The Grysbuck (Raphicerus melanotis) is a small antelope that is endemic to the Western Cape region of South Africa between Albany and the Cedarburg Mountains. It has a reddish sandy coat with white spots or flecks. The legs are yellowish, while the inside of the ears, eye-rings, mouth area, and ears are white.
| Mount Type | Grysbok Sharps, Fullmount – HH060, Grysbuck Cape, Fullmount – HH059, Grysbuck Fullmount – FF 062 |
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• They have short and almost invisible tails.
• The species is probably territorial
• The Cape grysbok can fluff out the fur at its rear end to make itself look bigger
Thorough preparation is the key factor to ensuring a high-quality final product. All hides are tanned and oiled using the world’s very best available chemicals and processes to ensure permanence and longevity.Forms are selected to ensure the best fit and posture will be altered to suit you, the client’s preference without additional cost. Natural habitat bases are custom-made for full mount trophies without additional cost.Only the finest materials and 40 years of professional experience are used in defining your trophies in a whole new way. The final trophies are almost Life-Formed. When the restoration is required, every effort is made to repair cuts and abrasions, and to minimise bullet damage. Natural scarring is kept unless otherwise requested.
The Grysbuck’s Native habitat is the “Fynbos biome” and it inhabits thick shrubland. It can sometimes be found browsing orchards and vineyards and also can be found near river banks in the reeds. They are not too shy and don’t mind to be near humans or their settlements. They can go without drinking water for quite a while as they get their nutrients from their food. They feed mostly on grasses and leaves, as well as some berries and other fruit.
The Cape Grysbok, also known as the Southern Grysbok, has a heavy, stocky build with a coarse coat of hair. This species has a grizzled, reddish look due to the intermixture of white and reddish hair on its back and flanks. Only the males have horns, which measure between 60 and 80 millimetres in length and bend forward slightly before standing upright on the head. The average adult Cape Grysbok weighs 10 kg and measures 540 mm in height at the shoulder.
The Cape Grysbok lives in the scrub-covered lowlands and southern mountain valleys of South Africa’s Western and Eastern Cape Provinces. This species is endemic to the Fynbos Biome. Similar in look and behaviour is the Sharpe’s Grysbok, which lives in the Lebombo mountains of Mpumalanga’s northern and eastern regions.
It is believed that the grysbok is territorial, as most sightings involve the same individual. Grysbok males will use their horns to stake out their territory and to defend it from intruders.
Among the Tiny Ten, the Sharpe’s Grysbok is widely regarded as the most elusive and challenging species to track down.
In South Africa, Cape Grysbok can be hunted at any time of the year. Grysbok hunting is best done during the dry months of June through October when grass is short and visibility is good.
Cape Grysbok, unlike their Sharpe’s Grysbok cousins, are far more difficult to hunt because they are largely nocturnal. If you want to find them, a walk and stalk in their fynbos habitat along highways, near rivers, and in abandoned farm fields might do the trick. Cape Grysbok are frequently hunted at night by driving about and shining a light at them. Dress warmly if you plan on doing any night hunting during the winter months (June–August).
Hunters that are serious about taking down a Grysbok will need to bring their A-game if they want to take one down. They look best as part of a full-body mount alongside their natural environment or as part of a pedestal mount with the rest of the “Tiny Ten.”
We aim to have our products look and feel as close to the real thing as possible. Every successful grysbok taxidermy project starts with meticulous preparation. Take advantage of our 40 years of knowledge in the field and the finest modern materials to make trophies that will last for generations.
Each of our forms has been hand-picked to ensure a comfortable fit, and we’ll even make free adjustments to the posture if necessary. When you purchase one of our full mount trophies, we will also provide you with a free custom base that is designed to look like its natural environment. Bullet holes are patched and abrasions are repaired as much as is feasible during restoration. Unless otherwise specified, any scars on the animal will be kept in place.
The key to good taxidermy of your African animals is high-quality African trophy skinning. The deterioration process of the animal starts as soon as it dies, and it speeds up in the hot weather of Africa. You should snap high-quality close-up pictures of your animal’s face, the back of its ears, and any other skin peculiarities while you’re out in the field.
Skinning must begin immediately. When you’re out on a hunt and can’t make it back to the skinning shed, your PH may have the trackers skin the animal for you where it died. Depending on the desired mount, this may require gralloching, which is the removal of the animal’s skin from its body while leaving the skin of its head attached to its skull. It’s crucial to wash the skin thoroughly to get rid of any remaining remnants of meat, fat, grime, or blood.
Transporting the body from the spot of the kill to the hunting truck should not involve dragging the carcass along the ground. After skinning, the skin should be washed properly to get rid of any remaining blood. Use bactericide-treated cold fresh water.
The skin is ready for salting after a few minutes of drip drying. Use a lot of salt and really work it into all the creases of your skin. Roll the salted skin up and store it in a cool location. After three to four days, the skin can be hung to dry.
Normally, your outfitter or professional hunter will bring your trophies to our White River site. The contract between you and your outfitter for a hunting trip should specify the provision of such services. We also offer a service whereby we will travel to different outfitters across the country and retrieve the trophies they have for you. To schedule a collection, please get in touch with us.
As soon as we receive your trophies, we enter them into our manufacturing system, where we make a note of any mounting specifications the customer specifies and send you a quote.
The highest quality chemicals and techniques are used in the tanning and oiling procedures, extending the lifespan of the skins for years. Each skin is put through rigorous testing on a manikin to achieve a perfect fit. A qualified professional will next sew the skin after the eyes and ears have been properly positioned. The taxidermist waits till the animal has dried out entirely before making any final changes. The trophies are shipped in crates by the client’s shipping company.
Keep your mounts out of the sunlight as much as possible. The sun’s UV rays have an unwelcome and horrible fading impact on mounted animals. The sun’s rays will make your Grysbok’s hide and rack look old and worn out. When exposed to direct sunlight for a lengthy amount of time, the hide can become brittle and shrink, similar to how it would in dry heat. The best place to hang your mount is somewhere cool and dry, away from direct sunlight.
Keep your mount away from moist areas, such as basements. To avoid mould growth and other issues, a mount should be kept dry at all times.
Mounts can be kept in good condition by lightly dusting them on a regular basis. To remove dust, use a feather duster, followed by a damp towel in the direction of the hair. Don’t tug or stretch your hair, and style it the way it grows naturally. You can rely on the Medix Africa product to maintain your prize in good condition. Life-Form Taxidermy uses and sells this product.
The cost of any trophy is subject to the cost specified per taxidermy order, quantity of trophies, preferred mounting options, and other conditions. If you would like to receive a quote prior to the hunt, contact us.
The time it takes a taxidermist to mount an animal can range from days to weeks, and even months, depending on the number of trophies per taxidermy order, the display preferences, and the volume of client trophies to be made concurrently per production plan.
In general, the completion and packing timeframes range from 8 to 12 months. This is mostly determined by the “what, how, and when” elements. A taxidermy order is likewise only accessible for production scheduling after the appropriate deposit and trophy mounting instructions are received.
