Zimbabwe sport hunting has become a tremendous source of income for the country and specifically for conservation and promotion of tourism. The most popular dangerous animals hunted as part of Zimbabwe sport hunting include that of lions, leopards, elephants, and buffalo. Rhinos are not hunted as part of Zimbabwe sport hunting because of their endangered status. Hunters from the USA, Austria, France, SA, Germany, Canada and also the UK now regularly hunt in Zimbabwe during the Zimbabwe sport hunting season which starts in April and ends November. About 500 elephants and 500 leopards have become available for the hunting season. Many tour operators have already reached their quotas for the Zimbabwe sport hunting season and as such it is recommended that you book hunting in the country through professional outfitters such as WTA well in advance to ensure that you also get your chance of a trophy hunt for one of the most popular larger animals in the country.

Although it is essential to prevent the killing of animals left, right, and centre, hunting as a sport should not be condemned because some animals are cute and cuddly. The bambi effect is a term used by hunters to refer to people who irrationally object to the killing of certain animals because they are so loveable including rabbits and duikers etc. The environment is fragile and in many cases such objections will promote an imbalance in nature. To ensure that the habitat in a specific area stays in balance it may from time to time be a requirement to kill animals even though they are cute. Through normal sport hunting it is possible to regulate the killing of animals and do so to ensure a balance in nature.

Canning is a process whereby the animal is caught or bred and raised as a domestic or caged animal and then is released only a few hours before the hunt begins. Other forms of unethical hunting practices which should be avoided in trophy hunts include for instance, the use of spotlights to blind the animal or to severely affect its night vision and then to shoot it is in the state of blindness or semi-blindness. Using of glue to kill birds and making use of traps to catch the animals also form part of unethical hunting practices. Internet hunting is one of the newest forms of unethical hunting practices. Webcams are used as well as remote controlled guns to locate and then kill animals. Make sure that you only use outfitters and professional hunters such as WTA that will never participate in unethical hunting practices.

There are various hunting methods that can be used in the pursuit of a trophy. Some are illegal and other simply unethical. Always select outfitters that only make use of and promote legal and ethical hunting methods such as WTA. Some of the hunting methods often used in trophy hunting in Africa are listed below for your information.
• Blinds – where the hunter waits on the animals from a concealed position – often used in bow hunting.
• Camouflage involves the visual concealing of the hunter to blend in with the surroundings.
• Bait – that is when a decoy is used to attract the hunted animal. It can be in the form of food or scents or sounds.
• Dogs – used for tracking animals.
• Flush – to scare the animal out if its hideaway.
• Stalking – to walk silently after an animal as a predator would do.

With media hype about canned lions it is understandable that people may think that hunting plays no part of conservation. The truth is that ethical hunters will not participate in canned hunting. Conservation hunting is thus possible and plays an important role in the provision of resources for the conservation of wildlife and the environment. With conservation hunting the landowners and managers of conservation areas can manage animal populations. Elephant populations as well as the populations of lions, rhinos, and various antelope species can quickly become too dense for the allocated area. By allowing conservation hunting the animal numbers are kept in check and the competition for water as well as food resources is reduced ensuring a balanced habitat.

Safari comes from a Swahili word that means long trip or journey. In terms of eco-tourism it is used to refer to an overland trip with the purpose of enjoying the outdoor life. When used with hunting it means a long journey of hunting. Instead of just taking the trip for the purpose of game viewing and exploring the bush it has as purpose travelling to and after animals for hunting purposes. The hunters on safari hunting trips are accompanied by licensed outfitters or hunting leaders called professional hunters in short normally referred to as PH. As part of the hunting safari trips you will also have skinners, guides who know the area exceptionally well and porters where luggage carriers are required in difficult terrains.

The WTA hunting packages for Africa include stylish accommodation during the hunt period, all the catering, laundry services, beverages including soft drinks, water, as well as moderate amounts of beer and liquors. Our hunting packages also include the professional hunter (PH), the vehicle and the field preparation of trophies. The WTA hunting packages do not include the following in the quoted prices:

Your airfares and the shuttle services to the various hunting areas
Personal and chronic medication
Packing and shipping of trophies and taxidermy work
Telephonic costs and internet facility rental
Vaccinations

Make sure that you know which calibres are recommended and allowed to take along when you hunt in the specific areas. We will provide full information and will also provide laundry services as part of the hunting packages; as such it is recommended that you keep clothing luggage to a minimum.

The following information is intended as guidelines only for hunting in Mozambique. Unlike the South African hunting season that runs from March to October, hunting in Mozambique takes place from June to November. Medium calibres are used for plains game hunting while a minimum calibre of .375 will be needed if you plan to hunt buffalos or elephants. At least 50% of your heavy calibre ammunition should be soft point bullets. You should note that for hunting in Mozambique the regulations stipulate a maximum of 60 rounds for each rifle meaning that you should bring around 20 solids for the hunt. Remember to get all the required vaccinations before boarding the plane and keep gadgets to a minimum ensuring that the trip will be memorable and hunting in Mozambique will be done according to ethical practices.

International hunters should preferably bring their own rifles. It should be noted that hand guns as well as automatic and semi-automatic guns may not be used in hunting of animals at all. If you plan to do plains game hunting in the Free State, Limpopo or Zimbabwe, we recommend a calibre of.264 to .350 magnum. To hunt buffalo you will need at least .375 calibre which is also the same for rhinos and elephants. The medium calibre will be effective for a kill at a maximum of 200 meters while the heavy calibre will be effective in the range of up to 100 meters. When you book a game hunting safari with us, we will provide all the information required to ensure that you bring the correct rifles and bullets and will assist with the paperwork.

Ethical bow hunting practices as followed by WTA include hunting of specific animals only -including steenbuck, duiker, impala, springbok, rhino, elephant, giraffe, and more with bows and arrows which meet specific standards. Should the animal be wounded, ethical bow hunting practice will mean that you will allow the outfitter or hunting expedition leader to shoot it and thus show mercy to the animal. Before taking a shot, you should enquire from the hunt expedition leader what the best kill shot will be and ensure that nothing obstructs the path of the arrow to ensure that the animal is killed with the first shot rather than having it suffer. Ethical bow hunting also extends to the photo taken afterwards. Never stand or sit on the animal and first clean the animal to ensure that blood is not visible on the photo. A person that follows ethical bow hunting principles will not participate in the sport of canned hunts and will preserve nature.