Kafue Lechwe hunting

The Common Lechwe group is made up of three subspecies – Red Lechwe, Kafue Lechwe and Black Lechwe. The Kafue Lechwe is named after the region where it is found where it is an endemic species of the Kafue River Basin in Zambia. These animals thrive on the very flat floodplains which are seasonally submerged by water during the rainy season. Locally plentiful, they can be seen wandering around in the water feeding on aquatic plants.

When hunted in open territories or large concessions like the Kafue Flats, they can be quite quiet easy to spot being out on the floodplains. The problem is to get close enough to take a shot as they have a habit of just staying out of range. They also tend to mingle and move so it is also difficult to keep an eye on your chosen trophy. There is often no cover and it can be wet and muddy. The best time to hunt Lechwe is in the early morning as it can be really difficult to judge the distance in the simmering heat mirage on the flats. Not only that, the heat and humidity can get quite unbearable on the exposed floodplain at midday.