Big Game Hunting in Africa

Hunting in Africa

Cape Buffalo Hunting
Cape Buffalo

The continent of Africa is one of the best hunting locations on the planet. Ever since modern man stepped foot in Africa for the first time, man has been captivated and challenged by the immense diversity, and adventure found while hunting in Africa. Yet, even in modern times, hunting in Africa maintains its reputation as an exciting and dangerous endeavor. 

The days of hunting trips to the Dark Continent that lasted for months, occasionally even a whole year or more, are long gone. These days, going big game hunting in Africa means going on a specialist trip that lasts seven to ten days and focuses on harvesting specific individual species.

Famous African Hunters

British military soldiers stationed in India and Africa were some of the earliest hunters and professional hunters in Africa. These ranks were bolstered by wealthy individuals and authors from other countries. RJ Cunningham, who accompanied Teddy Roosevelt on his Africa hunting safari, is considered one of the earliest European African hunters. 

Earnest Hemmingway, a prominent novelist from the United States, was tutored by Philip Percival. Robert Ruark, author of the famous African book "Horn of the Hunter," was shown across Africa by Harry Selby.

On the African continent, a remarkable variety of animals can be pursued. In Africa, there are approximately 170 species that are huntable. 

Many hunters have dedicated their entire lives to acquiring one of every species. Others have developed a passion for the thrill of hunting a specific species and come back every year to relish the rush of pursuing their preferred game. A migration of hunters to Africa in search of her raw beauty started with the stories that these prolific writers of African hunting legends put into print and is still going on today. 

Numerous middle-class hunters who could only dream of going hunting in Africa are now able to do so thanks to the speed and affordability of contemporary air travel.

Spiral Horn Slam

Spiral Horn Slam
Bongo

Hunting for spiral-horned slams is popular. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of work to harvest all nine spiral-horned antelopes in Africa. The Giant Eland is one of the nine species that make up the spiral-horned slam. Lesser Kudu, Bongo, Kudu, Mountain Nyala, Sitatunga, Nyala, and Bushbuck. Therefore, you must hunt in at least four distinct nations to complete this Africa hunting slam.

Dangerous Game Hunting

Some hunters like the excitement of going for the big five or a larger group known as the deadly seven. The big five include the Cape buffalo, Rhinoceros, Elephant, Lion, and Leopard. You can accomplish the dangerous seven by adding the Crocodile and the Hippo. 

A particular group of hunters has always been drawn to hunting dangerous species because the adrenaline rush from harvesting an animal that could be tracking them adds an element of thrill that is difficult to match. As a result, after becoming acclimated to Africa hunting safaris, most hunters focus initially on plains game before moving on to Cape buffalo hunting.

Plains Game Hunting
Red River Hog
Red River Hog

Hunting in Africa for plains game offers a staggering range of species, and gathering most of these animals would take up many safaris. The breadth and diversity of plains game, from the tiniest duiker to the Cape Eland, is astounding. Many hunters will be content to harvest a few plains game species and never pursue dangerous game.

Pig hunters may choose from various fascinating creatures on an African hunting expedition. The Warthog and the Bushpig are popular choices among many people. However, pig hunters who are genuinely dedicated will want to round up their collections with the Red River Hog and the Giant Forest Hog, which is often considered the most notable member of the pig family.

The Tiny 10

Pursuing the small antelope species in Africa has become a famous modern goal for hunters traveling to South Africa and the surrounding countries. They are sometimes called Africa's Tiny-Ten because of their small size. The Blue Duiker, the Red Duiker, the Common Duiker, the Cape Grysbok, the Sharps Grysbok, the Steenbok, the Klipspringer, the Mountain Reedbuck, and the Suni make up the Tiny Ten. Also included is the Damara Dik-Dik, only located in Namibia.

African Cats

Caracal hunting
Caracal

Some hunters make it their specialty to gather various types of African cats. The cheetah, genet, civet, wild African cat, caracal, and serval are the other African cat species that can be hunted, in addition to the lion and leopard that are considered part of the Big Five. The Black-Footed Cat and the Golden Cat are two examples of non-huntable felines.  When hunting in Africa, you will see several species only at night. 

The spotted and brown hyenas, the honey badger, the black-backed and striped jackals, the aardwolf, the bat-eared fox, the Cape fox, and the mongoose are some animals that fall into this category. Some lucky hunters even get their hands on one of the extremely limited licenses to hunt an aardvark.

The Professional Hunter

Gerrie Theron, PH

On an African hunting safari, you'll see a wide variety of hunting techniques since the continent's wildlife is diverse. As a result, there are a variety of techniques that may be utilized to harvest these animals while hunting in Africa successfully. These techniques include sitting in a blind, stalking, driving and spotting, calling, baiting, and waiting. 

Every PH has a specific hunting style that he prefers. However, the top PHs will modify the hunting strategies used while hunting in Africa to align with their clients' tastes and physical capabilities.

Hunting Equipment

TenPoint Crossbow
TenPoint Crossbow

Handguns, rifles, and even more ancient weapons like black-powder rifles, longbows, crossbows, and compound bows are some of the hunting utensils used on hunting safaris in Africa. Other options include standard weapons like pistols and shotguns. However, in certain nations, hunting with bows requires the acquisition of specific authorization.

There is something for everyone to enjoy while hunting in Africa. No place on the earth matches the diversity of animals, environment, topography, and hunting techniques. One of the last great experiences that can still be had across the world is going on a hunting safari in Africa. 

Charity Safaris

Get started right now on organizing your African hunting trip! Give Charity Safaris a call right now, and let us assist you in organizing the trip of a lifetime!

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