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7 September 2023
Dear colleague
The hunting season is over and Spring is in the air. The days are getting warmer but at the evenings are still cool. Here in the north we are now starting to look out for the first rain.
The newsletter has an interactive format and at same time introduces SA Hunters’ redesigned website. Watch the video in which Basie Bergh, our President shares his views on the future of communication in the Association.
There is a lot to look forward to before the end of the year. On top of the Rugby World Cup and Heritage Day, there are also shooting championships and the annual congress, as well as the draw to determine the winner of the buffalo hunting competition.
Message from the President
SA Hunters is proud to launch its new website with this introducing of the monthly newsletter in a user-friendly format.
The Association’s electronic and social media platforms provide a fresh and modern appearance that integrates seamlessly with the technological devices and aids that we use every day. Members can read the news in the sequence that suits their priorities. Appropriate links provide additional information in their specific fields of interests.
Sharing it with others has never been easier. Forward the newsletter on WhatsApp to friends and family as you wish.
Enjoy the new format at your fingertips.
The official notice of SA Hunters’ annual congress was distributed in August. The congress will be held in a different format as in previous years.
There will be no dinner and prize-giving on the Friday evening. Branch chairpersons will meet on Friday, and the annual general meeting will be held on Saturday 4 November.
The official notice and relevant supporting documentation are available here.
Closing date 3 Nov 2023 / Draw date 8 Nov 2023
Try your luck at winning this phenomenal hunting opportunity valued more than R600 000. Buy a ticket for R100 to enter. You may purchase as many tickets as you want.
The biggest hunting prize ever in the history of SA Hunters (5 animals recently added to the hunting list)
Pay R100 or multiples thereof in SA Hunters’ bank account by  EFT.
The account is
Bank: Absa
Account number: 01443990077
Branch code: 632005
Reference: Mobile number and Buffalo
Send proof of payment to admin@sahunt.co.za
Women’s Month celebrations are now over, but SA Hunters continues to focus on our women members. We enjoy the stories you sent in so much that we have decided to extend the invitation by another two weeks. Feel free to send your stories to dorothy@sahunt.co.za
Yvette Aggenbach is the first woman on the SA Hunters shooting committee. Yvette is an excellent shot with a proven track record and reputation on the shooting range. She is committed to develop and encourage young shottists to reach their full potential. Read Yvette’s and the other stories here.
During September, the focus shifts to the Rugby World Cup. SA Hunters stands firmly behind the Bokke! Follow us on Facebook for more good vibes.
SA Hunters increasingly uses social media to communicate with members. This newsletter will be sent to members using WhatsApp in the future. The Association is also more active on its Facebook page.
Send this newsletter to friends, family and acquaintances that share your interests.
Branches that need help to set up their own Facebook pages, can contact Marette on +27 82Â 553 4719 or marette@sahunt.co.za
SA Hunters’ top shottists showed their mettle at the 2023 national Inter Branch and President Shoot competitions at the Meerkatgat range near Bloemfontein in August. The Duikerramme won the team event, followed by the Baviaanspoort-buffels. 64 shottists qualified for the Platinum award in various categories of the individual shooting events. Safari Outdoor and SA Hunters Shop sponsored the prizes. Read the full article for the results and photos of the day here.
Information about a system to process MDS scores, training of MDS range officers, and the MDS manual is now available. Please provide the necessary information about trainers in particular for our records. Go to the MDS page.
The SSAA in Australia (SA Hunters’ sister organisation in Australia) postponed the international large calibre shooting event until 23 to 25 August 2024 in Darwin North Australia. Read the invitation and format of the competition here.
The SA Big Bore Association invited SA Hunters to enter teams for its corporate large calibre shooting day on 11 November 2023. Read here for more information.
Predation Management SA
Predation management is a national priority for farming communities which report livestock losses and damage. Various roleplayers, including private entities, provincial and national government, are involved towards finding practical solutions to deal with the problem.
The conservation manager, Lizanne Nel attended the annual general meeting of Predation Management SA (PMSA) in Port Elizabeth/ Gqeberha, where she engaged with provinces and other organisations on predation management. Read the article here.
