Reedbuck Hunting

Be ready to shoot quickly and accurately if you are reedbuck hunting. They often suddenly jump up out of the grass and run but they do tend to stop to check what is happening.

Reedbucks fall into 3 groups throughout Africa - the southern or common reeduck, the mountain reedbucks and the Bohor reedbucks. Then within these groups are various reddbuck subspecies.

Reedbuck Trophy Minimums

Where To Hunt A Reedbuck

You can hunt the southern or common reedbuck in Mozambique, the far north-east of Namibia, north-east South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This is the largest of the reedbuck antelopes.

Bohor reedbucks occur in a coast-to-coast swathe across central Africa.

• You can hunt a Nagor Bohor Reedbuck in Benin and Burkina Faso. It is the smallest of the Bohor reedbucks.
• The Nigerian Bohor reedbuck can be hunted on a savanna hunt in Cameroon and in the Central African Republic (CAR).
• The Abyssinian Bohor reedbuck can be hunted in Ethiopia.
• The Sudan Bohor reedbuck may be hunted in Uganda. It is the largest of the Bohor reedbucks.
• The eastern Bohor reedbuck can be hunted in Tanzania and Uganda.

The mountain reedbucks occur in isolated populations acoss Africa.

• You can really only hunt a southern mountain reedbuck in South Africa.
• Chanler's mountain reedbuck can be hunted in Ethiopia, northern Tanzania, and eastern Uganda.
• The western mountain reedbuck can only be found in the western mountains of Cameroon where it cannot be hunted.

Which Reedbuck Is Which?

Reedbuck Hunting Prices

Hunt outfitters don't always specify which reedbuck subspecies is available to hunt on their trophy list. You will need to check with them if you want to hunt a specific reedbuck.

• In Benin, the trophy fee for a Nagor reedbuck is about 800 Euros to 1500 Euros.
• In Burkina Faso, the trophy fee for a Nagor reedbuck is between 290 Euros and 350 Euros.
• In Cameroon, the Nigerian Bohor reedbuck is a Group B savanna animal with a trophy fee of between 300 Euros and 1300 Euros.
• In Central African Republic, the Nigerian Bohor reedbuck is hunted as a savanna animal with a trophy fee of US$500.
• In Ethiopia, the Chanler's mountain reedbuck has a trophy fee of US$1000. The Abyssinian Bohor reedbuck carries a trophy fee of between US$350 and US$770.
• In Mozambique, you can hunt a common/southern reedbuck for a Government licence fee of between US$200 and US$350 with a trophy fee of US$700 to US$1000.
• In Namibia, you can hunt a common/reedbuck on a Caprivi hunt but there is usually a limited quota. The trophy fee will be between US$1500 and US$3950.
• In South Africa the common/southern reedbuck is a TOPS animal so only may be hunted with a special permit obtained before the hunt for a specific client. The trophy fee for a common/southern reedbuck varies between US$1200 and US$1500. The southern mountain reedbuck is not a TOPS animal and comes with a trophy fee anywhere between US$300 and US$1100. In some hunt areas female mountain reedbuck can be hunted for US$100. Beware that some agents are mis-selling Vaal rhebok as Vaal reedbucks - they are not reedbucks or even similar.
• In Tanzania, the Government trophy fee for all the reedbucks is US$450 and they are only huntable on 16 & 21 day licences. With the additional Community Development/anti-poaching fees, the full trophy fee will be US$550 to US$1200 for a common/southern reedbuck, US$570 to US$850 for an eastern Bohor reedbuck and US$570 to US$850 for a Chanler's mountain reedbuck.
• In Uganda, the trophy fee for the eastern Bohor reedbuck, Sudan Bohor reedbuck and the Chanler's mountain reedbuck are all generally US$850 each.
• In Zambia, the common/southern reedbuck trophy fee is between US$600 and US$1400.
• In Zimbabwe, the common/southern reedbuck trophy fee is between US$800 and US$1650.

Reedbuck Hunting Methods

• Be prepared for a quick shot if you are hunting a common or Bohor reedbuck. If startled, these reedbuck take flight and generally stop after a short distance to look back. They frequently bed down in tall grass or reeds during the heat of the day and seem to allow quite a close approach before suddenly springing up and heading for the hills. Hunting near water in the early morning or late evening when they feed, is the ideal time for success with a reedbuck.
• If you are hunting the mountain reedbuck, as the name suggests, you will probably be doing a bit of rock climbing. These small reedbuck are harder to approach and may require a fairly long shot. Early mornings or late evening is when the mountain reedbuck is more active, feeding on the rocky slopes.

