How are the game animals in Africa managed? Does a PH get a certin number of tags for a given area? Do Africans get liecenses? Do PH's pay to hunt in a certin region?

I'm new the the board and African Hunting.
Are these dumb questions? Maybe someone can direct me to a sight where it is simply explained.


Thanks

WB

Ben,

There are no dumb questions, only dumb answers! So I'll try to briefly put you in the picture of game management in Africa and South Africa. The situation is very complex and almost every statement that I'm about to make is only partly true.

I make the distinction, as I have a good idea of what goes in SOuth AFrica, but only second hand knowledge of what goes in much of the rest of Africa. When one speaks of game management the most important aspect is to know who the game belongs to. In "Africa" game generally "belongs" to the government or state. The general population feels that it is OK to steal from the state, and therefore poaching is a general problem. In These countries, in general, IMHO game populations are more mismanaged than managed. There are a few noatble exceptions. In South Africa game is essentially private property, and the owners generally manage their game populations well, but often do not give enough attention to the management of the game habitat - the grazing or browsing on which the animals depend.

In general a "concession holder", which are mostly hunting outfitters get allocated from the countries game conservation authorities a certain number of what you would know as 'tags'. These animals are then hunted under the supervision of a PH. I may be wrong, but in our part of the world a professional hunter PH is just that, a guy who guides a cklient while hunting. They mostly know quite a bit about game management, as any hunter should, but the game management is generally not their responsibility.

Africans can and do get licenses. It is often true that the African does not quite have the marketing skills to convert the license into a well-paying client and an arranged hunt. These are sometimes sold to non-African hunting outfitters.

Yes, the hunting outfitters generally pay some form of concession fee, or they pay for the licenses, or only for the animals actually hunted. But by and large every animal hunted is paid for. It is the truth that "Hunters pay for conservation!"

There is simply nowhere that I know of to direct you to for an easy summary of how game is managed in Africa. You may visit the following website for an introduction to hunting in South Africa, which is at least a start to learning it all.
http://www.mclarensafaris.com/new_page_2

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren.

Andrew McLaren Safaris at http://www.mclarensafaris.com - The #1 choice of budget-conscious and ethical trophy hunters who wish to experience the life-changing thrill of African hunting on a custom South African plains game, varminting or wingshooting safari.

"A good hunt is worth whatever you pay for it.
A bad hunt is not worth the time spent on it"

WOW! No wonder no one was quick to answer my question. It is very complex, probably more then I want to know.

I have a few more questions.

Is there any part of huntable africa that is not covered by a PH? Are there parts of Africa that are so remote, although plenty of game is to be had that it's not worth hunting?

Is it common for a PH to get into trouble with the government? Are the watched closely for wrong doings? I can see there is competition for clients, however is there competition for hunting land? Or is the hunting limited by the number of clients not so much the huntable land and game?

THANKS!

WB