Hunting Big Game in Africa

Jamie Young · January 26, 2002, 02:26 AM

I have a couple questions about hunting Big Game in africa for those of you that have done it.

After you bag something, how do you field dress, and store the meat? I've been wondering how you can preserve meat in the Climate over there. I guess since I'm one of those "only Kill what you eat" type of people I'm not sure if most animals taken, are taken for the meat, or for the Skin ect..................

Point Blank · January 26, 2002, 04:24 AM

Same thing people did in America before the refrigerator?? Although Georgia probably doesnt make the top 10 of "hottest places in America", i wouldnt leave a pack of hamburger under a pecan tree during the summer months, then attempt to eat it a day later.....:barf:

Al Thompson · January 26, 2002, 07:16 AM

Depends on what it is and where. We dropped my zebra carcass off at a near-by village where it disappeared into the nearest cooking pot.

Buff my guys whittled into strips and dried.

While we used most of the meat, leaving a body in Africa does not mean the meat goes to waste. There are enough critters that nature cleans up quite well. I'm pretty sure that if I had popped a cat, we would not have eaten it. The gut pile from the buff had a remarkable amount of buzzards on it in minutes.

Giz

Roman Knoll · January 26, 2002, 08:18 AM

Much depends on where you hunt.

I hunted on government game reserves in Eastern Cape. Usually you have your PH and his tracker around. The game is dressed either where it shot or taken to nearby abatoir for dressing and skining. Most (if not to badly shot up) is sold to restaurants. Some is eaten by the hunters.

The most classic way of preserving meat in Africa is by drying - you simply do jerky of it or as it called in South Africa - biltong. Very tasty, I'm addicted to it. Now I'm doing biltong from moose I shoot at home.

Roman

Jamie Young · January 28, 2002, 06:06 PM

What was it that you all hunted?

Bush baby · January 29, 2002, 01:00 AM

From my experience, almost all hunting concessions will have some form of refrigeration, especially any ranch were an overseas hunter might go to. Some of the more primitive ranches that I have hunted on have only had ‘cold rooms’, these are rooms (about 10’x10’) with a solid roof only – the sides are made of screens, to stop flies getting in, but still allowing a cooling breeze through. They work well enough, but only in the winter months, and that’s the only time local hunters are out – still they are few and far between these days. With the price of hunting escalating each year, people are not prepared to take the chance of not having refrigeration available.

Meat is a precious commodity in Africa so little is wasted, all the outfitters I deal with have some agreement with the rancher to either buy (at a nominal rate), or keep – free of charge - the carcasses of the game shot by visiting hunters, or they negotiate some form of a rebate if the rancher wants to keep the carcass. As already stated the carcasses are then sold to butcheries who then in turn normally sell it as Biltong – air dried strips of meat (some when cured are as long as your forearm and ¾’’ thick), that are normally seasoned with grape vinegar, salt, black pepper and ground coriander seeds.
Here in South Africa only gold is more valuable!! Other than the pleasure of just being in the bush – biltong is the reason I hunt, every animal goes to biltong, those cuts that are not suitable go into Boerewors (farmer’s sausage) - simply called ‘Vors’, which is a thick spicy sausage, that can be cooked or also air dried – then called Droewors (dry vors), or stewing meat for casseroles, stews etc. In my opinion, only swine is not suitable for biltong, but a Warthog makes a great curry, and a young one makes a roast leg of pork to die for – excuse the pun!!
The innards of the animal are normally whisked off fairly sharply by the trackers, skinners etc, so if you like liver or heart or something, better say so quickly.

As a visiting hunter you should feel free to eat as much of what you shoot as you want, after all you are paying for it.

Normally all skinning and trophy preparation is done at the camp, this may be carried out in field if the situation calls for it, but that’s unlikely.

Bush baby

Roman Knoll · January 29, 2002, 03:52 AM

The usual is that you start with plain games - all sorts of antelope. Warthogs are likely included in most packages. I did three safaris in South Africa. What's left to collect of interesting for me species is nyala, bushpig and duiker. These I plan to hunt this year.

My dream is to hunt buffalo, off course. It's not an affordable hunt for me but I'm working on it.

Roman

Bush baby · January 29, 2002, 11:13 AM

Roman,
It's great to hear you have taken to Biltong, please let us know how Moose biltong comes out.

Bush baby

Roman Knoll · January 29, 2002, 01:51 PM

Bush Baby,

Moose biltong was all right, but I guess I have to learn more tricks. After doing first batch I read Gregor Woods article in Magnum. There I learend whad I did wrong. Next time it's going to be perfect. I have to wait for better wheather though. It's -10 degrees Celsius right now.

