Going to SCI Nashville to book Buffalo/Sable hunt in SA for 2025. Is this too late to book a hunt?

[Nick BOWKER HUNTING SOUTH AFRICA]

I made my reservations to the 2025 SCI Nashville Convention. This will be my 1st national convention. I'm planning on finding and booking a South Africa hunt for both Cape Buffalo and Sable. I've been to SA before on a Plains game hunt. But my dream hunt has always been for a big Cape Buff 42"+ and a respectable dark black Sable. Is this a good time to book a hunt for 2025 or should I plan on doing this ahead of time? I do have some outfitters I'm targeting, but I really wanted to meet them 1st. I'd hate to get to Nashville and find out that I waited too long, or am I planning it just right! Also any recommendations on SA Safari Outfitters for this dream hunt? Thanks!!!

Hi Harry

Thanks for getting in touch. We don’t go to the shows anymore. We are pretty much book up for 2025. There should be loads of good outfitter at the convention. Can maybe ask publicly which sponsors on this website will be there. And start a conversation with them.

Kind regards
Rob

 

[DE KLERK SAFARIS]

Hello Harry Branca
We can also accommodate you in 2025 for buffalo and sable in a very large area.
We will be doing both the DSC convention in Atlanta as well as SCI convention in Nashville.
Stop by our booth for a drink.

Sincerely
Hans de Klerk

 

[MATTANJA HUNTING SAFARIS]

Hi @Harry Branca,

I'll be at the SCI Convention in Nashville and will be able to meet your requirements on Buffalo & Sable for 2025
I'll send you a DM

Cheers
Dieter

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

For South Africa you will be just fine! They raise both those species and unless you are going to hunt an NPNR, there is no such thing as "quota". In South Africa they will always be able to find another animal like you want

Why wouldn't there be quota in South Africa? We have to manage the areas exactly the same way as other countries.

 

[ActionBob]

Why wouldn't there be quota in South Africa? We have to manage the areas exactly the same way as other countries.

Marius please help me/us more thoroughly understand that. As I stated, I'm assuming there are quotas on government regulated areas such as the NPNR areas (do i have that correct?) for example around Kruger.

And I believe in the East Cape (and perhaps other areas) it is common to have large Conservatories which are made up of several private land owners who have a cooperative type arrangement that decides on the general off take. I'm unclear if the government is involved in that but at least one PH said they are.

However it seems that if a species is limited in one area, there always seems to be another area that can be accessed to find it. Most often within driving distance.

As for Buffalo and Sable, my observation has been that an outfitter can always make a few phone calls and find what a hunter is looking for.

And the OP specifically asked for a 42" Buffalo and black Sable. Now I do realize on animals such as small predators, hyena, etc. There is limited quota. But I cannot believe that a hunter would have any real difficulty finding an Outfitter from South Africa, at SCI in Nashville this coming January, to sell him a hunt for those two species with those criteria to go shoot in 2025.

Are you telling me there is a routine shortage of those? I have never experienced that. I have been to several farms that raise Buffalo and Sable somewhat like beef cattle. Admittedly some are managed much more loosely than others. Some are managed tighter than cattle and have the ear tags to go along with it. Or the hole where the tag was taken out.

And aren't there routine wildlife auctions where outfitters can buy specific animals ahead of time and place on their farm to be hunted by a client arriving in the future?

I suspect the saying "If it pays, it stays!" Was coined in the South African Wildlife Industry. And it has proven very effective

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Marius please help me/us more thoroughly understand that. As I stated, I'm assuming there are quotas on government regulated areas such as the NPNR areas (do i have that correct?) for example around Kruger.

And I believe in the East Cape (and perhaps other areas) it is common to have large Conservatories which are made up of several private land owners who have a cooperative type arrangement that decides on the general off take. I'm unclear if the government is involved in that but at least one PH said they are.

However it seems that if a species is limited in one area, there always seems to be another area that can be accessed to find it. Most often within driving distance.

As for Buffalo and Sable, my observation has been that an outfitter can always make a few phone calls and find what a hunter is looking for.

And the OP specifically asked for a 42" Buffalo and black Sable. Now I do realize on animals such as small predators, hyena, etc. There is limited quota. But I cannot believe that a hunter would have any real difficulty finding an Outfitter from South Africa, at SCI in Nashville this coming January, to sell him a hunt for those two species with those criteria to go shoot in 2025.

Are you telling me there is a routine shortage of those? I have never experienced that. I have been to several farms that raise Buffalo and Sable somewhat like beef cattle. Admittedly some are managed much more loosely than others. Some are managed tighter than cattle and have the ear tags to go along with it. Or the hole where the tag was taken out.

And aren't there routine wildlife auctions where outfitters can buy specific animals ahead of time and place on their farm to be hunted by a client arriving in the future?

I suspect the saying "If it pays, it stays!" Was coined in the South African Wildlife Industry. And it has proven very effective

Let's forget about government areas for a second as we know that they have set amount of animals such as Kudu in free range areas per year, since you mentioned that. I think our areas are at two Kudu bulls per 2500 acres limit.
An area will still have a finite amount of mature males/females for offtake during a season. Although we/landowners set that quota(which is where I think your misunderstanding comes from) we still have to protect areas from overhunting. Just because we don't have the government watching over our shoulder, why would we as self proclaimed conservationists not look after the area that has to be viable for us to hunt in the future?
On our home property, we have not hunted an Impala ram since 2022, and will probably not so until 2026. We did not hunt a single Blue Wildebeest bull there this year, just to give us time to move around this year and see how many bulls we see as we move around to try and ensure that we don't overshoot. You can almost say, our quota for those two animals this year was zero, but just almost.

And aren't there routine wildlife auctions where outfitters can buy specific animals ahead of time and place on their farm to be hunted by a client arriving in the future?

Yes, there are. Everyone knows that, but do you honestly think that every single area and outfitter uses this system of buying animals and placing them on his land for hunting?
This is exactly why we moved away from our areas in 2019 in order to move to areas where hunting was less developed, where farming is the main source of income and the game roam naturally.
Exception can certainly be made on higher priced game as you mentioned such as Sable and Buffalo. For sure they were introduced into most areas in South Africa, but I can assure you that wilderness areas also has had game introduced and still does. Even Buffalo. We know this.
If you are hunting in your wilderness area and the Buffalo are not in the area, do you mill around there in circles looking for something that isn't there or do you look in a different area where they might be found? Just because South Africa is more developed, with parcels of land that are privately owned, just find a different, large enough parcel where there are animals that you are looking for. Yet, you prefer to make it sound like everyone will quickly buy one to make sure its available.

I suspect the saying "If it pays, it stays!" Was coined in the South African Wildlife Industry. And it has proven very effective

Actually, the entire Africa works on this model and use this "slogan". I know that this isn't what you want to hear as it doesn't give you the opportunity to look down on South Africa.
Whether Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Tanzania or wherever. What is your understanding of why tribes in these areas condone their crops getting destroyed? Do you think they do it to appease the great white hunter out of the goodness of their hearts? Why would wilderness areas reintroduce game if it didn't benefit them in the long run?