Mountain Reedbuck Hunting in the Free State, South Africa
If you want to understand what mountain reedbuck hunting in the Free State of South Africa really looks like, forget the flat plains for a moment. The reedbuck lives higher up — on the rocky ledges, in the broken kloofs, on the steep grass slopes that most hunters walk straight past. At Boschendal Safari, those exact landscapes are what we hunt. Two farms, two very different pieces of ground, and the mountain reedbuck is at home on both.
The Animal: Small, Sharp, and Harder to Hunt Than You Think
The mountain reedbuck (Redunca fulvorufula) is a compact antelope, shoulder height around 75 cm, with a warm rufous coat and short, hooked horns that carry more character than mass. Rams are territorial and largely solitary — you won’t glass a herd of forty. You might find a single ram standing sentinel on a granite outcrop, watching the valley below with that particular stillness that prey animals use instead of running.
That watchfulness is what makes mountain reedbuck hunting so technical. They see movement at distance. They smell into the wind as a reflex, not a choice. A stalk that goes wrong 300 metres out means the ram has melted over the ridge before you’ve raised your rifle. Shot distance tends to be longer than hunters expect — a quality shot at 180–220 metres is common and completely normal on broken terrain. This is not a species where you’ll walk up and shoot from 60 paces.
Rifle selection matters. A flat-shooting calibre in the .270 to 7mm range with quality expanding bullets handles mountain reedbuck cleanly. Shoot well, and the animal drops quickly. Shoot poorly, and you’re spending the afternoon climbing.
Two Farms, Two Approaches to Mountain Terrain
Boschendal Safari sits on the Free State side of the border, just outside Aliwal North on the Goedemoed road — open highveld at its best, wide skies, red grass in winter, and the kind of quiet that reminds you why you came to Africa. Mountain reedbuck here favour the steeper koppies and rocky outcrops that punctuate the plains, and finding them requires glassing patiently before you move.
Our second farm, Elandsnek in the Eastern Cape, is a different world. The terrain breaks into deep kloofs, dense valley bushveld, and the kind of ground that rewards hunters who are fit and comfortable with altitude change. The mountain reedbuck at Elandsnek use those kloofs instinctively — a spooked ram can be over three ridges in less time than you’d think possible.
Hunting both farms in a single safari gives you something rare: Free State highveld hunting combined with Eastern Cape valley bushveld, back to back. The biodiversity at this convergence zone is exceptional, and the variety of terrain keeps each day genuinely different from the last.
When to Come and What to Expect
The South African hunting season runs April through September, and the dry Free State winter months of June, July and August are widely considered the best time for mountain reedbuck hunting. Grass is short, visibility improves dramatically, rams are territorial and more predictable in their movements, and the cool mornings make the climbs manageable. This is also prime time for the rest of our plains game — kudu, eland, impala, blesbuck, red hartebeest, springbuck, blue wildebeest, and more are all on offer at Boschendal.
The area is malaria-free, which removes a significant logistical concern for international hunters. Aliwal North is accessible by road from major centres, and the area rewards those who make the effort to get here. This is not a factory-fence operation. The game is free-ranging, the country is real, and every trophy means something.
A typical day’s hunt starts well before first light. You’ll eat, load into the vehicle, and glass the koppies as the sky turns grey. If you find a good ram early, the stalk begins immediately — the morning cool is short and you want the sun at your back. By mid-morning you’re back at camp, trophies in the salt, with the rest of the day your own.
Trophy Quality and What to Look For
A mature mountain reedbuck ram will carry horns of 5–7 inches, with pronounced forward hook. The SCI minimum for the species sits around 11 points. Boschendal’s free-range game produces honest trophies — not record-book monsters on every hunt, but representative wild animals with genuine horn and body condition.
When evaluating a ram in the field, age is as important as horn length. Mature males show a deep rufous body colour, well-muscled neck, and distinct black gland patch below each ear. A good professional hunter will walk you through the assessment before the trigger is pulled — ethical, considered hunting is how this land stays productive for the next generation.
For more on sustainable hunting and conservation in South Africa, the Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa (PHASA) publishes useful guidance on best practices and trophy export requirements.
Book Your Mountain Reedbuck Hunt
If mountain reedbuck hunting in the Free State is on your list, or if you’re building a plains game package across our Free State and Eastern Cape farms, we’d like to hear from you. Visit boschendalsafari.co.za to see what’s available, or follow Boschendal Safari on Facebook for recent hunt reports, species updates, and a closer look at the country we work in every day. Real hunts, real terrain — come find out what the borderlands have to offer.