FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Spring                   September – November

Summer              December – February

Autumn               March – May

Winter                  June – August

During the months of December – February most antelopes give birth in South Africa. During this time we do not hunt mothers and calves. However, trophy hunting of male animals is still possible. This is also the warmest time of year, so we hunt during the early morning and late evening hours. At midday the animals seek shelter from the sun in the thickets and rest.

Trophy hunting is possible all year round, we offer management hunts during the months of May – August.

We offer management hunts at our own hunting reserve NGIRI during the months of May – August, as the calves are then already weaned and independent. We then also hunt bad genetics male antelopes as part of reduction hunting.

The various antelope and gazelle species that live in Africa are called plains game.

The species that are referred to as Dangerous Game include cats such as lions and leopards as well as other members of the so-called Big Five. Dangerous game can only be hunted in Africa when accompanied by a PH = professional hunter with additional training as a big game hunter.

The Big Five of Afrika are: Lion, Rhino, Leopard, Buffalo and Elefant.

The Big Five got their name from big game hunters because they are considered the five most dangerous animals and the most difficult to hunt. This term reflects the challenge associated with hunting these game species.

These five African animals owe their name to their appearance as the Ugly Five. They are 1. The Marabou 2. The Vulture 3. The Wildebeest 4. The Warthog 5. The Hyena

A hunting training exam like the ones that are often needed in Europe is not required to hunt in Africa. As we hunt on our own hunting grounds and are operating as registered outfitter, we own the hunting rights ourselves and lead our international hunting guests to hunting success with passion and respect for nature.

There is no minimum age requirement for hunting in South Africa. However, the hunter must first convince his guide = professional hunter of the safe and responsible handling of the weapon and of his shooting abilities on the shooting range.

In African countries, the owner of a piece of land has the right to hunt. Whether hunting is subject to the hunting seasons set by the nature conservation authority depends on the boundaries of the hunting area. If the area is fenced in accordance with the requirements of nature conservation and has an active certificate for correct fencing, trophy hunting is allowed all year round. The so-called CAE = Certificate of Adequate Enclosure must be inspected and approved every 3 years by the nature conservation authority.

The outfitter is the actual organizer and responsible for the smooth performance of a safari in Africa. In many cases, the outfitter is also the owner of the hunting ground where the safari takes place. However, in some African countries (e.g. Uganda, Zimbabwe, Botswana and many more), the state owns the land and grants the hunting right as a concession to registered outfitters, who are then allowed to hunt there with their international hunting guests according to the concession hunting agreement.

During the safari on Plains Game or Dangerous Game, the hunt is led by a local, specially trained and registered hunting guide, the so-called Professional Hunter = PH. He is accompanied by hunting assistants who specialize in tracking and raw preparation of the game. These hunting helpers are called skinners and trackers. They are locals and often have amazing skills in tracking, stalking and skinning game.

This is theoretically possible with the consent of the property owner, who would have to give you permission to hunt in writing. But it is usually not taking place. Especially in areas where dangerous game, such as the Big Five, occurs, hunting is not allowed without a qualified and registered professional hunter.

For each province in which you want to hunt, a hunting licence is required. The hunting licence is an official document, issued by the outfitter = organizer and person responsible for the hunt. It is usually valid for 1 year, limited to the respective region and subject to a fee. The hunting license is non-transferable.

The current export regulations do not allow the export of game meat to Europe or the USA. Only a small amount of vacuum-packed dried meat (biltong) for one’s own consumption is permitted.

Trophies can be: hair, teeth, fur, skin, feathers, horns and other parts of wild animals.

The export of trophies is subject to strict specifications and may only be carried out after appropriate prior treatment by a local taxidermist together with the appropriate papers. The actual transport has to be done by an official Transport Agency which can also help with the customs procedure.

After a successful hunt, the hunting assistants take the skin off, remove meat residues from the skull and salt the skin carefully. The trophy is marked and professionally stored for later handover to the local taxidermist.

The outfitter writes notes of all hunted game in the so-called PH register (professional hunter register) of the respective hunting year under the name and address of the international hunting guest. The type of preparation that has been chosen by the hunter is also indicated in there. These papers, together with the raw-prepared trophies and the hunter’s hunting license, are handed over to the local taxidermist for further processing of the trophies.

The outfitter hands over the already pre-treated = raw prepared trophies to the local taxidermist. The hunting client now has the choice between full preparation on site or the so-called dip-and-pack.

The local preparation carries out a chemical treatment of the trophy and then packs it professionally. The form of the treatment is documented and handed over in paper form to the transport agency, which then takes care of the further transport as well as the export/import. The cost of dip-and-pack is incurred for each trophy, regardless of whether it is further processed by the local taxidermist or the final preparation takes place in the country of destination.

After the raw preparation/field preparation, the trophy is handed over by the outfitter to the local taxidermist along with the trophy accompanying documents. The taxidermist first carries out a chemical treatment – also known as dipping. This is followed by further processing according to the wishes of the hunting guest. Once the process is completed, the taxidermist builds a wooden crate in which all the ready-prepared trophies of the hunting client are then shipped to the country of destination.

