Largest Hunting Concession South Africa?

[WAB]

I agree with the comment on the Botswana properties. There are some huge properties there. We hunted one in 2018. There is a hunting report in AH. Extremely wild Kalahari property, lots of lion, leopard and cheetah. This particular property only does six hunts per year.

 

[CBH Australia]

Who and where are the largest contiguous hunting concessions or game farms in South Africa? This is one of those factors that is always hidden from us as hunters and I’d like to know more. Anyone have the facts and figures?

Regards,
Philip

Your question is simple but I don’t know the answer. Who does have the largest contiguous huntable land in South Africa?
I suspect this is like who is the largest game ranch.
My PH also a contract fencer and farmer explained the fact that the farmer owns the animals. (Native animals) in Australia anything native is owned by the state and protected unless taken under approval. Farmers manage sheep and cattle for income
In South Africa the animals are the property of the farmer and can be managed as a hunting enterprise. The farm needs a certificate of adequate enclosure and that is why they are fenced with high fences. It also reduces poaching. It’s just another industry.
So who has the largest contiguous concessions or game reserve in South Africa?
I suspect this is out of curiosity and also relates to simulated free range (within given parameters) or at least fair chase hunting.
A property I access is over 1 million acres but they’re is no abundance of game but that’s makes it fair chase and essentially it’s pest animals I pursue there.

 

[Buckdog]

An interesting question you have posed sir. I have hunt all the variable small to huge, high fence, low fence, no fence and all are a different sort of hunting experience.
Small are usually going to be stocked and for a particular species be good and I can guarantee you that the owner knows exactly what is on his property aka trophy size. And if they say they don't they are liars and the hunt will usually be easy as they know exactly where the animals are on the property at a given time. They may play stupid for you if they can. But they sell animals, don't get mad at me for this, but animals are game ranches business don't kid yourself! Large really free range places are totally opposite that hunt is usually going to be much harder, the game density usually much lower you will work for your animals. So I like your question and hunters should know what kind of hunt they are buying if they care and they should be told the truth! My advice if you want to kill a lot of animals in short order hunt a lot of smaller properties, if you want to work harder for your animals hunt bigger places or free range low fence. To each his own.

 

[Hank2211]

The fact that this question is important to hunters is clearly evidenced by the fact that many property owners and outfitters will go to great lengths to make the numbers as large as they can. They wouldn't bother unless it mattered.

Personally, and I don't mean to open a can of worms or take us off topic, but I want an area large enough that I can honestly say that the game on the property is effectively free ranging. That will be larger in Namibia than in most of South Africa because of the carrying capacity of typical land in one place versus the other (although places such as Hot-as-Hell South Africa can rival the sparsest of Namibia).

It's on us as consumers to ask the right questions, insist on full and complete answers and go to those places which provide us with what we are looking for.

 

[Red Leg]

Phillip, I hear what you are asking. Please just keep in mind that in South Africa, the largest is not always the best. You may find in many cases that some of the relatively smaller areas can be a lot better. I am not slanting the really large areas, they also have their own allure. Good luck finding what you are looking for.

This answer comes up often when discussing game ranches. I am genuinely curious what you mean when you say "best"? My own personal experience is that trophy quality (size) and hunting experience can be two very different things. The later is the most important to me. So driving around 1500 acres potting the occasional animal released for my shooting pleasure is not anything that interests me. Hunting a self-sustaining herd with limited take from a larger ranch is a very different experience. Waltzing with a mature game animal in a wilderness environment can be something different again.

A very legitimate question...

This is a very legitimate question Philip Glass, because there are indeed huge differences in how this all works. Here are a few examples:

Example #1: outfitter ABC state they hunt 60,000 acres. This is technically true, but in fact they own 0 acre and have 30 deals with small ranchers who own 2,000 acres each. In all likelihood, your 7 days hunt will be spend driving 3 to 6 hours on the highway everyday to and from one specific small property each day to hunt in a small enclosure one specific animal. This is probably not the hunt that most people would wish.

