Impala

[weak spire]

There is no post for this so I'm taking it from here, class 4? Could be set on many future African reserves or Vurhonga savannah.

Black faced Impala for a map set in either Namibia or angola

Range of both species

[past rapids]

In my opinion, they should make an East African reserve (set in either Ethiopia or Tanzania), include the Lesser Kudu on that map, then remove the Lesser Kudu from Vurhonga and replace them with Impala. It would make the Vurhonga species roster much more consistent, since the Lesser Kudu is not found in the same regions as Gemsbok or Springbok, while the Impala actually is.

[deep swan]

I agree, I would hope that the Eurasian Waterfowl can also be swapped out for a duck species found in Southern & Eastern Africa, the Eurasian Wigeon already has two maps to call home anyways so it would work provided that a future African map comes with a suitable waterfowl species

[past rapids]

I think they should replace the Eurasian Wigeon with the Egyptian Goose on Vurhonga

Egyptian Geese have a much wider range in Africa than Eurasian Wigeons

[deep swan]

And while I frequently suggest something like Cape Teal, the Egyptian Goose is the most likely waterfowl species to come on the next African Reserve, making them perfect to replace the out of place Eurasian Wigeon

[royal lark]

Yes yes yes!

[gilded pike]

Yeeeeesssss
Impala my beloved, I would love to see Southern Impala added to Verhonga, East African Impala on a Tanzanian map and Blackfaced Impala in Namibia

[spring creek]

Absolutely love these ideas about bringing Vurhonga back up to date, although the developers just don’t see it as a necessity so we probably won’t get it until other maps are out of the way and it bugs me because COTW has been getting very boring for me lately with not enjoying G1 grinding and just searching for diamonds and rares in general. But I aware that they are busy. Pls add Africa 2.0 with all the antelope and big 5 plss.

[gilded pike]

I made this document and submitted it as a ticket on The Hunter website last week

[thin ledge]

Vurhonga feels very weird without a mid size antelope in the Central Savanna and Dzonga. I agree

[gilded pike]

Class 4 would make the most sense, afterall sika deer have the same max weight for males

[astral ravine]

vurhonga needs more animals so yes please

[weak spire]

Yes thats a hard yes for me

[gilded pike]

Here's a potential distribution map I drew up for Impala. Seeming that they prefer wooded savanna to grass savanna I reckon they'll be everywhere except the central Plains, they'd only be on the edges of the Plains and maybe a stray ram or ewe heard in the Plains

[weak spire]

How about leaving them from the coast and having waterbuck or black wildebeest there instead (if ew wants to go all out)

[spring creek]

I want pet bongo

[gilded pike]

That's not a bad idea, but I'd say leave the Impala from the coast then and put Greater Kudu and Waterbok there seeming that Black Wildebees like a more open area

[spring creek]

YES PLS

[weak spire]

Black wildebeest are pretty Marsh oriented in woth but I think I was wrong, is still would want one of Africa's many marsh loving species to live here

[thin ledge]

If impala are going to be on the plateu, I’d want more springbok herds in the central savanna and in the dzonga (basically just a matter of moving all their zones out).

[spring creek]

We just need a whole new Africa with like 100 species 😭

[weak spire]

Yeah that's true I want them to be in the entire open savannahs area also remodel! You could also add a rare like this and call it pale or leucistic (what it is) that would be cool

[gilded pike]

As far as I'm concerned Springbok should be totally removed from the plateu region and focused in the central grass savanna like you said, it just makes the most sense

[gilded pike]

I understand them to almost exclusively inhabit open areas but they are reliant on water

[weak spire]

Yeah

[thin ledge]

But, then it all comes back to EW’s rendition of Botswana… of which has been incredibly lackluster representation.

In a perfect world, vurhonga would’ve released with a massive delta in the center of the map representing the Okavango and sprawling deserts in the corners representing the Kalahari.

[gilded pike]

Vurhonga is in Botswana right ?

[spring creek]

Ew don’t wanna give us Africa

[thin ledge]

It’s technically Botswana… Despite the fact it lacks all of the characteristics of Botswana other than swamps as you may know

[weak spire]

Still the same horrible model for the cape buffalo 🥲

[thin ledge]

seven long years…

[gilded pike]

ja if it was Botswana, north should have been the delta with lechwe, south west with desert and east side of the map some bushveld....the perfect Botswana map

[weak spire]

It's unbelievable how they just refuse to make a new Africa map even with out like super large animals it would be a big W I'm fine with cape buffalo/white rhino Beeing the biggest thing if it means Africa

[thin ledge]

I’d be perfectly fine with a getting a plains game centered map as a second Africa map

(IF it’s confirmed we’ll eventually get the official Big 5 map)

[weak spire]

Yeah same or basically anything in Africa be I eswatini, Namibia, the Okavango delta, Tanzania, Cameroon, Liberia or Chad Idc I just want a bunch of those

[gilded pike]

I hope we get as many African maps as there are North American maps

[weak spire]

This

[thin ledge]

Eastern Cape map as a 2026 Christmas present? 👀

[gilded pike]

Yeeesss

[weak spire]

Man i wish I could photograph like that @gilded pike

[gilded pike]

Me too, I found these on Google lol

this is my own photo from the KNP

[weak spire]

Woah! Man i wanna go to Africa lol, what's that in the background? bushbuck, nyala?

