The Vaal Rhebuck is found exclusively in the mountainous areas of South Africa, It is also known as a Grey Rhebuck or Vaal Rhebok. The Grey colour of this animal is where it gets its name from as the word ”Vaal” in Afrikaans is the word used by Dutch settlers in South Africa to describe their grey colour and “Rhebok” meaning ridge buck. These animals are considered as of the most challenging antelope to hunt in South Africa. The Vaal Rhebuck is found in high altitude areas where there is not much cover and hunters who are going after one of these animals should be patient, be prepared to walk great distances and be able to take long shots on a small target.
Vaal Rhebuck are not as common as many other plains game species in South Africa, this is mainly due to the small populations being widespread. They are found in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, The Drakensberg Mountains and the free-state / Eastern Cape border. There are also scattered populations throughout Lesotho, but due to the unforgiving terrain and steep mountains in this region these animals have cannot successfully be hunted in the area.
Successfully hunting the Rhebuck involves hours of glassing mountain tops and hillsides, Hiking up and down mountains to get into a good position to spot one of these mountain dwellers and then moving to get a good shot, even to the most experienced hunter this gets challenging in areas at high altitude where the air is very thin. The Beauty of the South African Mountain terrain does somewhat make up for all the effort when pursuing these animals.
The trophy quality of the Vaal Rhebuck is measure by the overall length of the horns when field judging these animals the most reliable indicator is the ears which stand at a height of 6 inches above the head when erected. Horns which are close to an inch above the horn or further will make a good trophy. A flat shooting caliber such as the 7mm rem Mag or bigger Is perfectly suited to these animals.
If you are looking for a great Vaal Rhebuck hunt in Africa, give us a call or fill out the form below and let us help you find the perfect vaal rhebuck hunt for you.
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