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+--- Thread: Greetings from South Africa (/showthread.php?tid=25835)
Greetings from South Africa - stef1274 - 08-01-2023
Good morning all,
Stefan here, 37yo husband and new father from Pretoria, SA. Bushveld hunter of 20 years. Added a Howa Mini in 6.5 Grendel yesterday to my 308 K98 custom, 303 Enfield and 380 Beretta 84BB.
Unfortunately we have a lengthy licensing process in SA, so I will only have access to the rifle at my local gunshop where it is stored pending my license approval, hopefully not longer than 6 months. Luckily they have a 100m range there, so we are going to shoot it there for the time begin. Loaded 20 plinking rounds yesterday which I'm going to use tomorrow to install and zero the scope.
The rifle was acquired mainly to serve as the primary rifle for wife and kids to hunt with. Although, I can quickly see that it is going to be used a lot by me in the field
Reserving the 308 for wildebeest size and up.Looking forward to learning and interacting here. Jealous of how alive and accessible the gun world is in the US.
Groete!
Greetings from South Africa - Fodderwing - 08-01-2023
Welcome to the horde.
Feel free to post pictures of your hunts.
Greetings from South Africa - just_john - 08-01-2023
Welcome to the clan, stef1274, from the great nation of Texas! At present, many of us do have a pretty incredible amount of freedoms in the firearms world, but there are many who are trying hard to take them away. Even Texas is rapidly filling up with transplants from the "no guns allowed" states.
Greetings from South Africa - CJW - 08-01-2023
7412,
Welcome to the vile horde. My wife and I have hunted in your country many, many times. It is a direct flight to Tambo from Atlanta long flight 15 to 18 hours. My country is going thru the same transition Rhodesia did in the 70s.
I still love it over there I spend most of my time around Markin, Limpopo and Free State.
Groete,
Chuck in Atlanta ,Georgia in the SE Part of the USA ..just above Florida on the east coast.
Greetings from South Africa - stef1274 - 08-01-2023
CJW Wrote:7412,
Welcome to the vile horde. My wife and I have hunted in your country many, many times. It is a direct flight to Tambo from Atlanta long flight 15 to 18 hours. My country is going thru the same transition Rhodesia did in the 70s.
I still love it over there I spend most of my time around Markin, Limpopo and Free State.
Groete,
Chuck in Atlanta ,Georgia in the SE Part of the USA ..just above Florida on the east coast.
Thanks! I have already read quite a number of your posts here, including where you talk on your days here around Marken. Nice country there; proper bushveld experience.
Yeah, know all about the ORT Hartsfield Jackson route. Not that I have ever had the privilege of visiting the US - but I have dreamt of living there since I could dream.
See you on the trail
Greetings from South Africa - stef1274 - 08-01-2023
just_john Wrote:Welcome to the clan, stef1274, from the great nation of Texas! At present, many of us do have a pretty incredible amount of freedoms in the firearms world, but there are many who are trying hard to take them away. Even Texas is rapidly filling up with transplants from the "no guns allowed" states.
That is sad. All the best with resisting the virus.
In SA, we got serious heat a few years ago, but the people fought it okay. 'Luckily' the crime is getting so crazy now, that it is normalising gun ownership in traditionally gunless circles. While it surely clogs our banana republic systems, it is good that people are applying. Gunshops are becoming busier. And for some other reason I don't understand yet, so are game farms.
P.S. You don't happen to have three green cards lying around?
Greetings from South Africa - stef1274 - 08-01-2023
Fodderwing Wrote:Welcome to the horde.
Feel free to post pictures of your hunts.
Unfortunately I don't have one with the Grendel yet, but here is a photo of me and my wife on her first hunt, few weeks ago:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]19874[/ATTACH]
.308 Win, Hornady Interlock 165gr FB, 2550fps, +-60m. Quartering away, entered ribs, hit gearbox, exited on opposite humerus, went 5m. 29.7kg total processed meat.
Greetings from South Africa - LRRPF52 - 08-01-2023
Welcome aboard Stefan!
Greetings from South Africa - sundowner - 08-01-2023
Welcome to the horde from Wisconsin .
Greetings from South Africa - VASCAR2 - 08-01-2023
Welcome to the forum ste1274!
Greetings from South Africa - stef1274 - 08-02-2023
[ATTACH=CONFIG]19880[/ATTACH]
Better attempt at the photo.
Greetings from South Africa - stef1274 - 08-03-2023
And here is her group with frst range day yesterday. 100m, front and rear bag. These were shots number 8, 9 and 10 out of the rifle.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]19884[/ATTACH]
Greetings from South Africa - Fodderwing - 08-03-2023
Lovely, the antelope is nice too.
