Black-Backed Jackal: (Canis mesomelas)

The Black Backed Jackal commonly known as the jackal has a characteristic saddle or black back, like the name suggest. It is distributed thru-out South Africa, is very adaptable and a quick learner. It has excellent hearing, good eyesight which is set on picking up movement and has the keenest sense of smell in all of Africa.

It always uses its ability to smell to determine how safe it is to approach pray or something. Jackal will work downwind, to pick up any sent to make sure everything is safe before coming in.

Scent Control:

There are so many opinions concerning scent control and some hunters spend more time washing their vehicles or applying cow dung to it, than hunting. Whereas the only thing to do is, choose and set up your stand in such a manner that you can kill the predator before it smells you. I have tried everything from blood to really bad smelling stuff that even flies will flee from, with no difference in results, other than having to live with the stench the whole time hunting.

The Caracal (Felix caracal) or South African Lynx

This reddish brown, medium build cat, with the characteristic long black tufts on the end of the ears is an awesome hunter and in my humble opinion the strongest of all the cats on a pound for pound basis. A cat weighing in at about 12 kg will bring down a full grown mountain Rheedbuck weighing in at 36 kg about three times it’s weight.

A big tomcat can reach about 21kg but 10-14kg are the norm. Caracals are distributed throughout South Africa but they tend to be more in mountainous terrain, or areas with thick cover like close to rivers etc.

A cat uses it eyes to hunt and have extremely good eyesight, but is very dumb in a bright light. They close their eyes every time you shine on them and that way you can drive closer until their eyes stay open.

Then you know it is time to shoot. Information from Hein Funck website address www.jaracal.com

According to African folklore, the white chevron marks on the nyala's muzzle comes from God's creation. God saw the beautiful nyala He made, pressed His two fingers on its muzzle, and said, "You are the most beautiful of all animals" Hence the two white marks.

It is the only animal where the male is referred to as a bull and the female as a ewe establishing the dividing line for the convention of referring to the male/female of a species a bull/cow or ram/ewe. This convention is based purely on the size of the animals, with the bull/cow combination referring to the bigger size. The nyala is the exception, since the males are almost twice the size of the females.

For the collector, the nyala forms part of the very elusive spiral-horned antelope consisting of nine species. Nyala adapt well in dry savannah woodland but prefer dense thickets and riverine vegetation. They are never far away from water. They will feed in adjacent open areas such as flood plains and open grassland but will never move far away from cover. Nyala are mixed feeders, browsing most of the time with grass being important during the rainy seasons. They are dependant on water, especially during the drier months. Nyala tend to have a siesta between 10:00 and 15:00, typically standing motionless in the shade to blend in with the environment.

These animals are gregarious and different groups may share the same favourite feeding or drinking areas, most of the time without any interaction between the different groups. Sometimes up to 30 animals can be observed together. Nyalas are seen in nursery herds or bachelor herds. Old bulls are solitary but not territorial. They do not have any exclusive core areas. The gestation period is around 7 months, with calves normally being born during August.

Nyala bulls "advertise" themselves visually by standing on the edge of open areas. They are not physical and rely on an impressive lateral presentation display during bull encounters. The bulls present the side of their body to another bull to make themselves look bigger and then they parade very slowly. In addition, they will hook, toss and rub the vegetation with their horns. This may change during the period when the ewes go into oestrus, for in such periods ferocious fighting may occur.

Sexes details:

- Bulls are bigger than ewes and only the bulls carry spiraled horns.
- Coat colour of adults varies from dark grey to dark brown and black with vertical stripes on the body.
- Ewes are bright chestnut colour with more prominent white stripes.
- Weight of bull: 200 to 300 lb or 90 to 135 kg.
- Weight of ewe: 120 to 150 lb or 55 to 68 kg.
- Shoulder height bull: 44"/112cm
- Shoulder height ewes: 38"/97cm
- Life expectancy can be up to 12 years.

Hunting the nyala

As with most bushveld species, 3 to 5 days are sufficient to take a fine trophy. Good trophy animals need at least 6 years plus to reach their full potential. Although nyala bulls aren’t that though, heavy bushveld calibres will be a better choice, as the hunter might need to take a shot through heavy thick cover.

Proper shot placement on nyala is important as the thick cover will make tracking difficult and noisy. Nyala can be dangerous when wounded. Nyala have a narrow build, and due to their mane and long fringe on the underbelly, stretching from the throat to between the hind legs, they appear biggest than their actual size.

The only shot the trophy hunter should consider is the heart/lung shot. Aim on the shoulder about a third way up, which will result in the bullet passing through the top of the heart/main artery area and the centre of the lungs.

The following tactics and behaviours can be used to the advantage of the hunter:

1. First look for suitable habitats. These include: dense, thickets, savannah woodland, riverine areas and floodplains. Never to far from water.
2. Early mornings (up to 9:00) and late afternoon (from 16:00) are the best times to hunt. They tend to drink water between 10: and 13:00.
3. If hunting in a large hunting area, drive along until you either find suitable habitat where you can spend time walking-and-stalking or until you see a bull that is worth a closer inspection.
4. Walk very quietly and stop to scan for movement. Go slowly and be patient.
5. Look for nyala spoor.
6. Work riverine areas and the floodplains in the early morning and late afternoon. At these times nyalas will be moving in and out of these areas.
7. Once you have spotted nyala, stop and scan the surrounding area as bulls tend to stay together and are sometimes found near the ewes.
8. Their bark is strictly an alarm call. Nyala will react with instant flight to the closest cover.
9. Take note – nyala are not territorial. If you heve spooked a nyala, don’t expect to find him in the same area the next day.

Categories of trophies

1. A representative mature trophy

Any bull 6 to 7 years of age or older falls in this category. Some pointers:

• Older bulls tend to have a thick horn base with a coarse structure.
• Older bulls normally lose a lot of their neck hair.
• Older bulls tend to have very little or no orange directly below the horn base.
• The second spiral ridge is clearly visible at the horn tip when viewed from the front.
• Horn tips splay outwards.
• The vertical white stripes on the body fade with age.
• Old bulls normally have long ivory horn tips ( nyala in sandy areas), whereas the ivory tips of bulls in the stony terrain will be worn and not clearly visible.

2. Rowland Ward

Minimum: 27" (68.6 cm)
Record: 32 7/8" (83,5 cm)

3. Safari Club International

Minimum: 63" (160 cm)
Record: 84 5/8" (total), 34 1/8" (longest horn)
Record with handgun: 77 5/8" (total), 30 5/8" (longest horn)
Record with muzzle-loader: 79½" (total), 31¼"(longest horn)
Record with bow and arrow: 75 7/8" (total), 29¼" (longest horn)

Look for a nyala with a nice horn shape, if it makes the book it is a bonus. Anything over 26" can be seen as a good representative trophy. Specimens with horns longer than 27" are very good. Nyala with horns of more than 29" are exceptional.

Writer Benand Els, African Outfitte

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