THE GRAY GHOST OF AFRICA

Kudu Bull

For me a Kudu bull sports the most impressive headgear of all the big game animals in Africa.  The Kudu is often one of the most desired trophies on a hunters wish list.  The nickname gray ghost comes from the kudu's love of the thick bush and its shy reclusive nature. The kudu is a very challenging trophy. It is amazing how quickly and easily they can disappear into the bush with just a few steps. They are there one second and gone the next. On my first safari I took a nice bull but only after many days of hard hunting. He was what I called a "good" last evening of the hunt bull. Not the giant I had hoped for, but a good representation of the species and still a very nice mount. As so often happens after you have filled your tag, the next morning as we left camp on the way to the airport a monster 60 inch kudu strolled across the road paying no attention to us. I just screamed out the window at him, "Where were you yesterday?"  A trophy bull will have a set of horns with three complete spirals that end in ivory tips. When you stand above a kudu bull and look down the spiral twist of the horn you will see a perfect circle in the middle. This circle can be as small as a broom handle and as large as a grapefruit on an exceptional trophy. The kudu has white bands on the bridge of the nose, thin white stripes on the flanks, and a hairy mane down his neck to his chest. A mature kudu bull is one of the most impressive and stunning creatures in the world. We saw a herd of kudu bulls on a night game spotting drive on Frikkie's ranch. A giant bull ran across the road in front of us on our way to Eric's ranch to hunt gemsbok and springbok. Frikkie stopped so I could see the classic going away look as he faded into the bush. While on a hunt we came upon a bull and cow in thick cover. They stood just long enough to snap a few quick photos then slipped away. The last kudu we saw on this trip was an impressive bull in Kruger at dusk. Just getting to see this many kudu on one safari was enough on its own to make the trip worth it for me.

Two in the bush

Impressive bull