Springbuck Hunting Today

IN RECENT YEARS, Magnum has published more than one species-specific article on the springbuck; I am not going to repeat zoological details here, as these are now available on the Internet. Nor will I be discussing stalking methods, for I wrote of these in the 2019 edition (newcomers to Magnum and the sport of hunting might want to order back issues of the April, May and June 2019 editions for the series on preparing and learning to hunt). For novice hunters, the important thing to know is that spring-buck largely inhabit flat, open plains, requiring somewhat longer shots than savannah or bushveld species. I strongly recommend walk-and-stalk hunting; however, in this article, for the sake of pragmatism, I will address the type of hunting most South Africans seeking springbuck this season, will likely undertake.

Because springbuck are small antelope, they bring the game-rancher less revenue per head than do gemsbuck, wildebeest, etc. For the same reason, most meat-hunters want to take home more than one springbuck. Springbuck are difficult to approach by walk-and-stalk methods. The hunting ranches are generally large with few or no internal(driven-game shoots) to achieve this. For this reason, many landowners offering springbuck are likely to insist on your using these methods. Therefore, it is more practical here to discuss appropriate calibres and shooting methods, rather than hunting and stalking.