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Spiral Horned Antelope

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Glock View Drop Down
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    Posted: April/12/2011 at 17:01
Here is some info for anybody that is not so familiar with our African animals, and how Kudu are measured for Rowland Ward.

All Spiral horned antelope are measured along the ridge that you can clearly see in this close up photo of horns



Starting at the base and following the ridge along the curve of the horn till the tip, RW also measure tip to tip. It is one of the hardest animals to get right; RW minimum is 53 7/8 inches




You have to look at the depth of the curls from the front and from the side, the deeper the curl the longer the horn. Also look at the thickness of the horns as girth adds length. Horns that look long but that have shallow curls may look impressive. And you will be tempted to the think it is a shooter, but won’t score high in anybody's book. Use the ears as a reference, Kudu ears measure 9 inches so try see how many ears you can wrap around the horn, you shouldn't be far out. But everything is only a guess until the shot rings out, and you are sitting next to your Kudu Bull.

Have a look at this guy







Looks reasonable with thick horns but has shallow curls, so in the end he only measured 39 inches.

The easiest way to show you how hard it is is to look at these two photos.



If I tell you this Gemsbok measured 39 inches you would probably agree with me, maybe say an inch or two either way. But when I tell you this Eland Bull measured 40 inches, you would be some what sceptical. That's because it is measured along the ridge, same method as the Kudu.



I hope this shows you guys how hard it is to be even close to right, off course experience helps. But at the end of the day it's only a best guess

In my opinion if you look at an animal and you think that animal will look really good on your trophy wall, and then he probably will. At least to you anyway, and anyway you’re the guy who’s say so matters the most.

I hope you guys have found this post to be informative, and that it made you want to come over and hunt the Grey Ghost. And get an insight into What 8shots and I get to experience every year.

Regards Chris



Edited by Glock - April/12/2011 at 17:07
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cheaptrick View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cheaptrick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/12/2011 at 18:58
Outstanding! Thank you for sharing with us! 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SVT_Tactical Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/12/2011 at 20:15
Excellent post.  Thanks for the leason.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bitterroot Bulls Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/12/2011 at 20:46
Cool.

Kudu are my absolute dream African species. 

I have been fooled by mule deer here as well.  You never can tell until you pull out the tape.  Mulies also vary a lot in ear length, which can be frustrating.  Does that happen with Kudu as well, or do the adult bulls consistently have 9 inch ears?
-Matt
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tman1965 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/12/2011 at 23:49
Excellent post and pics, thanks for sharing! Excellent
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Glock View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Glock Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/13/2011 at 04:10
Bitterroot we have measured a lot of ears and they have consistently measured 9 inches.

Regards Chris
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