HUNTING THE STEENBUCK
Delicate but demanding
A STIFF SOUTHEASTERLY was blowing across the plains and its icy breath made me shiver as I got out of the Toyota bakkie to holster my revolver, a .44 Magnum Ruger Super Blackhawk with a 7½" barrel. With the Ruger on my hip and the wind in my face I set off after a trophy steenbuck ram of which I had seen several on Clifton, the farm belonging to my friend Kerneels Smith. My Ruger was stoked with 240gr hardcast, semi-wadcutter bullets leaving the muzzle at 1 100fps.
Steenbuck are small, only about 55cm tall at the shoulder, and weigh approximately 13kg – ewes are slightly heavier than the rams. So, why bother hunting such a tiny antelope? Well, steenbuck meat is excellent to eat.
The scientific name for steenbuck is Raphicerus campestris. Raphicerus refers to the sharp, needle-like horns while campestris is the Latin word for open country or plains, which is their preferred habitat. In some parts of the Overberg I’ve heard locals referring to the steenbuck as a vlaktebokkie (plains buck), probably to avoid confusion with the Cape grysbok which resembles the steenbuck but which prefers dense fynbos instead of more open country.
Apparently, the name steenbuck was borrowed from the Dutch word steen, meaning brick, referring to the reddish colour of this little antelope. The name is sometimes spelled steinbuck or steinbok which was the common German name during colonial times in East Africa. Steinbok is also the German name for the ibex, a mountain goat, and in Tanzania the steenbok is a mountain dweller. The ibex, however, is much bigger and of a different colour, so it is hard to believe that the steenbuck reminded the Germans of an ibex.
Steenbuck have the second highest distribution of African antelope due to their ability to feed almost exclusively on forbs in otherwise totally degraded and overgrazed habitat. They have also adapted to human encroachment and urbanization, and in places thrive in close proximity to man. Steenbuck are often seen at night grazing along roadsides where many are killed because of their habit of dashing blindly across the road when cars approach.
Although predominantly browsers, steenbuck also graze and dig for underground roots and bulbs, especially in semi-arid areas. They often graze on cultivated lands and can decimate small patches of crops and gardens.
Common all over southern Africa, steenbuck are found in Namibia, southern Angola, Botswana, parts of Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. They do well in most parts of South Africa except for the eastern coastal thickets and the Knysna forest.
STEENBUCK HAVE REDDISH brown coats while the belly and insides of the legs are white. A dark blaze extends from the nose to about halfway up the muzzle. The ears are very large for such a small animal and the preorbital glands (in front of the eyes) are surrounded by a patch of bare skin. Its tail is short and the same colour as the body. Only rams carry short needle-like horns which are spaced further apart on the scull than that of a duiker and grow straight upwards, parallel to each other, often bending ever so slightly forward. Average hornlength is about 3¼-inches but can reach 6" and even longer. The record is a full 7½". When judging a trophy look for horns that appear longer than the ears – if so, they should measure about 4½" and will qualify for Rowland Ward.
Steenbuck also have scent glands between their hoofs and share a distinctive feature with the serval – a scent gland under the chin, between the lower jaw-halves.
Steenbuck prefer open undulating plains with scattered trees, shrub and some tall grass in which they hide or rest. Normally they avoid steep mountains and thickets. Their natural enemies are leopard, jackal, caracal, pythons and large raptors.
The best way to hunt steenbuck is by the spot-and-stalk method. Generally diurnal, they rest during the heat of the day although they are more active during the hot hours than duiker. You should go out early in the morning or late afternoon and hunt against the wind. Spoor and dung middens will show if there are steenbuck in the area. Their dung middens are unique – just a shallow scrape, dug by the forefeet in which the animal then urinates and defecates before covering with sand, like a cat does. The steenbuck is the only African antelope that covers its dung and they use the same dung middens regularly.
Walk slowly, stop often and use your binoculars to scan the surrounding veld. It is easy to miss a steenbuck because it is so small. Instead of walking into the wind, you can take up position on high ground and then use your binoculars to search the area. When they lie down, short grass and low shrub often hide steenbuck completely from view however, the brickred coat often gives the animal away. A good way to find out if any steenbuck are around, is to use a mouthtype varmint caller. Steenbuck seldom resist the sound of a ‘lamb in distress’ and will investigate. (Just make sure it is legal where you hunt as the use of callers for antelope may not be allowed in all provinces.) It is fruitless to try and ambush them on their way to water as they seldom drink, all the moisture they need is gathered from what they eat.