[gilded pike]

Nyala Bull, I have another photo of him, I'll send it when Im by my PC again

[gilded pike]

here's that other photo for you @weak spire
unfortunately there's some sticks in the way

[weak spire]

Still super cool, if you have anymore photos especially of local herbivores,/birds and small animals feel free to dm them to me

[gilded pike]

I think I was like 6 or so in this photo

[gilded pike]

would be cool to see this, but it should be rare

[weak spire]

So would these

[gilded pike]

So many options

My favorite by far for rare fur variations is Saddleback Impala

[thin ledge]

Brindled👌

[weak spire]

This one would make for a very special it could be called something like dusky or dark

[gilded pike]

Ngl the more I wonder around the desolate Western half of Vurhonga the more I want impala and a bushveld rework

[gilded pike]

Another reason that we need Impala, it's good lion food. Could update the look of lion feed zones maybe with the models for Impala

[gilded pike]

Maybe in future 🤞

[weak spire]

Man leopards on trees would just be 🔥

[gilded pike]

Evan Jackal try their luck with Impala, though this is the way more common black backed Jackal

[gilded pike]

Impala have a very interesting similarity to whitetail deer when it comes to the white underside of the tail that they often lift when fleeing.

[gilded pike]

PHASA silver medal Impala ram hunter on Riebelton Safaris game farm by a colleague of my dads, taken with a .375 H&H. On a side note, the tracker in the photo was such an amazing tracker that he won national awards. Hes retired now though. Great guy

[gilded pike]

Just such a nice antelope

[sage yarrow]

Yes he is very 😎

[weak spire]

Man impalas really be like that like who gave you the permission to look that behtiful

[gilded pike]

Fr, and they have the most luscious lashes

[weak spire]

Like my male best friend like wtf how are those real, were getting offtopic sorry

[gilded pike]

were talking in the thread which bumps it up and gets eyes on it, so if we discuss bread on here im still happy 😂

[weak spire]

Lmao same

[gilded pike]

This is the first Impala I ever sat next to, anyways I've loved them since then

[weak spire]

Yeah they are super pretty

[weak spire]

This is a Greta picture

[gilded pike]

unfortunately its not mine
but imma being every photo of impala I can get onto this thread until we have them in game lol, and if I run out I'll go take photos of them

[weak spire]

Thankfully there are a lot of photos of them although I'm missing some black faced Impala in this thread

[gilded pike]

I only see them on my way up to Ellisras every now and then, but I got some google photos

[gilded pike]

It can get this cold in SA during the winter

[gilded pike]

Last one for the night

[weak spire]

First of the morning lol

[gilded pike]

First of the morning ja 😂

[gilded pike]

My first ones

[gilded pike]

Pulling a funny face

[gilded pike]

Rooibok bokkie ah ah ah

[weak spire]

Such a pookie

[gilded pike]

they too beautiful

[weak spire]

Even theirs skulls are

[gilded pike]

One of my friends is working at a taxidermist as a holiday job. These are some of the Impala they're doing at the moment

[weak spire]

Omg so pretty, I wish you could get jobs at taxidermists here without years of experience

[gilded pike]

Blowing kisses, sort of

[noble oriole]

Crazy to me with 2 modern hunting games neither decided to put impala on their African map

[gilded pike]

I'm just as shocked

[spring creek]

Can they just add this already along side whole new Africa map!? 😭 😭 🙏 🙏

[gilded pike]

Impala can be on any;
South African map
Mozambiquean map
Zimbabwean Map
Botswana map
Namibian map
Southern Angolan map
Zambian map
Malawian map
Tanzanian map
Burundi map
Rwandan map
Ugandan map
Kenyan map
Assuming there's an area of decent wooded savanna (or woodlands) for them to live in. Also there are potentially 5 subspecies (2 recognized by science, 3 by SCI and 5 by other African safari outfitters)

[weak spire]

And 2 species I'd stick to just common Impala and black faced Impala with no further distinction

[gilded pike]

I'd ask for East African, Southern and Balckfaced if I had my way. East African and Southern are like German and New Zeland read dear, for comparison. That's if I could have my way of course 😂

[weak spire]

At this point I'm basically a South Africa expert, (got Johannesburg rn while chatting with you)

[gilded pike]

I think we can get you certified now 🤝

[weak spire]

Where's my passport

[gilded pike]

We can go to home affairs and sort it out, itll probably take like 3 years for the paperwork to be submitted 👍

[gilded pike]

These buggers can jump up to 3 meters high and considering that a Greater Kudu can jump 3.5m high and it's so much bigger, that's pretty impressive

[gilded pike]

So I've read an article about the Impala and it's subspecies. From what I understand, East African Impala grow the biggest both with their body and horns, but very large specimens (like the photo I attached) are exceedingly rare. Southern Impala are somewhere between East African Impala and Black faced Impala in terms of body and horn size, while Black faced Impala are the smallest of the lot in all aspects. Both trophy animals for Southern and Black faced Impala are equally rare, but less rare than East African Impala.