Example #2: outfitter DEF state that they hunt 30,000 acres. This is true, but they actually own 6 properties 5,000 acres each, that are not contiguous. This can be a very good hunt ... or not. Questions are warranted. 5,000 acres of dense bush is plenty to hunt on foot. Conversely, 5,000 acres of flat grassy low hills do not take much time to cover with a hunting vehicle.

Example #3: outfitter GHI specializes in Mountain Reedbuck and Vaal Rhebok and owns no property beside a lodge but state they hunt half a million acres. This can be true in the Karoo, Winterberg or Stormberg mountains, and it is likely to be free range hunting with 10 hours walking days on low fence properties covering an entire mountain. This is likely a great hunt, but with likely very low game population density. I personally love it, but many folks coming to Africa prefer to walk less and shoot more. To each their own.

Example #4: outfitter JKL owns 3,000 acres along XYZ National Park with which he shares a 2 miles unfenced border. Sure, game can walk back & forth between his property and the Park, and he technically hunts free ranging Park herds. This can be a fantastic hunt ... if outfitter JKL has on his property the only waterhole in a 15 miles radius on the Park side, but you better know exactly where the boundary line is and plan all your hunts according to it...

Etc. etc.

Size matters...

Based on limited personal experience in South Africa (Eastern Cape and Limpopo), my own personal judgment - for what it is worth! - is that:

- 2,000 acres is the strict minimum property size one should consider for hunting, and only if 1) it is dense bush; 2) the hunt will be on foot; and 3) the hunt is short. After 2 to 3 days walking 2,000 acres you will likely know every stone on the property, and the reality is that most likely a fair number of animals on the property will not have been born on the property.

- 5,000 acres work just fine in dense bush and on foot for 3 to 4 days, and a well managed property can sustain a couple small breeding herds of classic plains game.

- 20,000 acres is a very practical property size in both dense and more open areas such as the Eastern Cape hillsides. You can hunt for 5 to 7 days on 20,000 acres without constantly hunting the same ground, and most animals on well managed and not over-hunted properties will be born on the property if it is not overgrazed and if it has a number of waterholes / water points.

- 50,000+ acres will provide conditions that approach free range hunting with self sustaining herds, and there will be a need to cull excess animals in well managed properties.

Huntershill...

As far as Huntershill is concerned, Greg Harvey owns 4 properties in the Eastern Cape:

• Huntershill, near Queenstown: we hunt 120,000 acres there. Greg directly owns 55,000 acres that are high fenced in order to retain ownership of the game. We hunt there 70 species, including some that are typically not native to the Eastern Cape. We also have a hunting agreement with the neighbor who owns 65,000+ acres that are only low fenced and on which we hunt free ranging game native to the Eastern Cape, primarily some outstanding Eastern Cape Kudu, Warthog, Duiker, Steenbok, etc.

• Huntershaven, near Cookhouse: Greg owns and we hunt 20,000 acres there. Huntershaven is located about 2 1/2 hours southwest from Huntershill.

• Comre Safaris, near Tarkastad: Greg owns and we hunt 22,000 acres there. Comre is located about 1 hour west from Huntershill.

• Rocklands, near Fort Beaufort: Greg owns and we hunt 6,000 acres there. Rocklands is located 2 hours south from Huntershill in the dense bush near the Katrivier.

• Additionally, we hunt free range Mountain Reedbuck and Vaal Rhebok near Graaff Reniet and Dordrecht on mountains that are likely in the hundreds of thousands acres each, or more... and we hunt free range Bushbuck along the Groot Visrivier in riparian areas and private farming areas that are several thousands acres each.