Steenbuck are territorial and, not being gregarious, they appear in pairs, as single animals or a female with a
The best way to hunt steenbuck is by the spot-and-stalk method
lamb. Males and females have separate fixed territories, sometimes adjacent to each other and they usually only pair up for courtship and mating. The suggestion that a pair stays together for life is not true, as this would require families to share the same territory all the time. Steenbuck rams and females are often found on their own for lengthy periods. Pairs frequently form between the same individuals and they breed throughout the year but there is a slight increase in births during early summer.
Individual territories vary from 5 to 15ha and often overlap. Territories are scent-marked on grass stems and twigs with a secretion from the preorbital glands. Although individuals will protect their territories, no fierce fighting takes place. When one enters another’s territory it usually behaves submissively.
Once you have spotted a likely quarry, stalk slowly into the wind. Because they are not hunted as regularly as other animals, steenbuck can sometimes be easy to approach. When they sense danger, they will often lie down and lower their heads to the ground with ears pulled back. They then dart away at the last moment but often stop to look back after running a short distance. Be ready to take the shot when that happens.
DESPITE THE COLD weather on my hunt, the steenbuck were active. I first spotted a female then two males, one of which looked promising, but I was after a madala – a big boy with horns at least 1½" longer than his ears.
Things went quiet for a while and after crisscrossing the undulating plains for about three hours, I turned back towards the bakkie where I had a flask filled with hot, sweet tea. Hardly five minutes later I spotted a steenbuck off to my right, feeding among a patch of suurkaree. Through my binos I immediately noticed his horns – he was the biggest steenbuck I had ever seen on the property!
Making use of tall grass and patches of suurkaree I carefully stalked closer.
When I was about 70m or so from him, I sat down on my bum and slowly shuffled closer. The range shrunk to 40m, but the suurkaree and grasses still obscured the ram, preventing a shot. I moved closer still, noticing that the ram was slowly feeding towards an open spot. After cocking the Ruger’s hammer as silently as I could, I rested my arms on my knees and waited.
Fortunately, the ram was so preoccupied with feeding that he hardly looked up. Eventually I had a clear shot and when the Blackhawk boomed, he jumped high into the air and dashed away at speed, but his legs did not carry him far. It was 32 long paces to where he was standing.
As one of the oldest animals I had ever hunted, his teeth were worn down to below the level of his gums and as could be expected, his body was rather lean. The horns measured 6" and now, 34 years later, he is still my biggest steenbuck trophy.
AS FOR CALIBRE choice for hunting steenbuck, any of the fast .22-centrefires will do but most are too powerful when used with standard varmint-type bullets and will tear up the trophy and ruin the meat. I have found the .22 Hornet, loaded with 45gr bullets to 2 400fps ideal for distances up to 120m. However, bigger calibres can be used. Any medium- or big-bore (from 9.3x62 up to .505 Gibbs) loaded with non-expanding ‘solids’ will do the job. It will punch a calibre-sized hole through a steenbuck without turning it into mincemeat. Calibres in the .243 Win, .270 or .30-06 class loaded with conventional hunting bullets at factory specs are just too destructive – unless you use 220gr bullets in a .30-06, loaded to about 2 400fps. I use my .270 Win with 160gr Nosler Partition bullets at 2 450fps with success for bushveld hunting.
Local hunters rarely shoot steenbuck for the pot because these pretty little animals are quite expensive now. When I was younger, farmers did not charge us for steenbuck but I’ve seen them advertised for up to R3 000 and even more.
I have very fond memories of going after steenbuck as a young hunter using my father’s old Brno .22LR with Swartklip ammunition and later my Brno ZKW 465 in .22 Hornet (which I still have). The game pie my wife makes from steenbuck meat is simply the best! Their biltong is also very good, although you have to shoot several to make it worth your while. Another delicacy is a soutribbetjie – use a whole rib, spice it as you would your biltong and then dry it; it is delicious.