[gilded pike]

24" Southern Impala ram. Pretty much as big as they get unless there a real freak of nature (i.e a great one)

Think this could be a max score diamond or a great one. 31" Southern Impala ram

[gilded pike]

So impala are both grazers and browsers. They graze on green grasses, shoots and stuff in the rainy season (like December and January where we have British weather but warmer) and in the dry season they transition to browsing on bushes, shrubs and low hanging leaves. Would be awesome if EW could somehow model and programe their browsing

[stable berry]

Impala are sn iconic animal for Africa, they should have been on vurhonga from the outset

[gilded pike]

Could not agree more

[gilded pike]

My uncle dressed his Impala shoulder mount up for this passed Christmas

[gilded pike]

interesting atypical impala ram from Sabi Sands

[gilded pike]

One of my friends coworkers has been working on this stunning white flanked impala shoulder mount. Would love this in game

[weak spire]

So many rares possible with a new Africa map

[stable berry]

I thought, at first, that he was talking to the impala

[gilded pike]

Kind of looks like it hey 😂

[gilded pike]

Solid white-flank southern impala

[gilded pike]

Big boy East African Impala

[stable berry]

Idk if this coloration will happen in a wild population but it's certainly interesting

[gilded pike]

Fun fact about the word Impala itself. The English word for the animal is derived for the Zulu word for the animal, which is Mpala

[gilded pike]

Heres an idea for a cool super rare. A Impala ewe that grew horns and on top of that, they have such a odd shape and direction. This was spotted in the Kruger park

[gilded pike]

The largest Impala ram I have ever seen. A 33" Southern Impala ram...absolute freak of nature

[gilded pike]

I hope one-day if EW introduces impala into CotW, that they would implement them with all the males rutting noises and their distinctive warning calls. It'd be an absolute cherry on top if they nailed the animations aswell.
Here is a video showing the impala rut.
https://youtu.be/ZO1Sl4Nj71Y?si=_GVDYNM8mQnJPI8b

[gilded pike]

Itching to hunt Impala on a geographically correct african map rn

[past rapids]

me too

[gilded pike]

1 - Trivial

[weak spire]

I think he's cute tbh

[gilded pike]

2 - Minor

[gilded pike]

3 - Very Easy

[gilded pike]

4 - Easy
(smaller 4)

[gilded pike]

4 - Easy
(Big 4)

[gilded pike]

5 - Medium

[gilded pike]

Impala Trophy Development chart in size and years

[gilded pike]

Interesting breeder ram, wonder if it's half price lol

[frank mist]

i apologize for my crazy art skills

[gilded pike]

Jis I'd be happy on that day

[frank mist]

small sneak peak

[gilded pike]

If I could have my way, I'd be wondering around the bush of Vurhonga and future maps shooting Impala with my .375 H&H receiving full score

[past rapids]

This could be what one of the diamond variations could look like

[gilded pike]

Pretty standard vital organ placement and bone structure

[gilded pike]

Good Impala bushveld. Alot like the Vurhonga plateau

[gilded pike]

Soon plsss

[gilded pike]

Imagine hunting Impala with rifles optics that aren't too close to the eye and that have picture-in-picture mechanics

[past rapids]

that... seems oddly specific but I get what you mean

[weak spire]

Would honestly be fie to have visuals like that @gilded pike you should make a suggestion on that

[gilded pike]

I just love PIP in games and I love Impala lol

[thin ledge]

Is he doin’ a stampede multimount? 😂

[gilded pike]

Unfortunately not lol, just working with a handful of clients euro mounts

[gilded pike]

Smol babies

[gilded pike]

Impala soon fr

[gilded pike]

Here's a video of a heard of impala that a friend of mine took with his drone while out hunting (here in SA there's no rule against drones for hunting as far as I know and there definitely aren't any on private land like this)
He was actually looking for a wounded Kudu at the time, which they actually ended up finding thanks to the drone

[gilded pike]

Imphalala

[gilded pike]

I was quite surprised to see Impala skins cost on $21.64 here where I live

[gilded pike]

I imagine the icon for impala would look something like this but with bigger horns

[weak spire]

Where I live deer hides aren't really expensive either

[frank mist]

like that ?

