Lion hunt

[BUFF]

I was hoping to add a lion over bait to my 2009 Cape Buffalo hunt. I was told by the outfitter that I couldn't shoot a lion with my recurve. I now have another outfitter saying he can set it up. What is the rules in RSA on Lion?

[Jeff Sample]

I believe that Cape buffalo and white rhino are now the only dangerous game species you can shoot with a bow, and rhino hunting in general is on the chopping block at the moment. My PA told me (in August) that you could still shoot an elephant in RSA as well. Bottom line - no big cats. This law passed a year or two ago, and was in response in large part to the problem of canned lion hunts, from what I've read.

[Lonesome Wind]

Here's a copy of the Feb. 2007 SA hunting regulations; "Bow hunting, which many thought was going to be banned, will continue to operate at the discretion of the provincial authorities but the bow hunting of elephants, rhino, crocodiles and large predators will not be possible anymore." That's a direct quote from the SA goverment.