From my experience, almost all hunting concessions will have some form of refrigeration, especially any ranch were an overseas hunter might go to. Some of the more primitive ranches that I have hunted on have only had ‘cold rooms’, these are rooms (about 10’x10’) with a solid roof only – the sides are made of screens, to stop flies getting in, but still allowing a cooling breeze through. They work well enough, but only in the winter months, and that’s the only time local hunters are out – still they are few and far between these days. With the price of hunting escalating each year, people are not prepared to take the chance of not having refrigeration available.
Meat is a precious commodity in Africa so little is wasted, all the outfitters I deal with have some agreement with the rancher to either buy (at a nominal rate), or keep – free of charge - the carcasses of the game shot by visiting hunters, or they negotiate some form of a rebate if the rancher wants to keep the carcass. As already stated the carcasses are then sold to butcheries who then in turn normally sell it as Biltong – air dried strips of meat (some when cured are as long as your forearm and ¾’’ thick), that are normally seasoned with grape vinegar, salt, black pepper and ground coriander seeds.
Here in South Africa only gold is more valuable!! Other than the pleasure of just being in the bush – biltong is the reason I hunt, every animal goes to biltong, those cuts that are not suitable go into Boerewors (farmer’s sausage) - simply called ‘Vors’, which is a thick spicy sausage, that can be cooked or also air dried – then called Droewors (dry vors), or stewing meat for casseroles, stews etc. In my opinion, only swine is not suitable for biltong, but a Warthog makes a great curry, and a young one makes a roast leg of pork to die for – excuse the pun!!
The innards of the animal are normally whisked off fairly sharply by the trackers, skinners etc, so if you like liver or heart or something, better say so quickly.
As a visiting hunter you should feel free to eat as much of what you shoot as you want, after all you are paying for it.
Normally all skinning and trophy preparation is done at the camp, this may be carried out in field if the situation calls for it, but that’s unlikely.
Bush baby