[gilded pike]

Yessssss, this is brilliant

[gilded pike]

I could go for skull mounts right about now in CotW. Place smaller games skulls on the small trophy stands where you'd usually put class 1 animals, yk, the little round ones

[weak spire]

Yeah would be fire, may be lil upright? My (great) grandfather used to have dozens of those

[gilded pike]

I love that style as well, if I could have both the pedestal and flat on the base, I'd take both, but if I really had to choose I'd take that one on the left that you showed

[weak spire]

@gilded pike I demand more impalas

[gilded pike]

If you insist

[gilded pike]

I've found a reason to dislike "rare" fur type impala (in a irl context). To make a long story short, they dramatically increased the price of regular impala (literally made them 2× more expensive)

[weak spire]

Why did they make them more expensive? I dislike them generally cause they tend to be bred on high fence ranches and I'm no big fan of those

[gilded pike]

How I understand it, it costs a lot to buy a black impala ram with good genetics and it also costs a lot to buy the ewes to breed them with so the farmers have to make up for the cost of buying these black impala quickly enough so that they don't sink their business, so they hike the prices of regular impala to make up for the cost of the special ones whilst they breed so they can make a return on their investment with their offspring.

Also I gotta be the bearer of bad news. Most hunting land in Souther Africa is fenced off with game fence that's at least 2m tall. This is for a few reasons, like, public land hunting doesn't really exist in Southern Africa so it's all privatized. Now most of these "hunting farms" as we call them are huge areas of land that are mostly untouched, say for the dirt roads, accommodation, the fences and the occasional man made water hole, especially in dryer areas. There's some animals that are really well know for their ability to move between "farms" though, like warthog, bushpig, very small antelope, leopard and hyena. It's unfortunate that we can't have public land hunting and open areas with no fences of the likes in Europe and the US, but in a country where the government is woefully incompetent and poaching is rife, these 9000 hectare game farms are crucial both for hunting and for wildlife conservation

[weak spire]

Yeah Ik I still don't like the idea, but I find massive game ranches are morally okay especially opposed to canned hunts

[gilded pike]

Oh yes canned hunts are inexcusable imo. They're sadly an issue mainly with lions in South Africa

[weak spire]

There were some cases where even tigers were used for canned hunts in south Africa illegally

[gilded pike]

Zululand Impala ram

[gilded pike]

Knuipkoppie

[gilded pike]

Chevy Impala

[final ermine]

1967

[gilded pike]

Atlas Impala

[weak spire]

Oxpeckers are crazy

[gilded pike]

rrrrrrrrrooibok

[gilded pike]

Oilyphant and the rrrrrrrrrooibok

[gilded pike]

He rest

[gilded pike]

Soooooon

[gilded pike]

Warthog are way too small in cotw

[gilded pike]

Rooibok asb EW

[gilded pike]

Mpala maduze ?

[gilded pike]

Whitetail and Impala fill pretty much the same niche in their respective ecosystems. That's probably the most compelling reason for Americans to call the impala the "Whitetail of Africa" (instead of the bushbuck)

Also there's the whole tail thing that they both do

[gilded pike]

Here's a nice comparison between Impala and Common Eland

[grim flame]

these look so beautiful

[gilded pike]

Generally as an impala ram matures and their horns grow, they go from making an oval shape, with the point of the horns facing one another, to the horns having their lyre shape with the points facing up. Occasionally however we get horns that point slightly away from one another at the tips, in this case, more than slightly. I personally love these horns and would go so far as to say that they would make an amazing unique max score diamond

[gilded pike]

Here something that doesn't really happen often in African hunting. This Impala ram was taken with a 20ga slug. Big game hunting here is usually done with rifles, occasionally with bows as well but rarely ever shotguns or handguns even

This ram is a big boy

[gilded pike]

Very much nearly 80 🤞

[hybrid coral]

only if its tame 💔

[gilded pike]

Were at 80 💪

[gilded pike]

For an animal of its size and nature, the Impala really makes very interesting sounds. It makes quite deep 'roars' when in rut preceeded and followed by higher pitched wheezing sounds. When making warning calls, they make a raspy bark/wheeze sound.

Here's an example of the rut call
https://youtu.be/l9-68W3Ax7c?si=Oj8Fx3K1Y2FZdckN

Here's and example of Impala warning calls
https://youtu.be/JHgU-vKqJcA?si=YrKzNvrLQMMGJ6M_

[gilded pike]

The .357 Magnum lever-gun is just as at home hunting Impala in Southern Africa as it is hunting Whitetail in the US

[weak spire]

Which of those two is the guide, or are they hunting together?

[gilded pike]

If i had to guess, the man on the left is the guide and the man on the right is the client
but really they are hunting together

[gilded pike]

Not a bad use for an Impala hide

[gilded pike]

Seeming that an old .303 Enfield no.4 Mk.2 sells for between R4 500 ($244.38) and R5 500 ($298.64) in good condition and is great for impala, I will get one eventually.

