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African Hunting Safaris

With over 30 years of hunting experience to his credit, Willem Botha will accommodate you during the prime hunting seasons and at locations available in South Africa.

Willem Botha offers personalized hunting safaris tailor-made for the discerning hunter, ranging from trophy hunting, wing shooting, bow hunting and photographic safaris to more relaxed recreational outings. Willem will assist you to bag that unique trophy, or share your excitement when you observe a rare species in your rifle or bow sight.

Kudu #3Have you always dreamt about tracking down the Big Five, or would you love to be introduced to the fine art of antelope hunting? Roaming the hunting-fields are big herds of Eland, Blue and Black wildebeest, Springbuck, Impala, Blesbuck, Zebra, Gemsbuck and many other species.

Game bird hunting is also available to the wing shot enthusiasts. The following section provides some general information for the prospective hunter.

Please feel free to contact us here at Adventures In The Wild if any additional information is required.

About the Outfitter/Professional Hunter

Willem Botha is an experienced and seasoned professional game hunter with over 30 years of comprehensive hunting experience and knowledge in guiding hunters and clients in the Southern African region.Zebra

Willem has been a hunter all his life and a registered Professional Hunter since 1996. He has conducted successful hunting trips with numerous clients from all over the world and they have bagged several world class trophies.

Willem believes in hunting free roaming wild animals as far as possible and will ensure that his clients experience an authentic African Hunting Safari in the true sense of the word.

Willem is also a gun shop owner, dealer in firearms and is the founder member of the South African and Free State Hunting Rifle Society and is registered with the Professional Hunters Association of South Africa (PHASA).

• The professional hunter must accompany overseas visitors who wish to hunt in South African.
• The professional hunter is the person that guides the client in the hunting area in order to hunt an animal to obtain a trophy.
• He sees to the welfare of the client while in the hunting camp.
• He is in charge of the hunting camp and its personnel.
• He makes certain the client is in possession of all relevant documents, licenses and permits before the hunt can start.
• He sees to it that the client’s trophies are skinned and prepared according to the correct methods.
• He is responsible for his client’s safety while in the camp and in the hunting area.
• The professional hunter sees to it that his client does not hunt contrary to the provisions of the law.

Hunting in South Africa

Sable #2There are various forms of hunting in South Africa. Willem conducts rifle, bow and wing shooting safaris.

Rifle hunting is by far the most popular type of hunting in South Africa while bow hunting is growing in popularity.

Your professional hunter is highly qualified, experienced and technically competent to advise the client on the hunting of various species with the most suitable method and weapon.

Bow Hunting

Compound, long bows and re-curve bows are the most popular in South Africa.

It is also recommended to use a 60 pound plus draw weight bow.

Bow hunting is usually conducted in three ways depending on your specific situation and species hunted:

Blinds: The majority of bow hunts are made from permanently constructed blinds. These are situated approximately 20 yards from waterholes and salt licks. Some blinds are elevated from the ground, and others are ground blinds, depending on the terrain, sun and wind direction. Animals bagged regularly through this method are Kudu, Impala, Blue Wildebeest, Zebra, Eland, Gemsbok, Red Hartebeest, Warthog and Njala.

Stalking: This method is used for the more difficult species or those that does not frequently visit waterholes. Thick vegetation makes it possible to get within bow range during certain months of the year.

Opportunity: This includes a variety of hunting methods. The most commonly used is locating animals while driving in a 4x4 vehicle. A large area can be covered using this method without losing valuable time walking through dead terrain. Once game has been sighted, the stalk is planned and the vehicle drives off leaving the hunter and PH in a suitable position. Often the opportunity arises whereby the hunter is dropped behind cover or downwind and the game are moved towards him by the trackers. This can be very exciting and rewarding but needs a lot of patience and time. Any species available in an area can be hunted in this way. An active game trail used by animals can also be used for putting up a tree stand or blind.

Dangerous game hunting by bow requires special permits from Nature Conservation authorities. We will assist the bow hunter in getting the latest permits and documentation to hunt your preferred species.

Wing Shooting

We will ensure that your wing shooting safari will be a once in a lifetime experience. The following birds are available:

• Cape Turtle Doves
• Laughing Doves
• Rock Pigeons ? You must be a good shooter and will need a lot of ammo to hunt these flying rockets of the sky!
• Crested and Helmeted Guinea fowl
• Francolin and Partridges ? The ultimate is the Grey-Wing partridge
• Quail
• Spur Wing and Egyptian Geese
• Cape, Hottentot, Red Billed and Yellow Billed Teal
• Cape Shoveller
• White Faced Ducks
• Various other smaller birds

You can have a good shooting holiday, with an array of very different birds in a friendly country. Shotgun cartridges are readily available for 12, 16, 20 and 410 gauge.

Rifle Hunting

Black WildebeestWillem's specialty is the hunting of various animals (dangerous and plains game) in South Africa. Our clients have taken world class trophies at some of the most spectacular hunting destinations available. The following information can be well known to some hunters but can be very interesting to first time hunters to Southern Africa. There are a few basic styles of rifle hunting in South Africa.

