| Is there a hunting destination that stirs the
imagination more than the mention of “Africa?”
I doubt it. And if you are like us a few years
ago, you probably think the cost of an African safari is out
of your reach.
That’s what we thought when we received flyers
advertising a 10-day African safari, the price of which included
five animals. It sounded too good to be true, so we placed an
international call and discovered the safari owners were in
the states and we were able to set up a meeting. After touring
one of their client’s trophy room and spending the afternoon
together, we signed up.
The hunt didn’t meet our expectations…. it
exceeded them. In fact, we went back to Africa eight months
later.
This organization employs numerous professional
hunters with years of experience. The owner has more than 23
years hunting experience and is a trained ecologist with a degree
in natural sciences from the University of Pretoria.
Hunting safaris are conducted in concessions all
over southern Africa, though the primary areas are the Limpopo
Bushveld and the Eastern Free State of the Republic of South
Africa. These two areas differ substantially in terms of vegetation
and geography, and offer a great diversity of species. The Limpopo
area is characterized by thick brush and challenging terrain,
while the Eastern Free State is a vast landscape of rolling
hills, sandstone cliffs and wide-open areas similar to the American
West. Hunting is also done in Zululand, South Africa, for specific
species, and most hunting for Big Five animals takes
place in Zimbabwe and Tanzania, where there is often better
trophy rates.
A recently added safari is a seven-day hunt followed
by a three-day tour of Kruger National Park, one of the
premier national parks in the world. For those interested in
shooting with a camera or just having the opportunity to see
the Big Five, this is a great way to relax after seven days
of hunting.
For those interested in Buffalo Hunting,
a safari can be arranged in a recently-opened area of the Selous
Game Reserve, Tanzania. Reports are 100-130 Buffalo a day
are being spotted in this area, which opened for the first time
in 2005.
More than 40 species of game animals are
available across the various hunting concessions, from the diminutive
duiker to the magnificent spiral horned kudu, up to and including
the Big Five. Success, though not guaranteed, is almost 100
percent on species sought.
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