Very small in stature, the suni has a unique crouched posture and long, lean legs. The outside of the legs and the belly are white, while the rest of the body can be anything from grizzled tan-brown to a rufous tint.
Above, the suni has a dark fawn colour (near black in certain populations), while below it is white. Sunlight makes the thin skin of the big, rounded ears glow a translucent pink. The suni has a wide forehead that narrows to a pointed nose.
Both sexes, but notably adult males, have long, slit-like preorbital glands in front of their eyes. Horns, which are only found on males, are small and spike-like and are placed widely apart on the skull. Horns are strongly ridged and range in length from 6.5 to 13 centimetres, with a tendency toward greater length in southern populations.
The suni is commonly mistaken for the blue duiker due to their comparable size throughout the range. In dim light, they appear nearly identical, except suni have a more reddish hue and blue duikers a more bluish tone. Suni have a distinctive tail-wagging behaviour, while blue duikers have a tail-flicking action.
Suni can reproduce at any time of the year, however birthrates tend to be highest in certain areas (September to December is South Africa, November to February in Tanzania).
The mother would hide her young in thick vegetation and come back to feed them at regular intervals.
Suni can be seen at any time of day or night, but they are most active before sunrise, after sunset, and throughout the early hours of the morning. Each housing range has well-worn paths and re-used resting places.
Dung middens and secretions from the huge preorbital glands are used as territory markers, especially by males. They appear to be territorial, with males protecting an area of 0.5 to 3.6 hectares from intruders. Male territories may overlap with those of many females, but no significant social relationships exist between the sexes.
In favourable environments, the population density may reach 17 people per square kilometre. Suni are often startled by predators and will typically stop in place before making a piercing nasal whistle alarm call and fleeing.
In most cases, Suni antelope are hunted during broader plains game expeditions. The suni will freeze in place until the danger is nearly upon them, at which time they will spring up and dart through the bushes and shrubs, disappearing into the underbrush as soon as possible.
The suni antelope can be found all across a wide swath of eastern African regions, from the coastlines of KwaZulu-Natal and Mozambique to the inland areas of Tanzania and Kenya. From Mozambique, the suni range in East Africa comes to an end just north of the Zambezi river, whereas the suni range in Livingstone’s region begins just to the south of the river.
Trying to track down a suni is an arduous task that calls for a lot of patience. These small antelope might be found by walking and stalking in the likely habitat at dawn or dark, although they prefer to stay out of sight in the thickest vegetation.
Like most hunts, success comes when you least expect it; if you go in search of duiker, for example, you can end up with a suni instead.
If you come across a new dung heap, it may be worth your time to stake it out and wait for a suni to use it. Threatened suni will either freeze or stand and bark, giving you a good opportunity to shoot.
Considering that you’ll be conducting your search in dense underbrush, it’s in your best interest to locate a game trail, pathway, or road that winds its way through the area.
The most efficient method is to take a path that leads to these suni territories. If you’re going into the woods, you should still make sure the wind is blowing in your favour. With the sun at your back, it will be easier to spot any activity in the woodland ahead if you proceed slowly and silently.
The suni will always be one step ahead of you in the forest because you will always be in the brighter light peering into the darker shadows.
When hunting barefoot, take your time and be cautious to avoid stepping on any debris such as dead leaves, twigs, branches, or thorns. Once you spot a suni target, you need to determine if it’s a male or female. Unlike the little Duikers you could encounter in the same environment, where both sexes have horns, only the males of these species have horns.
Always keep in mind the bullet’s trajectory when hunting with a scoped rifle, and especially with weapons zeroed at 100 or 200 yards. When shooting at close range (10-20 yards), your bullet’s path may be well below the line of sight through your scope, even if you aim dead on or slightly above the point of contact.
Even though it is a somewhat small target (about the size of a rabbit with long legs) for bowhunters, most suni antelope are hunted within 10-15 yards with a bow, so if you are moderately good with a bow, you should have no difficulties.
Suni are a part of the elusive Tiny Ten, making suni hunting in South Africa a highly specialised pursuit.
Hunt24 employs expert professional hunters who have extensive expertise hunting Africa’s “Tiny Ten.” In order to guarantee that you return home with a trophy suni antelope for your collection, we only provide hunts in the greatest concessions and hunting grounds.