All hunted game is professionally gutted by the hunting assistants. While the trophy gets treated to be handed over to the local taxidermy, the outfitter hangs the game carcass in the cooling room to mature. After an appropriate maturation period, the game meat gets fully processed. It is used to cater our clients, our camp staff receives their share of game meat almost every day and surplus quantities are sold to butchers to help covering the camps fixed costs. In countries such as Uganda, Botswana or Zimbabwe, where the government owns the hunting area and is in charge of the hunting rights, the meat of the hunted game benefits the population living nearby. For example, an elephant hunt in Botswana can cover an entire village’s meat needs for several weeks.

In general, yes – it is possible if these requirements are fulfilled:

• Weapon and caliber must be appropriate = suitable for the planned safari and comply with the requirements of the African Weapons Law for the hunting region. For more information, please contact your outfitter.
• Written invitation letter from the outfitter for the safari is available, in which the caliber and the weapon manufacturer of the weapon to be imported are named.
• Form SAPS 520 has to be completed, signed and carried with during your journey with weapon and amunition
• Customs declartion form, issued and stamped by the customs authorities at your port of departure
• Check transport regulations for the import of rifles and ammunition, the valid information can be acquired from your airline company
• Take your European rifle licence book with you during travelling

However, experience has shown that the import is sometimes made difficult by the authorities by asking for documents that are not absolutely necessary and thus often forcing a donation. Our advice: Use your outfitter’s weapons and ammunition instead. Most outfitters have high-quality equipment and rent it out for a small fee.

When hunting in Africa, the 7mm calibers are often referred to as the “universal caliber” for non-defensive game. Although smaller calibers (6 mm caliber) would often be sufficient for light game, the .270 or 7 x 57 caliber with high-quality bullets and accurate shot placement should be chosen as the minimum caliber for light to medium-weight game.

The 7 mm Rem calibre also falls into this group. Mag., which with its elongated trajectory and low wind sensitivity is ideally suited for long-range shots in the open savannah.

The .30-06 caliber is certainly one of the most popular calibers in Africa and is successfully used by local hunters for light to medium game up to Eland. Even the “Big 5” were successfully hunted with it – which is no longer permitted today.

The .308 Win caliber corresponds to the 7.62 x 51 NATO cartridge and is comparable to the performance of the .30-06.

The European calibers 9.3 x 62 and 9.3 x 64 are a good choice for thin-skinned, heavy game that is shot at short to medium distances and are particularly suitable for hunting in the forest and thick bush.

The minimum caliber for thick skinned animals is the .375 H&H Magnum, although situations can certainly arise during big game hunting where this caliber is over challenged. It is an excellent bullet for African antelopes such as kudu, gemsbok, hartebeest, wildebeest, zebra or eland. In metric nomenclature, the cartridge would be called 9.5 x 72 and is intended for the strong and long magnum systems. With projectiles of 270 grains in partial jacket and 300 grains in partial and full jacket versions it achieves very good results.

Calibers of the .40 group, such as the .404 Jeffrey or the 416 Rigby, are the legendary all-round calibers of Africa. They are always a reliable choice for successful big game hunting.

The “real big game calibers” or “strong magnums” start at a minimum caliber of .45 inches (11.43mm) and are originally based on the English Nitro Express (N.E.) cartridges.  The most common calibers in this category are: .450 Rigby – .475 N.E. – .500 N.E. – .500 Jeffery – 577.N.E – .600 N.E. and .700 N.E with a bullet weight of 64.80 grams and a diameter of 17.78 millimeters.

Bow hunting is allowed in Africa. Especially in South Africa many outfitters do offer safaris with the bow.

Currently, elephant hunting is allowed in some African countries. This applies, for example, to Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe or Tanzania. In Mozambique, South Africa or Uganda, the hunting of elephants is prohibited unless an outfitter receives a special permit (for examples for problem animals).

As Rhinos – especially the Black Rhinos – are highly endangered there are very few licenses to hunt Rhinos in Africa. If you acquire such a license, hunting is allowed and the trophy may be exported under strict conditions, but the horn may not be sold.

Since our safaris take place in malaria-free hunting areas, no malaria prophylaxis is required. However, we recommend vaccination against hepatitis and your last tetanus vaccination should not be older than 9 years.

In our Lodge NGIRI we are well prepared for initial medical care in case of an emergency. Our staff is regularly trained and instructed in first aid measures.

We also have our own registered airstrip on the property. In case of a medical emergency, a helicopter can land within 10 minutes, which then immediately takes us to the emergency room of the clinics in Grahamstown (10 minutes flight time) or Port Elizabeth (15 minutes flight time).

We recommend to have a travel health insurance so that you can be reimbursed for any medical treatment that might be needed during your trip. In addition, please check whether your hunting liability insurance also covers hunting trips abroad. Most hunting liability insurance policies include this or offer a temporary extension/upgrade.

For the countries in which we offer hunting safaris no ViSA applications are needed beforehand. Upon immigration you receive your visa stamp automatically for the time of your hunting trip as long as it doesn’t last longer then 3 months (max. duration of tourist visa) Be ready to show your return ticket to the immigration officer and make sure, that your date of return has been put in correctly.