South Africa to ban Bowhunting says Govt

[sticks]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060502/ap_on_re_af/south_africa_hunting;_ylt=Amq6C69IclU7mBR0JcJmkPhvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--

[JC]

Holy smokes!!!! If they ban bowhunting there....dang....that's just terrible news          :mad:            :mad:

[sticks]

more info
 http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/general/0,2172,126678,00.html

[S Meyer]

Truly tragic.

Especially since I have not heard a word of this before now. I know they are trying to regulate the industry more but as far as I know bow hunting is the fastest growing form of hunting in SA. With our new firearm legislation, the hunting community has shifted to black powder and bows.

There are currently 40 000 bow hunters in SA. Most of these use compound bows, but still…

The bow hunting industry in SA is worth millions a year. I can’t see that a rational person would ban it.

The article at SABC is aimed to prevent canned hunts I think. Although if it’s Marthinus van Schalkwyk, anything is possible. The language I would use to describe this gentleman would get my membership suspended.

Cheers from South Africa

[JC]

Stefan, please keep us posted if you learn more locally.

[BillyBobHowdieVern]

yes please keep us updated on this

john

[8th Dwarf]

Hey guys...READ the article!  It says "Canned" hunting.  It also says "Large Animals" that can live and suffer for days with an arrow in them.  This is stuff like Rhino and Elephant, which should NOT be hunted with bows anyway!

It has nothing to do with the plains game as far as I can see.

Shooting drugged, pen-raised Lions and Leopards SUX, as far as I am concerned and should be banned forever.

I'm still planning on going in 2007!

Too Short

[T. Downing]

Good Point Paul! I see nothing wrong with cleaning up the canned hunting going on. I hope this development does not affect the fine bowhunting operations in SA. What a dream come true to be able to bowhunt Greater Kuduland Safaris! God Bless, T

[JC]

Paul, a Kudu is a large animal to me....and if they outlaw bowhunting because it is inhumane to "large animals" how long do you think it will take them to do the same for everything else?

[Gene Wensel]

I too agree that this will never happen as a whole. Think of the loss of income to the country! No way. I CAN see them banning really big and/or dangerous game with bows but that is probably our own fault. Too many modern bowhunters are trying to kill really big, thick skinned, tough animals with fast, light arrows and flimsy piece of crap broadheads as promotional stunts. Poor penetration results, although most PHs will not allow animals to suffer needlessly. The "bows and arrows are not lethal tools" concept will do us no good when dealing with mass media but it is only the really big game that might be effected, not all game.

[BTH]

While the article clearly says "canned hunting" and large animals, this could be just the beginning. Granted, we are all against canned hunting, and I'm not going to take my recurve against a Rhino, nor a rifle for that matter. I don't want to be Chicken Little here but there are people who want our lifestyle to go away. The article also mentions the International Fund for Animal Welfare. They are the people I worry about. Sounds like a Fund for Animals or Humane Society of the United States style of organization. I'm sure the PH's and hunting groups over there are getting involved; at least I hope so. Hunting brings in a lot of revenue to South Africa; and that revenue will go to the other countries if the South Africans get too strict.

So Gene; Sara and I don't have to worry about August 2007 with Dries Visser yet, do we?

Toby

[JC]

I certainly hope you more experienced gentlemen are correct. Maybe South Africa will be smarter than the numerous other African countries that have seen hunting degrade/change unfavorably because they did not see it as a viable source of income.....

All the more reason for me to book Dries now eh?  

[sticks]

The principle of fair chase will also be implemented for all hunting and the use of traps, poisons, dogs, and bow and arrows for hunting will also be banned.

will have to wait and see, "and bow and arrows for hunting will also be banned." sounds like they mean bowhunting as a whole.

 http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=324002

[Ray Hammond]

Sticks,
You are quoting a newspaper article that summarizes a press release looks like to me, anyway.

I went to the Ministry website and read the actual "proclamations"- and it prefaces all those comments with statements about "listed" species...I could not find what those are for certain but it appears they are the dangerous game animals- elephant, lion, leopard, hippo, and rhino?

Traps, poisons- those aren't hunting weapons of choice for anyone I have ever met so there must be more to this than the soundbite.

[sticks]

i've read the proclamations as well, i can't find a list of animals either. thats one of the problems...

(2)   All provincial hunting authorisations and national hunting permits authorising the hunting of a listed animal must, in addition to any other conditions the issuing authority may or must impose, be issued subject to the following conditions:
(a)   The animal may not be hunted by means of –              
(vi)   a bow and arrow, except where specifically permitted by provincial legislation;

this is an open door, it can be formed into anything covering every animal which enjoys game status. they also lump bowhunting in with traps and poisons making bowhunting look just as low brow.

[sticks]

game status = protected animal

[S Meyer]

Greetings All

I did some checking and I can’t find any clear indication that they will ban bow hunting altogether. There are new regulations in some areas but bow hunting seems to be safe for now. They only real laws that I can find are that mechanical broad heads are not allowed and you need a hunting permit.

It seems that the most likely that they ways in which hunting takes place will be monitored. There may be legal minimums in regard to the size of camps and such. Hunting in SA has always been a transaction between the land owner and his client.

They public opinion is very much against canned hunting. A few years ago a very popular journalistic program did an expose on canned hunts. They showed an American hunter shooting a lioness in front of her cubs. He had to shoot her tree times before she fell. He didn’t want to spoil his trophy.

So all things considered I think bow hunting is safe. Kudu are, as far as I know, medium game. Anything smaller than eland should be OK.

I’ll keep looking for more info.

Cheers.

[T. Downing]

S Meyer,
    Thank you for the information. It would be a tremendous blow to traditional bowhunting if SA bans bowhunting. I hope that you could continue to keep us informed of this possible development. God Bless, T

[Neil Summers]

There have been many comments, concerns and opinions expressed the past couple of days regarding the situation in South Africa and its new recommendations to amend the hunting laws there, particularly as they relate to bowhunting.  

Today I spoke with Stewart Dorrington, probably the most informed person about this issue and who is also privy to the most current information.  Not only is Stewart a bowhunter and the owner of Melorani Bowhunting Safaris, he is also the president of PHASA (Professional Hunters Association of South Africa) and was appointed to the government’s "Panel of Experts" who drafted the current recommendations.   Today his words to me were, "What many people do not understand about the current situation with bowhunting in South Africa is that it is a prohibited activity which is allowed under special permits. The new proposed language is exactly the same. Bowhunters need not panic, as the new legislation will not likely affect legitimate, permitted facilities to continue bowhunting of plains game. There may be some changes on dangerous game, but it is too early to tell what those changes may be."

Stewart will be returning from a wildlife/hunting meeting in Cyprus to South Africa next week and will update me as details become available.

[JC]

Neil, thank you so much for your quote from Mr. Dorrington, very encouraging.