Hunting On Fenced Farms Vs Wilderness Areas

[Nhoro]

I think different areas are simply different products that you can choose from. As long as you know what you are paying for and it is delivered then you are happy. Crooks and liars occur in all countries so do your homework. If you want a quick and very civilised hunt, maybe with your family then SA is a good option. If you want adventure then pick Northern Mozambique. I have hunted relatively small fenced areas as well as unfenced land in Zim,Moz and Zambia. Some people like vanilla, some like strawberry and it doesn't make sense to me to to expect others to follow my taste buds. I believe all hunting types have their place.

 

[BigKev15]

I have hunted Limpopo 3 times in the last 6 years. I love the rugged bush and mountains where I have hunted. I have hunted very large, fenced properties and enjoyed every moment. My profession hunters have all been incredible, ethical, responsible, honest, and hardworking professionals.

I have hunted an unfenced Kruger adjacent property and that was great. My hunts on fenced and unfenced properties did not feel that different. I enjoyed the read and I am a huge fan of Limpopo. I would like to experience hunting in a huge, unfenced wilderness area someday.

I don't have lots of disposable income, so I have chosen to hunt Limpopo, South Africa. I would love to hunt Zambia, Tanzania, Camaron but I cannot afford these areas yet. My next hunt is in Namibia.

I guess what bothers me most is the arrogance of some hunters who ridicule others for hunting South Africa instead of places like Tanzania or Ethiopia. I would be glad to hunt Ethiopian Mountain Nayala or Camaron Bongo or Tanzanian Lesser Kudu on your dime! PM me with your offers for free hunts.

Very well said !!

 

[Hank2211]

Very well said

I have hunted Limpopo 3 times in the last 6 years. I love the rugged bush and mountains where I have hunted. I have hunted very large, fenced properties and enjoyed every moment. My profession hunters have all been incredible, ethical, responsible, honest, and hardworking professionals.

I have hunted an unfenced Kruger adjacent property and that was great. My hunts on fenced and unfenced properties did not feel that different. I enjoyed the read and I am a huge fan of Limpopo. I would like to experience hunting in a huge, unfenced wilderness area someday.

I don't have lots of disposable income, so I have chosen to hunt Limpopo, South Africa. I would love to hunt Zambia, Tanzania, Camaron but I cannot afford these areas yet. My next hunt is in Namibia.

I guess what bothers me most is the arrogance of some hunters who ridicule others for hunting South Africa instead of places like Tanzania or Ethiopia. I would be glad to hunt Ethiopian Mountain Nayala or Camaron Bongo or Tanzanian Lesser Kudu on your dime! PM me with your offers for free hunts.

I’m sorry that you have run into these types of people. Most hunters aren’t like that, at least in my experience.

I’ve been able to hunt many of the places you mentioned, as well as just about every part of South Africa. I still enjoy hunting South Africa - and in fact have a 10 day hunt planned there for next spring before I go to Zimbabwe for leopard - just as much as I enjoy hunting elsewhere (actually, more so in many cases . . . Some of the other places are great places to hunt, but I wouldn’t rate them as great places to visit).

Keep doing what you can do, and don’t worry about idiots who feel it necessary to lord it over others . . . hunting skill and, if appears, class, have nothing to do with money.

 

[dogcat1]

Been many places (Africa - 11 trips, NZ 2 trips, Canada 5 trips, Alaska 4 trips, Europe 3 trips, Asia - 2 trips). Some fenced, some not. I really could not tell the difference. I saw more animals in Uganda than anywhere else - no fences. I saw the fewest in Cameroon and Alaska - no fences. I like Europe as it is controlled and managed but does have fences. Same in NZ. Same in most of the USA.

The debate is about animals that bought, dropped into a paddock, then shot. Not for me. Not hunting. However, if you hunt the Crow Reservation Montana for Bighorns, guess what? Very controlled and a drive by shooting.... So, do your research, hunt what works for you.

Lastly, one poster said RSA has low ethics. That has not been my experience. They are ethical and do what they say. The question was about how the canned hunting (especially lion) was done. Common sense prevailed and those places are gone or soon will be.

