Importance of Hunting in South Africa

Hunting is an ancient art that has become a crucial management tool in the game ranch industry of the present day. In the past, animal populations were regulated by the predation and fluctuation of food and water availability during the wet and dry seasons.

Today, animal populations are confined within fences and their numbers need to be managed effectively to prevent the degradation of the veld to such an extent that the veld would not be able to recover successfully to support the animals on the game ranch.

Over the years many hunting techniques have been developed to improve one’s hunting success of which some are more ethical than others. The hunting ethics of a hunter is reflected in his / her perusing of an animal in a manner which would reflect a fair chase, and with as little suffering as possible, to the animal.
 The success of the hunting techniques depends greatly on the species hunted, species' behaviour, species' temperament and the habitat type where the animal is hunted.
Tracking skills and techniques is then very important to locate the animal, identifying the animals spoor and following the blood trail of the animal requires skill, knowledge and a sharp eye.

As the hunting techniques improve the hunting equipment also improved and is still being improved to continually better the success of the hunter. Other hunting equipment necessary for a decent hunt include hunting knife, skinning knife, clothing, footwear etc..

The most important aspect of hunting that does not always receive sufficient attention, is shot placement on the target animal. Shot placement is crucial to the success of a hunt as any hunter know you put a lot of effort into stalking the majestic beast, getting in the perfect position but then you wound the animal as you missed the vitals.