Frequently asked questions

The best time to rifle hunt will be from March to September with peak season being May, June and July. We recommend a 7 day hunting trip for a plains game and 10 days for a big five hunts.

The best time to bow hunt South Africa will be June, July and August. Bow hunting has the most success during the dark moon phase of the month. We won’t recommend any bow hunting during a full moon, although it can be done but with lower success. The recommended duration of a bow hunt will be 10 days.

On a typical hunting day wake up call will be around 6h00 with breakfast and coffee being served at 6h30. After breakfast the Professional Hunters will get a cooler bag ready with enough water and refreshments for the day.

Vehicles will leave camp around 7h00. We mainly make use of a spot and stalk technique, where vehicles will be driving around in separate areas until you find something on your list to stalk.

We will return back to camp close to 13h00 for lunch and a little siesta until 15h00. If you are bow hunting, lunch will be served in a lunchbox at the blind to ensure optimal bow hunting time.

Hunting will continue from 15h00 until dark, after which we will return to camp. Client’s normally take a shower and freshen up before meeting at the campfire for some cold beverages and to share their insights of the day.

Dinner will be served at 19h30. After that everyone can just relax around the campfire or call it a day and get the batteries recharged for the next days adventures.

The average shooting distance will be between 100 and 200 yards from shooting sticks. We make use of the spot and stalk hunting method. The shooting sticks we use are really comfortable and easy to shoot but make sure to practice some shots from the sticks before your trip just to get use to it.

We recommend to bring rifles you are familiar with. For smaller antelope like Impala, Blesbok and Springbok we recommend a .243 or bigger. For medium sized game like Hartebeest, Gemsbok and Wildebeest we recommend a .30-06 or bigger. For big game and dangerous game like Eland, Buffalo and Lion we consider a .375 H&H as a minimum size.

When we bow hunt me make use of blinds at waterholes. You will be using pop-up blinds, ground blinds as well as elevated blinds. The average shooting distance from blinds will be 25 yards but be comfortable up to 40 yards.

If you prefer the walk and stalk method, you should be able to shoot up to 70 yards with 60 yards being the average shooting distance.

Firstly, it is important to know that any animal that is confirmed wounded will be considered as a kill and you will be charged the relevant trophy fee, even if this animal is lost/not found.

However, a wounded animal is very seldom lost due to the extraordinary tracking-skills of the trackers. It is important to remember that valuable hunting-time is spent following/tracking an animal since it often takes a day or two to actually find it. Therefore, try and simulate actual hunting-conditions and practise shooting under these conditions as much as you can, preferably from shooting-sticks since this is the preferred method. The bottom-line is to be as prepared as you can be.

It is also important to know that it is the responsibility of your professional hunter/guide to ensure that any wounded animal is killed as quickly and humanely as possible. Therefore, if you are unable to do so yourself, for whatever reason/s, then he will be required to shoot/kill your animal whenever he deems it necessary.

It is generally pleasant weather with cool mornings and evenings. During June, July and August it may go down to freezing (zero Celcius) at night. So, early mornings can be as low as 32°F and during mid-day it can/will warm up to around 75°F. Normally it is cloudless, sunny days with very little, if any, bugs. Typically it does not rain during these months.

The Kalahari and most parts of South Africa is a malaria free area. We will inform you long enough before your trip if you will be hunting in a different area with malaria.

When the numbers get too high in certain species you have to cull a certain percentage out to ensure that the amount of animals are self sustainable on the available feed in the area. Older females, sub standard females and males are then considered management animals. The process does not only ensure enough feed every season but also helps improving the overall genetics of the species as a whole.

On a typical plains game hunt there is no restrictions on the amount of trophies you can tag. The Kalahari area has a big variety of different species to hunt. We hunt on average one animal per day, while being really selective on finding old animals past their prime and to ensure quality trophies.

Yes, you are most welcome. Import permits are available. There is a lot of paperwork involved but we would be happy to assist wherever we can.

We also have well equipped rifles available to hire at our hunting camp, if you prefer hassle free traveling.

Owner and Outfitter Brendan Jonker or a professional hunter of HTK Safaris will meet you personally, either at Johannesburg or Kimberley airport. When staying the night at Africa Sky before your connecting flight to Kimberley the next day, a friendly representative of Africa Sky will wait for you at the airport in Johannesburg and take you to the airport the next morning. If we arranged a transfer to bring you to the ranch, the company will send a representative to wait for you at the airport.

We believe that getting a tip is not a right but a privilege, do keep in mind that the professional hunters and staff play a big role in your success as a hunter in Africa.

Every client can tip his professional hunter directly. The going rate will be around $100/day more or less depending on your personal experience and satisfaction.

Camp staff get about $10/person/day and can be settled with the bill and final payment on the end of your trip.

The Kalahari is flat, savannah bushveld with semi desert soil. Visibility is generally very good so one can spot game well.

When traveling with bows and rifles keep in mind that they won’t be out with you luggage after your flight. Hard cases like bows will be taken to another area for collection and rifles will have to be checked at the police office. We recommend you get you luggage and ask for directions to the area where you can get your bow and rifles.

We are proud of the quality pictures we take. We try our best to catch the memory as is while treating the animal with respect. We ask for patience while we are getting the animal ready for a clean and good quality picture. Professional photos will be taken of every trophy by the professional hunter. We will provide you with a flash drive at the end of the week with all the trophy pictures and memories on.

Yes, we do bird hunting as well. You can just add it to the beginning or the end of your trip. Our bird hunting area is about 3 hours southeast of Johannesburg and has to be arranged in advance.

Definitely. Our camp is very comfortable and the whole set-up is very family friendly. They can either join you while hunting or lounge around the swimming-pool. They can also do some game drives or sit at a waterhole to enjoy the African wildlife up close. Spa treatments can be arranged in advance for couples or single appointments.

We offer a more personalised and tailored experience that caters to the specific desires and needs of our clients. One of the main reasons we take only one hunting party at a time is to create a sense of exclusivity and privacy for our clients. This allows us to provide a higher level of service and attention to detail, ensuring that each hunt is a memorable and rewarding experience for everyone involved.