BTW Magnum is the only decent hunting/shooting magazine I could find.

Roman

Bush baby · January 30, 2002, 12:52 AM

Roman,

You really like Africa don't you? I've picked this up reading your posts. I agree about 'Magnum' magazine - I used to buy two or three American mag's each month, but don't anymore unless I see something I really want to read about. I must say I was surprised to read that you get 'Magnum', do you subscribe?

Bush baby

Roman Knoll · January 30, 2002, 04:18 PM

Bush Baby

I like South Africa a lot. Each time I'm there with me old lady we're looking for property prices. If I had something on the side I would invest in game farm or something.

Magnum is excellent, really. I picked up a copy at some news stand in East London several years ago. I subscribed at once.

Really nice to have South African(s) on this board. Counting days to my next trip there in May.

Roman

Jamie Young · January 31, 2002, 01:02 AM

What are the Price ranges for Hunting Trips in Africa? What parts of Africa do people tend to hunt in? The More popular Countries?

Roman Knoll · January 31, 2002, 08:30 AM

Countries:

South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe (not any more, at least until present nonsense continues), Tanzania.

I've heard that Mozambiq is great for buffs.

Prices.

Try local people in South Africa. You don't need to pay agents or other middlehands. ALWAYS ask for references. Package hunts offer good prices but you must be careful. Ususally you'll get no refund on species included in the package but not shot.

If you go for price list at least you know that you pay for what shoot. Remember any wounded and not recovered game counts as shot and you pay for it.

Many sites give booking and price info.

I have people there that I know personally and I deal with them.

Roman

January 26, 2002, 02:26 AM	#1
Jamie Young Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2000 Location: SE/PA Posts: 4,834	Hunting Big Game in Africa I have a couple questions about hunting Big Game in africa for those of you that have done it. After you bag something, how do you field dress, and store the meat? I've been wondering how you can preserve meat in the Climate over there. I guess since I'm one of those "only Kill what you eat" type of people I'm not sure if most animals taken, are taken for the meat, or for the Skin ect.................. __________________ Find out about Gun Shows and Training activities. www.TheRallyPoint.org Get your gun club involved!!

January 26, 2002, 07:16 AM	#3
Al Thompson Staff Alumnus Join Date: May 2, 1999 Location: South Carolina Posts: 3,611	Depends on what it is and where. We dropped my zebra carcass off at a near-by village where it disappeared into the nearest cooking pot. Buff my guys whittled into strips and dried. While we used most of the meat, leaving a body in Africa does not mean the meat goes to waste. There are enough critters that nature cleans up quite well. I'm pretty sure that if I had popped a cat, we would not have eaten it. The gut pile from the buff had a remarkable amount of buzzards on it in minutes. Giz __________________ http://www.scfirearms.org/

January 28, 2002, 06:06 PM	#5
Jamie Young Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2000 Location: SE/PA Posts: 4,834	What was it that you all hunted? __________________ Find out about Gun Shows and Training activities. www.TheRallyPoint.org Get your gun club involved!!

January 31, 2002, 01:02 AM	#12
Jamie Young Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2000 Location: SE/PA Posts: 4,834	What are the Price ranges for Hunting Trips in Africa? What parts of Africa do people tend to hunt in? The More popular Countries? __________________ Find out about Gun Shows and Training activities. www.TheRallyPoint.org Get your gun club involved!!

January 26, 2002, 04:24 AM	#2
Point Blank Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2000 Location: Armpit of the South...Atlanta Posts: 516	Same thing people did in America before the refrigerator?? Although Georgia probably doesnt make the top 10 of "hottest places in America", i wouldnt leave a pack of hamburger under a pecan tree during the summer months, then attempt to eat it a day later.....:barf:

January 26, 2002, 08:18 AM	#4
Roman Knoll Member Join Date: December 28, 2001 Location: Lidingö, Sweden Posts: 95	Much depends on where you hunt. I hunted on government game reserves in Eastern Cape. Usually you have your PH and his tracker around. The game is dressed either where it shot or taken to nearby abatoir for dressing and skining. Most (if not to badly shot up) is sold to restaurants. Some is eaten by the hunters. The most classic way of preserving meat in Africa is by drying - you simply do jerky of it or as it called in South Africa - biltong. Very tasty, I'm addicted to it. Now I'm doing biltong from moose I shoot at home. Roman