[gilded pike]

were hanging at 80

[gilded pike]

Next stop is hopefully 90
Here's an impala taken with a recurve bow (I think)

[gilded pike]

Impala hunting but it's old school

[weak spire]

Cool

[high belfry]

I would love to hunt impala with some really old guns irl, like a Lee Enfild or something like that

[stable berry]

Looks grumpy for some reason

[gilded pike]

.303 is a machine for hunting impala in dense bush

[gilded pike]

https://youtube.com/shorts/phNgd0yAuhc?si=U0qXzXqBwijkHYb9

[gilded pike]

EW asseblief tjom 🙏

[weak spire]

That ones pretty

[gilded pike]

Big boy

[lavish sage]

As somebody actually from SA, I feel they really botched Vurhonga. It’s very inaccurate compared to what an Africa reserve should be. I’ve never seen a Lesser Kudu in my whole life. Only Kudu i’ve seen are Greater Kudu. Also not having Impala is a huge setback. I’ve also never seen an Eurasian Wigeon here. SMH

[weak spire]

Because both never go to SA

[lavish sage]

Exactly…

[gilded pike]

It's actually crazy ne
Vurhonga doesn't look like any place in Africa let alone Botswana or North West province which it's supposedly based on. Not to bash the devs or bad mouth but I genuinely belive the devs at the time of making vurhonga at least, had absolutely no idea of what africa is and thought africa is a country or something

[lavish sage]

exactly, I almost never really play Vurhonga cause it looks nothing like the real Africa. It's actually really sad to me.

[gilded pike]

Ja I played it alot when it came out but I just can't anymore. Really have my fingers crossed for a propper bushveld map sometime in the future

[lavish sage]

Yeah, if I wanna hunt SA, I just hunt Tikamoon on WOTH, wayyyy beter Africa map.

[weak spire]

Same, I go onto tikamoon plains all the time it's the only map I play actively in woth

[lavish sage]

WOTH made a great map for die bosveld. COTW on the other hand, nie so baie nie.

[gilded pike]

It just baffels me that both games somehow missed Impala for their maps

[past rapids]

yeah that's such a strange choice not to include such a common African species.

[stable berry]

Something crazy to me is the last game I remember having impalas as a huntable species was Cabela's African Adventures. That's the last one i sincerely remember hunting them in. It blows my mind that two amazing hunting games somehow completely ignored what I've always thought was the poster child of plains game safaris

[gilded pike]

Nearly 100, not bad, not bad

[spring creek]

just gimme my impala already pls

[gilded pike]

I'm with you on that 210%

[gilded pike]

Impala ewes make Kudu bulls look really massive

[spring creek]

Fr

[spring creek]

To the top for anyone

[weak spire]

We need impalas in-game asap

[gilded pike]

Here's a video of an elephant bull doing what elephant bulls do, bullying smaller animals.
Feat. Nice impala ram

[gilded pike]

Went out walking this morning and saw impala ram chasing one another and bellowing

It's officially Impala rutting season ladies and gentlemen

[heavy relic]

Black-Faced Impala we’re once tentatively distinguished by Groves and Grubbs as a new species but they are classified again as a subspecies of Aepyceros melampus as A. m. petersoni

[weak spire]

Who reclassified them?

[heavy relic]

Scientists

[weak spire]

I liked the old classification

[heavy relic]

Those same authors had splitted klipspringer in 10 species

[gilded pike]

The classifications by the scientists are always odd to me. They had black faced as a new species, then they're a sub species, then East African Impala are a subspecies, then they're not.

Personally, I like the idea that there are 3 distinct subspecies of impala, namely Black Faced, Southern and East African. I think SCI recognizes those 3 because they all have different physical characteristics enough for them to all be different sub species from a 'trophy and hunting' perspective, if thay makes sense

I'll always love Southern Impala the most though

[weak spire]

Ik i own there book, I liked some splits but they definitely overdid it in the end.

[gilded pike]

Impala rams from this mornings walk

[noble trout]

Imagine dappled impala as a rare

[gilded pike]

A stunning young impala ram. This isn't a black faced impala but rather a colour morph of the Southern Impala known as a "saddle back"

[noble trout]

those are super cool, maybe a more subtle rare...

[gilded pike]

Yes definitely, the saddle backed and white flanked impala would be really decent more subtle rares

[gilded pike]

Not as subtle as saddle backed I think but on the same level 👌

[weak spire]

10/10 rare

[gilded pike]

There's a mistake in the first photo, it's not 90kg it's 90lb but the weights are all inaccurate in any event

[weak spire]

Lol

[gilded pike]

And a fun random fact. I found out this week you can technically call in a rutting impala ram without any tools like a caller, you can do it by mouth if that makes sense

[gilded pike]

Bloody well fast buggers

[noble trout]

wow, fallow up shots are gonna be impossible

and that's just insane, I wonder how long it could run that fast

[gilded pike]

Not really sure, I think they have pretty decent stamina though. Ontop of they, the can jump just about as high as a Kudu can if they push it

[noble trout]

Yeah, I've seen video where there jump lions XD

[gilded pike]

Almost a Impala ?
Looks like it but this is a Kob, found more in the eastern part of Africa

[weak spire]

Id say more central and western, the subspecies found in #chad is called kobus kob Kob, idk why I find that so funny. They are related to other marsh dwelling antelope like waterbuck, puku and lechwe

I personally split waterbuck into two species like many people do, elipse waterbuck on the right with a bog white circle on the butt Bering found in the south and east, and the more plain degassed waterbuck in the north and west.

