If you are Roan Antelope Hunting, do not be under-gunned; the roan is a heavy, tough, aggressive, and potentially dangerous quarry.
The herd bulls can be quite cocky and not all that hard to approach. Be very cautious and ready; he may be bold enough to take you on in a charge.
There are no seasonal restrictions on Roan Antelope in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Nick Bowker Hunting offers Roan Antelope Africa hunting year-round.
Table of Contents
- Roan Antelope Hunting Cost
- Interesting Facts
- Difference between Male and Female
- About Roan Antelope
- Roan Antelope Hunting
- Trophy Judgement and Rifle Calibre
Roan Antelope Hunting Cost
The average cost of a trophy Roan Antelope hunt is $6000. Roan Antelope can be added to any African safari hunts package.
Included in the Roan Antelope trophy hunting package is a licensed hunting guide. As well as a hunting license and all permits.
Interesting facts about Roan Antelope
- A grazer and browser whose preferred habitat includes lightly wooded savanna, it also frequents floodplains and grasslands.
- The roan is sociable and territorial, and females live in herds of 4–25 with their offspring.
- Males defend territories and accompany female herds that range widely, enjoying a monopoly while being the dominant bull.
- The dominant bull forces the young males to leave. The bachelors associate together in small bachelor herds until they mature at six years of age.
- Females breed at two years and thereafter produce young at roughly 10.5-month intervals (gestation 9–9.5 months).
- After a 2–3 week hiding stage, calves join the maternal herd, associating with other juveniles in crèches.
- Resting juvenile subgroups are often left behind when the rest of the herd moves, making them vulnerable prey for leopards.
- Roan can kill lions that fail to overpower them immediately. With an aggressive temperament, their curved horns and a sideways stabbing technique make the roan antelope formidable.
- Roan antelope hunting is now much more affordable than in days gone by. Roan can now be added to any seven animal hunting packages, including trophies such as nyala, zebra, and black wildebeest.
The difference between a male and female roan antelope
Both the roan antelope male and females have horns. The male’s horns are longer and heavier.
About Roan Antelope
Roan antelope hunting – one of the largest antelope species, only the Eland, is larger. Male Kudu can exceed them in weight.
They measure 75–94 inches from the head to the base of the tail, and the tail measures 15–19 inches.
The body mass of males is 550–650 pounds, and the females are 500–600 pounds. The shoulder of this species is typically around 51–55 inches.
Named for their roan color (a reddish-brown), they have lighter underbellies, white eyebrows and cheeks, and black faces, lighter in females.
They have short, erect manes, very light beards, and prominent red nostrils.
Ringed horns of the roan antelope reach a meter long but are shorter in females. They arch backward slightly in both males and females.
Sometimes confused with sable antelope where their ranges overlap, as roan look similar to sable antelope.
Sable antelope males are much darker than roan and have shorter horns.
Found in woodland and grassland savanna, roan feed on mid-length grasses.
Roan form harem groups of 6 to 18 animals with a dominant male.
They fight among themselves to dominate their herd, brandishing their horns while both animals are on their knees.
Roan Antelope Hunting in South Africa
Shot placement must be in the bottom third of the animal directly above the front shoulder. This will ensure a heart or lung shot. Avoid head and neck shots which are high-risk.
Your roan antelope trophy should have an average shoulder height of around 52 inches, weigh about 600 pounds, and have a Horn Length of approximately 25 inches.
The Safari Club International minimum score for a roan antelope is 67. This is measured by adding the length of each horn as well as the circumference of the bases.
Shot placement and rifle caliber are important, as roans are large, tough, and tenacious animals.
Powerful and dangerous animals, some contests can end in a fatality if neither bull chooses to give up.
Roan-like sable is not indigenous to the Eastern Cape but has been introduced.
The hunter can be subjected to injury if he gets too close to the backward sweep of the roan’s horns while roan antelope hunting.
South Africa provides cheap African hunting safari packages.
Trophy Judgement and Rifle Caliber
The herd bulls can be quite cocky and not all that hard to approach. Be very cautious and ready; he may be bold enough to take you on in charge.
Like sable, we would recommend the 300 magnums for roan hunting.
Look for his spoor around the water holes and catch him at first light while he is feeding in the open.
Predominantly grazers, the roan prefers savanna with wide, open grassy areas where they tend to scatter and feed
When grass becomes scarce, they readily browse, a habit not shared by their cousin, the sable antelope. Because of this, they seem to stay in better shape than the sable during hard times.
For those hunters who do not wish to go through the red tape of bringing a rifle into South Africa, Nick Bowker Hunting has a Sako carbon light 300 Winchester Magnum fitted with a suppressor.
We have hand-loaded Hornady ELD-X 200-grain ammunition. This setup, including ammunition, is available as part of all hunting packages free of charge.