Size of Concession

[Velo Dog]

Hi- I am looking at booking my first African hunt.

I don't want to come to kill but want to hunt and feel that the small concession are more for people wanting to have a easy shot. Can I get some opinions here?
Thanks!

Hello Tony Perkins,

And, welcome to the best forum in the World.
There are some great outfits posting here within AH that can offer what you are looking for.
Coincidently, I work for one of them - LOL.
Seriously, have a look at many but please don't forget to have a look at Khomas Highland Hunting Safaris as well.

We are part of an approximately 4 million acre wildlife conservancy, without game fences.
Gemsbok/oryx and Hartmann's mountain zebra migrate up and down the mountains each season there.
Also, we offer some of the best kudu hunting I have ever experienced (5 safaris / two countries).
Kudu there do not migrate but they are natural residents, as are a number of other species.

We're located in the mountains of west / central Namibia and will be happy to pick you up at the Windhoek airport (no bush plane rides needed).
Likewise, we also offer fowling (Egyptian geese, francoln grouse, red billed duck and guinea fowl).
We can take you to the coast (3 hour drive) for salt water fishing if you want it.

If you run a search for my screen name and then for threads I have submitted, you will find a series of articles under "Hunting Reports", complete with photos from my Aug/Sept - 2017 safari.
Others ("Adrian" for one) have also posted hunting reports and photos from their experiences with Khomas.

Last but not least, no matter who you decide to book with, you are wise to research them thoroughly, prior to sending your deposit.

I wish you safe travels and the best of luck in your hunting / fishing adventures.
Africa is not like anywhere else on the planet.
You'll be amazed when you see it.

Regards,
Paul
(Velo Dog)
Anchorage

 

[cagkt3]

Lots of really good info from some of the very knowledgeable folks on here!

 

[Tony Perkins]

Thanks guys- I continue to research the information on this site and that that I've received from members PMs. My dilemma is that I have an friend who's hunting RSA previously trying to pursued me that 1100 ha under high fence in the NW Busveld is enough to make a challenging hunt for Kudu, Gemsbok, Wildebeest, Impala, ....My gut tells me it's not. I cannot see how a property that small can sustain such a diverse population of game, 17 species from Duiker to Giraffe.

 

[gillettehunter]

Thats about 2700 acres or 4 1/4 sq miles. If you are strictly on foot maybe....... They likely buy and stock animals on a property that size. If a native population that they are not adding to with auction animals then they can't take more than a couple groups of hunters per year..... Some folks would be happy to hunt there. I would want something bigger. I was on a 8000 acre property and got to know the roads pretty well in 5 days. We walked a good bit, but thats about my personal minimum. I'd look somewhere else if it was me....
Bruce

 

[ActionBob]

Agree with Bruce.

I hunted buffalo on 20,000 acres near Kruger and had every spot memorized pretty quickly. However it also served as a photo safari camp so parts were off limits. I never could get a straight answer on how much so I'm going to say half. We could drive right into the herds and they would ignore us. But on foot it was different, but still could not compare to hunting wide open millions of acres in Zimbabwe.

That was decent for PG, but again, better memories made in the low fenced concessions.

I even had the opportunity to hunt a 75,000 acres high fenced area in the Karoo. Really great area, huge vistas. But it was actually so overpopulated they had been culling hundreds of animals. So everything was so wild that those big herds would stampede. Tough to stalk a vaal rhebok when 1000 black wildebeest and blesbuck stampede though those hills. So even with huge fenced properties, you want references on how it is managed.

 

[Art Lambart II]

Concession size is a tricky question, one of the questions not normally asked is how much of the concession is usable by the animals and how much is accessible to hunters. Terrain type and food / water availability concentrate game on a large free range concession as effectively as a fence. A 60,000 acre concession sounds great but if 2/3rd of it are a flooded delta or a desert how much of it are you actually using. Another great question to ask is how many hunters will be in camp and hunting on the same concession on the same day. Animal density is also an important factor in Africa, unlike hunting state side you will see hundreds of animals each day and they will see you, remember you’re not hunting Kudu your hunting Trophy Kudu and the more eyes, ears and noses in the area makes him that much harder to hunt. If you do find yourself on what you consider an easy hunt, change the way you hunt, try stalking to within 50 yards or less I promise you the difficulty will return to your hunt. Small or large pick the concession that best suits you style of hunting and you’ll have a great time.

