Francolin hunting in South Africa

There is nothing that matches the experience of an upland bird hunt over well-trained pointing dogs. Some hunters become fanatical about the sport, but while you often hear about pheasant or grouse shooting over pointers, few European and American hunters experienced the thrill of hunting Francolin, a name that may refer to any of the 12 species of Francolin and Spurfowl (the locals, however, sometimes call them simply ‘pheasants’). South Africans are spoilt for choice when it comes to Francolin hunting. The ultimate choice is shooting Greywing Francolin, a fast-flying wild bird of the spectacular mountain highland grasslands. For the avid bird hunter, the best hunting is to be found in well managed agricultural lands and highland grasslands. However, even the desert, semi-arid and bushveld offer a variety of different species of Francolin, which may be offered as a breakaway from your big game hunt by some outfitters. Outfitter specialising in dedicated Francolin hunts operate mostly in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga. Birds may only be hunted from May until the end of August.