Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Hunting opportunities for local citizens

Is the average citizen, who has legal access to firearms able to hunt in Africa. I am mostly referring to RSA or Namibia? Not with a PH or on a pay to play game farm. If you have relatives or friends who farm, or are there public land opportunities? If so what type of animals would they be most likely to hunt?
Where I live there are White Tail and Mule deer, Elk and Pronghorns plus small game, and varmints. There is quite a bit of National Forest and BLM land that is open for hunting plus some landowners will still give you permission to hunt. Does the average hunter in Africa have the same,or better opportunities?

It obviously varies from country to country and in some cases, province to province but generally, locals can hunt without using a PH...... however, the service/product/prices they get is totally different.

Most African countries make it illegal for hunters from overseas to come in and hunt in that manner and the penalties are usually severe...... and usually include confiscation of all equipment, including firearms and vehicles etc used during the hunt and often possible jail time in an African jail....... if the person involved in a US resident, it'd also then involve prosecution under the Lacey Act when they return home.

Most South African meat hunters get a guide who is also the tracker skinner and care taker of the property that is hunted. The land owner has you sign a document that states the guide is not responsible for determining the sex of the animal, neither for trophy quality. Any mishaps and the hunter pays. End of story.

If I had family who owned a game ranch and they allowed me to hunt there free of charge, then I would have no cost toward the trophy or the meat or accommodation. If the property has not been authorised by our F&W to hunt year round then I can only hunt from 1 May through 31 August, or such dates as set out by the Premier of the Province (that translates closest to the Gov of the State). Usually I will then also have to buy a tag from the local municipal office at negligible cost.

If the property has permission to hunt year round I need a written letter of consent from the owner whereby I am allowed to hunt, which species, which sex and between certain dates. As South Africans we are bound by CITES, so if we hunt a leopard or elephant for trophy purposes we need the same tags as if hunted by an international hunter. Getting a rhino tag is also tricky these days let alone finding a rhino with a horn as most rhino owners are having their rhinos de-horned trying to limit the possibility of poaching.

Individuals may not legally hunt on state land unless you have a permit that says otherwise. You may not hunt on private land unless you have permission from the land owner that says you may do so.

Sorry I didn't ask the question clearly enough. I do not want to go to Africa and try to conduct a self guided hunt. I do not want any of those dire consequences to happen.
What I am curious about is the average citizen of those countries. What kind of restrictions, opportunities does he encounter.
Lets say he lives in a small town, can he buy a Kudu license and then call his friend Greg who owns 10,000 acres and say "Can I come out and go Kudu hunting?" then go out and shoot a Kudu. Does he have to pay a trophy fee on top of that?
If so who does he pay, are they as high as the rates you see advertised? Can he buy a small game or fishing license go out after trout, and birds?
Perhaps this is the wrong place to ask this question. But surely not every hunting opportunity for a local legal citizen involves paying an outfitter and trophy fees.
It is getting more and more commercial here but you can still go out and do a little "Free" meat hunting, even shooting a decent trophy every now and then.
If anyone who lives in any African country can enlighten me thanks. Again I have no desire to violate any laws in any country, and I am not trying to get information for a self guided hunt.

Skip

It varies from country to country and sometimes from province to province but generally he or she will need some kind of permit and/or licence from the game dept and/or landowner.

In some countries such as Tanzania a local hunter is also restricted to what species he can hunt.

Depending on country and sometimes individual landowner, he'll usually have to pay a trophy fee of some kind as well.

Really, you need to ask a more precise question to get an accurate answer.

Pieter
Thank you. If I had read your answer I wouldn't have had tried to clarify my question, you did a good job explaining the situation. I thought with the history of sport/meat hunting in the RSA and Namibia there must be more of a hunting scene. It seems much the same as here. We have game farms where you can hunt for a fee and have extended seasons. But the average guy buys a state license for a specific animal then tries to find one.
I didn't really think about the average guy in Africa being able to go out to hunt large dangerous game.
Thanks again.

You're welcome Skip. My elder brothers family in law had a large property in Namibia and he hunted there at no charge every year they went there for vacation. Sadly the old man passed away and his sons sold the property and moved to SA.

skip23, I hunt at least twice a week. wart-hog jackal Baboon vervit monkeys and bush-pig have all been declared pests/problem animals. I only need the land owners permission. as soon as the huntings season open, I can switch to antelope. in my province there is no hunters fee or license. but my neighbor province there is a hunters license of R200($26).

FYI: 91% of all animals taken in RSA per year are hunted by local hunters. Most local hunters dont hold overseas hunters in a high regard. they see foreign hunters as "dependant" hunters because a ph has to assist the hunter. I also used to think this until i met a couple of foreign hunters.

LT DAN
Those species seem pretty exotic to be pests. Of course that is from someone who has never seen them. You can see how hogs, monkeys and baboons would be pretty hard on crops and I assume that jackals take a lot of sheep, goats, and calves?

In the western US we have a lot of "out of state" hunters, and we generally feel the same way about them. But I have been a guide and most are just nice guys. It makes more sense to get someone who knows the country and the game. Many can and do go on self guided hunts.

Just looking at these forums sometimes it seems like every property in SA is surrounded by 10 ft fences, and there is a constant stream of foreign hunters rotating in and out the gates.


I went prairie dog hunting today,I used a 17 HMR and 22 Mag, not quite as neat as warthogs and bush pig. On other outings I use a .22-250 or .223 when I shoot at longer range. What rifle or rifles do you use for your pest control?

skip, I can tell you one thing I have seen from hunters no matter from where they are over the globe. most of the times they are hard workin deasant folk, who like a good laugh and a beer after a days work.

regarding the 10f fences and the stream of foreighn hunters: that is probably due to the fact that most foreighn hunters think they are the only/majority of hunters that hunt s-africa. i can see how they can think this, though it is simply not true.

there are many 10ft fences arround. this is true. there are also normal fences and places with no fences. BUT, you wont find a foreighn hunter there, becuase a ph has to see to it that the hunter gets what he wants in the limited time he is over here. that doesnt imply that the ph is setting up a "canned hunt". a friend of mine used my rifle to kill a blue wilde beast this past monday. this was a simple need for meat hunt. the property that was fenced in is 2500ha. it took us the whole day to lacate them and them and then probably two more hours before one presented a shot. I am trying to say that you dont get the impresion that you are fenced in.

when I go out to do some vermin(this word doesnt really fit into the African vrrsion of problem animal control) shooting, I will use a ,22 with supressor(aka silencer over here) a 308 with a silencer and a 300H&H.
this is due to the fact that we dont know what we might encounter and at what distances. most of the time I wil use 308 with 110grn v-max on the jackal and wart-hog.

and yes you are correct the crop and life stock losses are out of control.

LT DAN
It's interesting that you use a silencer. In the USA it is very difficult to get one, it must be registered with the Federal Government and you can only get permission to purchase after a lengthy process. I think it's illegal to use them to hunt with in most states.
I did get to go hunt feral pigs in Texas. I used a pre war commercial Mauser in 8X57 mm it did fine, one shot kills. I'd love to take to Africa. Some day maybe.
Good luck with your hunting.