Greetings from South Africa - Old Bob - 08-03-2023
Is that a Blesbok antelope?
Greetings from South Africa - stef1274 - 08-04-2023
Old Bob Wrote:Is that a Blesbok antelope?
Correct. This is a blesbok (or blesbuck, English mutation). This particular one is an ewe (as opposed to ram). We got about 65lbs of processed meat out of it in various forms. Most of this goes to biltong (our closest thing to jerky) and droeëwors ("dry sausage" if you will).
Only the unavoidable cuts go to cooking, such as neck, shin and tenderloin. I was always curious about the difference in toughness between North American venison and what we have here. In youtube videos I often see people cutting things like steak out of whitetail, for example. I find our venison steaks nearly inedible. Once tried wildebeest rump on a hunt, and we literally had to go sharpen our knives halfway through. For the above mentioned kitchen cuts, I usually need to slow cook for about 24hrs to use in dishes like soups and stews.
Greetings from South Africa - stef1274 - 08-04-2023
Also, for curiosity's sake - how does hunting work in the US? Meaning, is hunting only done on reserves, or privately owned land as well? When are tags required and when not, who issues them and at what price?
Here, hunting is done on privately owned land, and the deal is between farmer and hunter. These farms are usually fenced so that game cannot migrate between areas, and the animals are considered property of the owner, just like domestic animals. We then pay for the animal itself, as well as other fees like day fee, use of vehicle etc. Regulation in terms of the ecology is between land owner and whichever governing entity relevant in that area.
For this particular one, we paid R2750 for the animal and R650 in other sundry fees. Total R3450, which is about $170. For that price we could buy about 150l of fuel, 50 or 60 BigMac regular meals, or beef of the same weight. A bit more pork and chicken, a bit less lamb.
P.S. I realise the above may sound like "canned hunting". Note that typical game farms can range from about 200ha (500 acres) to 30 000ha (75 000 acres), and in 99% of cases, owners take great care to manage things like grazing capacity, breeding seasons, animal health etc. Main difference between these setups and game reserves would be the absence of natural predators, which leads to breeding surplus that get hunted.
Greetings from South Africa - CJW - 08-04-2023
Stefan,
This is the best explanation of how hunting works in 99% of Africa .
I hunt 3 farms in Limpopo the largest and the one our hunting residence is on is 28,000 ac.
All high fence with great housing. The owners have become very close friends over the years.
Africa is the best bargain for a proper hunting vacation in the world.
In the state of Georgia we have public hunting land called WMAs. Wildlife Management Area
While free , you are taking your life in your own hands when you hunt here. It is very dangerous
Many hunting clubs lease land from the timber companies. $1000 and up per year.
Day lease clubs are expensive in GA. I am in the best day lease pig club in the state it cost me $600 to hunt for 3 days
This includes tip & board. This is a first class facility with 20 stands & 40 feeders. The owner of this lease is very strict,
I also hunt in Fla, Texas, Alabama and many other states ..Africa is the best deal going.
Im so glad you joined the Vile Horde our paths will cross in SA
Chuck
Greetings from South Africa - VASCAR2 - 08-04-2023
In the State of Illinois all non live stock animals and pets are considered property of the State, even fish on a privately owned pond or lake. You can only fish legally on your pond if it is adjacent to your dwelling. Normally this aspect is not enforced but anyone fishing on private property technically needs a fishing license. There are sport fishing licenses and commercial fishing licenses. For animals with a hunting season you need a hunting license whether hunting on private property or state owned land like state park, or Federal land like Shawnee Forest. There are specific seasons and there are different license which are more expensive for non residents of Illinois. If hunting migratory birds like geese or ducks require a separate stamp and there are specific license for deer and turkey seasons.
There are fifty states in the United States and each state have their own unique hunting regulations. In Illinois there are significant fines and even jail time for poaching, or taking protected species. There are certain laws pertaining to number of fish, birds or game that can be taken during each hunt. Many states have their own department of natural resources and Conservation Police. Conservation Police in Illinois are fully trained Police Officers and can enforce any State or Federal law but specialize in enforcing codes pertaining to forestry, fishing, hunting and regulations in state parks/wild life areas or state forest.
Cost very for specific license, permits and hunting fees. There are privately operated hunting preserves where a person pays to hunt on privately owned land and might be provided with lodging, guided hunt and game processing, all for a specific negotiated price.
Greetings from South Africa - CJW - 08-04-2023
Stefan: Point of interest
I can buy a rifle, shotgun or pistol with no waiting period our police over here do not shake you down for bribes.