.