The steenbok, or Rapicerus campestris, is a small, “dwarf,” antelope that typically weighs around 12 kilogrammes (26 pounds) and has a shoulder height of only 45 to 60 centimetres. They have a lovely golden-brown colour, and their huge ears stand out in stark contrast to the small size of their heads. Horns are only found on males (rams), and they are smooth, straight, and exceedingly pointy.
The species is widespread and numerous across Southern Africa, where it is found in semiarid regions, savannah bushveld, and grassland. They avoid rocky or wooded regions in favour of those with shrubs and grasses for concealment and camouflage.
During the day, they are constantly on the move and feeding, only retreating to cooler areas when the temperature rises. Standing still in the shade of a bush, a steenbok is difficult to spot.
Steenbok have many potential predators, including pythons and large eagles. Steenbok are able to detect danger quickly because of their keen vision and hearing.
Their strategy for self-defence is to freeze and remain out of sight for as long as possible. If their plan fails, they will quickly abandon it for the more desperate strategy of racing in a frantic zigzag pattern away from their pursuer.
During their flight to safety, they frequently pause to look back and attempt to re-hide by freezing. They have been witnessed escaping and taking refuge in abandoned burrows and dens.
Steenbok are mostly herbivores that feed on the tender shoots, leaves, and blossoms of plants. They can go for extended periods without drinking water because the food they eat provides all the moisture they require.
They use their pointed hooves to dig up bulbs and tubers for their water content when necessary, especially during the dry months.
Though steenbok are thought to form lifelong bonds, both the male and female in a pair tend to spend most of their time alone within the confines of their sizable territory.
There is just one fawn born after a pregnancy of about five and a half months. Within an hour of birth, a steenbok calf may run and follow its mother, but during the first several weeks of its life, it will hide from predators.
The mother will check on the baby several times a day to clean it and give it a chance to suckle, and the baby will continue to suckle for the first several months of its life.
Among the ‘Tiny Ten’ category of small antelope, the steenbok is the largest. These stunning little antelope prefer the broad plains to the dense vegetation of forests, mountains, and deserts.
The males are the only ones with the distinctively erect horns, and they tend to be solitary except during the ewes’ monthly oestrus. These small antelope are more active at night, as is the case with many other antelope species.
The ram and the ewe can both be very protective of their territory, chasing away any intruders that dare to come near.
If you want to bag a steenbok, you’ll need to stalk cautiously through the grass due to the fact that they sometimes lie flat to avoid being spotted, and suddenly dart from the dense overgrowth to escape.
The steenbok occasionally stops to glance back before continuing his flight, which is both his error and your opportunity, particularly if you can get your heart “jump-started” after this brief encounter.
The steenbok is primarily a browser, but it will eat grass when it first sprouts. Hunting steenbok requires patience since, like other small antelope, they have incredibly sharp senses, are relatively small, have neutral colouring, and are adept at hiding from predators.
All types of calibres have been used effectively, with many of the kills occurring as a happy coincidence while hunting for other species. A nice scope will be a great help, but a 4X magnification is all you really need because the range of your shot is going to be somewhat short.
Aim high for the heart and lungs when shooting from the side; shoot straight up the foreleg about a third to halfway into the torso. Anchoring the small steenbok with rapidly expanding bullets will typically make the trophy much simpler to find. Hunting a steenbok may be an exciting adventure and yield a prized trophy for the wall of any sportsman’s den.
Steenbok hunting requires a stealthy approach. The steenbok usually waits until the last possible second to make a move, and then it bursts into a full sprint. It will run a short distance and then double back to assess whether or not to continue its flight. This is presents a great opportunity to place your shot and bag your beautiful Steenbok trophy
Hunt24 takes great satisfaction in the quality and variety of the hunting sites available for steenbok. If a trophy steenbok is what you’re after, go no further than the expert guidance of our experienced hunters. Hunt24 offers steenbok hunts in the Free State, Limpopo, and Kalahari regions of South Africa.
