Click for Safari Outfitters and Exotic Ranches with Affordable Hunting Packages for Kudu Trophy Hunts.
Prices and Trophy Fee for a Kudu Hunt
The cost of a trophy Kudu hunt is between $14,000 and $16,000. Typically, this is for a Kudu with horns that are at least 50 inches long.
Kudu Hunting Season
All year
Trophy Kudu Hunts
The Kudu was immortalized by the writer Ernest Hemingway, who hunted them and wrote about it in Green Hills of Africa. Hemingway’s main love for the animal stemmed from their very impressive horns which are very long, and spin in a tight spiral as they rise. They can get to be as much as 72 inches long, and the longest will twist about two and a half times. The horns are dark in color, but they may sometimes appear to be lighter brown while hunting them, as they catch the light from the sun.
Physical Characteristics
A typical Kudu is between four and five feet in height, when measuring up to the shoulder. As with most game animals, the males are a bit bigger than the females. A male will weigh between 500 and 800 pounds, but a female will be in the range of 400 to 500 pounds.
The Kudu is not a bulky animal, despite its weight, but tends to be a bit longer and can even appear lanky. This is somewhat mitigated by a hump on the animal’s back, just a slight rise behind the neck. When standing with its head erect, it has a very regal appearance, and it often keeps its tail tucked in to its body.
The coat of a Kudu varies from bluish gray, grayish brown, and light rust, with lateral stripes on the body and a series of white spots. The feet tend to be a bit colored lighter than the rest of the body. It has a mane that runs down its spine. Often the slight hump on the back is just the raised hair of the mane. The animal can also have thin tufts of hair that run down the inside of the throat, moving down to the chest. The neck and throat are a bit lighter in color than the back, though not fully white.
The Kudu uses its coat and coloration as a means of protection. Rather than running when danger is near, like a gazelle, the Kudu will stand frozen in place. Predators who see based on movement will not be able to pick it out, and the dull brown and gray tones will blend into the natural habitat.
Origin, Native Habitat and Countries
The Kudu lives in near forests, thickets and dense bushes of southern and eastern Africa. It is especially popular in the country of South Africa. It was exported to various places, such as England and Texas during the 1700s.
Behavior/Social Characteristics
There are two divisions of kudu, which are the Greater Kudu and the Lesser Kudu, and they are both antelope. They eat plants exclusively, looking for roots, leaves, grass, fruit and even tubers. They can live for a long time without drinking water, making up for it by eating wild melons and other items that provide the water they need.
Kudu live in herds. Some bachelor herds will form and move together, while female herds will also form. The female groups tend to be rather small, with between six and 10 animals, and the groups will look after their young. Mothers take good care of their young, who often can’t move very much for the first month of life. After that, though, they grow very quickly, following the mother around with the herd for six months before becoming independent.
When males are in the same herd, they’ll use their horns to fight for dominance. They will stand sideways in an effort to look larger than the other males, as a means of intimidation. When the males do fight, the horns can sometimes get locked together and they cannot get them undone. This can lead to the death of both animals.