For you who have hunted in Africa

samdunc

samdunc

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Location
Newfoundland
For you folk who have hunted in Africa, I don't want this to develop into an ethical peeing match but what happens to the meat? Is it utilized? I am not interested in people whether they believe its right or wrong but just want to know what happens the the meat of the ungulates. I know the lions and predators are probably not consumed but what of the various species of antelope and Cape Buffalo. I would love to hunt over there and try it.

Also is there any any wild, free range, wilderness hunting left?
I realize it probably costs more but that is where my interest lies
regards

Dan
 
Last edited:
In my experience the meat was either used as bait for predators or consumed by the locals excluding what was eaten in camp.
Although you may be hunting on a farm or ranch they are many thousands of acres and the wildlife is wild it is just managed the same as moose or deer is here.
 
The locals use their wildlife resource very responsibly. Instead of going out and shooting it themselves for their meat they let foreign hunters pay big $$$$ to do it for them. So not only do they get meat they get money pumped into the local economy.
 
Quite a few farms in South Africa/Namibia have huge walk in freezers that you get to help fill before it goes to market. Among other things this keeps cattle out of good hunting areas and farmers off the dole.The gemsbok in the picture was shot on 40000 acres of three strand fence,any wilder than that you will need to look at Zimbabwe ,Zambia,Botswana and Tanzania.
In the south you may find your acomadation a bit too luxurious, and I have been told that flush pluming has made its way to the Tanzanian bush.
Theodore Roosevelt even complained his 1907 safari was too soft for a wilderness hunter.
 
I hunted Namibia last year and I've never seen so much of an animal utilized. My animals were butchered and hung in a vermin proof , netted inclosure over night and then placed in a walk in cooler. We had the most delicious game dinners every evening and what wasn't used or given to staff was sold as a secondary source of income for the ranch.

Each day when we returned, someone ran out from the cluster of houses that the black help lived in and opened the gate for us. I asked the PH why they did this and didn't just let the trackers open the gate. He said to watch next time. The first thing the gate opener does is check the back of the bakkie. If there is game there, they know they will have meat for their next meal. They got to take the heart, kidneys, liver, tripe, etc. which apparently are preferred as much as the regular cuts. But the PH supervised the cutting out of the tail which they were also given if "oxtail soup" was not on the camp menu because if he wasn't there he said a very generous portion of the loin would be taken as well for biltong:D
 
When I shot my Elephant within 30 minutes people started to appear and when we left the area there was nothing but a little blood left on the ground.
 
We hunted in a wilderness area in the Selous Game Reserve a long hard drive from the nearest village, so distributing game to the locals wasn't an option; there were none. The meat from our game was consumed in camp or was used for bait. A dozen staff can go through meat at an alarming rate, but we managed to keep up. They wouldn't even feed us buffalo meat, saying it was an acquired taste, although our trackers took some for themselves; apparently the lions liked it. We thoroughly enjoyed the meat from our wildebeest and impala, but the warthog was out of this world. We set up a leopard bait and two lion baits.
 
There's a contrast to my trip! Buffalo was outstanding, grilled over an open fire. Most other species were excellent, especially Eland and Gemsbok. The Warthog was barely edible, and they tried hard to convince me not to try it. At the time I thought it was because they were trying to save it for themselves...but not after I tried it.:redface:

Everything was utilized, far more so than even the most dedicated and diligent hunters that I have ever met here in Canada.
 
Thanks for the replies guys . I am seriously looking at pursuing this. Boomer I guess hunting in the Selous Game Reserve is very expensive?

regards
Dan
 
I wasn't impressed by buffalo meat, neither Cape or Water. To be fair, if it was about eating you would probably have a better chance with a nice little yearling than a 10 year old duggaboy that's so dry and tough you have to shoot a hole in gravy.

Slow roasted oxtail was very good, so its not a 100% thing. The various antelope are good enough tasteing to make you wonder if deer are edible.
 
samdunc said:
Thanks for the replies guys . I am seriously looking at pursuing this. Boomer I guess hunting in the Selous Game Reserve is very expensive?

regards
Dan
Click to expand...

