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The Roan Antelope (Hippotragus Equinus) is a large savannah-dwelling antelope found in western, central, and southern Africa. Named for its Roan colour (a reddish brown), it has lighter underbellies, white eyebrows and cheeks and black faces, lighter in females. It has short, erect manes, very light beards and prominent red nostrils. It is one of the largest antelope.
The Roan Antelope is a large antelope with a horse-like build. It is the largest antelope in the genus Hippotragus, and one of the largest species of antelope in the world. Only Eland, Bongo and large male Greater Kudu can exceed them in weight on average. The Roan Antelope stands 135–160 centimetres (53–63 in) at the shoulder, and weighs 230–320 kilograms (510–710 pounds). The head-and-body length is typically between 235 and 285 centimetres (93 and 112 inches). The dark tail, terminating in a black tuft, measures up to 54 cm (21 in).
Characteristic features include a short, erect mane of greyish brown hair extending from the back of the neck along the midline of the back up to the withers, white patches around the eyes and the mouth on the otherwise black face, and long, narrow ears with 3–5 cm (1.2–2.0 in) long tufts. The horns are ringed and arched backwards, which can reach 100 cm (39 in) long in males, slightly shorter in females. The long legs are supported by large hooves. The short, smooth coat is brown to amber. The ventral parts are yellow to white, while the neck and the manes are grey to black.
They are somewhat similar in appearance to the Sable Antelope and can be confused where their ranges overlap. Sable Antelope males are notably darker, being brownish-black rather than dark brown.
They live in small groups and form harem groups of 5 to 15 animals with one dominant male. Roan Antelope spend the early morning and later afternoon feeding, and the rest of the day ruminating, resting and socializing. Males commonly fight among themselves for dominance of their herd, brandishing their horns while both animals are on their knees.
Females go into oestrus 2 to 3 weeks after giving birth and seem to be capable of having young every 10 to 10.5 months. A single calf is born after a gestation period of 260 to 281 days. Female Roan Antelope become reproductively active after they reach 32 to 34 months of age.
Main Predators of the Roan Antelope are Lion, Leopard, Spotted Hyena, Cape Hunting Dog.
Roan Antelope can be found in woodland, grassland, and savannah; mainly in the tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannahs, and shrublands biome, which range in tree density from forest with a grassy understory to grasslands dotted with few trees, where they eat mid-length grasses.
Planning carefully is the key to a good Roan taxidermy job. When tanning and oiling the hides, the best chemicals and methods in the world are used to make sure they will last for generations. At Lifeform Taxidermy, we carefully choose our forms to make sure they fit well, and we’ll even custom make the forms according to any instruction, you may have in mind, at no extra cost. Full-mount trophies come with standard natural habitat bases that are made just for them. We use only the best materials and our 40 years of experience in the field to give your trophies new meaning. The finished trophies look life-like. When repair is needed, every effort is made to repair cuts and scrapes while keeping bullet damage to a minimum. Skin preparation and storage tips for a flawless Roan trophy.
Take care of your trophy before you bring it to the taxidermist – field preparation is the most important start. As soon as you take the hit on your trophy, it starts to rot, and the heat of Africa speeds up the decaying process. The hunter must not drag the body of the animal from the site where it was shot to the waiting hunting truck. The trophy should be protected from the hot metal bed of the hunting truck with a thick layer of cut grass or leaves.
So that nothing goes wrong, the skinning needs to start right away. Remove all of the meat, fat, dirt, and blood from the skin. Clean the skin well. After that, allow the skin to drip dry for a short time, it should then be salted. It is recommended to soak the skin in a salt solution for at least five hours and ideally overnight. Use about 20 kg of salt per 100 litres of water. After taking the skin out of the solution, salt it while it is still flat and flesh side up on a clean surface. To get the full effect of the salt, it needs to be absorbed into the skin all over, into all the crevice’s, especially around the facial features. Put the skin in the shade with a layer of salt on it. After 24 hours, dry the cape. Fold with the hair and ears in when it’s dry. To stop insect damage, pesticides must be sprayed on the skin and in the storage area.
It is unusual to encounter a herd of mature Roan Antelope. It is not unusual, however, to encounter a large herd of dozens of females led by a single dominant male. Older Roan males and younger males are relatively common, but they do not fraternise with the herds. When hunting Roan loners, it’s best to avoid killing the dominant male of the herd, as it can take the herd up to a year to accept a new male.
Finding water is the first order of business when hunting Roan in Africa. Track the animal down by showing up at the watering hole first thing in the morning. Make sure you bring a big enough gun when hunting this antelope. The Roan Antelope is a large, aggressive, and tough as nails animal. The hunter would be wise to avoid coming close to the powerful horns as they sweep back. Do not be fooled by a Roan’s seemingly placid and graceful demeanour as it roams the savanna; after suffering an injury, it can turn aggressive and pose a significant threat.
Shots to the heart or lung about a third of the way up from the front leg work best for side presentations, as they do for other antelope species. When taking a spinal or neck shot, aim for the area where the body meets the neck; when taking a frontal shot at a Roan, aim for the centre of the chest.
The 270, 300 WSM, 300 WIN, 308, and 30-06 are suitable rifle calibres for hunting medium and large game. A minimum bullet weight of 150 gr is suggested for use with the 308 and the 30-06.
How you choose an Roan taxidermy mount depends on things like your budget, wall space, and personal taste. When it comes to the creation of a full mount, we find that considerable discussion with the customer yields the best results. This is due to the fact that each form is given a distinct shape and arrangement.
Life-Form Taxidermy will make an exact copy of the skin as soon as they get all of your mounting instructions. All of the skins are tanned and oiled with high-quality products and methods to make sure they are preserved for years. Each skin is put on a manikin to make sure that it fits well. After the eyes and ears are expertly placed, the skin is sewn by a professional. Before making any last changes, the taxidermist waits until the animal is dry. They put the trophies in crates, and the shipping company hired by the client brings them to the client.
Every year, dust the mounts with a soft brush or compressed air to fluff up the hair. Trophies should be protected from common pests by spraying a light mist of normal aerosol surface pesticide around them. Think about preserving your trophy with Mount Medix Africa. This is a product that Life-Form Taxidermy offers.
Keep trophies in a cool, dry place. Daylight makes the mounts fade over time, so artificial light is better. If there’s too much humidity, open the windows or turn on a fan. Due to salt and tan residue, hair can make moisture beads when the humidity is high. Using a tissue that soaks up water will also soak up the salts.
The pricing of any trophy is subject to the costing stipulated per taxidermy order, quantity of trophies and preferred mounting options, along with additional requirements.
Should you wish to receive a quotation prior to the hunt, the taxidermist can generate such for you. Please contact [email protected]
Taxidermy is an art form that involves a complicated step-by-step process to make sure that each trophy looks just right and is of a high enough quality that it will last your whole life.
The time it takes a taxidermist to mount an animal might range from days to weeks, and possibly several months, depending on the quantity of trophies per taxidermy order, the display preferences, and volumes of client trophies to be produced, simultaneously, per production schedule.
This depends largely on the “what, how, when” factors. A taxidermy order also only becomes available for production scheduling upon receipt of the required deposit and trophy mounting instructions.
