Striped icon of Africa
Istudied the zebras through my binoculars as they finally started descending the mountain in single line. They moved slowly making me wonder whether they would reach my carefully chosen ambush spot before it was too dark to shoot. Only time would tell, so I selected an arrow with a lighted nock from my quiver and checked whether my sight light was still working.
Then I settled down, waiting... would the herd reach my position in good time or would the darkness that was slowly seeping down into the valley, benefit the zebras? Ample light is paramount when hunting with a bow, regardless whether you have lighted pins or not. Aiming with a peepsight in bad light is almost impossible.
The zebra, arguably the easiest recognisable of the African game animals, is tough and precise shot placement is crucial to kill one successfully. Where they are hunted regularly, zebra are wily and elusive and can be just as difficult to hunt on foot as a trophy kudu bull. If you want to hunt them with a bow, careful planning and a solid strategy is required.
I had already spent two fruitless days chasing after a particular herd of zebra on a bleak Free State farm. It was only on the third day that I finally worked out a strategy to con them. Because of constant hunting pressure the animals retreated to a high mountain during the day from where they could spot danger from afar. They descended from their high hiding place only at dusk to drink and feed at night.
This turned the hunt into a challenge, but after studying the zebras’ movements for two days I learnt that they used the same route every day on their way to the plains to graze. At one point the route takes them through a gap in a broken fence and that is where I decided to set up an ambush.
As the area is quite open I decided to tie together tufts of grass, dig myself in and then use the grass to break up my human shape. If the zebras pass where I was hoping they would, they would provide a shot of 50m or less. First I dug a shallow hole with the folding shovel I usually carry in my backpack. The plan was to make the hole deep enough so that it would cover my lower body when sitting inside it with crossed legs. By using the tied tufts of grass as a makeshift hide, I was hoping to blend in with my surroundings. A minimalist approach was necessary – I needed just enough cover to blend with my leafy suit and hide my human form. A large, bulky structure would stand out starkly against the generally featureless terrain and would alert the already skittish zebra.
sitting and waiting
It took me about an hour to dig the hole and complete the blind. I settled down to wait, but felt rather exposed sitting in the shallow hole with just a few sparsely tied bundles of long yellow grass surrounding me.
Fortunately I had the element of surprise on my side and the fading light would also help to hide my presence.
The winter was particularly cold with regular frost in the mornings and even snow on the higher mountains. Thus it was no surprise when the temperature plummeted as soon as the sun disappeared. I readied myself for an uncomfortable wait.
Watching my left ( from where I expected the animals to appear) I finally noticed the first zebras on the crest of a rise. They were about 150 yards away and headed straight for the gap in the fence. I picked out a big mare at the front of the herd, then put down my binoculars, made sure the arrow was nocked properly, picked the spot at which I wanted to shoot the animal and readied myself. With the animals closing in I realised that I had to remain absolutely motionless until the zebra was within range.
Approaching from my left the animals were shielded from view by the grass, but the unmistakeable horselike sounds told me they were approaching at a steady pace. I carefully drew back the 80# Elite Answer bow’s string, thankful for the high letoff which allows me to stay at full draw for more than three minutes at a time. Soon the chosen mare wandered through the gap in the fence just short of 40 yards away. I quickly settled into my familiar anchor point, aimed carefully with the 40 yard pin low on the shoulder and as soon as she paused, touched off the arrow.
The arrow streaked through the cold night air, the lighted nock brilliantly illuminated... and disappeared with a dull thud at the perfect spot on the shoulder. The mare bucked, then took off like a steam train in a headlong dash. The other members of the herd milled around bewildered for a few seconds before also heading in the same general direction as the old matriarch.
I waited a few minutes until the quiet returned to the surrounding veld. In the distance I could hear the distinct neighing of the other zebras, probably calling out to the fallen old mare. Watching closely as the arrow hit the mare, I knew that the Muzzytipped GoldTip arrow had done a lethal job, quickly and cleanly. It was dark by the time I walked over to retrieve my arrow. The lighted nock still shone brightly in the tawny Highveld grass, making it easy to find the arrow.
In the light of my headlamp the clear blood trail was easy to follow and 97 paces later I came upon the regal old mare. I was as proud of her as I was of any other trophy I had taken over the years. The hunt was not easy – it required some outofthebox thinking on my part to outsmart this wily herd.
choosing a setup
Zebras are deceptively big animals and their tough hides and heavy frames make them hard to kill quickly and cleanly, especially if hunted with stick and string. Careful consideration is therefore necessary when choosing a setup. I would suggest that you err on the side of caution and use a bow of at least 60 pounds draw weight, pushing an arrow in the region of 500gr or more. A premiumquality, super sharp broadhead, preferably a twoblade that features small bleeder blades is ideal for deep penetration and maximum damage.
As mentioned before, on properties where zebra have been actively hunted they can become incredibly wary of hunters. Therefore, stalking them on foot can be difficult, especially when they congregate in large open areas. But do not be discouraged; zebra tend to move around quite a bit between grazing areas and water. Spend a day or two closely monitoring them from a distance and you will soon identify key areas where you can set up an ambush.
Like other plains game species zebra tend to use the same trails to and from their bedding, grazing and watering areas. If you play your cards right you can target them along one of these trails. Take care though when choosing your ambush spot, position yourself in such a way that you will have ample opportunity to draw your bow without being spotted by the animals.
My very first “trophy” zebra was testament as to just how tough these animals can be. I was hunting on our farm for a particular large stallion that had a reputation for killing young »
» foals. Due to his bad habit we decided to remove him from the herd. At the time I was shooting a particularly accurate 70# singlecam bow with 600gr arrows, tipped with 125gr Muzzy broadheads. It was more than enough bow to cleanly and effectively take animals up to the size of eland and I was shooting it very accurately out to 60 yards. I was confident that this setup would shoot clean through the stallion regardless of the angle or distance.
My brother and I set out one midafternoon in search of the rogue stallion and we soon found his herd. My brother dropped me off some 100 yards from the group and I cautiously snaked my way through the rich green summer veld.
The stallion was bringing up the rear of the herd as is typical of the species and thanks to the good cover I was able to sneak up close as the animals watched the departing vehicle.
At 33 yards I eased out from behind a tree and drew the bow. When the pin settled on the stallion’s shoulder I touched the trigger release. The arrow slammed with a meaty thwack low into the shoulder of the unsuspecting animal, dissecting the heart with the razorsharp broadhead.
I was immediately taken aback by the fact that the arrow did not pass completely through (about 8” of the shaft stuck out of the nearside shoulder). The zebra took off on a flat out death run with huge amounts of blood squirting from the wound. Watching it I was certain the animal would go down within a few yards, but it covered a full 140 yards before going down.
On skinning the animal we found that the arrow was placed textbook perfect and that the broadhead had cleanly pierced the lower third of the heart.
Despite the immense blood loss the stallion still managed to run over 100 yards. Yes, zebras are tough.
This experience has cemented my respect and admiration for zebras forever.