Cheetah Survey
SA Hunters supports a national survey on cheetah and invited all members and non-members to participate. The results will be shared with the relevant institutions and statutory bodies in the interest of developing strategies to protect and conserve cheetah.
As promised, we provide feedback on the Cheetah survey that SA Hunters supports in collaboration with the Cheetah Trust, University of Stellenbosch and ASHIA. Read more here.
Conservation in the limelight at President Shooting Competition
Conservation is always a priority, even during the national President shooting competition.
While the top shots compete at the Meerkatgat shooting range during the competition, visitors and spectators discuss conservation matters. Landowners and children record their sightings of Honey badgers, Mountain reedbuck, Secretary birds, and Aardvark on the SA Hunters App. The children learn more about snakes, and that Pangolin needs our help. We recover the metal from bullets in the backstop behind the targets for recycling. The full-size wildlife targets used in the shooting exercises, ensure that hunters do not wound their quarry when they hunt.
Namakwa Branch talks about conservation with school children
The Namakwa Branch involves the community and children in particular with awareness projects on conservation of our natural environment in the Springbok region. It is an ongoing initiative that enjoys the support from various authorities. Read the article here.
SA Hunters supports rangers
SA Hunters supports World Ranger Day, which is celebrated on 31 July every year. This year, Namakwa Branch treated the rangers to a fun shoot and a braai, and donated equipment to the Namaqua National Park to assist the rangers in their work. Read article here.
Snare Busters Initiative
Snares are used to poach wildlife along major conservation areas such as the Kruger National Park. Animals trapped in snares suffer immensely and die a horrific death. SA Hunters’ Mopani Branch collaborates with the Phalaborwa Natural Heritage Foundation (PNHF) to remove snares, rescue and rehabilitate animals over large areas in the Phalaborwa region. Full article and photos here.
Dedicated status is essential for anyone that wants to own more than four firearms. If your status lapses, you could lose your firearms.
SA hunters has 14 520 members with dedicated hunter status and 12 155 members with dedicated sport shooter status.
8 756 members already comply to retain their dedicated hunter status and 5 801 to retain dedicated sport shooter status. If your status lapses, you will have to forfeit some of your firearms.
Members with dedicated status have until the end of October 2023 to register three sport shooting and two hunting-related activities to retain their status. Contact Petrus Swart on (012) 808 9300 or petrus@sahunt.co.za for more information about dedicated status.
The SA Hunters Online Store is now fully operational. The SA Hunters Shop stocks a large variety of products from leading manufacturers in the hunting and shooting industry. The Online Store offers clients and members a one-stop shopping experience. Look out for amazing deals on popular products. Visit our online store for firearms, ammunition, reloading equipment, optics, and accessories. Members qualify for 10% discount. Click here to start shopping.
All these deals are also available at the SA Hunters Shop at Inyathi Park, Derdepoort, Pretoria. We look forward to welcome members in our store.
Contact us for more information on +27 12 808 9399 or shop@sahunt.co.za
The Zastava M70, equipped with a walnut stock, is a reliable firearm. It is known for precision, accuracy, and durability. Definitely an excellent choice for hunters and sport shooters.
Stock on the following ammunition has just arrived. Hurry up to avoid disappointment. Stock is limited.
If you are a hunter, you most probably have a favourite recipe that you could be famous for. You can even be our first SA Hunters game meat chef. This is a long-term project to encourage members to get involved.
We plan a dedicated section on our website and our Facebook page to share members’ cooking talents. Send your recipe including a short background (e.g., it was your grandma’s recipe), a photograph of you and your dish, the ingredients and method. Any recipe is welcome as long as game meat is one of the ingredients. Send it to boetiek@sahunt.co.za or marette@sahunt.co.za
The Freddy Hirsch Group sponsored a few gift hampers to give away during the Rugby World Cup. The sooner you enter your game meat recipe, the better your chance is to win one of these hampers. The Freddy Hirsch Group supports SA Hunters and the Springboks. Feel free to visit their website
Freddy Hirsch will put together a special SA Hunters package, which our members will be able to purchase at a discount, just in time for the festive season. Keep an eye on the commercial offers and social media pages.
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The special offers are revised annually in July to ensure that we offer quality products and services to our members. Our new website makes special provision for commercial affairs, which offers great opportunities for additional marketing. The commercial benefits will be posted weekly on our social media pages.
