Hunting Ethics Of Taking Female Animals In Africa

[Still Hunting]

From Day one of my Africa adventures the taking of females and immature males is /was strictly taboo. I now notice some species, Cape Buffalo, hunting companies are offering female Capes for 1/3 the cost of a trophy Bull. It seems the market is there from USA Hunters.
How do you feel about this kind of hunting?
I recently experienced a hunter who shot across a small canyon made a good one shot kill, and now says he has taken a Daggaboy! How do others feel about this?

 

[Inkgardener]

I think shooting females is fine, if the management warrants it. However, shooting a cow buffalo and telling someone you shot a daggaboy is called lying.

 

[VertigoBE]

If it’s ancient, dying of sickness or overpopulated, the hunting of females of a species is fine by me. Shooting a young anything in good health I have much more problems with. Unless it is for the meat or over population reasons.

 

[JimP]

If the managers of the area want females shot I would have no problem shooting them.

One thing when the population gets too large is it doesn't do any good to shoot the males, you have to decrease the ones that have the little ones.

No different than a number of states here in the US where you are required to shoot XX amount of females before you have a tag for a buck.

 

[Field28]

The herd has to be thinned out for the overall health of the heard. 99% of the deer that I shoot here in the States are does, cull bucks as well.

It's not necessarily a trophy to hang on the wall and brag about but it serves a purpose. The meat tends to be a little better as well.

 

[Russ16]

For most species if you want to to control the population you have to take females. My understanding is that population control has not been a management goal in most parts of Africa.

However, with the recent success of managed populations in large fenced areas that have limited predator populations, I would not be surprised if taking females has or will become necessary in some areas to keep the population in balance. In that case I’m ok with it.

Personally it isn’t the experience I’m looking for on an Africa trip but I might consider it as an add on of the opportunity presented itself and it felt right.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Gentleman take into account that this member joined several years ago yet has a reaction score of 12 and a total of 5 messages and then goes on to post a loaded question from a treehugger perspective. He may be a perfectly legit member just do your due diligence.

 

[trperk1]

I was on a hunt last year with some disabled veterans. One wanted to add a buff but not at the price point of a mature bull. The outfitter found a concession with a over abundance of cows and needed some culled. Everyone won!

 

[mark-hunter]

How do you feel about this kind of hunting?

I am divided.
Personally: at home, I dont hunt females of big game. And I hunt only what I eat. But, on the other side of coin, female animals are part of legal quota of approved game managment plan. Somebdy has to do it.
I hunted roe deer doe, two times in 20 years. Once, it was required for meat in hunting club lodge, for social event. Second time during corona, I missed the season for roe buck and needed the roe venison for home use.

Africa is another story of my ehtics.
I can not eat in one week, 5 animals I shot in that week. Yes I I tried all of them, but meat was left to outfitter (or community). I had to make compromise here with my ethics.

Would I hunt females in Africa?
Well, ethics get slacked when money is involved. I would hunt buffalo cow, for the reason of better pricing then bull.
If I hunted for trophy size, oryx cow has better horn length then a bull. I would have to consider. But inches or pounds are not my cup of tea.

I think that in this case of hunting in Africa, measuring stick is the law. If it is legal, then it is ethical.

I think that money involved also brings new degree of ethics. For example, animals have value. If wounded, it is paid for. So, hunters will take care not to wound, and PH will take care and effort to track and find.
I have seen cases, when animals have no value, then wounded animal is not tracked.... At my place.

 

[grand veneur]

Regardless of whether a controversial discussion is intentionally provoked, it is a topic that can be discussed honestly.

I am also a hunter who does not like to shoot female or younger game, but when it comes to managing a game population, unfortunately one have often no choice. Something like this is also sometimes demanded by political parties, parties that are otherwise not so friendly towards hunters, in order to protect the forests for example. In Germany we currently have a problem with this.

As far as hunting female game by clients in Africa is concerned, I have very mixed feelings, especially regarding the increase in offers to shoot buffalo cows. I suspect there is a lot behind this, above all the fact that for some it will serve as a cheaper substitute for a real buffalo hunt. I don't like the increasing touristic aspect of hunting in southern Africa.

 

[mark-hunter]

I suspect there is a lot behind this

Finally I shot a buffalo bull.