The Selous is expensive, particularly for a working guy. Mostly its a fly in proposition, as you can only hunt in your PH's concession. I suppose if you had the time and wanted to see the country, driving in could be arranged, but you have to see African roads in order to appreciate what that might entail. The Selous is a special place, but there are many special places in Africa, and some perhaps are not so expensive. Still, I thought it was money well spent, and would go again without hesitation if I could ever afford it.
 
Dogleg said:
I wasn't impressed by buffalo meat, neither Cape or Water. To be fair, if it was about eating you would probably have a better chance with a nice little yearling than a 10 year old duggaboy that's so dry and tough you have to shoot a hole in gravy.

Slow roasted oxtail was very good, so its not a 100% thing. The various antelope are good enough tasteing to make you wonder if deer are edible.
Click to expand...

Thats fair comment, those rangy old bulls, like the ones we got, wouldn't have been prime fair by any means.
 
In South Africa last year nothing and I do mean nothing went to waste.
The meat was processed and hung in coolers and even the fresh entrails ended up as "mixed grill" for the locals.
 
DOUGLAS D said:
In South Africa last year nothing and I do mean nothing went to waste.
The meat was processed and hung in coolers and even the fresh entrails ended up as "mixed grill" for the locals.
Click to expand...

Doug, your post brings an interesting question to mind. What consitutes waste? When an animal dies in nature, it doesn't end up in a landfill. Other animals reap the rewards; in Africa that would most noticeably be hyenas, jackels, perhaps African wild dogs, not to mention the major predators like lions who aren't beyond scarfing down carrion now and then, and the ever present clouds of vultures and marabou storks whose activity near a carcass is nothing short of awesome. How then is the meat not utilized by a human hunter wasted? When we refer to "wasting" meat, the word to me seems particularly misplaced as we are simply sharing with those who would normally claim the prize, but have little use for the skull, horns, and tusks. The majority of tourist hunters who travel to Africa for that unique and wonderful experience, hunt for trophies while meat is a secondary consideration. You certainly can't ship a ton of game meat home with you, but you can have the trophies shipped home. Our situation perhaps proved a little different in that the loss of the kitchen, its supplies, and my wildebeest bilitong by fire put a premium on camp meat. But by definition a "trophy" animal is typically an old male, normally in its last months of life, and this is seldom the animal one seeks out for food.
 
Boomer said:
Doug, your post brings an interesting question to mind. What consitutes waste? When an animal dies in nature, it doesn't end up in a landfill. Other animals reap the rewards; in Africa that would most noticeably be hyenas, jackels, perhaps African wild dogs, not to mention the major predators like lions who aren't beyond scarfing down carrion now and then, and the ever present clouds of vultures and marabou storks whose activity near a carcass is nothing short of awesome. How then is the meat not utilized by a human hunter wasted? When we refer to "wasting" meat, the word to me seems particularly misplaced as we are simply sharing with those who would normally claim the prize, but have little use for the skull, horns, and tusks. The majority of tourist hunters who travel to Africa for that unique and wonderful experience, hunt for trophies while meat is a secondary consideration. You certainly can't ship a ton of game meat home with you, but you can have the trophies shipped home. Our situation perhaps proved a little different in that the loss of the kitchen, its supplies, and my wildebeest bilitong by fire put a premium on camp meat. But by definition a "trophy" animal is typically an old male, normally in its last months of life, and this is seldom the animal one seeks out for food.
Click to expand...


Good point Boomer and maybe I should have used a different term.

I was thinking more in the terms of what we normally think of as waste gutpiles in North America.
Definitly not waste to the coyotes ,wolves and ravens that clean it up but I dont think too many of us would bag up the lungs,intestines and stomach to pack home with us.
It came as a bit of a culture shock to me at least that the entrails of a Kudu bull were as welcome to our trackers as a case of fresh lobster would be to you or I.

Glad you mentioned bilitong. I brought back 2 bags of the spice/cure to make both bilitong and "Chili-Bites".
Cant wait to try it on next years elk and whitetail.
 
They fed us the meat we hunted both times I was in Africa. Some of the bigger stuff went as lion bait (ele leg) but the buffalo and antelope all for eaten by either hunters or staff.

Tasty stuff.
 
BTW the tendies out of my Buff were the tastiest meat I've ever eaten. Maybe your typical American client doesn't like buffalo, but I'd eat buff tendies every day fo the week.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom