Hunting (not for sensitive viewers)

Last weekend we went hunting. I've always been against hunting, although I never did it myself. In order to actually find out what it was I was opposing I went along. I am almost ashamed to admit that I kinda liked it. Lying in the beautiful Karoo (semi-desert), hearing the birds tjilping, watching the small animals and flowers making their way through the rough and dry landscape. It's a bit like fishing. You have to wait for the animals who won't be rushed. While you're waiting in silence all the stress fall of your shoulders.
I didn't shoot anything cause I missed.


The animals that could be shot were different types of bok; springbok, blesbok, gemsbok. The hunting season lasts for three months, during which a maximum of 25% of the population can be shot. After a bok gets shot the butcher will make sausage, ribs and steak out of it. The skin will be sold to a tradesman and the guts are left in the field for the animals to eat. The skin of springbok gets sold for only 3-5 rand a skin, that's around 50 eurocent. I was very surprised by that since a bag made out of springbok leather will cost you around 400 rand (50 euro).