Hunting in South Africa: Winter Hunting and Holiday Ideas

The temperatures are dropping, and the days are becoming shorter—now is the perfect time for hunting in South Africa. The dry, sunny, temperate days throughout most of the country are excellent conditions for stalking and finding game grazing or drinking water.

If you’re looking to do some cross country hunting this winter, here are some suggestions of places to go, what time of year is best and what kind of gear you’ll need.

South African Winter Holiday Ideas

There are loads of wonderful winter holidays on offer beyond hunting in South Africa. There’s nothing quite like a stunning Garden Route self-drive through the Eastern Cape or the vistas of the Golden Gate Highlands National Park in the Free State.

Although the nights and early mornings have a bite, we are fortunate to enjoy mild temperatures during the day—which is ideal for hiking.

If you’re one for cooler weather, then the Drakensburg could be just the place with horse riding and mountain bike trails galore. You may want to pop over the border for a ski trip in Lesotho, which is also said to have top-class trout fishing!

Then, a few men and women out there like to traverse the bush in silence as they patiently seek out their targets: bow or rifle in hand.

On the Hunt for New Adventure: The Best Time for An Overland Road Trip

The wonderful thing about hunting in South Africa is that the holiday doesn’t only start at base camp. You can make the journey part of the adventure too. Consider an overland trip full of epic scenery along the way.

A combined 4X4 road trip with or without camping along the way also makes for a great family. Even if there is only one active hunter in your family, there’s joy in going away together as a large group of friends.

While the hunters are stalking away, the rest can enjoy sunshine, rest, and relaxation. Most hunting safari companies offer luxury accommodation facilities for this reason.

In case you missed it, you can read about the best camping, 4X4 and overland essentials in our adventure holiday blog here. We recommend Recovery Trax (here’s why) and fuel tanks as must-haves for the drive. When camping, you can’t go wrong with a fold-up shower and basin or portable oven.

The Best Months to Hunt

According to Hunt SA, the best time for hunting in South Africa is in the months from mid-March through September.

Apart from the Western Cape, South Africa enjoys summer rainfall. As African Sky Hunting says, it makes it easier to track and navigate when vegetation dries out. Fewer water sources force wildlife to converge around the remaining available watering holes.

Where to go hunting in South Africa

And so, we come to our last question, “where are the best places to go hunting in South Africa?” At the risk of bragging, there are rich hunting lands across all of South Africa’s provinces. We’ve narrowed down our list to these two top-variety-offering provinces according to numerous expert sources.

Htonl, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

North West and Kalahari

The North West will most likely meet your fancy if you enjoy a mixed bag of game from which to choose. It is home to Gemsbok, Springbok, Kudu and Impala. It’s likely that you will also find Blue Wildebeest in this region and even Warthog!

The landscape of the North West province ranges from dry in the Kalahari Desert (west), over the plateaus of the Highveld, to lush in the Bushveld (east). Altogether, you’ll find a good cross-section of the best South Africa offers.

The Lowveld spans the northeast wing of South Africa, encompassing Limpopo province and Mpumalanga. This area houses rich biodiversity, from hot open savannah plains in the north to subtropical terrain and swamps. It’s no wonder that this is where the famous Kruger National Park lies.

Beckoning game such as Springbok, Blesbok, and Black Wildebeest, the area is also known for containing the Big 5.

Now that you know where to go hunting in South Africa, the only thing left is to pack your bags.

We’re so crazy about our cooler boxes that we want to put that at the top of your “what to pack” list😂. While food and water are critical, here are a few other things you should remember to pack when hunting in South Africa.

• Sunscreen
• Mosquito repellent (and medication if you’re travelling to a Malaria area).
• A good hat and sunglasses
• Binoculars
• Worn-in hiking boots (all the experts agree, don’t walk in new boots) and appropriate socks.
• Flashlight
• A knife
• A first aid kit (make sure you have medication for all sorts of bites)
• A comfortable backpack
• Scarves or buffs
• A thick jacket
• Swimwear, you never know
• A journal
• A camera
• Power banks, charging cables and adaptors

This list is not exhaustive! We’ve left out the obvious shorts, shirts and underwear (not to mention your weapon and appropriate cleaning kits).

What did we miss? Is there something obvious we should include—or maybe there’s a hunting accessory you’ve always wanted to be made? Let us know! Please email sales@pioneerplastics.co.za.