For more than a century, Africa has been the dream destination for many hunters, including such notables as Theodore Roosevelt and Ernest Hemingway. A young Frederic Courtenay Selous was so enthralled by the idea of hunting Africa that when the director at his boarding school in England found the boy asleep on the floor of his room and asked why he wasn’t in bed Selous retorted, “I’m toughening my back to sleep on the dirt of Africa!”
The idea of venturing into remote lands in search of exotic and dangerous game has intrigued hunters worldwide since the days of flintlocks and Pith helmets, and even today thousands of hunters are compelled to explore the far-flung corners of the continent just as Selous did in the late 1800’s. As Peter Hathaway Capstick once said, “more of Africa gets into your blood than just malaria.”
It isn’t hard to see why so many hunters dream of Africa. The continent is home to a tremendous variety of game, from tiny suni and dik-dik antelope to the real land giants like elephant, rhino, and hippo. It is the only place that a hunter can sense the primordial terror of hearing a lion roaring in the darkness or witness a dozen different species of grazing animals feeding together on the open plains. Nowhere else on the planet can a hunter see such a wide variety of game in a short week or 10-day hunt. And while some of the great hunting destinations of the past like Kenya and Sudan have closed their doors to sportsmen, other countries have embraced international hunters, and the wildlife in these countries have benefited greatly. In fact, the more than 18,000 hunters that travel to Africa generate more than $200 million annually and fund the protection of over 540,000 square miles of habitat.
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Modern transportation has made Africa more accessible, and many multi-species plains game hunts cost less than a single species hunt in North America. Game numbers are excellent in many areas, and there are many quality operators that will work hard to see that your safari is a success. The months-long caravan hunts that Roosevelt wrote about are a thing of the past, but during a week-long plains game safari you can expect to hunt several different species and stay in comfortable, well-equipped camps and lodges. The truth is that golden age of safari may be right now.
Africa is ever-changing, and faces many challenges, but the continent remains one of the world’s great sport hunting destinations. Here’s a current look at eight of Africa’s most popular hunting countries and an insider’s look at what each has to offer.
Photo by: Wendell Reich
Botswana
Botswana relies heavily on sport hunting to finance wildlife conservation initiatives. Safari hunting generates in excess of $20 million annually in Botswana and creates 1,000 jobs. Perhaps more importantly, 75 percent of the income generated by sport hunting stays inside the country, compared to retention of just 22 percent of the funds generated by photo safaris. In addition, Botswana’s hunting heritage is rivaled by few other countries. It was the home base of legendary PHs like Harry Selby, Joe Coogan, and Jeff Rann. Botswana is known for producing some of the best elephant, lion, buffalo, and leopard in all of Africa, and the country has a wide variety of plains game.
Forecast: Uncertain
Quotas are extremely limited at this time, and many of the once-great hunting areas are currently closed. Lion hunting is suspended indefinitely, and there are very limited opportunities for leopard and buffalo. Botswana has always produced some of the largest elephant in Africa, but rumors of a complete closure on all hunting in 2014 loom. If that occurs, it will be a disaster for wildlife populations and local communities. Botswana still has great hunting, but its future is uncertain at best.
Best Bet Hunt: Plains Game
Botswana’s dangerous game hunting is superb, but high demand and low availability makes these hunts extremely expensive. Instead, try hunting on one of the game ranches in the Kalahari Desert. You’ll have the opportunity to hunt eland, kudu, oryx, hartebeest, and other antelope on the vast open plains of southern Africa for about the price of a fully guided Alaska moose hunt.
Watch For: Widespread hunting closures in 2014
But that may not be the case. If you want to hunt Botswana don’t wait much longer.
https://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/hunting/2013/03/hunting-africa-where-plan-hunt-dark-continent/