Because each property offers a different biotope and ecosystem, each property offers different hunting opportunities and different game, with some - but not full - overlap. For example, Huntershill has the best Kudu and hillsides game, but it is too high in altitude for Bushbuck. Conversely, Rocklands is lower and warmer, with dense bush, and is a great place for Warthog. Comre has fantastic Sable. Huntershaven is very wild. Riparian areas along the Groot Visrivier are Bushbuck paradise. Mountains around Graaff Reniet or Dordrecht are Vaal Rhebok heaven, etc.

The way we (and a few other outfitters who own or have access to large properties) do it, is that hunters can either spend their entire hunt based in one property, and never see a blacktop road in their entire time with us, or they can spend a few days based in several different places (each property has its own lodge) in order to experience different hunting areas and hunt different species.

Bottom line...

I guess that we could say that we hunt approximately 170,000 private acres, plus a couple hundred thousands high mountain acres, and it is technically true, but I prefer to say that we hunt 55,000 high fenced + 65,000 low fenced acres in Huntershill; 20,000 high fenced acres in Huntershaven; 22,000 high fenced acres in Comre; 6,000 high fenced acres in Rocklands; etc. because I believe that this is the reality of the hunting experience.

Indeed, there are no "million acres" concession in South Africa, and this is likely one of the reasons why a typical 10 day hunt in South Africa costs $10,000 as opposed to $40,000 in Tanzania, and it would be unrealistic to expect to shoehorn $40,000 expectations in a $10,000 package, but one can still have the experience of a lifetime hunting South Africa. NO, this will not be Out of Africa's 1910's wild Africa, but this can still be an incredible hunting experience, if honest representations lead to realistic expectations.

The question Philip Glass asks is a very legitimate question, and I would advise anyone going to hunt anywhere in South Africa to ask exactly this question, and a host of follow up questions as appropriate. The answers should not have to be pried out of the operators. If answers are not easily and candidly provided, I would consider it a red flag. It is critical for a successful hunting trip that reality matches expectations

Ignoring the Huntershill advert in the middle (and I get it! ) this is a really good summary of the South African hunting that I have seen. I am personally uninterested in a specific animal that is marketed with a photograph - it probably has a name as well. I imply no judgement on those who jump at those offers - many do the same thing with big whitetail on relatively small fenced ranches here in Texas. It is just not my thing here or there. A sufficiently large property with self-sustaining herds can be a superb hunt that replicates the wilderness hunting experience. I hunted one of my Buffalo in just such an environment and I have no complaints. But if someone wants that sort of experience, then a lot of due diligence is required. It speaks well for Huntershill that their US rep fully appreciates those possible expectations. As @Philip Glass implies, a good starting point for those decisions is the actual size of the fenced enclosures to be hunted - or pastures as we would say in Texas.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Not sure why you are asking but I can guess. I am usually wrong when I do that according to my wife.

I’m glad I’m not the only one that lives like this!

 

[Philip Glass]

For me it is more about knowing the details about where you are going. I am not so idealistic that I wouldn’t hunt here or there due to a specific number of acres. I find this to be quite an interesting discussion and thanks for all the input.
Philip

 

[everett]

Never hunted with either, but it's my understanding that Graham Sales and Crusader Safaris both hunt properties that are several hundred thousand acres. One I believe is a conservancy made up of numerous properties.

 

[buck wild]

I think AAA Sererpa has 50,000 contiguous acres with one cross fence in SA Kalahari

 

[Nyati]

I think AAA Sererpa has 50,000 contiguous acres with one cross fence in SA Kalahari

It´s AAA Serapa, and that is correct, about 50.000 acres, with one fence, I hunted there in 2010.