 

[billc]

Thanks guys- I continue to research the information on this site and that that I've received from members PMs. My dilemma is that I have an friend who's hunting RSA previously trying to pursued me that 1100 ha under high fence in the NW Busveld is enough to make a challenging hunt for Kudu, Gemsbok, Wildebeest, Impala, ....My gut tells me it's not. I cannot see how a property that small can sustain such a diverse population of game, 17 species from Duiker to Giraffe.

That is more then big enough to have a good hunt. But I would not want to hunt a whole week with someone else hunting on that one place. A 2000 plus acre area is big enough but an outfitter with several areas of 2500 to 20,000 or more will give you a better hunt feeling. Driving the same roads over and over does get old.

Some feel you need to hunt 100,000 of acres to feel like your hunting but truth be told more then a few thousands acres of that will have no game and the rest will hold game because of water sources. So you will hunt but a small part of that massive area. Everyone has there idea of what makes a good hunt for them. I say for your list the northwest will be a great place and there is plenty of guys working with areas that are 2000 and bigger.

I have hunted the northwest 4 times now and going back for the 5th time. If I can answer any question for you pm me and I will share some info.

 

[ActionBob]

Animal density is also an important factor in Africa, unlike hunting state side you will see hundreds of animals each day and they will see you, remember you’re not hunting Kudu your hunting Trophy Kudu and the more eyes, ears and noses in the area makes him that much harder to hunt.

Art,
I agree with a lot of what you said..
But this quoted part sounds like you are suggesting that a put and take operation is what is desired. As that is how you end up without the cows and calves in an area, and end up having just trophy bulls.

That is just fine if it is what the client wants....

I also partially disagree with the comment that terrain acts as a fence. Agreed there can be vast areas with little to no game, however the game can escape into those areas, unlike being pushed against a fence.

I've hunted both types enough now to know the situation. I will hunt fenced areas, but always prefer and enjoy the unfenced and even low fenced areas more. When you blow a stalk and realize you may never see that animal again, vs knowing it is in that fence and given enough time it can be found again.... There is a difference to that expierience.

 

[Art Lambart II]

ActionBob,
Sorry if it seemed my post leaned one way or the other, it was never my intent to favor High Fence over Free Range I was just trying to highlight some questions that are often overlooked.

On of the things I found so different about hunting the Limpopo was the amount of game I encountered. In my opinion it made the stalks more challenging and enjoyable. I wanted to get as close as I could before shooting and had several stalks blown by animals other than the one we where hunting. I'm heading back to SA in July to hunt the NW Provence with Pawprint Safaris and I'm looking forward to the new challenges Pieters concessions have in store. One day I'd like to hunt the Eastern Cape and try some more open country but until then 6000 acres of Bushveld is fine with me.

 

[Odinsraven]

Hunted last year with LJ Safaris ...that was excellent culling ...took a Giraffe who had to come off ....17km before 1pm .....not bad for a almost 50 year old .....spent 2 weeks hunting there 12 trip to Africa and the best ...serious hard work but worth it ......

 

[Eric Anderson]

Thanks guys- I continue to research the information on this site and that that I've received from members PMs. My dilemma is that I have an friend who's hunting RSA previously trying to pursued me that 1100 ha under high fence in the NW Busveld is enough to make a challenging hunt for Kudu, Gemsbok, Wildebeest, Impala, ....My gut tells me it's not. I cannot see how a property that small can sustain such a diverse population of game, 17 species from Duiker to Giraffe.

The hardest place I have ever hunted is 2.5 acres next to a 4 lane highway bordered by neighborhoods and an abandoned house. So much can go wrong.
It really just boils down to terrain, and vegetation. 1000 acres of flat Illinois cornfield is much easier to hunt than 100 acres of rhododendron in the Appalachian mountains

 

[Red Leg]

Thanks guys- I continue to research the information on this site and that that I've received from members PMs. My dilemma is that I have an friend who's hunting RSA previously trying to pursued me that 1100 ha under high fence in the NW Busveld is enough to make a challenging hunt for Kudu, Gemsbok, Wildebeest, Impala, ....My gut tells me it's not. I cannot see how a property that small can sustain such a diverse population of game, 17 species from Duiker to Giraffe.

