The Southern Reedbuck is also known as the Common reedbuck and is the biggest reedbuck that can be hunted in Africa. These animals make fantastic trophies, they are bigger than the Mountain Reedbuck and Bohor Reedbuck, but are similar in appearance. The southern Reedbuck is generally found in areas where water is plentiful, often found in floodplains.
Southern Reedbuck can be hunted in South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and the far north Eastern parts of Namibia. These animals are distributed in scattered populations and occur in areas where there is generally large open spaces, good grazing and lots of water.
The southern Reedbuck are medium sized with males weighing in the region of 150 pounds and females 100 pounds. Only the males carry horns which grow straight up and curve forwards. They usually are solitary but may be found in small herds consisting of 2 to 10 members. Southern Reedbuck only feed when it is relatively cool, during the heat of the day they will be found resting in long grass or in shady areas. In regions such as Mozambique and parts of South Africa where temperatures are very high, these animals only feed late at night.
Mae Southern Reedbuck are territorial and mark out territories of about 200 acres in size. Males usually are found with a single female, and aggressively drive off any other males which may enter their territory. Due to the sedentary lifestyle of the Southern reedbuck they are fairly easy prey for predators. Leopard, Hyena, Lion and Cheetah actively feed on reedbuck. Due to the habitat in which they live in, the southern Reedbuck often falls prey to crocodiles as well. When threatened the southern reedbuck will enter an area of long grass where they try to hide themselves, this also makes stalking them relatively easy whether it’s a hunter or predator.
Hunting the Southern Reedbuck is actually very straight forwards as they are easy to approach. To successfully take a good trophy can be relatively easy, and not as difficult as hunting the Mountain or Bohor reedbuck. Early Morning and late afternoon when the temperatures are cool is the best time to target these animals. When cool the Reedbuck will be easier to spot in the reeds or areas of long grass. Spotting a good male from a long way out after glassing an area is probably the most common method of hunting these reedbuck. Another method is to walk through areas where reedbuck are known to rest during the day, and hope that you may bump up a good make. You will then need to quickly identify if it is a good trophy and quickly take a shot. Southern Reedbuck feed on grass, reeds and herbs. They do not swim and rarely will go into the water. They are reliant on water and will drink at least twice a day, a good thing to keep in mind when looking for a good specimen.
Calibre choice when hunting southern reedbuck is the same as other medium sized African Plains game. The most important is choosing a calibre and rifle you are comfortable with, anything from a .270 and up will be sufficient on southern reedbuck. Taking into account that a shot may need to be taken through long grass, so a calibre which shoots very fast is not entirely ideal. Depending on the method you plan to choose to go after the Southern Reedbuck the shot may be up close and really quick or a bit further off the shooting sticks. Shot placement can be placed in the middle of the shoulder when standing broadside, behind the shoulder when quartering away or in the centre of the chest when the animal is facing you!
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