Best Month to hunt South Africa

[mstewart44]

Hello All! I am planning a safari to hunt RSA next year and am wondering what month would be best? My only choices are: April, May, or September. What month is best for plains game?

Also, with respect to hunting the new moon, given Africa has so many animals, does anyone have any recommendations about hunting a specific moon phase?

Thanks!

 

[enysse]

I would hunt the dark phase of the moon in May during the rut. I thought it was a excellent time to be in Africa!

 

[LouisB]

Mstewart 44 I would first of all say it depends on whether you hunt with rifle or bow.

This is a difficult question since habitat and rainfall can affect the outcome of the answer.

I would defiantly recommend hunting during the dark moon as Eric said the game just tend to move around a bit more during this period. I you are a rifle hunter and your hunting South Africa limpopo province any of those moths would do just fine providing the fact that you are able to walk every day. Bowhunters require it to be dryer and thus I would recommend hunting September when there is almost no water around but for the boreholes .The only problem with September is that there might be a bit of rain but if there is not a river running through the property you should be fine.

The best out of the 3 months in my opinion would be May.

 

[mstewart44]

I went last year in August and hunted with both bow and rifle. I would like to do the same again next year. So, having said that, what are your recommendations. I am taking my cousin this time who has never been. How does April and May compare to August - September?

 

[LouisB]

I will pm mail you on that subject in more detail since I can only speak for my own property’s and the habitat but March would work fine and if hunted with the dark moon you will be just as well off.

 

[AndresRam]

Hello;

And in your opinion what is the best time of the year to hunt South Africa in general?? Also the best month for the Eastern Cape?

Thanks and good hunting!

 

[ChrisT]

I think anytime from March thru August and even September are good months to hunt South Africa with the best ones being May thru August. Earlier in the year it is generally greener and there are more leaves on the trees which could make it harder to spot animals and if you plan on hunting with a bow from watering holes I wouldn't recommend any month earlier than July simply because there usually are so much water and food in the bush that fewer animals would come in to watering holes. Hunting during the dark phase of the moon certainly helps too.

 

[LouisB]

Hi AndersRam I would say the best month to hunt in South Africa in general would be August just because the worst of the cold is over and it is almost at its driest. Bear in mind that when I say the worst of the cold is over I mean you don’t freeze on the back of the truck (the coldest place in the world) whilst driving to spot game or to a blind in the early mornings. I have also noticed that when it is really cold it takes a while for most of the game to get moving since the first thing most of them do as dawn approaches is look for a sunny spot to warm up. This can work to your advantage as well if you approach them with the sun at your back. As for bowhunting in my area (Limpopo province, Rooibokraal) I would defiantly recommend any time from March to September but like I said each person’s game farm differs from habitat and rainfall so it would be very important to find out from your Outfitter which dates would be best suited for your needs and nothing beats local knowledge.

As for the Eastern Cape all I can say is that it gets really cold over June/July so I would prefer to take a client to hunt there either April/March or August/September the cold does not bother most of you guys but it sure makes me run for a jacket LOL. Hunting the Eastern Cape is usually fairly open savannah with scrubs so you should not have a problem with rifle at anytime of the year bowhunting I would stick to the other dates as it would be dryer then.

Guy's I would once again like to point out the importance of local knowledge even a place like Zambia takes time to get to know and understand what are the best times to hunt with your preferred weapon and species your targeting makes a huge difference as well. For example earlier in the year hunting the big cats would be better because of all the water they can’t catch pray as easy and then baiting is very effective.

I hope that this helps and if anyone wishes to contact me your welcome to do so.
Cheers Louis

 

[AndresRam]

Thank you guys very much and I will take this very useful information and use it when I plan a Safari for sure!

Cheers and good hunting!

 

[LouisB]

No problem glad to be of help.