Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Zebra

Well, yeah!

But quite a few PH's have found some clients, who are otherwise good game shots, don't shoot well on zebras. One guess is the stripes confuse the aiming point, which is why Keith Gradwell's description of where to hold is so effective.

Remind us where you hit yours.

Which one?


One was heart shot...one was shot-shall we say- longitudinally.....


Thank the lucky stars for 175 gr NPT in a 7x57!

You know which one...the one that immortalized you in John's writing!

Those heavy-for-caliber NPTs just loping along are something else.

Yeah...and oddly enough I didn't shoot that one with your gun..I was using a borrowed 1909 Argentine custom...iron sights...which is kinda why I missed my mark by a couple inches on a quartering away 140 yard shot...it still worked though! Thanks again to great bullets!

I've seen pictures of that rifle. Outstanding!

If you want to see a zebra hit right and proper, look on youtube for "Black powder zebra Kill" and see how a 45-70 Sharps and iron barrel sights works at 161 yards. A 480 grain flat nosed cast bullet pushed to 1242 fps by black powder does the deed. Aimed at the chevron and took out the top of the heart and bottom of the lungs.Works for me.

Good shot!

But it has all the signs of at least hitting a little of the spinal column, including the hind legs going down first. The spine dips down quite a ways between the shoulders on a lot of African game.

That is a very interesting picture John. I actually hit my broadside Burchell’s right at the apex of the chevron — right on the peak of the “^”, very, very close to that entrance you show on that stallion.

Did you look the ground over very carefully before you sat down on that pile of rocks?

And the Z was one of the PG I did not taste while over there. I would admit to bias against it if I knew before-hand what I was served.

Exactly what my tracker said Tom.

Nope. I was about exhausted and just sat. My wife watched from a ridge over then joined.

On a Hartmanns I was advised of the same as a hole in the stripe does not show on a rug as much. It resulted in a double shoulder shot and the old stallion made no more tracks. He was a battled scarred old stud and I don't regret taking him, scars were from other zebra and lions too. The scars remind me that there are still wild and wonderful places.

It is interesting that there are hybrids of the Zebra species and some like Hartmann/Burchell crosses have errant stripes. Still the epaulet stripe is a good target.

The striping is a very effective form of camouflage contrary to appearances. From a distance they morph into the heat waves. In thorn brush they disappear. Up close and in a herd it is like the "Dazzle Camouflage" for ships the disruptive pattern confuses the predators. The dazzle pattern was not used much in WWII but no ship painted with such was ever hit by a torpedo. Teddy Roosevelt wrote some interesting observations on zebras and their coloration. To sentimentalist that think I have shot cute horses just means they have never observed them in the wild. They are nasty, aggressive and quarrelsome, and the males fight constantly, but beautiful by any standard.

A cheetah was identified as a problem animal by a nearby farmer having 4 goats dead. We found this this one in Namibia in 2018 glassing for gemsbock from above and followed him for an hour or so. Reached him about snoozing under a tree at 35 yards with only his head showing. A shot below from my FN Mauser 30-06 worked.

Here's my Hartmann's Mtn. Zebra, taken in the dry, arid mountains of Namibia. Rifle is my .300 Weatherby, with 200 gr. Swift A-Frames. Mother Nature provided the perfect aiming point for these critters, right at the top of the chevron on the shoulder, Hit mine there, and he went straight down, and stayed there.

This is correct. The Grevys is an ass. They are also much bigger than a Burchells. Once you see a Grevys in real life you’ll forever call the other zebras “ponies” because they will look awfully small in comparison. Male Grevys can almost hit 1000 lbs, whereas a Burchells will be 500-550 or so. They are remarkable to see in the wild partly because of where you see them. I saw them in the NFD of Kenya.

John, Not just on zebra, but generally on my first trip, I found my personal computer between my ears was working overtime. While I had practiced from sticks, I hadn't practiced enough. Also the bamboo sticks that the outfitter used didn't work well for me and my rifle. The other thing was I have spent 30 years using the MPBR sight in. It works for me. The outfitter wanted me to be about an inch high at 100. It screwed me up. I was trying to out think myself all the time on the trajectory. Also, my rifles always wear a Harris bipod.

The last trip, I told the outfitter I would not be changing my zero, it was what I was used to, I knew how how to make it work. The outfitter had also relaxed and no longer insisted the clients change from the zeros that they were used to (of course he knew me now). The outfitter also now used Primos Trigger Sticks. Much, much better. I also used the bipod twice. My shooting was infinitely better the whole trip. The fact I was much more relaxed also helped. Jim

That's where I hit mine with a 260g AB from a 375 ruger. Left a big exit out the other side and that thing still ran 150 yards. I don't know how it did but the little Jack Russel loved tracking it for me.

When we got to it the dog pulled the tail up and bit it right on the star hole. I asked the guide what he was doing and he said he's making sure it's dead. I said why does he do it like that and guide said could you play dead if he was doing that to you.

Bb

I've had the privilege to take 3 Burchell's in South Africa ( northeast of Joberg) My first was standing in the shadows right at 100yds and he was very camouflaged. My friend/PH wanted me to use his 300WM/Barnes 180 XBT on him. I held for what I "thought" was the Sgt chevron, thinking he was broadside, ended up just barely catching the front lobe of the left lung as he was kind of twisted to the right. Bullet did not exit and the hide closed up on the 30 cal entrance hole. He took off with the herd of a Baker's Dozen. Only time he left blood besides a few drops was when he coughed a clot, right in the middle of the trail. 3 hours later and almost 6 miles, we caught up with them again. This time I had my 35 WAI/250X and at 150yds I tried to Texas Heart shoot him ( why isn't that shot ever called the Washington DC shot?) and popped him right alongside the backbone. He dropped "but got right up" and was running but slower. I led a little and popped him in the shoulder then, that bullet exited. The near spinal shot bullet was recovered almost 3 ft. up. Impressive animal! 2nd zebra was quartering toward me, shot her on the point of the shoulder at 125yds, 340W/210 XBT. Broke the shoulder, did not exit,she ran with the herd and briefly stopped in some trees around 75yds ( me running after her!) I head shot her. Bullet exited but did no damage to hide! 3rd Mare was 250yds off, this time with the 35WAI/but 200X, broadside and I aimed at the base of the neck. The bullet dropped a bit more than I wanted, but cut her jugulars, exiting with a quarter sized hole. She ran poring blood by the buckets it looked like, about 50yds and crashed into a clump of around 7 3" diameter Camel Thorn trees "and broke them off!! She was guesstimate around 600 pounds. Solid animals, like shooting a 'stump", ha. All these were on 3 different trips from 1998 to 2002. I always advise people going to Africa...you "have" to shoot a zebra!

We were told by PH not to shoot the stallions as it takes quite a time for the herd to re integrate another one ..Sometimes several years..Which can slow down re populating..