Would not be a destination that I would ever book. It is nonsense to say that the size of a game farm doesn't matter in the RSA any more than it does in the Texas Hill Country. On 2k fenced acres they may have some self-sustaining species, but you likely will also be hunting some "put and take" game - particularly the higher end antelope. No matter how difficult the terrain, you will be covering the same area day after day - after all, one can only depart the lodge so many different ways. You are an experienced hunter, so I will guarantee that you will notice how often you are passing the same landmarks by the afternoon of day two. No doubt you will "shoot" plenty of game - you will have to judge how much you hunted it. There are some excellent high-fence operations in the RSA, but the better ones, holding true self-sustaining populations, are typically somewhat larger than 2k acres (normally much larger). Namibia tends to have even larger areas (mostly no or low fence true "concessions"), and a similar price structure to the RSA.

 

[PeteG]

... I have an friend who's hunting RSA previously trying to pursued me that 1100 ha under high fence in the NW Busveld is enough to make a challenging hunt for Kudu, Gemsbok, Wildebeest, Impala, ....My gut tells me it's not...

Your gut is right.
Some may say it is a suitable size, but its not.
A property that small would have a challenge sustaining suitable herds of animals without supplementary feeding or a put-and-take operation.
If you are comfortable with that, different story but from your comment above I guess you would prefer an alternative option.

 

[James hays]

When picking a safari outfitter size does matter. Find out what the size of the concession where the lodge is, it’s usually the main hunting area, but not always. If your told the concession is 20,000 hectares (48,000 acres) and most of it is huntable, then that’s usually big enough. However you need to ask if it’s subdevided. Some places put the better animals in smaller pastures. A 10,000 hectare concession with a 2,000 hectare pasture rich with game and the 8,000 hectare pasture real sparse is nothing more than a 2,ooo hectare canned hunt for some. An outfitter that advertises 100,000 acres total might have a dozen farms that make up this total. You have to ask how big the smallest fenced in area is that you will be hunting or you may end up very dissatisfied.

 

[Divernhunter]

Something else to consider would be if the outfitter/PH OWNS the land and it is not just a concession.
Also how big is each property if there are more than one hunted.
Also how many(if any) internal fences are there.

 

[James hays]

Something else to consider would be if the outfitter/PH OWNS the land and it is not just a concession.
Also how big is each property if there are more than one hunted.
Also how many(if any) internal fences are there.

Exactly what I’m talking about. You have to ask specific questions to get the whole picture.

 

[MJ75]

Thanks guys- I continue to research the information on this site and that that I've received from members PMs. My dilemma is that I have an friend who's hunting RSA previously trying to pursued me that 1100 ha under high fence in the NW Busveld is enough to make a challenging hunt for Kudu, Gemsbok, Wildebeest, Impala, ....My gut tells me it's not. I cannot see how a property that small can sustain such a diverse population of game, 17 species from Duiker to Giraffe.

Too small. If you're there for a few days it's way too small. I made the mistake of hunting smaller concessions in RSA before finally visiting a very large hunting area in Namibia. All I can say is that the places in RSA then felt very, very lame by comparrison. I'd never do it again.

In fact if I were you I'd take a long hard look at some of the larger and more remote hunting areas in Namibia if you're looking at plains game etc. The practise of 'put and take' stocking is much less and the area are larger giving a more authentic hunting experience.

 

[James hays]

1,200 hectares is way too small. Any decent amount of animals, especially the bigger ones like kudu, oryx and eland would have that area grazed down in weeks. Areas like that are usually stocked with pen raised animals a week before you get there. A dead giveaway to this practice is holes in the ears where the tags were removed. I would say that an area with bushveld and mountains with 20,000 hectares or more would provide a good hunt. Bigger is almost always better.

 

[JPbowhunter]

Its not just about size, look at the farce of red stag hunting in nz. Pen raised deer released for hunters sometimes into estates sometimes "free range".

My last diy hunting trip i visited a mates deer farm, saw in a couple acre paddock a stag that had been sold for over ten grand. The outfitter was to pick it up that day to release for an unsuspecting american hunter to arrive in the next couple of days. Had a pic of the stag hoping to see it on social media but lost the sd card.

Some of the africa stuff looks similar, a free ranging hunt is one of my non negotiables.