Hunting Season
The hunting season in South Africa is between May and September, but may vary from province to province, with the peak period during June, July and August.
Although some would argue the point, hunting is an essential part of nature conservation, an important source of income for nature conservationists and hunters, and a necessary practice for butchers wanting to have access to game meat.
More than 50 types of game need to be culled on a regular basis, and in our country we are fortunate to have an excellent hunting structures and infrastructures, as well as highly qualified personnel to manage the delicate balance between harvesting and maintaining.
Although animals live freely within nature, their habitat is limited to the size of game reserve, nature reserve or game farm they are contained in, which means that their numbers have to be limited in relation to how much the land can sustain.
When the number of game expands beyond the carrying capacity of the land, their numbers have to be reduced accordingly. This takes place either by natural causes, relocation, or by culling. If a sustainable balance is not maintained, over-grazing and soil erosion will eventually annihilate the land, and animal life will soon follow.
Hunting in South Africa is subject to a strict code of conduct protecting the hunter and conservationist alike.
Hunting outfitters and guides have to be registered and are monitored by the local representative of the Department of Nature Conservation. Professional hunters/hunting outfitters must hold licences for each province where they operate. A foreign client is not allowed to hunt in South Africa unless the hunt has been organised by a licensed hunting outfitter, and is guided on the hunt by a licensed professional hunter.
It is law that a written agreement must be entered into between the client and hunting outfitter prior to the commencement of the hunt. Such an agreement includes species, sex, fees for trophies, services provided, duration of the hunt and daily rates.
When it comes to ethical hunting, or people’s varied perceptions thereof, trophy hunting is often viewed as a “blood sport”. In fact, only a limited quota is allocated to trophy hunting, and the income derived from it is finally re-invested into nature conservation. Trophy hunting provides jobs for conservationists, food for the local communities and, in the long term, more land to be set aside for game in order to sustain greater numbers.
Before a hunting outfitter or professional hunter can obtain a licence, certain legal requirements must be met. All candidates are required to complete a comprehensive training course at a professional hunting school. These schools are private institutions and are only allowed to operate after careful screening by the nature conservation agencies, which also prescribe the syllabus.
A variety of subjects covering the full spectrum of trophy hunting are dealt with. Candidates are required to pass a written examination compiled and conducted by the nature conservation agencies. Once the professional hunter or outfitter has obtained a certificate, he/she is licensed.
Further requirements for the hunting outfitter include three years practical experience as a professional hunter. There are regular inspections and follow-up inspections of facilities offered to clients. Hunting camps, trophy preparation facilities, vehicles and staff are required to conform to set standards, and publicity material must be submitted to nature conservation officials before distribution as a safeguard against misleading advertising.
Although the professional hunter is actually in charge of the hunting camp and sees to the skinning and handling of the trophies, and at times provides transport on a hunting trip, it does not exempt the hunting outfitter, who is directly remunerated by the client for his services, from his overall responsibility to his client.
The hunting outfitter’s responsibilities include:
• Recruiting the client through advertisements or by other means;
• Arranging and organising the client’s hunt from start to finish;
• Entering into a written agreement with the client with regard to the animals to be hunted and the facilities and service which will be supplied and rendered;
• Furnishing the hunting areas where the animals are hunted and also the camp with all its conveniences and services;
• Supplying the camp personnel and paying them;
• Supplying the camp with provisions and stores;
• Seeing to it that the client is guided by qualified licensed professional hunters;
• Obtaining the necessary permits, licences and other documents enabling his client to hunt legally;
• Obtaining the necessary permits to convey and export his client’s trophies and to see to it that the trophies are delivered in good shape and order.
The professional hunter is the person who physically guides a client in the hunting area in order to hunt an animal to obtain a trophy.
Responsibilities include:
• Looking after the welfare of the client while in the hunting camp;
• Being in charge of the hunting camp and its personnel;
• Ascertaining that the client is in possession of the necessary permits, licences or other documents before he allows him to hunt;
• Seeing to it that the client’s trophies are skinned and prepared according to the correct methods;
• Taking responsibility for his client’s safety while in the camp and in the hunting area;
• Ensuring that the client does not hunt contrary to the provisions of the law.
The professional hunter does not receive any remuneration from the client for services rendered; the client remunerates the hunting outfitter for services and trophies, who in turn pays the hunter.
In many cases the professional hunter and the hunting outfitter are the same person and therefore responsible for the combined duties and functions, and must also be in possession of both permits to operate as a professional hunter and as hunting outfitter.
Many professional hunters and farmers become members of the SA Hunters & Game Conservation Association (SAHGCA), Professional Hunters Association of South Africa (PHASA) or provincial organizations.
These associations promote local hunters and game shooting as a necessary part of sustainable utilisation and conservation of game, build on a positive image of the hunter and trophy shooting, provide training in the culture and ethics of hunting as well as in the use of hunting equipment to improve the hunting and shooting skills of members, and promoting and developing responsible arms ownership.
Meat from hunted game animals reach the consumer through the formal and informal markets. As the game farm is the first link in the supply chain, it is of the essence to include game farming practices and training for all stakeholders in a comprehensive food safety plan.
Until this is achieved, butchers will have to establish relationships with professional hunters who cull specifically for them and are familiar with maintaining the cold chain.
A large number of hunters are in fact butchers and if they are not operating as a bonafide butchery, they do in fact process the meat taken from the carcases themselves.
This meat is then transposed into many different end products ranging from cuts destined for roasts and casseroles, boerewors etc, each made to its own special recipe and perhaps the most important bi-product of all, biltong. And what do all these processes require, herbs, spices and rubs and even more herbs, spices and rubs.
Not only do these add their own distinctive flavours but frequently are regarded by the individual producers of these uniquely South African delicacies (for what else can one call them) as being their signature creations. After all, they have in most instances, perfected this mix and match and a bit of this and a bit of that for years, many even for generations having being handed down the formula by their fathers and grandfathers before them.
But what about the ones that don’t have this heritage behind them and don’t quite know how to make a bit of this and a bit of that to create the very special taste that they are looking for? Help is at hand, there are a number of experts whose speciality is to assist in creating that special formula for you or already have it worked out, readily available.
You can check companies like Exim International, Crown National, Deli Spice, Golden Spice and Southern Spice. These companies mentioned here, we know work closely with their customer base in offering the finest and best aromatic mixes you could wish for.
Happy Hunting.
