If you’re looking at targeting an Africa plains game specimen that will set you a challenge, then the blackwildebeest (Connochaetes gnouis) is right up your alley.
Endemic to South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho, theblack wildebeest should be approached with caution when on a game hunting safari. Known as being grumpy at
times, while downright aggressive at others, together with their excellent senses, make the black wildebeest challenge to hunt and worth considering for your hunting trip in Africa.
The black wildebeest, also referred to as the poor man’s buffalo, is available for hunting in Namibia as well as South Africa. It is listed by the International Union for the Conversation of Nature (IUCN) with a status of “least concern.”
In South Africa, game hunting safaris are undertaken in KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and Northern Cape. The black wildebeest’s chosen habitat includes grasslands, open plants, and Karoo shrublands in mountainous and lower-lying areas.
Mating occurs in March and April, with their offspring born between November and January, after about an 8.5
gestation period. The female black wildebeest gives birth in the middle of the herd and usually in the middle of the day. Calves reach independence at 6 months of age.
There are three distinct social groups relating to the black wildebeests. These are of importance as you target the males of the species during your hunting trip in Africa:
- Females herds
- Bachelor herds
- Territorial bull herds
Herds consist of 10-60 animals, and they feed and graze during the early morning and late afternoon during the
hotter months. During the day, they will rest and sleep in the shade. When the weather is cooler, they graze throughout the day.
They are herbivorous and eat grass. They may sometimes migrate, due to the availability of grass for feeding.
This Africa plains game species has numerous predators, including lions, leopards, hyenas and Nile crocodiles. Lions
target adult wildebeest while hyenas and leopards focus on the calves. The Nile crocodile sets its sights on the old, young and sick of the herd and drags them under water where they drown.
