At last. Answers to all the questions you have about big game trophy hunting, African safaris, and conservation in South Africa.
Big Game Hunting in Africa: What is it?
Hunting big game – for many – is the essence of African hunting.
However, when it comes to big game in Africa, it is not just about big animals – the Big Five: lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants, and rhinos – but also about big challenges and larger-than-life experiences.
The big five have always been a major draw for hunters traveling to Africa to hunt Big Game for centuries, and they still are today. While the vast majority of hunting in Africa is still actually big game hunting, several species of antelope have also been classified as big game.
Unlike popular belief, animals do not have to be large or dangerous to qualify as “Big Game” – even some of the larger antelope species, such as kudu, waterbuck, oryx, eland, wildebeest, etc. are classified as “Big Game”. However, at the top of the full-blooded big game list is the eland, which can reach weights of over 1000 kilograms, exceeding even the buffalo – making eland trophy hunting the pinnacle of hunting in Africa.
When you’re not out hunting for antelopes, you can relax on hunting farms during the afternoons. The hunter is free to choose whether he would like to stay in luxury or rough it a little during these hunts, but hunting farms are the best choice for hunters who are on a hunting safari as a group, or who have a family with them. Ideally, look for a game farm that has great non-hunting activities for the rest of the family or non-hunters in the group to enjoy.
Why South Africa is the best place to hunt big game
South African game farms have the best of both: the wild African experience of vast savannahs and wide-open spaces, coupled with travel and banking infrastructure that works well. Plus, together with Namibia, South Africa accounts for over 90% of big game hunting farms on the African continent.
It is estimated that over 18,500 hunters visit hunting farms each year in South Africa alone, which speaks volumes about the popularity of hunting farms here.
It is clear that hunters from all over the world are voting with their visits that South Africa is the top destination for big game hunting.
Hunting as a conservation tool in Africa
Conservation in Africa is transforming. Trophy hunting has always been, and will continue to provide the incentives and finances needed to support resilient conservation efforts in Africa.
Most of the poaching has been brought under control in places where hunting outfitters operate, whereas elsewhere it has grown alarmingly, particularly with regards to elephants. The fact that hunting large mammals in their natural habitats in the wild is the best tool for conserving Africa’s large mammals is just one of several reasons why Big Game Hunting is the best practice to promote conservation of game currently.
As of the late 2000’s, it was estimated that trophy hunting areas in Sub-Saharan Africa protected approximately 344 million acres of wildlife habitat. This acreage is 22% larger than the total size of the local national parks.
Much of the area used for trophy hunting is considered remote, marginal and sub-marginal, however, thanks to trophy hunting, these lands are now used to generate revenue and job creation for locals (estimated more than 50,000 jobs), without converting the land to agriculture. Agriculture would effectively remove the areas’ ability to serve as wildlife habitat for lions and other important wildlife species.
To put it in perspective, trophy hunting farms in Sub-Saharan Africa – a mix of public, indigenous, and private lands – are wildlife preserves that are more than 6.5 times the size of the U.S. National Park System, approximately 3x the size of the U.S. National Wilderness Preservation System, and more than double the size of the U.S. National Wildlife Refuge System.
Want more proof that hunting promotes conservation? According to recent studies, one species in particular has been brought back from near extinction as a direct result of hunting’s conservation impact: the southern white rhino. In 1960, South Africa’s population of the white rhino barely tipped at 840 animals, and hunting was illegal. A short eight years later the population had grown to approximately 1,000, and hunting was reopened. Due to the demand and profitability of this species, game farm owners began to intentionally start breeding programs to populate their land with rhinos. As a result, they have now increased to more than 18,000, making South Africa home to 93% of the world’s remaining white rhinos. (See Figure below by PERC.)
How much does it cost to hunt in Africa?
Our ALL inclusive trophy hunting packages ensure you have everything you need to fully enjoy your African experience.
Choose from custom bow and rifle hunting packages where you pick the trophies and the days.
At Huntershill Safaris, we also offer a wide range of predefined hunting packages from five days of hunting to packages with 10 days of hunting and 10 trophies.
Rifle and bow hunting packages in South Africa
Click here to see our individual game and trophy pricing and all-inclusive hunting packages.