A Good Reedbuck Trophy

• Look for solid bases and good horn length on all reedbucks.
• At the base of reedbuck horns is the basal pulp or pad. This must be included in any horn measurement if it is present - it can disintegrate when the skull is cleaned or dried out.

Reedbuck Hunting Shot Placement

• As reedbuck antelope shot placement is similar to other antelope plains game species, go to Shot Placement On Plains Game.

Reedbuck Male Vital Statistics

Reedbuck Habitat and Requirements

• The common and Bohor reedbucks favour open grassy marshland or areas of riverine reeds where there is cover to hide within. The mountain reedbuck prefers grassy hills and rocky slopes.
• Although they live in close proximity to water, reedbucks rarely enter it.

Reedbuck Social Structure

• The Common reedbuck live in monogamous pairs.
• Bohor reedbuck live loosely in small groups. As long as there is cover in which to hide, they live solitary lives only banding together if cover is lost.
• Mountain reedbuck are sociable living in small herds of 3 to 8 females and young.

Reedbuck Gestation Period

• After a gestation period of around 7 months, one offspring is born.

Reedbuck Gender Identification

• Only male reedbuck have horns which are strongly ridged, curve backwards, upwards and finally forwards, forming a 'V' when viewed from the front.

Reedbuck Trophy Permits (2015)

Reedbuck Trophy Taxidermy

• If your budget can stretch to it, any one of these reedbucks make a beautiful full mount display. If a full mount is not possible, they make a great shoulder mount or skull mount.
• Don't forget to tell your taxidermist not to blacken and polish the horns, if you want the horns to look natural.

So What About The Reedbuck Names?

• Obviously the name 'reedbuck' refers to it's preferred habitat or long grass or reeds.
• The common/southern reedbuck Redunca arundinum scientific name refers to 'horns bent back' (redunca) and latin for 'reed' (arundo).
Chanler's Mountain Reedbuck
• The mountain reedbuck Redunca fulvorufula refers to it's colour of fulvous red. Chanler's mountain reedbuck Redunca fulvorufula chanleri is named after William Astor Chanler who was an American lawyer. In 1889 he travelled in to Mount Kenya with Austrian Ludwig von Hohnel. The then unknown antelope was found near the Tana river, Kenya and then named Cervicapra chanleri by Chanler. It was renamed Redunca fulvorufula chanleri later in 1895.


• The name 'bohor' was the local Amharic vernacular for this antelope and referred originally to the northern Abyssinian reedbuck, then applied to all the similar reedbuck of other regions of Africa.
• The Sudan bohor reedbuck Redunca redunca cottoni was named after Percy Powell-Cotton who explored and hunted in Africa and Asia between 1887 and 1939. His claim to fame was that he shot the largest tusker ever killed by a white man. He found his reedbuck in the Kordofan area of Sudan.
• The Nagor reedbuck name possibly comes from the French naturalist, Comte de Buffon, who refers to the reedbuck in the mainland area opposite Gori Island, Senegal.
• The eastern bohor reedbuck Redunca redunca wardi was named after James Rowland Ward, the taxidermist.
• The other reedbucks were named for their country of location.

Hunting Other African Animals

Big Five Hunting

• African Buffalo
• African Lion
• African Leopard
• African Elephant
• Rhino

Waterside Hunting

• Hippo
• Crocodile

Other Plains Game Hunting

• Giraffe
• Zebra

Spiral Horned Antelope Hunting

• Bushbuck
• Kudu
• Nyala
• Mountain Nyala
• Sitatunga
• Bongo
• Eland

Large Antelope Hunting

• Sable
• Roan
• Waterbuck
• Kob
• Lechwe
• Oryx / Gemsbuck
• Wildebeest
• Hartebeest
• Tsessebe / Topi

Medium Antelope Hunting

• Blesbok
• Bontebok
• Reedbuck
• Impala
• Gerenuk
• Springbok
• Rhebok
• Puku

Small Antelope Hunting

• Gazelle
• Duiker
• Dik-Dik
• Steinbok
• Grysbok
• Oribi
• Klipspringer
• Suni
• Bate's Pygmy Antelope

African Pig Hunting

• Warthog
• Bushpig
• Forest Hogs

Other Cat Hunting

• Cheetah
• Serval
• Caracal
• African Wildcat

Animals Of Opportunity

• Baboon
• Civet
• Genet
• Honey Badger (Ratel)
• Hyena
• Jackal
• Ostrich
• Porcupine
• African Fox
• Monkey