Zebra hunting
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Where to hunt Zebra
Zebra thrives on every part of southern and eastern Africa where there are open grounds with grass for grazing and waterholes not far off. Of three species of Zebra, two - Plains and Mountain Zebra - can be legally hunted. Plains Zebra is bigger than Mountain Zebra but has relatively shorter legs. Mountain Zebra have dewlap, and a different stripe pattern including full white belly. Plains Zebra may form large herds, while Mountain Zebra live in small family or bachelor groups. Plains Zebra is further divided into a number of regionalised subspecies, including Burchell's, Boehm's, Chapman’s and Crawshay's Zebra. These regionalised subspecies can be hunted in various parts of Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Mountain Zebra is further divided into Cape Mountain Zebra, found the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, and Hartmann's Zebra, that can be hunted in Namibia and on some hunting operations in South Africa.
Price distribution
The most affordable Zebra hunting opportunities are to be found in Botswana, where the trophy fee can be as low as $500. Another good option for a price-savvy hunter is a cull hunt, as it is the skin, and not antlers and horns, that is the trophy of a Zebra hunt. Shooting fees for cull hunts are usually in the $500 range as well. For trophy hunting, the price of the more common subspecies is within $1,000-$1500 range. The more exquisite subspecies, such as Cape Mountain Zebra, may cost up to $5,000. Don’t forget to add daily rates and other associated fees.
Learn more from our blog story
Zebra is often one of the trophies people consider for their first African hunt. This blog post will tell you about other popular trophies, and help you navigate between “daily rates”, “trophy fees”, and other things that go into the price of a safari - and suggest tips how to make it more affordable.
17 Aug 2017 All said and done: What’s the bottom line for an average South African hunt?When to hunt Zebra?
Zebra hunting opportunities exist all year round. However, in a large part of its range, hunting is uncomfortable (and the season often is closed) in the summer and/or the wet season, because of weather conditions. Most Zebra populations don’t have a specific rut time, with mares coming into heat at random. It is usually believed that the best time for a plains game hunts is the last months of the dry season, that is, August to October.
Hunting methods All hunting methods (17)
Zebra prefer wide open spaces with grass for grazing and water not too far away. They live in family groups, either a stallion with a harem of mares and their young, or bachelor groups of males. The Zebra don’t rely on “hide” strategy to escape predators; as soon as one animal senses danger, it gives an alarm call, and the whole herd takes flight. Spot-and-stalk is the preferred method for Zebra hunting, but both Plains and Mountain Zebra have their specific challenges. The former dwells on open plains with little cover, and often forms big herds, so a hunter has to escape hundreds of attentive eyes and be ready for a quick long shot. The latter inhabit rugged terrain that sometimes make the hunt resemble a true mountain hunt, and is usually hard to cover in vehicles, so the hunter should be prepared to do a fair bit of walking. Bowhunters may choose to wait for the animal in a ground or elevated blind over a waterhole.
Why hunt Zebra?
The skin of the zebra is one of the most popular trophies of African safaris, and many hunters who tried Zebra steaks say it’s some of the best meat they’ve tasted. Zebras are mostly threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, and hunting concessions play an important part in their conservation. This especially concerns the Cape Mountain Zebra, which depends on herds from game farms for both numbers genetic diversity. Whether you should target the darker Cape Mountain Zebra in South Africa or the duff-colored Hartmann’s zebra in Namibia, the Chapman’s and Burchell’s Zebra with their brown “ghost” stripes or the contrasting black-and-white eastern variety in Tanzania, zebra hunting offers a unique challenge and adds a different edge to your plains game safari.
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