Fair Chase hunts in South Africa

Yeeehaaa!

My best (Mj was looking for the flashing boobie animation I used it so much in the past I believe that Jerome might have blocked me on it... :-) )

I thought Chris Troskie explained the situation very professional. His explanation was clear and concise.

When I hear complaints about fencing, I think there are always other options and other countries.

Originally Posted by Jaco Strauss

Yeeehaaa!

My best (Mj was looking for the flashing boobie animation I used it so much in the past I believe that Jerome might have blocked me on it... :-) )

dont worry jaco you can borrow mine if you want

This argument can go on forever... You have to consider also the size the area that animals generally roam on, if the size of the property is larger than that area then in my opinion the animal is free roaming, I know about the great wildebeest migration and all that....the fact is that in today's South Africa and elsewhere we have the variety of game available for hunting because they are managed. And to manage you need fences. Fences do not keep all animals in, I have personally seen Eland and Kudu etc. go over or through 8ft fences.
Certain properties need to be larger than average because the carrying capasity of game is lower.

Forget about the fences..get off the vehicle and hunt on foot....

Originally Posted by PH Ivan

Forget about the fences..get off the vehicle and hunt on foot....

Getting in on this thread a little late, but I have hunted with Crusader Safaris on unfenced free range area. They have several areas they hunt near Durbin, I shot a nice Bushbuck, had a giant Southern Greater Kudu give me the slip, and ended up shooting an Impala and Nyala. That area has some very nice Nyala. All the areas were sheep and cattle ranches with nothing more than waist high livestock fencing. The area is in the Umkomass River Valley, is beautiful and the potential for nice trophies exist. After that area we moved west and hunted other areas they had. Some of it was fenced, but I believe it was not a continuous perimeter. I ended up with a Kudu, Zebra, and Gemsbok as well. This area was 6 hours west of Durbin. It was fun to stay at 3 different camps and see the country. I spent 10 days in SA and had quite a bit of time to enjoy attractions as well.

Originally Posted by CT Safaris

In that case the simple answer to your question is probably no. There are no "unfenced" areas to hunt, not in South Africa - probably not in Africa for that matter.

Chris, for sure there are unfenced areas in the rest of Africa, even in South Africa's neighbouring countries. Yes, you will run into a fence of some kind when you travel far enough, but that may mean traveling 100 miles or more, or crossing an international boundary or serious river first. Take one of the Damaraland areas as an example. It has a fence running the full breath of Namibia, and is for the most part the Northern boundary of this concession. But to see another fence, you have to travel around 80 miles south, then you will run into cattle fences. Now consider anything north of this, you can go all the way to the Kunene river without seeing another fence (excluding possible barriers that may be around living quarters or kraals.) Would you think this unfenced too? What about say the Caprivi strip? It has an incomplete fence on one part of one side only (Southern boundary), the rest is rivers that form the boundaries. You can go for more than a 200 miles in any direction without finding another boundary fence. So you will consider this fenced? I think not.

In my opinion, any area that is at least double the normal home range of the animals "contained" there, is free range, whether fenced with a low fence, a high fence or no fence at all.

Agreed Karl,

My post was tongue in cheek and maybe even sarcastic in reply to the original poster's apparent attempts at being controversial. As such it should be read in the full context of the rest of my postings on this topic.

Originally Posted by Karl Stumpfe

Yes, you will run into a fence of some kind when you travel far enough, but that may mean traveling 100 miles or more,

Which was my point from the outset. These fences would make no difference whatsoever in a hunting environment - not in South Africa or the rest of the World.

I have always wondered where the saying 'fair chase' originated because in a modern hunting context where firearms are used the saying has no relevance.

The oxford dictionary refers - fair (adverb) without cheating or trying to achieve an unjust advantage, (Verb) pursue in order to catch or catch up with.

The only group of hunters currently inhabiting this planet that perform the closest example of 'fair chase' are the Kalahari Bushmen whom run down their antelope prey to a state of exhaustion through sheer endurance and determination. They are only able to achieve this feat by tracking the quarry in conditions that are favorable to viewing the spoor, if the tracks are lost the hunt is over. Making use of a high powered modern firearm fitted with a telescopic scope that allows a man/woman to kill an animal from an undetectable distance cannot be considered 'fair chase' because the hunter is employing an unjust advantage.

High fences are not an absolute barrier for many species and allow for good game management practices. So unless you are going to run your prey down and dispatch it with a spear the high fence is not going to impact your hunt in any real way. Just a mental obstacle for some?

Just my opinion ..........use it .........don't use it............

Originally Posted by Gavin Lipjes

I have always wondered where the saying 'fair chase' originated because in a modern hunting context where firearms are used the saying has no relevance.

The oxford dictionary refers - fair (adverb) without cheating or trying to achieve an unjust advantage, (Verb) pursue in order to catch or catch up with.

The only group of hunters currently inhabiting this planet that perform the closest example of 'fair chase' are the Kalahari Bushmen whom run down their antelope prey to a state of exhaustion through sheer endurance and determination. They are only able to achieve this feat by tracking the quarry in conditions that are favorable to viewing the spoor, if the tracks are lost the hunt is over. Making use of a high powered modern firearm fitted with a telescopic scope that allows a man/woman to kill an animal from an undetectable distance cannot be considered 'fair chase' because the hunter is employing an unjust advantage.

High fences are not an absolute barrier for many species and allow for good game management practices. So unless you are going to run your prey down and dispatch it with a spear the high fence is not going to impact your hunt in any real way. Just a mental obstacle for some?

Just my opinion ..........use it .........don't use it............

Probaly the most just expanation on any topic ever !!! Gavin you nailed this one 100% !!!