The Blesbok is a medium size antelope that prefer to stay on open grassland although they are quite often found in semi open bush where is is easier to stalk them.

When traveling the Blesbok often walk in a single line. The difference between male and female is often hard to see if you are new to this species, size are often the same. The horns on female is slightly thinner than male and in most cases the male is darker than the female. In my opinion the best vay to tell the male from the female is the small “knob” that the male have on his belly, it is not a huge “package” this antelope carries. An other interesting thing that is separating the male from female is that he marks his territory with a pile of dung that he also rests on, he regularly return to the same dungpile for a afternoon nap.

The Blesbok often nod their head up and down and I was told that this is due to a fly that lays its eggs in the Blesboks nose and the larvae is irritating so thats why they nod up and down.

The eyesight of the Blesbok is excellent, in my opinion second only to the Oryx antelope that have an outstanding eyesight. I have been spotted from great distances by Blesbok that is standing still. If they move around you can be quite careless when moving without being spotted.

Most of Africas antelopes are good jumpers but this is not true for the Blesbok as a normal cattle fence (135 cm) would stop them from leaving, but if they find a small hole under the fence the could crawl under it.

Best chance for a bowhunter is to stalk in thickets close to open grasslands as the blesbok moves around a lot and sometimes seeks shelter from the midday sun. I have also on many occasions seen blue Wildebeests chase Blesbok males around and when this occurs they often run into thicker cover to get rid of Wildebeests chasing them.

I shot my Blesbok during a Blue Wildebeest chase.On the first hunting day 2009 I stalked along a small ridge (1 meter high) with a dominant male Blesbok was laying on his dungpile approximately 70 meters to my left out in the open grassland. No chance for a shot! I decide to pass by the open grass as the only animal around was the Blesbok. Then a bunch of younsee me g Blesbok males comes storming into the open grass with a blue Wildebeest chasing them. The Dominant Blesbok does not like this and decide to chase them back to where they came from. So these poor youngsters are going back and forward between two open meadows being chased by Wildebeest and Blesbok. When the dust settles from ten minutes of hardcore action the dominant male decide to take a last look for something to chase away he slowly strolls by me in the open at about 20 meters distance as I undetected draw my bow and shoot him. I had no cover what so ever and the reason he did not see me was because he was moving ( thats my theory). He walked about 30 meters after being hit, stood still for approximately 30 seconds and then just fell over. I shot him using a NAP spitfire XP Pro. Shot was placed quartering away.