 

[Chago]

For me it is more about knowing the details about where you are going. I am not so idealistic that I wouldn’t hunt here or there due to a specific number of acres. I find this to be quite an interesting discussion and thanks for all the input.
Philip

I agree with Red Leg. I don't want someone sending me a picture with a price tag of a certain animal. To me that is not hunting. I have only hunted high fence twice in my life. My first trip to South Africa, and once recently on a Red Stag hunt. Prior to that I have done nothing but wild white tail, moose, elk and bear. All in Canada where I live. Being Africa was my first experience with high fence. I was a little uneasy at first. But after going to Huntershill (sorry for the plug its the only place I have been thus far). I DID NOT feel like I was hunting behind a fence at all. Again I am used to hiking for miles up and down mountains. And we did a lot of that when I was there. Other than my drive in on day 1, I didn't see a fence. That being said I did see breeding pens etc on my way in. Breeding pens that were probably 500 acres to 1000. I did not hunt in there, I am almost positive no one does. Huntershill had numerous mountains within the fences so you realistically can not hike this place in a month, never mind a week.

I also spent a few days at their property in Fort Beaufort they call Rocklands. This was much flatter, and I of course did see some fences. But in no way did I feel like I was hunting canned animals.

So if your question is, what is the acreage of a property to determine if its going to be a wild hunt or not. I think there is more to that. Landscape plays a huge role, of course mountains multiply the acres in my books big time. And truly wild animals. Like I didn't want to see animals with ear tags. That would have ruined it for me. And I did not experience that either.

Not bashing anyone else's hunt. That is just my rules for my hunts.

 

[wesheltonj]

I don’t mind the photo of the animal and the price. That way I know which one I am looking for. Now if thats in 100 acre pen that’s a different story. That said, the PH is going to know where the animals usually hang out at high fence or no fence.

 

[Dox]

From my limited knowledge, Tswalu Kalahari Game Reserve is the largest privately owned game reserve in RSA owned by the Oppenheimers and is +100,000 hectares(+-240,000 acres). I think Fritz Rabe hunted there once as I read this in an article he wrote in the Africa's Bowhunter a good few years ago. Fritz is a member here. That might have been a "once off" I suppose as they cater more towards eco tourism.
The issue might be complex for land owners in that if the land owners disclose the land size here, there might have issues around land claims etc. etc. Its a sensitive political issue here in RSA.

However, I would like to know too who has large areas as I am planning a buff bow hunt in a couple of years and the last thing I want on a stalk is cornering the buffalo against a fence.
Why don't outfitters who actually own there own large pieces of land say 20,000 hectares or more just "advertise' here?

 

[DE KLERK SAFARIS]

From my limited knowledge, Tswalu Kalahari Game Reserve is the largest privately owned game reserve in RSA owned by the Oppenheimers and is +100,000 hectares(+-240,000 acres). I think Fritz Rabe hunted there once as I read this in an article he wrote in the Africa's Bowhunter a good few years ago. Fritz is a member here. That might have been a "once off" I suppose as they cater more towards eco tourism.
The issue might be complex for land owners in that if the land owners disclose the land size here, there might have issues around land claims etc. etc. Its a sensitive political issue here in RSA.

However, I would like to know too who has large areas as I am planning a buff bow hunt in a couple of years and the last thing I want on a stalk is cornering the buffalo against a fence.
Why don't outfitters who actually own there own large pieces of land say 20,000 hectares or more just "advertise' here?

Dox I think that hunting report you read about Tswalu must have been before the Oppenheimers bought Tswalu. I know that the previous owner allowed hunting on Tswalu but that was many years ago. Since the Oppenheimers bought Tswalu they do not hunt any more but they do live game capture to harvest the excess numbers and to manage the game reserve.

Another very large game reserve that border my own properties are Khamab game reserve.
It is 96 000 hectares (about 237 000 acres) when I last checked unless they bought another ranch recently. It is situated in Northwest province, South Africa, north of Vryburg and just west of Bray on the Botswana border.

Sincerely
Hans de Klerk

 

[Hogpatrol]

For those that live there, in 2018, last time I was in RSA, I heard foreigners couldn't own more than 35,000 acres. Is that a fact or just BS?

 

[IvW]

BS unless the land reform gets pushed though which might change all of that...

