The mountain nyala is one of the very top trophies in Africa, ranking with bongo, giant eland and sitatunga.
The Mountain Nyala is only found and hunted in Ethiopia making it a very specialized hunt for the limited amount of permits each year. The limited permits and challenge of the hunt is what makes the Mountain Nyala one of the pinnacles of Africa hunting.
In the dense forests of the Chercher and Din Din mountains, the altitude is about 9,000-10,000 feet (2,700-3,000 m), the terrain is usually steep, with thick cover and limited visibility due to vegetation and cloud cover. Conditions are often cold and wet. Although the Bale Mountains are known for the high heather hunting of 12,000+ feet, the dense forest of these areas is the natural habitat of the Nyala. Legendary Ethiopia outfitter and hunter Nassos Roussos once stated that the natural habitat for these Nyala is the thick forest zones of these mountains, but the Nyala had been pushed out of these areas up into the heather by wood cutters and slash burnings for cattle and agriculture. Both the forest hunts and the heather hunts require physical fitness, good optics, and good shooting skills as the distances can be further than the average shot in Africa being 300+ yards relating to Mule deer, Elk and Sheep hunts here in North America.
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