Individuals interested in offering their products to members, can contact:
Marette marette@sahunt.co.za
Dorothy dorothy@sahunt.co.za
We also welcome referrals to businesses that support SA Hunters.
This exciting offer to SA Hunters members only, is brought to you by Springbok Hennie Le Roux, 1995 Rugby World Cup winner and Crown River Safari.
An extra warthog was added to the package.
Promo code: SAH/10
Click here for all the details on this fantastic offer.
The first series of only 25 numbered knives that represent the preference of Oom Nic van der Merwe, is ready for orders. Members that order the knife can choose between a handle of camel thorn wood or ivory.
Oom Nic van der Merwe grew up in Britstown in the Karoo. He is a legend in the hunting and shooting community who has made significant contributions to the organised hunting sector since the early eighties. At SA Hunters, he has made a special contribution to, among other things, sport shooting development and shooting skills training, development of training modules for dedicated hunters, drafting guidelines and rules for trophy measuring, and involvement in negotiations regarding firearm legislation. He received SA Hunters’ highest award, the Pour le Merite, twice. Oom Nic’s impact on the hunting industry in South Africa is immeasurable.
Pay R2500 into the SA Hunters’ bank account via EFT.
The account is
Bank: Absa
Account number: 01443990077
Branch code: 632005
Reference: Member nmber and Nicmes
Send proof of payment to admin@sahunt.co.za
More than seventy years have passed since a small group of hunters gathered at the Pretoria Zoo on 1 October 1949 to discuss the possible establishment of a hunters’ association. Since then, the South African Hunters and Game Conservation Association has grown into one of the largest non-governmental organisations in the country. With more than 40,000 members in more than 80 branches nationwide, SA Hunters plays a prominent role in the management and preservation of our hunting culture, firearms ownership and our natural heritage. The commemorative book tells the story of the origin and growth of this special association.
Limited copies of this piece of heritage is still available at R300 (plus courier fees).
Pay R300 into the SA Hunters’ bank account via EFT.
The account is
Bank: Absa
Account number: 01443990077
Branch code: 632005
Reference: Member nmber and Book
Send proof of payment to admin@sahunt.co.za
SA Hunters has 41 692 members.
Every member or a branch that recruits ten or more members per year, can earn commission of between R100 to R150 per member. More information is available here.
The Board agreed that branches that succeed in retaining lapsed members, will also benefit from the commission. The branch chairpersons have more information.
SA Hunters distributes member application forms to various dealers. These forms are on our membership page and also available from Dorothy at dorothy@sahunt.co.za
Some members are still uncertain about the number of magazines they receive annually. Some delivery problems have also been reported.
Report any problems with delivery to Michel on (012) 808 9300 or michel@sahunt.co.za
There are eight editions of SA Hunter every year: Jan/Feb, March/Apr, May, June, July, August, Sept/Oct and Nov/Dec.
There are only six editions of Magnum annually in Jan/Feb, March/Apr, May/Jun, Jul/Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov/Dec.
Phone OntheDot’s call centre at 0873531291 to report delivery problems.
If your query regarding hand delivery is not receiving sufficient attention, send a message to fredc@sahunt.co.za
For the first time in the history of the photo competition, two of our members have received Platinum awards. Congratulations to Pierre van der Berg and Koos Marais, both members of Pretoria-East Branch. Your photographs are top-notch. The 2023 album is available here.
The category for Fauna and Flora DSLR/mirrorless always attracts the most entries and provides stiff competition. The other categories are less popular but offer plenty of opportunities for members to compete for the category winner of the year.
This year’s competition closes on September 30, 2023. Take full advantage of the opportunity to submit your photos before the closing date. Read the rules to ensure that every entry counts. You can read the complete rules of the photo competition here.
The Photography Club’s photo challenge #backroads has caused quite a stir. There has never been so many entries before. It has made for a particularly enjoyable two months in the group. The #backroads top 50-plus album is available here on the group’s page and here on the website. The winner of the challenge will be announced on the group’s page.
Once again, the September/October photo challenge, #utilize, offers a wide interpretation for photo choices. Read the rules here.
Feel free to invite friends, family, and colleagues that share the same values as SA Hunters to join the group as well here.