Lechwe are cool to

[gilded pike]

They're all super call animals and criminally underrepresented in hunting video games

[weak spire]

100 people for the Impala, thank you so much without your support the cry's for Impala would be a lot more quite

[gilded pike]

Ayyyy I didn't even see that
I must make a case for my animal, seeming that I have a similar interest in impala to the interest Gerlinde Jäger has for Fallow in the Hirschfelden story lol

Impala pronking for a little celebratory photo

[weak spire]

Lmfao

[spring creek]

Probs in my top 3 fav antelope

[gilded pike]

Tracking black-faced Impala in Namibia, I think that'd be a hell of an experience

[gilded pike]

I think this could be considered a good morning-hunt for sure

[gilded pike]

I think adding impala to the game before or at the same time as leopard could really open up the opportunity for EW to do something cool. Leopard feed zones being impala carcasses in trees. Although leopard are very opportunistic, in areas where impala are plentiful, they make up the bulk of the leopards diet and are their preferred prey, not to mention lions also love them. Impala are an extremely important antelope in the food chain and it would be cool seeing them not only implemented as a huntable species but as a believable part of the map

[gilded pike]

Seeming that were getting a nice new .30-30 rifle, here's an Impala ram taken with a .30-30

Lever guns aren't all that popular in Africa but they can do the job and fit the bushveld role very well

[gilded pike]

I found someone who probably loves Impala more than me

[weak spire]

Black faced, W

[royal lark]

That’s badass

[gilded pike]

The babies are super cute

[gilded pike]

This is a knuipkop

[weak spire]

What is a knuipkop can't find anything when I google

[foggy harness]

impala

[weak spire]

Cool

[weak spire]

I feel like you might like hartebeest 😂

[foggy harness]

..maybe🤭

[gilded pike]

It's a colloquial word in Afrikaans that refers to a young impala ram that's horns still point towards each other. The direct English translation is "pinch head" because the horns do this 👌

[gilded pike]

Favorite Hartebees ?

[foggy harness]

Coke’s hartebeest, but next to that definitely red and swayne’s

[gilded pike]

Aaah nice
I gotta say, I think Reds are my favorite but that's only because they're the most common here

[foggy harness]

yeah they are definitely one of the coolest looking hartebeests when it comes to there fur, also being the most popular, there horns are really cool and unique

[gilded pike]

Ja it's kinda sad that we only have Red Hartebees and a very limited number of Lichenstiens in SA, but we atleast have the Tsessebe which is a hartebees lookalike lol

[gilded pike]

This is a East African Impala ram and a Thompsons gazelle (not sure if it's a ram or an ewe)

[weak spire]

Looks like a ram

[gilded pike]

Crazy how small it is compared to the Impala though hey
And the Impala is even further away from the camera as well

[weak spire]

Thomson gazelle are tiny, 15 kg is normal for em, maxing out at approximately 25

[gilded pike]

Rutting seasons in full swing my friends

[gilded pike]

So, I think I've posted this here before but I will do it again.
This is my proposed home range for Impala on Vurhonga.
The primary area that I think they should be found is in the Western region of the map, along with the outskirts of the map as they are more suitable as the impalas preferd habitat. A redistribution of lesser Kudu (as long as they're on thr map) and Springbok would compliment Impalas additin. The only movements of the home ranges for Lesser Kudu would be thay they are prevalent in the Western region as highlighted on the map where the vegetation is denser, and Springbok would be moved out of there for the most part, with the exception of a small herd or two that could stay up there

Whats your guys opinion on this ?

[uneven kettle]

I think this is a good idea. 🙂 If somehow they were able to be on this map, a second map or both, I'll be very happy. 🙂

[gilded pike]

Considering the distribution range of Impala I think there's quite a number of maps that could have them.
The distribution range of all 3 subspecies of Impala, as recognized by SCI, is pretty extensive

[gilded pike]

Sleepy Time

[gilded pike]

I can't be convinced that with Areas that already look like this on Vurhonga that the map isn't already well geared towards housing Impala. We just have to wait and hope on EW to make it happen

[lavish void]

EW needs an African map that includes the Impala to add it as a backfilled species in Vurhonga. Do you want the only species Impala or the subspecies Impala?

[gilded pike]

If I could have my way, I'd want the 3 subspecies recognized by SCI, so Southern Impala, East African Imapal and Black faced Impala obviously all on their own respective maps

[lavish void]

My book

[lavish void]

Southern Impala for Vurhonga

According to the book, the southern impala is typically associated with acacia and mopane woodlands and avoids thick forests, open grass plains, and floodplains. However, in summer, they may graze on the fresh grasses of open plains. They do not occur in mountainous habitats.