The first is the walking and stalking method. This method involves that the hunter and Professional Hunter (PH) leave camp on foot or by vehicle. The most commonly used is locating animals while driving in a 4x4 vehicle. A large area can be covered using this method without losing valuable time walking through dead terrain. Once game has been sighted, the stalk is planned and the vehicle drives off leaving the hunter and PH in a suitable position.

Another variation of the above method is walking and glassing (using binoculars) especially in mountainous areas. This method is very exciting and can be considered as real hunting. You can also get a good viewpoint from where you can look with your binoculars to see if you can spot any game.

The second method as used by bow hunters (in South Africa) is sitting in a hide and waiting at a waterhole for the animals. This method is not very popular with rifle hunters and is considered not very sportsmanlike. More or less the same method is putting out bait and using a hide (leopard, lion and bush pig). You can also sit and wait close to a well-used game track. This method is more acceptable for Bushbuck, Suni, Red and Blue Duiker.

Another method is a driven hunt, where the hunters will be hidden and the animals will be driven in their direction. This method is used for Springbok shooting in the Karoo and is efficient in big, open and flat terrain.

A very sporting and exciting method is to look for tracks at a waterhole or as you move through an area and then follow the tracks till you are close enough to determine if it is a good animal or not.

The last method is by using a vehicle (driving around) till you spot some animals and then shooting from a still standing vehicle. This method is totally unacceptable to some people but is sometimes the last resort when you are running out of time, disabled or all other methods failed. This type of shooting from a vehicle can also be used when you suddenly encounter an animal while driving around. The choice to shoot remains with the hunter.

2008 Rates

The following trophy animals are available for the 2008 hunting season. (Updated December 3rd, 2007)

Contact Adventures In The Wild if any other species are required. Also check out our PACKAGES section for specially selected hunting packages for those unique once-in-a-lifetime record-breaking trophies and our very reasonable DAILY FEES.

Prices and available trophies are subject to change without notice.

All costs are quoted in U.S. Dollars.

• Services of a Professional Hunter
• Accommodation
• All travelling costs while on Safari, including the transfers to and from the airport
• All meals, alcoholic beverages and soft drinks
• Services of experienced Trackers, Skinners and Camp staff
• Skinning and field preparation of trophies
• Normal hunting licenses and permits
• Delivery of trophies to taxidermist.

• Special hunting licenses and permits
• Airfares and Hotel charges prior to and after the contracted Safari period
• All travelling costs prior to and after the contracted safari period
• Taxidermy charges, dipping, export and freight charges for shipping of trophies
• Gratuities to the Camp Staff, Trackers and Professional Hunters.

• A deposit of 50% of the basic safari fees confirms a booking.

• The balance of the fee is payable on completion of safari.
• Payments must be made in Cash, Credit Card, Travelers cheques or via electronic bank transfer.
• All animals wounded and lost are deemed as killed and must be paid for in full.
• In the event of a cancellation prior to 90 days of commencement of the Safari, the deposit will be refunded, less 10 %.
• In the event of cancellation within 60 days of the commencement of the Safari, the deposit is forfeited or the hunt can be postponed to a later date.
• We reserve the right to change conditions, prices and / or terms herein without prior notice due to government levies and legislature, etc.
• Surcharge of 5% will be asked if payment is done by credit card.

• Any Safari activity is potentially hazardous and it is essential that all lawful directions and advice of the Professional Hunter be followed.
• Willem Botha and his personnel accept no responsibility for any accident or loss whatsoever during the Safari or any expenses arising from such illness, accident or loss.
• We shall however do our utmost to assist you with anything should you have a problem.

Miscellaneous Information

Eland #4Hunting Areas
Willem Botha only conducts hunting on privately owned game farms varying in size from 1000 to 100 000 acres, fenced or unfenced, or on Government owned Nature Reserves (20 000 to 100 000 acres). Please note that this is not the notorious paddock hunting used by some PH's. We do not believe in the put and take method as used by a lot of PH's in South Africa. The animals we will be hunting were born and grew old on these areas and were not caught in another area and released a day or week before the actual hunt. We believe in fair chase hunting methods, except for the Lion hunting as explained.

Personal Attention
Willem will personally conduct the hunt and the client can be assured of the best service and hunting experience available. If larger groups need to be accommodated, additional experienced Professional Hunters will be used to ensure a personal experience for each client.

It is advisable that every hunter should have his/her own PH (one-on-one basis). Willem employs the best professional hunters available in South Africa. His professional hunters will be at your service during the complete duration of your safari. You will be ensured of the professional hunters full attention and effort of getting you the best animals. This one-on-one basis is slightly more expensive but is strongly recommended. A PH can only have two clients at a time according to the South African Professional Hunters Association's laws.

Hunt Duration
We recommend that a hunt should be between March and October and typically for about 10 days at a time, depending on the number of animals required. The client will fly to Johannesburg and we recommend that you will then fly to Bloemfontein, where we will collect you and also see that you board the plane afterwards. This arrangement will save some traveling time. Final traveling details will be arranged.

