South Africa's Eastern Cape

[SA Hunter]

The Eastern Cape, located on the southeastern coastline of South Africa, is awe inspiringly beautiful with its diverse landscapes.

When you are planning a hunting safari, allow yourself to discover the excitement from its unspoiled evergreen coastline, to its semi desert Karoo region to the grassy plains and hills, scrub bush, lush forests and amazing mountain ranges.

South Africa's Eastern Cape is according to The Professional Hunters Society of South Africa (PHASA) the fastest growing hunting venue in the country.

With over 30 species of indigenous game, the Eastern Cape offers the greatest diversity and variety of plains game to be found in any one destination in Africa.

With the absence of “Tropical Diseases” like Malaria, Bilharzia and Yellow Fever, the area also contains some of the best safari hunting in all of South Africa. There is over 2 million acres in the Province, both public and private, that is devoted to its wildlife.

To make your safari even more amazing, the Eastern Cape also offers Excellent Game fishing in the Indian Ocean, magnificent wingshooting, fantastic Bass and other angling opportunities in scenic surroundings / wilderness areas.

The excellent and ethical conduct of our Professional Hunters, Outfitters and tour guides, who have access to any of the indigenous species of trophy quality, will also be able to help you with Taxidermy services of the highest quality.

With its diversity of terrain and vegetation this area is home to such desirable hunting trophies ranging from the Blue Duiker, Grysbok and Cape Bushbuck to the Springbok, Wildebeest and the majestic Cape Kudu.

With its outstanding hunting opportunities, its breathtaking scenery, unspoiled coastline and true country hospitality you will soon know why this is the perfect destination for your once-in-a-lifetime safari.

Based on some of the negative remarks regarding hunting opportunities in the Eastern Cape, I would like to make mention of a friends ranch, which is situated no more than an hours drive from the airport. Over and above the excellent facility he has to offer, he has trophy packages in Baboon, Blesbuck, Bontebok, Bushbuck, Bushpig, Grey duiker, Grysbuck, Hartebeest, Klipspringer, Kudu, Lechwe, Oryx, Ostrich, Reedbuck, Rhebuck, Springbuck, Steenbuck, Waterbuck, Warthog, Wildebeest and many more.

Just my 2 cents on the amazing Eastern Cape.

 

[SDHNTR]

Sounds a bit spamish to me. Isn't the Eastern Cape region mostly put and take?

 

[SA Hunter]

Why is it that this "Put and Take" reference seems to come up from a certain person on the forum. I think that it's mainly due to the fact that he cannot operate in this region, and therefore would for obvious reasons not promote it.

I've hunted the entire Nortern & Eastern Transvaal which now is referred to differently, but there is nothing that the Eastern Cape cannot offer that those regions do. Although, i do feel that one thing we do not offer is anything "Canned". I'm really looking forward to a debate over the "Put and Take" issue, as people started farming this part of the country before they even settled up there.

I have nothing against the hunting facilities in the North, South or West of South Africa, i'm just trying to set the record straight as far as fact goes.

 

[jjhack]

There is no debate here from me. If you want to hunt game that is indiginous and born wild in the habitat that God intended it to live think very carefully about where you hunt.

A lot of people are easily confused with game born on property after the parents were placed there as being indiginous or natural. As an Example Giraffes, zebra, kudu, and Elephants are born in the USA in places like the Sandiego zoo or Bush Gardens does not make then natual or indiginous to those areas.

Without any debate from me on this, all that is needed is a good wildlife book on South Africa game. These typically have a map of the country and show a shaded area where the animals naturally occur. DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR THIS! get the book and see for yourself which game you desire to hunt lives in each region of the country.

Here are the examples I suggest as factual reading on the topic:

Game Ranch Management J.DU P Bothma...........(Will be difficult for an American to find)
Signs of the wild Clive walker............(This book has the map with the greatest resolution)
The Safari Companion Richard D Estes........(no map, but decent written descriptions)
Tracks and Tracking in Southern Africa Louis Liebenberg.......( low resolution map but still obvious game distribution)
Hunting Africa GP Swan DJ Bates PL Smit..........( this book just lists the countries game lives in)

This is just a fraction of the available information on this topic. There is fantastic hunting in the Eastern Cape for several species of natural game. But the area does not host the trophy list of natural game you will find in the Northern Province. Just because man has placed these animals into a farm for 100 years does not make the hunt for then the same as it would be in their natural habitat. If that were the case You would be well advised to just hunt in Texas where plenty of African species have been born and live on huge consessions there. As far as me not being able to operate in the Eastern Cape...........That's just plain untruthful..................I choose not to hunt for animals placed in un-natural habitat. This is not a debate it's a fact!

Rather then listen to another word from me on this search for yourself on the top 15 plains game you would like to hunt, look them up in a good Afrcian game book and see for yourself. Remember also that a good natural Eastern Cape Kudu will be in the low to mid 40's. It's not the same species as the common Kudu found in the north. You should expect a 48" minimum Kudu when hunting in the North. Although some of these folks have them so interbred now that you just don't know for sure what your getting. Much like the cross bred Red Hartebeast and blesbok/ Blue and black Wildebeast/ Blesbok-Bontebok crossbreeds, and the many different colors of Springboks and blesboks they are rasing now.

 

[416Rem]

Hey SA Hunter,

I was born and raised in the Eastern Cape and love the area to bits - many of my family members still live there. But seriously, the general quality of your Kudu and many other species is not up to standard with ours up North.