Eland - Taurotragus oryx
The largest antelope in Africa, the eland is one of the most nervous or skittish animals and take flight at the slightest sign of danger, capable of running for miles without stopping. In southern Africa, three subspecies exist: Cape, Livingstone and East African Eland, all of which are far easier to hunt than the Giant or Lord Derby Eland from central and west Africa.
A big eland bull can easily weigh over 2500lbs, with a large impressive neck and chest which turns grayish blue with age and sports a loose dewlap or wattle. Older bulls generally have shorter thicker worn down horns with wide bases and a characteristic dark tuft of matted hair on the forehead.
habits
Eland are prolific feeders, browsing in the early morning and late afternoon and sometimes through the night. They are usually found in sparsely wooded savannahs with adequate young trees and shrubs.
Their senses are excellent and despite their size they are capable of jumping a considerable height. They are herding animals, although bulls frequently form bachelor herds
hunting tips - the hunt
Eland are not aggressive but are strong animals capable of travelling great a distance if wounded poorly. The best shot is the shoulder area, trying to break bone and hit the vitals. Usually their weight counts against them if bone is hit and they will not travel far before lying down.
hunting tips - the calibre
Eland are soft-skinned animals so, heavy grained soft-nosed bullets are adequate with a larger plainsgame calibre being the correct choice - 7mm & 300 Magnums and upwards.
hunting tips - the trophy
Younger mature bulls generally have longer horns yet their bases are not always as heavy as the older bulls. A trophy bull's horns are visibly long in proportion to his large body with apparent thick bases and the spiral ridge quite visible. If you glance at the bull and the horns look proportionately small for the body then it is likely to be an old bull with worn down points.
Beware of cows as some of them have extremely long horns but they are noticeably thinner with the spiral ridge being less apparent.
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hunting tips - where
Due to their widespread distribution, most hunters are satisfied hunting one of the Common Eland subspecies usually dependant on where you hunt. Namibia and South Africa are the main range of the Cape Eland also occurring in parts of Botswana and Mozambique. Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia and Mozambique are the range of the larger Livingstone Eland whilst Tanzania is the range of the East African Eland. The latter two are more attractive in their appearance with the white vertical stripes on their flanks more apparent.
Above the equator in Central African Republic, Cameroon, Benin, Congo and Sudan you find the Lord Derby OR Giant Eland, much different to their southern cousins with a more prolific neck mane and much longer horns.
did you know?
Eland make excellent eating and have been domesticated in some areas for their venison. Try fresh eland fillet steak or a stew made from the tail.
When Eland walk, their hooves make a clicking sound. As they lift their legs, their two hooves, being spread apart while treading, knock together. In this way you can easily identify an approaching Eland.
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