Hunting
Since the term, hunting, has in uninformed short sightedness come to generally denote only the different actions to dispatch hunted quarry (i.e. that micro-second of pulling a trigger or of letting an arrow fly), NHSA prefers to use the term, the Hunt. The NHSA understands the term, the Hunt, to represent the totality of all activities, actions, and values attached to hunting.
The hunt
HUNTING PERMISSIONS
HUNTING PERMITS / LICENCES
PERMITS / LICENCES
POST OFFICES WHERE HUNTING PERMITS CAN BE BOUGHT FOR NORTHERN CAPE
HUNTING ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS
Uphold dedicated status and build a hunting register for new and renewal of firearm applications
FURRED GAME HUNTING
- Accepted appropriate dedicated activity: strictly only a hunt of furred game in which the reporting member participated in (i.e impala, kudu, waterbuck, gemsbuck, etc).
- Confirming documentation: copies of receipts of monies paid for hunting weekends; of the farmer’s permission to hunt and to transport venison. A photo of the animal(s) you hunted (name and date on such a photo is required – a mere photo of a rifle on a bakkie cab does not prove a specific hunting excursion as it could have been taken anywhere).
- A copy of the NHSA Hunting Letter can be downloaded here – Use it !!
- Confirmation documentation must please be scanned in PDF format or please be presented in photographic format (i.e. a cell phone photo with the date of the activity on the photo itself or on a piece of paper in the photo subject – a mere photo with a person at a target says nothing, as it could have been taken at any time, any place).
Note 1: if the reporting member was on a hunt and could not, or did not hunt any animal, the entry of the activity is still accepted as an appropriate dedicated activity (as s/he had hunted). Thus here it is important to attach a permission letter from the farmer / owner confirming such or a receipt for the accommodation.
Note 2: specific and appropriate arrangements for reporting of hunting activities on own properties by a game farm or game ranch owners, or by dedicated members who work on these farms/ranches, have been put in place, and can be accessed here
Note 3: members are welcome to attach the annual reports they have submitted to another accredited association they might also belong to, as confirmation of their dedicated activities, subject to the following conditions.
Proviso: Culling and damage-causing animal control is not perceived to be hunting but can be entered under Hunt Related Activities.
Exclusion 1: Bow hunting is not accepted as a dedicated hunting activity. Annual reporting of dedicated activities relates to your legal ownership of Section 16 licensed firearms. If you do not use a firearm (handgun, rifle or shotgun) for the reported hunt, then that specific hunt has no relevance to your dedicated status.
Exclusion 2: Guiding of clients on a hunt (PH work) cannot be reported as dedicated activity related to firearms used in terms of Section 16 (see Regulation 4(e)(ii)). The same goes for Field Guiding of clients, which is business-related and not related to the principles of Section 16 firearms mentioned in paragraph 4 in the main document.
Exclusion 3: Shooting of loose running dogs in the veld on game ranches or farms; or snakes or finches or Mynas is not perceived to be hunting-related activities to be entered under this heading, neither is shooting of rats in the barn. This also includes commercial farm animals like cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens etc.
EXAMPLES OF ACCEPTABLE CONFIRMATION DOCUMENTS
A photo with a name, the date stamp is acceptable, although we know people don’t always like date stamps on photos – one for one’s own record purposes is possibly not a bad idea (depending on it if your camera or cell phone can put date stamps on photo’s, of course)
CULLING OF GAME
CULLING OF GAME ANIMALS ON FARM / RANCH
Accepted appropriate dedicated activity: Culling operations on game farm/ranch.
Confirmation documentation: documents that confirm participation in the accepted activities with name, date, and place. For example Culling letter (which can be downloaded below) or a letter from the farmer / owner confirming participation in culling activities or receipt.
SIGHTING OF HUNTING RIFLE OR HANDGUN SCOPE
Accepted appropriate dedicated activity: strictly only sighting of hunting or sport shooting rifle or handgun scope – possibly to install new scope or to prepare for the hunt (can be on a shooting range or the hunting farm before the hunt).
Confirmation documentation: Receipt of the shooting range, range register inscriptions, practice target with range name, name, and date written on it, with the signature of a witness to verify the target was shot on the day at the place indicated (photo of the target must have a name, date printed on it or must be copied into a Word document with all information of the target practice written on the Word document).