On the "other Africa hunting site", the host/owner goes to TZ once a year and shoots any and all he and his party can. They pay for it, but it is a bit of blood bath as many buff, zebra, eland and the occasional lions/leopards are taken. Yes, it is all unfenced. Yes, the animals are wild. The meat is not wasted. But the reality may be that the area is lightly hunted until his army shows up. The off take is high. Does this hurt the population of animals? No, not likely. Is it something I would enjoy or do? No, blood lust is not for me. After you have hunted and killed several hundred buffalo, what is the fun or thrill to do it again and again? Not for me. Having talked to a couple of PH's on those hunts, they prefer less volume and more hunting.... Me too.

 

[Safari Dave]

I was hunting a 10,000 acre high fenced ranch in Limpopo a few years ago and saw a Gemsbok run though the fence like it was spiderweb.



Some of the larger ranches in South Africa offer a fantastic experience and are as large as most public Wildlife Management Areas in the eastern US.

 

[375Fox]

I was hunting a 10,000 acre high fenced ranch in Limpopo a few years ago and saw a Gemsbok run though the fence like it was spiderweb.



Some of the larger ranches in South Africa offer a fantastic experience and are as large as most public Wildlife Management Areas in the eastern US.

If a gemsbok ran through a high fence in Limpopo I’d suspect the landowner immediately repaired the fence the next day. No one thinks high fence deer in Texas just walk through high fences freely but somehow many want to believe that in South Africa. Some fences however aren’t well maintained for a variety of reasons. A well maintained high fence acts as a barrier for most animals. Without it landowners wouldn’t be spending the money to introduce better genetics and non-native species to their properties and there would be no difference between adjacent properties.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

If a gemsbok ran through a high fence in Limpopo I’d suspect the landowner immediately repaired the fence the next day. No one thinks high fence deer in Texas just walk through high fences freely but somehow many want to believe that in South Africa. Some fences however aren’t well maintained for a variety of reasons. A well maintained high fence acts as a barrier for most animals. Without it landowners wouldn’t be spending the money to introduce better genetics and non-native species to their properties and there would be no difference between adjacent properties.

The high fences in South Africa are different than what one might see in US. They don't use barbed wire (which can mess up a cape). RSA high fence may contain dozens of strands of straight non-barbed wire. Waterbuck and giraffe are also hard on fences. Actually, gemsbuck is one of many species of antelope that can be contained with low 4' fences. They can't jump. I'm told high fences will not contain kudu. They are fantastic jumpers. They jump into top of high fence and climb the rest of the way over. Kudu is considered free range just about everywhere. Property owners seldom have any idea exactly what's on their place for kudu.

 

[Safari Dave]

Your probably right.

I wasn't hunting with a "big money" outfitter, even though he was fantastic.

The fence did not have barbed wire, was about 15' high, and appeared to have 6" x 6" mesh. There were places every 100 yards or so, where warthog, leopard, etc. could crawl under.


(I decided to go with English Units of measure this time, even though the English no longer use it)

To me it just seems right that a "foot" is about as long as a man's foot!

 

[375Fox]

The high fences in South Africa are different than what one might see in US. They don't use barbed wire (which can mess up a cape). RSA high fence may contain dozens of strands of straight non-barbed wire. Waterbuck and giraffe are also hard on fences. Actually, gemsbuck is one of many species of antelope that can be contained with low 4' fences. They can't jump. I'm told high fences will not contain kudu. They are fantastic jumpers. They jump into top of high fence and climb the rest of the way over. Kudu is considered free range just about everywhere. Property owners seldom have any idea exactly what's on their place for kudu.

I don’t make a habit of taking photos of high fences, but each farm and fencing is different. I’ve seen many farms with barbed wire on top. Farms with square fencing. Farms with high tensile wire like you described and chicken wire on bottom several feet to stop smaller animals walking through. I’ve seen electric fence. Every farm has something different depending what they put in initially and how it was maintained over years. Kudu are not considered free range everywhere. If a property owner/manager doesn’t know what’s there for kudu it’s likely because they aren’t actively managing that species, especially in areas where the trophy fee isn’t that high and they are widely available free range. Given time some bulls will likely make it through the fence but most won’t and generally have no reason to.

 

[WildWill]

Your probably right.

I wasn't hunting with a "big money" outfitter, even though he was fantastic.

The fence did not have barbed wire, was about 15' high, and appeared to have 6" x 6" mesh. There were places every 100 yards or so, where warthog, leopard, etc. could crawl under.


(I decided to go with English Units of measure this time, even though the English no longer use it)

To me it just seems right that a "foot" is about as long as a man's foot!

Learned on my first trip that there's no such thing as a "high fenced" warthog . Those things and the steenbucks barley seem to notice the fences.