January 29, 2002, 01:00 AM	#6
Bush baby Junior Member Join Date: January 8, 2002 Location: Pretoria - South Africa Posts: 12	From my experience, almost all hunting concessions will have some form of refrigeration, especially any ranch were an overseas hunter might go to. Some of the more primitive ranches that I have hunted on have only had ‘cold rooms’, these are rooms (about 10’x10’) with a solid roof only – the sides are made of screens, to stop flies getting in, but still allowing a cooling breeze through. They work well enough, but only in the winter months, and that’s the only time local hunters are out – still they are few and far between these days. With the price of hunting escalating each year, people are not prepared to take the chance of not having refrigeration available. Meat is a precious commodity in Africa so little is wasted, all the outfitters I deal with have some agreement with the rancher to either buy (at a nominal rate), or keep – free of charge - the carcasses of the game shot by visiting hunters, or they negotiate some form of a rebate if the rancher wants to keep the carcass. As already stated the carcasses are then sold to butcheries who then in turn normally sell it as Biltong – air dried strips of meat (some when cured are as long as your forearm and ¾’’ thick), that are normally seasoned with grape vinegar, salt, black pepper and ground coriander seeds. Here in South Africa only gold is more valuable!! Other than the pleasure of just being in the bush – biltong is the reason I hunt, every animal goes to biltong, those cuts that are not suitable go into Boerewors (farmer’s sausage) - simply called ‘Vors’, which is a thick spicy sausage, that can be cooked or also air dried – then called Droewors (dry vors), or stewing meat for casseroles, stews etc. In my opinion, only swine is not suitable for biltong, but a Warthog makes a great curry, and a young one makes a roast leg of pork to die for – excuse the pun!! The innards of the animal are normally whisked off fairly sharply by the trackers, skinners etc, so if you like liver or heart or something, better say so quickly. As a visiting hunter you should feel free to eat as much of what you shoot as you want, after all you are paying for it. Normally all skinning and trophy preparation is done at the camp, this may be carried out in field if the situation calls for it, but that’s unlikely. Bush baby

January 29, 2002, 03:52 AM	#7
Roman Knoll Member Join Date: December 28, 2001 Location: Lidingö, Sweden Posts: 95	The usual is that you start with plain games - all sorts of antelope. Warthogs are likely included in most packages. I did three safaris in South Africa. What's left to collect of interesting for me species is nyala, bushpig and duiker. These I plan to hunt this year. My dream is to hunt buffalo, off course. It's not an affordable hunt for me but I'm working on it. Roman

January 29, 2002, 11:13 AM	#8
Bush baby Junior Member Join Date: January 8, 2002 Location: Pretoria - South Africa Posts: 12	Roman, It's great to hear you have taken to Biltong, please let us know how Moose biltong comes out. Bush baby

January 29, 2002, 01:51 PM	#9
Roman Knoll Member Join Date: December 28, 2001 Location: Lidingö, Sweden Posts: 95	Bush Baby, Moose biltong was all right, but I guess I have to learn more tricks. After doing first batch I read Gregor Woods article in Magnum. There I learend whad I did wrong. Next time it's going to be perfect. I have to wait for better wheather though. It's -10 degrees Celsius right now. BTW Magnum is the only decent hunting/shooting magazine I could find. Roman

January 30, 2002, 12:52 AM	#10
Bush baby Junior Member Join Date: January 8, 2002 Location: Pretoria - South Africa Posts: 12	Roman, You really like Africa don't you? I've picked this up reading your posts. I agree about 'Magnum' magazine - I used to buy two or three American mag's each month, but don't anymore unless I see something I really want to read about. I must say I was surprised to read that you get 'Magnum', do you subscribe? Bush baby

January 30, 2002, 04:18 PM	#11
Roman Knoll Member Join Date: December 28, 2001 Location: Lidingö, Sweden Posts: 95	Bush Baby I like South Africa a lot. Each time I'm there with me old lady we're looking for property prices. If I had something on the side I would invest in game farm or something. Magnum is excellent, really. I picked up a copy at some news stand in East London several years ago. I subscribed at once. Really nice to have South African(s) on this board. Counting days to my next trip there in May. Roman

January 31, 2002, 08:30 AM	#13
Roman Knoll Member Join Date: December 28, 2001 Location: Lidingö, Sweden Posts: 95	Countries: South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe (not any more, at least until present nonsense continues), Tanzania. I've heard that Mozambiq is great for buffs. Prices. Try local people in South Africa. You don't need to pay agents or other middlehands. ALWAYS ask for references. Package hunts offer good prices but you must be careful. Ususally you'll get no refund on species included in the package but not shot. If you go for price list at least you know that you pay for what shoot. Remember any wounded and not recovered game counts as shot and you pay for it. Many sites give booking and price info. I have people there that I know personally and I deal with them. Roman