Exclusions 1: the shooting of tin cans or box targets behind the dam wall is not perceived to constitute target practice as an appropriate dedicated activity.
EXAMPLES OF PROVING DOCUMENTS
The above target can be downloaded under Firearms on you member portal
ATTEND RELOADING COURSE
RELOADING COURSE
Accepted appropriate dedicated activity: Attendance of a formal reloading course.
Confirmation documentation: documents that prove participation in the accepted activities with name, date, and place.
FEATHERED GAME HUNTING
FEATHERED GAME
Accepted appropriate dedicated activity: Hunting of game birds (i.e. pigeons, guineafowl, francolin, partridge, ducks (generic), geese, spur-winged gees).
Confirmation documentation: documents which confirm participation in the accepted activities for date, time and place.
Exclusion 1: HPR dog field trials; collecting motivation from lawyer; buying hunting bows, or hunting clothes, or firearms; presenting a proficiency training course associated with hunting firearms; maintaining hunting bakkie, are not appropriate and relevant dedicated activities to be entered under this heading.
Exclusion 2: shooting of loose running dogs in the veld on game ranches or farms; or snakes or finches or Mynas is not perceived to be hunting related activities to be entered under this heading, neither is shooting rats in the barn or Mynas in the back yard.
Download NHSA verification of activity document: Permission to Hunt & Transport Game Meat
ATTENDING HUNTER'S TRAINING COURSE
HUNTERS' TRAINING COURSES
Accepted appropriate dedicated activity: Attendance of hunters training courses (furred or feathered game hunting).
Confirmation documentation: documents that confirm participation in the accepted activities with name, date, and place.
DEVELOPMENT OF HUNTING LOAD
LOAD DEVELOPMENT
Accepted appropriate dedicated activity: strictly only processes of hunting or sports shooting loads development, which leads to the production of a hunting or sport shooting load.
Confirmation documentation: documents which clearly show the load development process in motion is what is needed here. Copies of reloading notebooks or sheets with load development notes (with name, date, and place), and or targets shot in the process of the load’s development upon which all relevant information re the load is clearly written with a name, place, date and time, plus adequate proof that it was conducted by the reporting member.
Note 1: just attaching photos of reloading benches and other reloading equipment, or where the member is busy reloading, are not perceived to be documents proving this activity, unless the date of the specific load development event is clearly visible on the attached photo(s).
PLEASE BE SURE TO BE SAFE AT ALL TIMES WHEN RELOADING – DO NOT LOAD ABOVE MAXIMUM LOAD INDICATIONS IN RELOADING MANUALS – IF YOU ARE UNSURE CONTACT THE OFFICE AND WE SHALL REFER YOU TO AN EXPERT IN THIS FIELD
EXAMPLES OF DOCUMENTS CONFIRMING THE ACTIVITY
Document clearly showing progressive development of a hunting load for a 30-06 with date and place.
In this instance we also ask that members please write their name and ID number on this kind of proving document.
Document clearly showing testing of a hunting load for a 303 Brit with Name, ID number, date and place (could possibly have included calibre).
Complete document clearly showing progressive development of a sport shooting load for a 260 Rem 139gr Lapua Scenar bullets.
ATTEND AN EXPO OR SHOW
ATTENDING A HUNTING, SPORT SHOOTING OR FIREARM RELATED EXPO OR SHOW
Accepted appropriate dedicated activity: proven attendance of any firearm, hunting and or sport shooting Expo, Fair, or Show.
Confirmation documentation: any documentary confirmation with name, date, and place of the Expo; proving that the reporting member attended that specific Expo or Show.
Note 1: only one day of attendance at the same event entered as an activity under this heading will be taken as an activity towards maintaining dedicated status and compliancy.
Note 2: NHSA members attending Huntex on an annual basis can simply visit the NHSA kiosk to log their activity electronically.
Exclusions: attendance of a 4×4 vehicle show, at which hunting vehicles may be exhibited, is not an appropriate dedicated activity to enter under this heading, neither is the attendance of specifically a Bow Hunting Expo or an Expo of Military equipment.
DAMAGE CAUSING / ANIMAL CONTROL
Accepted appropriate dedicated activity: Damage causing animal control (i.e. animals which destroy crops – pigeons, hippo, elephant, porcupines, baboons, vervet monkeys, jackal, caracal (rooikat), bushpig, warthog, kudu, bushbuck, etc).