[gilded pike]

Ja that's all correct

From what I've seen on Vurhonga, when I compare it to my real life experience, I'd definitely say Vurhonga has some good areas for Impala, most notably in the West and the South

Generally speaking, inside these red areas is where I'd expect Impala to be most prevalent with the odd heard deeper in.
The main thing is I think their addition would give new life to the Western region of the map

[gilded pike]

Bump
Hopefully EW doesn't forget impala on a new Africa map again

[gilded pike]

So this is the Impala's mating call. I really hope EW can imitate their vocalisations accurately (as in the call lasting a bit longer like in the video)

[gilded pike]

Little size comparison

[deep swan]

If they add a Plains Game map I hope it has both Impala and Lesser Kudu, just so the Lesser Kudu on Vurhonga can be replaced

[gilded pike]

In that case it'd def have to be a East African map
I don't mind if EW makes a propper SA bushveld map and leaves Lesser Kudu on Vurhonga for now, I just want a propper bushveld map with Impala

[foggy harness]

where did u get this from

[lavish void]

I bought it a while ago from an online bookstore. The publisher’s website is Jacana Media. If it’s out of stock, you might have to look for an online bookstore or a second-hand copy.

[gilded pike]

The imposter
Gerenuk

[gilded pike]

Even if the Impala are implemented as C4, I'll still take them with a .375
This picture is of an impala shot with a .375 H&H with 300gr SPRN ammo by a friend, the man holding the rifle is an expert tracker that put him on this nice ram

[gilded pike]

Reasonable fear of flat dogs

[gilded pike]

I've said it before but Impala are directly comparable to Whitetail Deer. They both fill very similar niches in their respective habitats and are the most plentiful, most common and most commonly hunted big game species in their respective habitats.

To put it onto perspective, especially for Americans, Texas has about 7 Whitetail/km² (so that's 247 Acres) where as say, the Kruger Park has 9 Impala/km²

Also they have kind of similar colour schemes and both have those bushy white tails

[gilded pike]

Here's a jump to the top
In line with the initial post, I'm going to keep bumping this until we receive a new African map with Impala and then perhaps thereafter EW could also implement them on Vurhonga as a backfill. But the main idea remains Impala being added as a new species to a new map with immense recycle potential

[weak spire]

❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

[gilded pike]

The southern and Western parts of vurhonga are perfect examples of the type of vegetation density Impala prefer

[gilded pike]

Apparently impala are introduced on some Texan ranches, but they're really expensive to hunt. Either way, if they're ever added to the game, theyde even be a potential species for an exotic game Texas map

[gilded pike]

Here's some old drone footage that my friend took of some impala out in the bush. It also shows of really well how their preferd habitat looks

[gilded pike]

I can not stress enough how perfect this is for a Africa 2.0
Impala, bushveld, two tone shirt with short and boots with gaiters as a new outfit 😙👌
Chef's kiss

[gilded pike]

So close to 120

[gilded pike]

120 🎊
Ft. L30A1 120mm rifled gun

[gilded pike]

So that's the size diffirence between a Southern Greater Kudu cow and a Southern Impala ram

[uneven kettle]

Quite a comparison. But they're so beautiful and graceful. 🙂 And I'm open to all kinds of ideas for the impala being backfilled or on a new map entirely. 🙂 I just want them in there and I'd be so grateful. 🙂

[uneven kettle]

And that's one of the reasons I love them so much. I love whitetail deer and the impalas are like a graceful version of said deer. 🙂

[gilded pike]

They're kinda funny when they get spooked by something because they first tripple around all awkwardly and then dash off gracefully

[gilded pike]

https://youtu.be/qkDcC5KlgRg?si=_shxNwFEhw2h-kOH

Here's the video that I took those screenshot from. Take note of the Impalas white tail on the far right hand side. Also this appears to be a bachelor heard, probably sometime out of breeding season

[uneven kettle]

Interesting. 🙂 Thanks for sharing. 🙂 And I agree.

[gilded pike]

Impala compared to a Zebra
Zebra really aren't all that big, just heavy

[gilded pike]

I really, really hope that if EW makes and Africa 2.0 that they add impala and that they really model the impala well 🤞

[gilded pike]

Here's a very nice and informative short video by Eco Training on the Impala with some very nice background footage

https://youtu.be/DdGq7AsHGjk?si=hgRmI0ey_7oGu6YR

[gilded pike]

Impala are generally very very skittish when drinking because they're the most vulnerable whilst doing so. Between crocodiles, lions and leopard, drinking can be a risky operation for them, so, they are very much attentive whilst drinking, if not flat out alert. I doubt this would be a popular feature in amongst the broader community but I suggest that Impala automatically be in an alert or attentive state whilst they drink. This would make them harder to sneak up on whilst at a drinking need zone but it would add an additional layer of realism and challnage which would surely add to the fun and experience of hunting these antelope in the game

[gilded pike]

Dude had a good morning

[gilded pike]

Woza woza mpala my darling
Woza woza mpala my sweetie

[gilded pike]

EW, PLEASE if you ever add Impala to this game, either do it so the map is set somewhere along their rutting season so we can have their behavior and iconic rutting calls that dominate the bushveld day during their rut. Otherwise do it in whatever other time of the year outside of their rutting period but DON'T use their rutting calls as mating calls because they simply don't make "mating calls" outside of the rutting season, like, at all

https://youtu.be/g0ka_DAsbL0?si=KZSpAhvHUKSSCYoN

[gilded pike]

