Reedbuck hunting in South Africa

The Southern or South African (Common) Reedbuck and the Southern Mountain Reedbuck occur in South Africa. The Common Reedbuck is the larger of the two and is found over a greater range than the Mountain Reedbuck which as its name suggests is limited to the mountainous areas of the country. Common Reedbuck are found from the marshy areas of KwaZulu-Natal to the interior high plateau grasslands and mountain foothills. These Reedbuck have been introduced to numerous out-of-historical range areas and are able to survive these unsuitable conditions if supplementary fed. The highest density of Common Reedbuck is found in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands, a dairy farming region that grows irrigated agricultural pastures to feed their dairy herds. The combination of green pastures and long grass cover in winter is the perfect Common Reedbuck habitat but unfortunately, they are very prone to poaching with dogs if not protected. Mountain Reedbuck can be hunted in many of the country's mountain ranges, ranging from the Drakensberg to the Waterberg Mountains and foothills in the Limpopo Province. The largest herds of Mountain Reedbuck are found in the Eastern Cape where some outfitters offer management hunts to reduce their numbers. Herds of 30-strong are not uncommon in this area. Both species are classified as a species of least concern by the IUCN, however, a special Threatened or Protected Species (TOPS) is required to be prearranged before hunting a Common Reedbuck.