Written by Andre vd Merwe | 27 September 2010

Dedicated Hunter Annual Report

The relicensing of firearms since 2005 in accordance with Act 60 of 2000 as amended (Firearms Control Act) caused the investment of much time and money (“blood, sweat and tears!”)  from every firearm owner busy with the process, or fortunate enough to be finished with it! The qualification and application for Dedicated Hunter status by members of the South African Hunters and Game Conservation Association (SAHGCA) that needed additional motivation for their hunting weapons, contributed further to the new and frequently strange processes that every one needed to get used to.  What every Dedicated Hunter has to realize is that his/her responsibilities does not stop with the completion of this process! According to the Firearms Control Act and the Regulations a Dedicated Hunter is described as a person  that participate actively in hunting activities and a member of an accredited hunting association.

From the number of questions and telephone calls that branch management and Inyathi Park answers on a regular basis, it is clear that there are a substantial number of Dedicated Hunters that  “do not understand active participation or they do not know about the requirement” despite repeated articles via the SA Hunter magazine, “Branch News” and individual correspondence to members from Inyathi Park!

Regulation 4 states:
“A hunting association or sports-shooting organization that applies for accreditation must, in addition to the relevant information required by regulation 2, submit proof to the satisfaction of the Registrar that:
c) it has a dedicated procedure in place to regularly evaluate its dedicated members for their-
(i) bona fides to be or remain a dedicated hunter or sports person, as the case
may be; and
(ii) dedicated participation in their applicable hunting or sports-shooting activities,
as the case may be;
(d) it keeps on record the particulars of the participation by a dedicated member in his or her hunting or sports-shooting activities as a dedicated hunter or dedicated sport person, as the case may be;”

Active participation in hunting activities include amongst others the following:
 

• AHGCA national and branch related official occasions such as shooting days and shooting competitions and member meetings with an official agenda;
• Hunting trips of which the member can furnish written proof, eg. a letter of “Permission to hunt/transport venison” or a hunting license. Participation in hunting activities is sufficient, if you are not successful in shooting your intended prey, you still participated in a hunt. A father and/or grandfather going hunting with his children and/or grandchildren, not firing one shot, was part of the hunt – who else will teach/transfer the hunting culture to the next generation?

Any two of the above or a combination of two acknowledged hunting activities are sufficient for a member of the SAHGCA to confirm his/her dedicated status annually. Every Dedicated Hunter need to keep a logbook with the necessary supporting documentation and when requested, to furnish as proof. An example of a Hunters’ logbook is available at Inyathi Park or on request at your local branch for use by hunters/members. Compare this with the so called e-filing process of the South African Revenue Services where  the individual keep the supporting documents and make it available for audit purposes on request, when necessary.

The SA Hunters and Game Conservation Association (SAHGCA) as an accredited hunting association, is therefore obliged by law to report by the 31 st of December on an annual basis to the Central Firearms Register (CFR) in Pretoria about the “dedicated participation”  in hunting activities of it’s Dedicated Hunters. The responsibility to prove and maintain his/her active status as a Dedicated Hunter is the responsibility of the individual and this responsibility should not be taken lightly. New firearms licensed or existing firearms relicensed and motivated under Dedicated Hunter status become an immediate problem, should the individuals’ dedicated status lapse. It is very important that members realize that when this happens you have one of a few options, every one of them mean that you will LOSE your firearm/s because you will legally be obliged to dispose of those firearms - you will unlawfully be in possession of these firearms!

The forms below need to be completed and submitted to SAHGCA by 31 October annually. Failure to comply, will result in a report by SAHGCA to the CFR and the individual could lose his Dedicated Hunter status with all the above ramifications! A second – “no activity” declaration is available for individuals, who because of circumstances beyond their control could not participate in hunting activities during the past year. Examples of such reasons are a long sickbed or an overseas work contract. This “no activity” declaration with motivation should be submitted before 30 November annually, a month later than the dead line for the activity report  in order to maintain your dedicated status.

Please download the file/s below and save them on your computer. After you have filled them in, email them from your computer.

Attached Documents:

File	File size
Toegewyde Jagter Aktiwiteit Verslag	45 Kb
Toegewyde Jagter 'Geen Aktiwitiet' verslag	45 Kb