Blue Wildebeest hunting in Zimbabwe

Blue Wildebeest, also known as a Brindled Gnu is a large antelope with horns mimicking those of a Cape Buffalo and a reputation of being a “Poor Man’s Buffalo’. They have been known to attack hunters when wounded but their reputation is more about just how tough they can be to bring down. A misplaced shot can often end up with a lost wounded Wildebeest. Blue Wildebeest are found in the game-rich National Parks, private ranches and hunting concession areas of southern and western Zimbabwe. They are absent from the Zambezi Valley. They are much more affordable to hunt than Buffalo and therefore a popularly hunting plains game species. Both males and females have horns, however, trophy hunters will hunt the more sought after bulls that have thicker (boss) based horns unless shooting for meat. They stand high on the shoulder which often misleads hunters into shooting higher on the shoulder and missing the vital organs. They are a water-dependent species and often large herds when congregating to drink at a waterhole. Blue Wildebeest (Brindled Gnu) are classified as a species of least concern by the IUCN and no special hunting permits are required.