 

[BeeMaa]

BTW, the Bubye Valley Conservancy in Zim is 800,000 + acres.

Just for a little perspective...
The US State of Rhode Island is 775,900 acres.
So, Bubye Valley Conservancy is pretty big in my book.

 

[mikecatt13]

Interesting topic and good info.

I have yet to step foot in Africa so my experience and input here is limited but I'll try to add something useful. I've hunted some high fence, mostly in Texas, and I've had some very fair chase experiences as well as encountered animals that theres no way I wouldve killed them as there was no hunting about it. And sticking to what I felt was right and actually hunted has given some good experiences. I'm guessing that due to the larger average size of African properties, a lot of it comes down to how they're operated and the terrain more than just number of acres.

Before I booked with @KMG Hunting Safaris , there were numerous reports and testimonials in my research that all aligned with actually hunting and working for the animals, fair chase hunting. Honestly, I forget what the answers were to property size etc. but what I do know is Marius answered all of my questions fully, there was no having to pry information. Like many have said, I think that's important and tells you just as much as the answers and goes for any prospective outfitter.

Cant wait until I experience it all and can weigh in with experience on African soil

 

[autofire]

kochsafaris.com in Botswana has 250000 acres of contiguous property. Literally 1000's of animals. PG no DG. Lots of leopard but Botswana currently does not allow leopard hunting. Years ago when leopard hunting was allowed it was done with dogs and shotguns, not baited with blinds. Not SA but borders Limpopo river, basically notth of Krueger.

 

[Frederik]

Size does matter but topography and layout of the land is just as important finding an animal on 3000 acres in the flat Free State province in the west is completely different to finding the same animal in 1000 acres of Mopane bushveld.

I also find it amusing that as soon as there is a high fence suddenly the animals gets tame.
Yes there are outfits in South Africa that run a factory and numbers dropping and shooting game as the clients come an go.

Phillip you have a very valid question ans it is very broad especially considering the different species that each have their own way. I am lucky to live here and hunt here and I love to hunt my new specie animals in their own natural environment. Each area as its own magic and ways to hunt it is unfortunate that clients once setting foot have a mindset of racking up as many species as possible in a short time but that is just economics.

Most hunters understand that to hunt a generuk and good buffalo it will require change in areas but as soon as South Africa is in the picture everyone that all the properties hosts springbuck to limpopo bushbuck in one area.

The Eastern Cape must be the area with the widest variety of species in our country and good size tracks of land but even there moving from one area to the other is needed. So rather than ask how big is the area ask first what species are known to be good in your area and take it from there with questions and references about the size and quality of game.

I love hunting large areas and its always special but this year I hunted a property 70 000 acres in Limpopo, Zingela but did not find and connected with a zebra although they were on the menu. Reason being I did not want to sit at a waterhole to wait for them, shoot of the vehicle and restricted myself to shoot the zebra with my 458 lott and reflex sight giving me maximum range of 150 meters.

The zebra were also wilder than normal and were very spooky 3 days hunting 60km done on foot and zebra won. A month later on a 2500 Acres propety also in Limpopo with thick Mopane veldt I connected with the zebra and my lott.

There was areas on that large track of land that was almost devoid of any game and as it was dry and food easily available the animals concentrated around water points which always had activity when driving past or walking from water hole to waterhole.

It was still a great hunt and was hard my friend got an ancient kudu bull his first from foot walking with me and the rest of the hunters got most of their game from sitting at the waterholes but each to his own. I did not want to shoot my first zebra from the waterhole. I could have shot plenty of other animals and I did shoot a impala ewe on last afternoon to take some venison home.

But like mentioned earlier I am lucky to live here and choose my time and specie and don't need to fly over to hunt them.

So ask outfitters and PH's all you want the more you know there more you can prepare yourself and hunting stays hunting if done the right way. You might not get what you want its the experience that counts.