What's considered a good size piece of land in SA?

I am trying to make my final selection of PH in the Eastern Cape. I am purely a fair chase hunter. I understand that most land in SA is fenced, but what is considered a good sized piece of land offered by a PH that offers a true fair chase for plains game - Kudu, Impala, Zebra, Bushbuck, Blesbuck and Springbuck. From my research it seems that a PH has his own private land and concessions. I know this is laymans question but any guidence is appreciated. Thanks - Bobby

That is truly a very hard ? to ask, there are lots of threads on this subject in the archives of this website. Having been to the East Cape...it really depends on how much cover is on the property...because it varies a lot. Where the mountains are covered in green brush....5000 acreas is a lot of land and hunting by foot is going to be a fun adventure....because the kudu and bushbuck are going to dodge your every move and you will have to glass and stalk and be patient.

I would check the references of the hunters that have hunted with the outfitter and ask them ???'s. That will give you a idea of what to expect.

Yes , well put Enysse ! You are correct hunting by foot especially in the Eastern Cape in those hilly bushy areas is a great challenge so i would also say around from 5000 acres plus you would have a great hunt by foot..

good luck !

I think enysse is correct. every piece of property is different depending on the cover available. One thing you may want to do is post the outfitter you are considering hunting with. There is a good chance someone on here has hunted with them before and can give you a report on that particular piece of property.

Another thing to think about is how much property do you hunt on now. I see many guys concerned about the size of a property, yet they hunt on a 300 acre farm back home or simply walk to a stand over looking a food plot. Hunting 5k or 20k acres can be a heck of a challenge.

If you find a reputable outfitter with great reviews, I would think that is more important than the size of a property that someone has listed. When checking out acre size, you also want to make sure someone is not talking about total combined acres that they have available to hunt, or cross fencing. It is possible to see an ad listing 30K acres available and end up hunting 500 acres at a time. I hope this helps a bit.

I agree with all the above, but, will it really matter if you are hunting 1000acres or 10000acres, hell you will be in Africa, don't spit in her eye.

Thanks for the input! I guess my concern is that while 5,000 acres of continuous land is alot, does it contain enough diversity to sustain the different types of game I am after. This is a new part of the world for me, all comments are appreciated!

Bobby

HI Bobby,

On that size of land your hardest to find would be your Kudu and busbuck.... Most likely they will sit you very early just before sunrise against a hill for the bushbuck to come out when the sun rises and in this case you may even get your kudu as well because of the timing and area you will be sitting in..... unless you are walking and stumble upon the kudu and they stand for you. The springbuck, blesbuck , zebra could be in the same areas as well so they shouldnt be too hard im sure the PH has his way to get hold of them for you. The impala you could also probably walk and stalk or take from blind .. just my 2 cents here , ..good luck !!

Hi Bushback
We will always have the question about land or property size , to me i like to hunt areas 6000 acres and bigger it gives me room to move around and plenty of land for the animals to move around. If you do have a area with lots of cover i will walk myself sick on 6000 acres and we do a lot of hunting on foot.

Johan

Owen,

You have confirmed what the PH has told me regarding the Kudu and Bushbuck. I am going at the beginning of April and have been told that hunting with the foliage could present an additional challenge, especially with the Bushbuck.

Thanks for your thoughts. - Bobby

Johan,

Walking myself sick seems to be my norm and I love every minute of it. 5-6K minimum seems to be the common ground amongst you guys. The three PH's I am looking at all meet that minimum.

Thanks - Bobby

Bobby,

No probs, im sure you will have a great hunt there ! For me personally i grew up in the Eastern Cape and its a place i really love , along with that for me bushbuck hunting there is by far the best a good hunt can provide.

By the way i thought you would like these pics i posted long ago , its on my cousins farm in the Eastern Cape !! - Interesting photos - !!!

cheers owen