Confirmation documentation: documents that confirm participation in the accepted activities with name, date, and place.
Exclusion: shooting of loose running dogs in the veld on game ranches or farms; or snakes or finches or Mynas is not perceived to be managing of damage-causing animals, neither is shooting rats in the barn.
Download NHSA verification of activity document:
HUNTING RIFLE TARGET PRACTICE
Accepted appropriate dedicated activity: strictly only target practice with a rifle to prepare for the hunt (can be on a shooting range or the hunting farm before the hunt as long as farmer signs as witness and farm’s name is written on target).
Confirmation documentation: Only copies of practice targets are acceptable as confirmation documents for entry of shooting practice targets as activities. Members may use any NHSA activity practice target or any other target they prefer to practice their shooting skills. At submission, all activity practice targets must please have the Initials and Surname of member on, the date the target was shot on, the calibre and type of firearm used, the name of the shooting range plus stamp if available, plus a witness signature which includes the cell phone number of the witness (if you can you may also include a copy of the receipt you received at the range on that day). Correct confirmation documentation is important for appropriate evaluation purposes.
NHSA Postal Targets may not be used for Target Shooting Practice
Members are requested to keep originals of electronically submitted practice targets for at least three months after submission, and to ascertain that they keep documentation which can serve as confirmation that a practice target was shot on a specific range on a specific day for verification purposes by the NHSA office, should that be required (i.e. receipt, range stamp with date on target, photo of range register of the day, day shooter sticker issued at clubs, etc.).
Note 1: target practice is to be conducted in a formal manner on an accepted shooting range or on a NHSA Exco approved farm range.
Exclusion 1: shooting of tin cans or box targets behind the dam wall is not perceived to constitute target practice as an appropriate dedicated activity.
Exclusion 2: Dedicated Course, practical targets or NHSA National Competition Targets will not be accepted under activities.
RELOADING OF AMMO
RELOADING OF AMMUNITION
Accepted appropriate dedicated activity: strictly only processes of reloading of hunting or sports shooting rounds, for the purpose of hunting or sport shooting (load development thus has been finalised).
Confirmation documentation: documents which clearly show the reloading record. Copies of reloading note books or sheets with reloading record of all components used and number of rounds reloaded per session by member with name and date
Note 1: just attaching photos of reloading benches and other reloading equipment, or where member is busy with reloading or shooting on a range, are not perceived to be documents proving this activity, unless the date of the specific reloading event is clearly visible on the attached photo(s).
PLEASE BE SURE TO BE SAFE AT ALL TIMES WHEN RELOADING – DO NOT LOAD ABOVE MAXIMUM LOAD INDICATIONS IN RELOADING MANUALS – IF YOU ARE UNSURE CONTACT THE OFFICE AND WE SHALL REFER YOU TO AN EXPERT IN THIS FIELD
ATTEND A MEETING
ATTEND A HUNTING OR SPORT SHOOTING RELATED MEETING
Accepted appropriate dedicated activity: proven attendance of strictly only hunting and/or sport shooting related meetings of any hunting and/or sport shooting association, club, or formalised group.
Confirmation documentation: documents which show name, date, and place of meeting (i.e. minutes of the meeting on which the reporting member’s name is shown); possibly a cell phone photo of the reporting member attending the meeting with date and time on it; a letter from the chairman of the meeting confirming that the reporting member attended the meeting; or any other innovative way the reporting member can confirm attendance of such meeting.
Exclusion 1: attending a meeting of hunting friends planning a hunting excursion, is not perceived as an appropriate dedicated activity to enter under this heading.
Exclusion 2: An invitation to a meeting is not considered appropriate proof of attendance.
PARTNERS
The National Hunting and Shooting Association supports the work of the following partners and friends
WHERE TO HUNT
RECOGNITION OF HUNTING ON OWN FARM / GAME RANCH
Apply for recognition to enter hunts on either own game farm or where one is employed.
VIDEOS ON HUNT RELATED TOPICS
Hunting FAQs
The National Hunting and Shooting Association (NHSA) has its activities focused on assisting the busy but enthusiastic hunter and/or sport shooter who cannot always participate in the usual structured activities
