Civet Cat hunting
60 hunting trips from 25 outfitters starting from $1,210
Where to hunt Civet Cat
Civet Cat, in spite of catlike appearance and the name, is not a cat in the strict sense of the word. It belongs to the family Viverrids, small, omnivorous creatures that are great climbers, nevermind that their claws aren’t fully retractable. Various species of Civet exist in Asia, Madagascar, and even the Iberian Peninsula, but it’s the African populations that provide hunting opportunities. You can legally hunt a Civet Cat in Cameroon, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
Price distribution
Civet Cat is usually an animal of opportunity, hunted as an addition to the general trophy list. To hunt a Civet Cat, add to the overall cost of the hunt $500-$600 in Zimbabwe, and about $1,000 in other countries of its range. Special night hunting packages in South Africa, that provide the best chance to harvest a Civet Cat, along with other night dwellers such as Serval and Caracal, are priced from $4,000 and up.
Learn more from our blog story
If Civet Cat is not a cat, are there any small felines in Africa? When most hunters think about hunting predators, they think big: Lion, Leopard and Cougar, or the more familiar species like Bobcat or Lynx. But there are a number of small creatures that call Africa home: Serval, Caracal, and African Wild Cat. Read about what they are and how to hunt them.
28 Feb 2019 Small Felines. Part II: AfricaWhen to hunt Civet Cat?
There isn’t a magic period when Civet Cat hunting is better than at other times. The creature is usually hunted opportunistically, in the course of a general ‘plains game’ hunt, or when it visits a bait laid for other animals. In many African countries the hunting season is officially open year round, but but the period from November to March is usually too wet and hot for comfortable plains game hunting.
Hunting methods All hunting methods (14)
Civet Cats are usually hunted if an opportunity presents itself in the course of a safari. A hunter who is determined to harvest a trophy of all Civet Cat species that are legal to hunt will find this animal a worthy quarry in spite of its size. Outfitters don’t usually specify what species of Civet Cat are present on their territory, so if you’re after a specific one, it’s best to make sure in advance. Civet Cats are scavengers, so a hunt over bait is possible. Where legal, hunting at night, with night sights or artificial light, is perhaps the most efficient way of taking a Civet Cats. Some South African outfitters hold a special license for and specialize in such hunts where not only Civet Cats, but other nightly creatures including Serval and Caracal can be hunted.
Why hunt Civet Cat?
Africans hunt Civet Cats both for their fur and for their meat. In fact, illegal harvest and habitat loss are the major conservation threats for Civet Cat. Hunting concessions work against these threats, by curbing poaching, and protecting wilderness from logging and conversion into farms and pastures, but most importantly, they give value to wildlife for the locals. But that only works if the species has value – that is, can be hunted. And if you try to get a Civet Cat, you’ll find that this small creature will tax your hunting skills like the hardest trophy you’ve ever got.
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