Does anyone hunt in December?

Hello folks.

I am in the very earliest of stages, in planning my first safari. And due to the nature of my work, the only time I can commit to hunting Africa, is in late December.

I realize this is the off season, and that it can be very hot. But, it is the only time I have. Has anyone hunted this time of year? Are there any outfitters that take clients at this time? So far, I believe South Africa is my best bet. I think the season in Namibia runs from Febuary to November, so it is ruled out. Please corect me if I am wrong. And I am not sure of seasons in Zim, Moz, Bots, etc.

Any advice, expierience, tips, ideas, or any relevant information, would be greatly appreciated.

Best of regards,
Ryan.

Tanzania is good that late. Yes its hot but the game doesnt seem to mind too much. Other parts of west or central might work to. Contact some outfitters here on this site and pick their brains a bit. Good luck with the search!

You will probably have some answers in the morning, our friends across the ocean will be waking up soon. They will provide you with some answers. Like sestoppelman said, go to the outfitter section and email a few that interest you.

R Ezio, you can hunt within an enclosed property in RSA for certain.
Any property with a Certificate of Adequate Enclosure (CAE) and you are good to go.

Tends to be summer holiday time although there may be some people willing to offer you a hunt.

Good luck.

Hello Ryan,

Welcome to the forum! We at Hartzview Hunting Safaris will be more than happy to have you hunt with us in December. It will be warm and rains may interfere with a morning or afternoon hunt occasionally but we will still be able to hunt. I like the rain as a lot of animals tend to move out of their hiding spots after a shower of rain and it is much easier to track when it is wet.

Please send me an e-mail with more information on what you have in mind and some dates that you have in mind to js@hvsafaris.com. We will be more than happy to help you in December and help you to plan your first African Safari.

Looking forward on hearing from you and please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you might have.

Best regards,

Jacques Spamer

Ryan, Here are the hunting seasons for the countries that you mentioned:

- South Africa Hunting Season: January 1st to December 31st (all year round).
- Zimbabwe Hunting Season: January 1st to December 31st (all year round).
- Botswana Hunting Season: 1st Tuesday of April to 3rd Tuesday of September for concession and Community-Based, Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) areas hunt and January 1st to December 31st (all year round) for game ranch areas hunt.
- Mozmabique Hunting Season: May 1st to September 30th.
- Namibia Hunting Season: February 1st to November 30th.

Hello Ryan

I like hunting in December, I actually like hunting all the time .

December the Kudu come out the thick bush on our farm to the open veld where the blesbuck roam to eat the short green grass . Kudu don't really eat grass but our area they do a bit in December and January . Some other positives are that the animals are in very good condition and that's nice to see .

Negatives are that rain might interfere with your schedule .
I would recommend that you take a slightly longer hunting trip .
If you hunt 5 days it might rain 2 , so be safe and book longer .
The routine is also different because you have to start hunting early and you will probably only hunt till 10 . Then afternoon you will probably start hunting at 4 . So to me it feels like less hunting time. You might see less animals than in the winter because they animals move less in the heat and stay under the trees.

A game drive at night might be more fun in summer than in the middle winter cause it's a bit cold to do in middle winter .

You can also do some nice fishing in summer that won't work in winter . You can combine your hunt with a trip to the coast or resort like Sun City that's very nice to break the heat .

Overall I would still recommend it !

Hi there,

I went hunting over December in SA a few times and one time in the Tuli in Botswana on the border of Zim in January... Sometimes it rained down hard but cleared very quickly, and my goodness was it hot!

But when you have that trophy bull in your scope it makes it all worthwhile and overall the heat and rain is not unbearable. The summer elements also adds that African Safari feel. There is not enough reason to decline a hunt in December in SA.

Good luck with the planning.

I would like to thank everyone for their responses, in this thread aswell as in private message. I will respond to everyones offers, once I wrap my head around a few things. I want to take a bit of time to ensure I ask the right questions.

Also, I find it quite nice that some outfitters are energetic about hunting this time of year. I have proposed it to a few outfitters at our sportsman show in Alberta. They were open to it, less than excited, and made it seem as though I was putting them out a great deal. I know it's not the ideal time, but it's either go then, or wait til I'm retired. Which is fine, but I know of more than one that left this world before they planned.

Best Regards,
Ryan.

Ryan if you were at the Calgary BOAT show there were only four booths related to Africa. (I felt sorry for them coming to that show)
Anyway, two from EC, one Agent and another guy that turned me off so far by saying he "could do anything"! Just screamed "run" to me".

I do not doubt that two of them would have not been thrilled. The one young fellow from EC might have bitten.

Anyway, formulate your questions and ask them.

There are people in South Africa that will take you hunting and would love to do so.

As a fellow Canadian I wish you good luck with the planning for your hunt. Keep us in the loop.

Brickburn, this happened last year at the Edmonton boat and sportsman show. They also had about 4 Africa related booths, I don't expect much different this year.

You will have a choice of TWO this year. One Agent and One Outfitter.
None of the folks who showed up in Calgary are going on to the Edmonton show.

I hope they all start going to the Africa show next year.