Big Bird Bump

[gilded pike]

Don't remember if I posted this here at all

[gilded pike]

When times are tough...impala stomach content water is infact drinkable

[gilded pike]

Were stuck

[gilded pike]

Zzzzzzzz

[weak spire]

Would south africa from the Angler (if any of you played that) be the right habitat for Impala, what other animals, I think many small mountain antelope like oribi and rhebok if this was a cotw map it is btw set in mpumalanga province

[gilded pike]

This specific part of Mpumalanga would definitely have impala because it's lowveld.
Theyde generally avoid climbing mountains, but in all the other bushveld portions, theyde be there.
It's interesting to not though that there's a portion of Mpumalanga that's practically if not literally devoid of Impala and that, is the Highland region in Mpumalanga. That's where you find black Wildebeest, fallow deer, zebra, ribbok and rietbok

Inside the red is where the Mpumalanga map for the angler is set, because that's the only religion with tigerfish in South Africa besides 1 other dam in KZN. But to be fair, the map from the angler takes after vurhonga in terms of species selection.
The geography is also similar enough to conclude that this is the correct region though

Ps. The blue are is highlands/prairie and the trout fishing in that area is fantastic

[gilded pike]

FInally. The thread has broken the 120 mark

[gilded pike]

Animals in CotW often look like they move soooooo slowly, so I hope that I EW make impala, they make them with one of their biggest advantages, that being their incredible speed.
Impala can reach speeds of over 90km/h (55mph) whilst fleeing predators, so I really hope they are properly fast when sprinting in game

If they think they have an idea if what's approaching them and it's a threat....gone in a flash

From a hunters perspective though, you're wearing camo, probably moving cautiously through the bush as to not make a ruckus and eventually the Impala hear or catch a glimpse of something moving and go alert. After Impala go Alert they generally freeze and stare, that's followed by warning calls from the group (often if they're alone they'll just stay quiet but not always)
As you get closer they'll continue to just stare trying to figure out what you are. Eventually, you're close enough and have a clear shot. You fire, the shot cracks the relative serenity of the bush, and assuming you're shooting with a .30-06 and 220gr loads, your buck is down and the rest of the heard has flinched but not run away because they are extremely confused now. This gives you the opportunity to either shoot another or wait a bit and then approach your quarry. If you decide to shoot again, after that shot, the heard takes off at break-neck speed, if you decide not to, they'll just trot off on their own. That's at least my experience hunting them irl

[gilded pike]

Rams in the Zambezi delta

[gilded pike]

If EW makes impala have mating calls at all, this is thr bare minimum we need to see, otherwise rams should stay in their bachelor heards (like we see very nicely with the Manitoba elk now) but not make Any mating calls, only warning calls, assuming EW is still going for any form of realism

[gilded pike]

Massive East African Impalas

[gilded pike]

Suboptimal position to be in

[gilded pike]

Euro-bump

Also, this is why I'd argue that Impala are the Whitetail-deer of Africa, I mean check that tail and of course they fill pretty much the same niche

[gilded pike]

The vellies made it over the continent

[gilded pike]

Propper Saddle back ram
Of all the atypical fur variations that Impala can be, this is my favorite. Looks the most 'natural'

[gilded pike]

Went for a walk with some friends this week up around a super sketchy koppie and came across 2 impala rams owned by somebody in the area. The fence is really really low though so I wouldn't be surprised if some have or will still escape and start a wild population on the koppie which is between a residential area and a quarry. Either way it was pretty cool and we came across alot of very very fresh porcupine scat. Overall a pretty sick area

[stable berry]

Saw this boy while I was looking for other stuff, but I figured I'd post him here. He'd make an impressive trophy

[past rapids]

potential diamond horns for Impala right there if they ever get added to the game

[gilded pike]

Definitely diamond, nice wide horns pointed straight up at the tips 👌

[gilded pike]

Saw a little bachelor heard today on a walk at my local trail

[grim flame]

imagine if they added actual animal hunts in game? being able to take down a lion thats just killed a warthog or a tiger that just got a water buffalo.

[gilded pike]

It'd be so cool
I know when Parque was released EW had implemented the whole Chasing thing that Puma/Mountain Lion do but theyde actually kill animals. I think EW removed it so that your level 5 diamond or rare fur wouldn't be killed by a predator, but I think they should reimpliment it back into the game but so that predators only attack femals, males of a certain size or smaller and not animals with a rare fur variation, if that's at all possible ofcourse. I think that'd be the best of both worlds

[grim flame]

honestly the rares, diamonds, & g1s are way less interesting than seeing animals with realistic hunting behaviors. and imagine if you could harvest the tiger and its prey for unique multimounts?

[gilded pike]

Jock Lodge knuipkop ram

[gilded pike]

https://youtube.com/shorts/NIYGKNVeYvI?si=NmzyanMXsk592gVl

[gilded pike]

Suboptimal for the Impala

[gilded pike]

I really hope if EW adds impala that they manage to nail the sounds it makes and that it isn't too short or butcherd by the investigate call feature