Quality of Trophies
All the animals on offer will be guaranteed SCI qualifiers and some can even be Rowland Ward. This means that Willem's staff and he will try their utmost best in letting you shoot a qualifying animal and not the first animal they come across. This is a pledge from Willem and his staff. We want to be as proud as you are with the standard of your animals. If you are a trophy hunter wanting the highest quality trophies, we will definitely help you achieve this dream. Willem's track record proves your high standard of trophies.

Red Hartebeest #3If the client is a serious record book trophy hunter and is only looking for world class record book trophies, this should be specified when booking a hunt. These animals are not readily available at all hunting areas and greater effort is required to obtain such standard. Prices of these record-breaking trophies, as ordered by the client, will be negotiated. The animals listed in the advertised trophy price list and package price list are all guaranteed SCI and even Roland Ward standard animals and their prices is as advertised.

Daily Fees
The daily fees (as listed in the prices section) includes all meals, drinks, accommodation, laundry, all transport (between hunting areas and between airport and hunting areas), normal hunting licenses and VAT, skinning of trophies, preparing of trophies and taking the trophies to the taxidermist. Note that there will be no additional costs regarding the hunt or the hunters stay with Willems' operation. Depending on the size (number of hunters and number of animals taken) and duration of the safari, the daily fees are negotiable.

Hunting Packages
It is suggested that a first time hunter coming to South Africa must seriously consider hunting a plains game package consisting of five to ten animals and the duration should be approximately ten days.

Specials on packages is such that traveling is minimized and the cost of a package is usually less than the individual trophy prices.

Taxidermy

Taxidermist fees, shipping and dipping costs are excluded and will depend on whether the client decides on mounting the trophies in South Africa or shipping them to your country of origin. Excellent taxidermists are available in South Africa and their prices are very competitive. Trophies can be shoulder mounted or only scull mounted (which is much cheaper). Once the client decides on mounting the trophies in South Africa, we can visit the taxidermist and deliver the trophies with the clients instructions and the client can get a quote from the taxidermist before leaving South Africa. Willem recommends that the taxidermist's delivery time is six months and that the taxidermist's prices are very competitive.

For the importation of trophies into the USA, Willem suggests the services of the following person: John Meehan of Fauna and Flora in New York - e-mail: jjmeehan@faunaandflora.com. He will make sure that all the paperwork is acceptable and complete and get your shipment through the inspections of Customs, Fish and Game, and USDA. They will keep it in their bonded facilities until cleared and ready to be shipped to you. His telephone number is 1-800-886-3286 or 1-718-977-7700 or fax 1-718-977-8230.

Buffalo Hunting

Buffalo-Bow HuntedSouth African Buffalo hunts are normally more expensive than those in neighboring states, but you will go home with your trophy! Buffalo prices range from US$ 10 000 upward, depending on horn size. Buffalo of 45" are available! A very good representative buffalo will be in the 38"-40" range. A normal buffalo hunt will last approximately three days.

Lion Hunting

LionRegarding a lion hunt in South Africa note the following: All lion hunts are conducted according to the new Nature Conservation Rules and Regulations. Female prices are $4,000 to $6,000 and males are available at $20,000 to $30,000. A minimum of three hunting days are required.

Packing List

• Personal toiletries and medicines
• Anti-malaria tablets (some areas only)
• Insect repellent
• Sunglasses and Hat
• Suntan lotion
• Camera and spare film
• Spare belt
• Gloves
• Rain coat
• Long trousers, vests, short pants, underpants, shirts and tracksuit
• Hunting jacket
• Handkerchiefs
• Shoes, boots (well worn in), slippers and socks.
• Traveling documents
• Gun licenses
• Sunscreen SPF 30+

Visas:

At present, USA citizens do not need a visa for South Africa. Consult your travel agent for the latest regulations.

Malaria risks:

Obtain a prescription from your physician for Malaria prevention treatment prior to the start of your safari. Please note that only some areas are Malaria risk zones. Most animals (Bontebok, Grey Reebuck, Waterbuck, Sable, Roan, Tsessebe, Oribi, Gemsbok, Giraffe, Black wildebeest, Springbok, Blesbuck, Red Hartebeest, Zebra, Steenbuck, Duiker, Blue Wildebeest, Eland, Kudu, Impala, Mountain Reedbuck, Common Reedbuck, Bushbuck, Warthog, etc.) are hunted in Malaria free areas and therefore no special precautions are needed.

Rifle:

A medium caliber rifle ranging from a .270 Winchester to a .375 H&H Magnum is recommended for most trophies. Buffalo and Elephant require a minimum caliber of .375 by law.

Telescope:

A top quality variable scope in the 2-7 or 3-9 power ranges are recommended.

Equipment Hire:

For your convenience we also provide hunters with a full range of hunting equipment, if they prefer, by prior arrangement.Gemsbok

Thank you for contacting us here at Adventures In The Wild!

Dave Mason

(Adventure-38A8) Revised 12-09-07