Hunting Season
The trophy hunting season begins on 1st
February through to 30th
November. The months of December and January are closed
for Trophy Hunting.
Climate:
The Namibia summer begins in October and by November,
just before the rainy season, daytime temperatures often
rise to over 40c ( 104°F ). February and March months lay
within the Namibia rainy season.
During sporadic cold periods of the winter months of
June - July - August - night-time temperatures can fall
below freezing.
Hunter's Clothing:
Light cotton clothing in Olive Green or Sand Colours is recommended
for hunting. Well-fitting boots, and if planning your hunt during
the winter months of June - July - August bring along thermal
underwear for the early mornings plus a warm cap with ear flaps.
There's often frost on the ground inland, plus if the cold wind is
blowing in from across the Kalahari - you'll need some protection.
Note: Camouflage patterned clothing is
permitted only in the hunting field in Namibia.
Hunting Guides
Hunting shall be conducted exclusively in company of a
registered hunting guide , master hunting guide or
professional hunter.
There are three ( 3 ) Standard
Classifications of Hunting Professionals:
( HG ) Hunting Guides:
who may only conduct hunts on their own farm/s that
are duly registered as being hunting farm/s.
( MHG ) Master Hunting Guides: may only conduct hunts on their own
farm/s that are duly registered, plus
two additional duly registered hunting farms.
( PH ) Professional Hunters:
may conduct hunts on all farms, provided
they have written permission from the owner of the
property independent of whether the farm is
registered or not.
There are two ( 2 ) Specialist
Classifications of Hunting Professionals:
( BGH ) Professional Hunters with Big Game License:
a registered Namibian professional hunter
who has passed the Big Game examination. Only these PH's may conduct hunts with guests for
elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo and lion.
Bow Hunting Professional
Hunters - registered Namibian hunting professional
with an additional bow-hunting qualification.
Only hunting guides/ master hunting guides/
professional hunters in possession of a valid bow
hunting licence may conduct bow hunting and guide
bow hunters.
Hunting Permits / Hunting Practise
A
hunt shall only commence if the HG / MHG / PH has
obtained a valid hunting permit (Trophy Hunting Permit)
from Nature Conservation prior to the start of the hunt.
The
following is required regarding permits for Trophy Hunting:
All Trophy Hunting operators must be registered with the
Ministry of Environment and Tourism ( MET ).
Hunting Professional must comply with all MET
regulations regarding Trophy Hunting.
Permits are issued by the MET only, and a maximum
of two ( 2 ) Trophies per species may be harvested, per
hunting client per permit.
All permits must be issued prior to commencing the hunt.
An extra, special permit
is required for the large cats (leopard, cheetah,
lion). It contains an additional list of conditions;
A
separate permit must be issued for each individual
hunting client.
Trophy Hunting may only take place on properties where
the permission of the land owner has been granted
Trophy Hunting may only be practised from half an hour
before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.
For Cheetah and Leopard an additional permit has to be
obtained prior to the start of the hunt.
Dogs are not permitted while hunting Cheetah.
Properties where Bow Hunting is practised must be
registered additionally with MET for Bow Hunting.
A permit must be completed
in full by the hunting client and the hunting
professional (wounded or lost animals must also be
indicated on the permit).
Wing Shooting
A
hunter may take no more than two members of the
permitted bird species during the hunt, which will be
listed in the trophy permit.
During the official "wing shooting season" more of each
species is allowed.
Prohibited Hunting Practices
It is prohibited in
Namibia:
- To hunt for Trophies at night and/or with an
artificial light;
- To hunt for Trophies that do not qualify in
terms of the minimum measurement requirements as
specified by the MET, Namibian Quality Control. If
trophies do not meet this requirement, they do not
have to be paid for. Exceptions are trophies with
abnormalities and age deformities, which are taken
home by the client, (Refer to the NAPHA Medal
Brochure for minimum measurements.); and
- To hunt for Trophies in contravention of the
Fair Chase principals as stated in the NAPHA Code of
Conduct.
Prohibited Hunting Weapons are:
- All handguns
- All automatic firearms
- All crossbows
Invoices and Payment of
- A detailed Tax Invoice
must be issued for every hunt;
- Value-added tax (VAT) is
currently 15% and must be paid on services and
trophies that are not exported. by the hunting
operator on behalf of the client. (The VAT on
trophies to be exported by the operator if
accompanied with a copy of the passport of the
client, the completed hunting permit and a copy of
the invoice for the hunt is zero %.);
- Please enquire what means
of payment is required by your operator;
- VAT is applicable on
wounded game not recovered.
Trophies
Taken and Export of
A
hunting guest may only take two animals of a kind each
year, irrespective if the trophies are exported or not.
All Trophies must attain the minimum points of trophy
quality.
(Exceptions are allowed only with old, setback or very
abnormal trophies.)
The immediate export of trophies from Namibia is possible
only with a veterinary certificate, an export permit from
the MET and the import permit as required by the country of
final destination.
All
trophies which are exported to the EU must be cleaned
according to EU regulations. Hides need 14 days to dry.
Please check with your country of residence as to local
regulations regarding the importation of animal and trophy
hunt products.
Information about Trophy Hunting in Namibia
