One of the most unique, and globally recognized pastimes within South Africa is that of hunting. With an incredible set of wildlife and game territory, the hunting community of SA is one of the most prominent on a global scale. Attracting locals and international attention, South Africa boasts one of the most defined and sought-after hunting areas in the world with opportunities for an experience of a lifetime.
Today we take a look at the ins and outs of the hunting habits of South Africa.
Professional Hunter’s Association of South Africa
Boasting as the largest association of its kind in the world, PHASA focuses on uniting the efforts of both hunting and animal conservation. The organization not only works with the hunting community of South Africa on a personalized and collaborative level but also serves in a governmental capacity on behalf of the professional hunting industry across a vast majority of departments.
PHASA provides a guide for those engaging or even understanding the hunting community of South Africa. Crafting the very regulations and rules which hunters uniformly follow and apply when on the hunt, the organization serves as a major role player in the hunting capacity of South Africa.
Hunting Season
The seasons in which hunting may occur are dependent on a few factors. For instance, certain provinces have their own rules and regulations regarding the times of the year certain animals can be hunted.
A generally accepted rule is that most of the yearly hunting occurs between the months of May as well as August.
Licenses and Permits
Every province requires a permit for hunting.
Every permit and license also includes its own set of terms and conditions. There are however some instances where particular farms allow hunting despite not having a permit, however, certain provinces negate this by still requiring the use of a permit.
Preparation
The following information is taken directly from SAHunters
Every hunter needs to consider the following when planning the next hunt:
- Is the farm exempted from the hunting regulations for the species of game that I plan to hunt?
- When is the hunting season in the province where I want to hunt?
- Do different restrictions apply with regard to gender and the number of male and female animals that I may hunt?
- Do I need a letter of permission from the landowner to hunt on his property?
- Does the letter of permission allow me to transport the meat of the animal that I hunted to my home?
- Do I need a hunting permit or hunting license over and above the letter of permission from the landowner, and if so, where do I obtain such a permit or license?
- May I transport meat from that district, and must this meat first be processed or cooked? Do I need a separate permit for transporting the meat?
Game vs. Trophy Hunting
South Africa is known for many things.
One of these includes the very famous snack, Biltong.
Hunting season sees a major influx of game hunting occurring where the goal is to utilize as much of the animal as possible in the long run. In this case, a lot of Biltong is made.
Other items such as sausages and steaks are also used from the animal however, the most notable one which is always gifted to friends and family of a hunter is that of his precious Biltong.
Trophy hunting focuses on a much different cause for the hunt.
The goal for this is to find the most magnificent and breath-taking animal (obviously within regulation) and hunt it for the thrill and sport.
Many a South African home is adorned with the taxidermized head of some or other form of a game animal as an ode to the thrill of the hunt and the sportsmanship involved.
Some Thoughts
Hunting may not be everybody’s preference or favorite pastime but in South Africa, the industry is carefully monitored, internationally recognized, and quite large.
Seeing tourists travel to our country during this season solely for the purpose of the hunt is observed every year during the season.
At Copcas, we cater to the hunters and encourage the following through of the entire process being done by yourself.
Our hunter packs give all hunters the opportunity to process their own game, at home just as the original hunters did hundreds of years ago.
