A Season for Everything
IN MY HOME province, the hunting season opens at the start of April. For the past couple of months, the devastating drought laying waste to large parts of the country has been on every hunter’s mind. At the time of writing this, I spoke to a nephew in Douglas, where many game farmers are being inundated with enquiries by outfitters and hunters regarding the availability of game species for clients and friends. It made me think.
Although I have seen online pictures and short videos taken by truck drivers and motorists, showing weak kudu lying in dirt roads, and by farmers showing exhausted animals on porches during 2019, these images did not really hit home. Maybe the regular news of the ongoing drought in many parts of the country has inured me to the point where the cumulative impact has been lost on me. In an information-overloaded society, it seems that real news travels slowly.
The gravity of the situation finally struck me when attending my niece’s wedding in late November 2019. A family friend, farming just south of Bray in the Molopo, told of warthog running up to their house in search of food and water – showing no fear of humans. During the discussion, it came up that there was ‘not a single leaf in sight’ for many a hectare, and that farmers putting out lucerne bales to feed core herds of cattle, had game animals feeding among the cattle as if themselves domesticated. I have hunted warthog and kudu on the farm next door to where the warthog run up to the house. The land, 30km south of Bray on the way to Tosca, belonged to my brother-in-law, and the family hunted there every winter holiday for many years. Kudu and warthog were always plentiful, though in that dense habitat, I had to work hard each season for every kilogram of meat. Not long after I began hunting, coming from the open spaces of the Free State, I got lost in the thick bush during one such outing. Now, it was heartbreaking to hear of this struggle in the area that provided many of my hunting memories.
At the time, it was reported that the situation in the Northern Cape’s northern and eastern regions was dire. The farming body, Agrisa, estimated that 20 million hectares were severely affected by the ongoing drought. Wildlife Ranching South Africa (WRSA) reported that the province has lost an estimated two-thirds of its game over the last three years.
I am relieved to hear that towards the end of February, many of these dry regions received rain. The national rainfall forecast for early- to midautumn (March-april-may) indicates probabilities of below-normal rainfall over most of the country but higher than normal temperatures. The South African Weather Service’s drought monitor shows that rainfall during January 2020 was normal to above average in most parts of the country. It is my sincere hope that reports of ‘normal and above-normal’ rainfall continue. Nature has a fantastic ability to restore itself in quick time and for farmers like those in the southern Free State where rain was also desperately needed, the prospects for the winter now look better. Towards the end of February, I enquired after the health of a farmer friend who, earlier, had been seriously worried about the weather, and found him in high spirits. He was also almost fully booked for the hunting season.
I hope that by now, most hunters have decided what and where they will hunt this season. I phoned two of my regular hunting spots in the Free State and game prices for biltong hunters are reasonable. In some instances, prices were very similar to last year’s. Blue wildebeest are available for R4 000 to R5 000, red hartebeest for R4 500 and R3 500, and gemsbuck at R5 000. I mostly hunt for the pot and I’m always looking for wildebeest-size animals. Farmers who sell game by carcass weight are charging between R35/kg and R45/kg. For places to hunt this season, turn to our 2020 Hunting Opportunities on page 64; some good deals are available. Out of interest, I looked up the April 2000 edition’s Hunting Opportunities; gemsbuck were selling at R2 900, springbuck was R12/kg, kudu cows for R1650 and hartebeest cows for R 1400. Those were the days.
Remember, you cannot really put a price on the experience of the hunt – spending a few days in the outdoors, getting some exercise and sitting beside an open fire. If you maintain good manners, you will make friends for life and be welcome to return every season. The memories and the biltong can be savoured long after the money is spent. When booking, try to get all the prices, terms and conditions in writing; book early, hunt ethically and respect the landowner, his property and the animals.
Lastly, Huntex 2020, South Africa’s most prominent annual hunting and firearms expo, is just around the corner. The event this year seems to hold some surprises that would make a visit worthwhile. Magnum will again have a stand, this time in Hall 5. We look forward to meeting you there.