Bird Hunting Safaris in Africa

Bird Hunting Safaris in South Africa

Our bird hunting and shooting in South Africa offer excellent specialised bird shooting safaris, encompassing nearly all possibilities.

Come experience hot barrel shooting for doves and rock pigeons. Excellent upland game birds over dogs and waterfowl hunting.

Dove and Pigeon are shot over fields of sunflower and maize/corn as from mid March with no bag limitations imposed.

Upland game birds (3 species of Francolin and Helmeted Guinea fowl) are hunted in open, grass fields and over plains, in corn fields and grass strips between grain fields. Shoots vary according to the area, terrain, water sources and available food. It takes on various forms of walk up (rough shoot), driven birds (mainly guinea fowl) and the use of pointer dogs on our upland francolin and partridge species. Bag limits are 10 upland birds per, gun per day and 10 waterfowl, per gun per day, which result in 20 birds total per day if one conducts an upland as well as waterfowl shoot in one day.

Waterfowl (Spurwing- and Egyptian geese. Ducks like Yellow bill and Red billed teal) is shot over ponds, dams lakes, pans and under flight lines over grain fields. Hunting takes the various techniques such as wading into water; shooting over decoys from suitable cover such as reeds or from hides placed in grain fields over decoys for pass shooting; using the old fashioned “jump shoot” technique by surprising birds and flushing them off water over the guns that await them in available natural cover as well as shooting birds from flight lines when flying from water to feeding places. The very best time for hunting geese and ducks are the latter half of our season, July and August, as corn and sunflower crop harvesting are then in full swing and the birds feed off the freshly harvested waste grain. Bag limit is 10 waterfowl per gun per day.

When conducting anupland hunt as well as waterfowl hunt in one day it in effect means that the hunter is legally allowed the combined bird bag limit of 20 birds per day.

Bag limitations, per shooter, per day in total:

NO BAG LIMIT on doves/pigeons;
10 upland game birds
10 waterfowl

The uniqueness of bird hunting with us is that all 3 types of shooting as mentioned above, doves/pigeons, upland gamebirds and waterfowl can be experienced in one day. Yes in 1 day shooters can enjoy all 3 shoots, without having to travel far and wide.

the annual bird shooting season in the Freestate province, for both upland and waterfowl shoots, open on 1 May and end August 31’st which with South Africa situated in the southern hemisphere, makes for the midst of winter time. Ducks and geese hunting are at premium during the latter half of the winter months, namely July and August.

Our shoots are comparable to the best anywhere in the world today, regarding the variety and unique fact that birds are naturally occurring, wild and not pen reared. ALL birds are wild; we are NOT a shooting preserve! Bird shooting in South Africa apart from doves, is not based on volume shooting but rather the uniqueness, diversity and variety. We have access close to 300 000 acres of different farming properties within the Free State province, in 3 separate geographical areas. The first is within a radius of 50 miles in the northern/north-central part of the Free State, the second another two hour and a half drive further to the south east of about 70 000acres in a radius of about 65 miles and the third area lies in the northwestern part of the Free State, encompassing about 50 000acres.situated in the Free State province. All of this is private land at large.

South Africa is blessed with a very large variety of more than fifty natural occurring game bird species, although not all are sustainable with regards to shooting. Harvestable species consist of mainly 14 species in the Freestate province, South Africa.

In addition to this, 10, more species can be added for the serious bird collector, by visiting the adjacent Northern Cape; Northwest, Gauteng and Mpumalanga provinces to collect more species.
Areas we shoot in consist of mixed agricultural and stock farming practices where grain fields such as corn (maize), sunflower, peanut and wheat crops are cultivated and cattle and sheep kept as domestic stock. Dams, ponds, lakes, creeks, sloughs and marshy spots occur, providing for excellent wildfowl.

Please note: The Freestate province where the majority of our bird shoots take place is free of any tropical diseases such as malaria, bilharzias and/or yellow fever, making for a worry free, fun filled safari shoot and situated a comfortable 2 hour drive south of your point of arrival into South Africa, the Johannesburg International airport, Oliver Tambo

	Waterfowl The two main geese species available are the Spurwing , which is quite a large bird, up to 9 kilograms (22 pounds) and the Egyptian geese. Ducks consist of the Yellow bill duck which is very similar to the northern hemispheres mallard and the little Red bill teal.
	Upland, Terrestrial Birds The biggest in size and number and the most widespread, is the Helmeted Guinea fowl which offer very exciting and challenging shoots. Francolin species consist of the Swainson’s spurfowl, Greywing and Orange river. Common African quail which is an inter-African migrant offers a “chance encounter” which always delivers a interesting “bonus”, as they are not frequently encountered.
	Sandgrouse Birds This is a specialist specie, indigenous to the arid central and western parts of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana in general. The Namaqua- and Burchells sandgrouse are the main species targeted.
	Doves & Pigeons Four species are hunted regularly, Rock pigeon, Redey Dove, Cape turtle dove and the small Laughing or Palm dove.