But buffalo cow, was under my serious consideration. As per my research for offers, I never got offered a buffalo cow in wild area. It was always on private farm in South Africa.
Basically those are old cows past breading age. Nothing more then that. They have limited space there, self-sustaining herds with good outfitters, and old ones are removed to make space for new ones. It will be done either by farm owner, or paying client.

 

[deewayne2003]

Well my first and only Safari to date was for a Tuskless cow in Zimbabwe, I feel as though I gained valuable experience by doing so and I can tell that a bull hunt will be in my future some day.

It's up to the land management and quota but if given the chance I wouldn't think twice about hunting females; especially buffalo and other large animals.

 

[JT68]

Should be part of a herd management plan. Shooting of whitetail does helps keep balance

 

[375Fox]

No female game animals are a trophy to me, not even a 40”+ gemsbok cow, but I have no issue taking females if it’s part of the management plan. Most game farms are missing predators. It’s a necessary function for health of herd and adds value by selling the meat. Most wild areas don’t have a surplus of game, but elephant appears the exception. I see nothing wrong with taking cow elephants that don’t have a calf. It adds value to area and helps with population control and supplies a lot of meat. The females aren’t trophies to me, but I don’t see any difference taking females game animals in Africa than taking does in the US.

 

[Field28]

When I was a kid there was a taboo about shooting whitetail does. Now it's an everyday thing.

I wouldn’t want to go shoot a female Sitatunga or something of that nature but would have no problem shooting a female springbok or impala for camp meat.

Female Gemsbok, thoughts?

 

[RLD]

From Day one of my Africa adventures the taking of females and immature males is /was strictly taboo. I now notice some species, Cape Buffalo, hunting companies are offering female Capes for 1/3 the cost of a trophy Bull. It seems the market is there from USA Hunters.
How do you feel about this kind of hunting?
I recently experienced a hunter who shot across a small canyon made a good one shot kill, and now says he has taken a Daggaboy! How do others feel about this?

I am not sure it is a USA thing.

I have a close friend, South African, been hunting forever ,who has some nice cow trophies in his collection. Some he shot before 1975.

To me, as long as it is ecologically sound, I don't have a problem with hunting females. I hunt females of species here in Canada so I don't see why it should be any different for Africa.

Now people lying about what they have shot etc is a totally separate topic. Some people are more or less honest than others and that is not limited to hunting African animals. There is also kind of a tradition of tall tales growing over time with hunters and fishermen, so it can be a fine line between harmless B.S. and something that is just a flat out lie.

I am not even sure why shooting females is really an "ethical" issue, as long as it is part of a sound management plan.

 

[grand veneur]

Finally I shot a buffalo bull.

But buffalo cow, was under my serious consideration. As per my research for offers, I never got offered a buffalo cow in wild area. It was always on private farm in South Africa.
Basically those are old cows past breading age. Nothing more then that. They have limited space there, self-sustaining herds with good outfitters, and old ones are removed to make space for new ones. It will be done either by farm owner, or paying client.

In the past, farmers or landowners did this themselves, but it is certainly nowadays a new source of income, which is understandable for the provider who need to get money, but less understandable that there are more and more hunters who are willing to make such shootings, especially of buffalo and elephants, but to each his own.

 

[Kevin375]

I don't have any problem to shoot females and youngs. It's a part of the wildlife management in many places and it helps to keep a healthy population of games.

 

[Labman]

I have no problem with the shooting of females in Africa. However, I wouldn't book such a hunt. I just won't go to all the expense, travel time and other expenses just to shoot females. Maybe a female Cape Buffalo if I was already in Africa but it would have to be much cheaper than current prices.

 

[DieJager]

No problem with shooting does, young animals etc. Also eradicating whole families of foxes, geese shooting birds off nest etc. All in the big family called hunting.

Sometimes it is population control, preventing damage to crops, pest control, preventing the spread of diseases etc.

But everything has to be within a certain context. Some of these practices are not "fair chase" hunting.

Regarding the subject can a female species be your trophy of a lifetime, sure. Is it within the context and definition of trophy hunting that would be debatable. Most hunting organisations do not count a female specimen a trophy but that is only their "rules".

I yearly shoot more does than bucks because the main objective is to manage the population. You cannot manage a population without shooting females.