Plains Game hunt

Plains Game is a term that dates back to the earliest days of African safaris. The name is a little misleading because the species belonging to ‘plains game’ are found not only on the plains, but also in the mountains, jungle, swampy river beds, on the platoes, and in fact in every habitat known in Africa. Roughly speaking, plains game is everything that is in between small game (birds, rodents, and such) and the Dangerous 7 (elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion, leopard, crocodile and hippo). To plains game belong, firstly, all species of antelope, although some of them may be further categorized into categories like “spiral horn”, “tiny ten”, and so on. Then there are other creatures that belong to other families of mammals - giraffes, porcines (bushpig, warthog), baboon, and even birds, most notably ostrich. Most species of plains game are common and affordable to hunt. Impala, Springbuck, Wildebeest and Warthog are must-have trophies for every African safari. The more desirable, such as Oryx, Kudu, Sable, Nyala and Eland may cost thousands of dollars in trophy fees, and the rarer kinds may require weeks of dedicated hunting to harvest. Plains game is a common gateway drug to the addiction of African hunting. Typically, plains game is harvested by the spot-and-stalk method. The hunter and the PH cruise the neighborhood, in a safari vehicle or on foot, and glass around. When a suitable animal is found, they approach it within gunshot. If this approach doesn’t work for a particular species in a particular environment, other methods may be employed, including hunting at night, with dogs, from machans over burns (where fresh ground attracts antelopes). Bowhunters typically prefer hunting from a blind positioned over a water hole or food source.