Introduction to Bowker Hunting
Ownership & Structure
Bowker African Hunts (Pty) Ltd owns the Bowker African Hunts website and trademarks. The company is wholly owned by Robert (Rob) Bowker, who also serves as a director. The organization is committed to providing an exceptional experience in africa hunting.
Through Bowker African Hunts, Robert manages all inquiries and bookings, ensuring clients are connected with the right hunting operation:
Clients seeking adventure can explore the beauty of the wilderness through various africa hunting options.
- Nick Bowker Hunting – Co-owned by Robert Bowker and Nick Bowker, specializing in free-range plains game hunting in South Africa’s Eastern Cape.
- Bowker Safaris – Independently owned by Meyrick Bowker, focusing on dangerous game safaris, bird hunting, and family-oriented safari packages.
This structure means that all bookings are professionally coordinated by Robert Bowker through Bowker African Hunts, while hunters benefit from the expertise of Nick Bowker and Meyrick Bowker in their respective operations.
About Rob Bowker
Rob Bowker is the owner and founder of Bowker Hunting. Drawing on his international business background and passion for the outdoors, Rob ensures every guest enjoys a personalized African safari from first inquiry to the completion of their hunt.
The Bowker Hunting Experience
Turn your dream of an African hunting safari into reality—it’s far more affordable than you might think. With Bowker Hunting, you’ll experience fair-chase, free-range african hunting adventures, from the thrill of dangerous game to world-class plains game.
We specialize in plains game hunting safaris, offering unforgettable experiences for first-time hunters, seasoned African hunters, and those returning for another safari. Every hunt is designed to be ethical, exciting, and truly authentic—delivering not just trophies, but memories that last a lifetime.
Come join us in Africa with Bowker Hunting and experience the thrill of a lifetime and hunt with Nick and Meyrick Bowker.
Experience the best of africa hunting with us as we guide you through the breathtaking landscapes and thrilling adventures that await.
Table of Contents
About Nick Bowker
Nick Bowker has earned a strong reputation for delivering exceptional African hunting safaris in the Eastern Cape, specializing in free-range, ethical plains-game hunts.
We offer an authentic African hunting experience, blending expert guiding, diverse free-range terrain, comfortable lodge accommodations, and access to a wide variety of species. Our safaris are ideal for first-time hunters and seasoned sportsmen alike, providing a personalized, unforgettable adventure.
Nick Bowker Hunting Google My Business / Google maps listing
Hopewell Lodge – Your Safari Base
Nick Bowker is based in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, with Hopewell Lodge serving as our central hub and your home throughout your safari. The lodge is situated near the historic town of Bedford, about two hours northeast of Port Elizabeth—now officially known as Gqeberha.
Nick was born and raised on a fifth-generation sheep ranch and has been deeply involved in every aspect of the local farming community throughout his life.
Thanks to these long-standing relationships, Nick has exclusive access to over 2 million acres of prime hunting land in and around Bedford. The region’s diverse terrain—spanning mountains, open plains, valley bush-veld, and savanna—supports an exceptional variety of plains-game species with a remarkably high density of animals.
Wildlife Management and Sustainability
The wildlife is carefully managed by local farmers, each with a vested interest in maintaining healthy populations. Landowners own the game on their property, including transient animals that roam freely between properties. This sustainable approach ensures thriving ecosystems and exceptional trophy quality while preserving the natural balance.
A Family-Owned Hunting Operation
Nick Bowker Hunting is a family-owned business, managed by brothers Nick and Rob Bowker.
- Nick oversees all day-to-day operations and personally guides each hunt.
- Rob manages marketing, finance, and client communications, bringing decades of global financial expertise and a deep passion for hunting and land management.
Our family has lived in this area for five generations, and hunting is in our blood. With more than 25 years of experience conducting fair-chase hunting in the Bedford region, we know every corner of our hunting concessions and take pride in providing a highly personalized safari experience.
Fair-Chase, Free-Range Hunting
Your safari will be a true fair-chase hunt in a free-range African environment. We do not hunt behind high fences, except for a few specific species where this is required. This approach allows for authentic stalking, natural animal movements, and a more rewarding hunting experience.
Safety and Professionalism
The Eastern Cape is one of the safest hunting regions in Africa, and in our decades of professional hunting, we have never experienced a security incident. From your arrival to your departure, your safety, comfort, and enjoyment are our top priorities.
Nick will be personally present throughout your entire safari—from the moment we pick you up at Port Elizabeth Airport until we drop you off at the end of your adventure.
First-Time Hunters Welcome
Whether you are a first-time African hunter or returning for another safari, we will be with you every step of the way. From planning your trip to guiding you in the field, our goal is to ensure you have an unforgettable and stress-free African hunting experience.
About Meyrick Bowker
In addition Nick Bowker works in close cooperation with Meyrick Bowker of Bowker Safaris to bring hunters a wider and more varied range of African hunting opportunities than ever before, including exclusive packages offered by Bowker Safaris.
In addition to exclusive family plains game hunts Meyrick specializes in dangerous game such as buffalo, leopard, lion, elephant, and rhino; bow hunting and world-class wing shooting.
“Our hunting heritage, however, goes back much further – to the early 1800s, when the Bowker family first arrived in Southern Africa. From that time, Bowker men and women have hunted extensively, from the rugged Eastern Cape to the wild expanses of the continent.
With over eight generations of hunting heritage, Bowker Safaris is deeply rooted in the traditions, values, and respect for nature that have defined African hunting for centuries.
Today, Frank, Meyrick, Alexis, and Lily Bowker continue this proud legacy from our original homestead – a place steeped in history, rich in atmosphere, and renowned for warm hospitality that makes both local and international hunters feel at home.”
Children are welcome. I will be delighted to guide your children. We offer Big 5 guided tours to our National Parks in the Eastern Cape for observers and family members who are not hunting.
Wildlife Management and Sustainability
At Meyrick Bowker Safaris, conservation and ethical hunting go hand in hand. Every hunt takes place within a carefully managed ecosystem — one maintained through close cooperation between local farmers, landowners, and professional hunters. Each property owner has a vested interest in preserving wildlife and habitat health, ensuring that game populations remain strong and sustainable for generations to come.
In South Africa, landowners own the wildlife on their land, including free-roaming animals that move naturally between neighboring properties. This model of private stewardship has been a cornerstone of South African conservation success, allowing species that once faced extinction to thrive again.
A defining example of this success is the story of the Bontebok. In the early 1800s, this uniquely South African antelope was pushed to the edge of extinction — with fewer than 20 animals remaining. The Bowkers of Thornkloof, recognizing the importance of this species, played an early and pivotal role in its survival. By protecting and managing Bontebok herds on their Eastern Cape properties, the Bowker family helped establish one of the earliest examples of private conservation in the country.
Through decades of careful management and cooperation between landowners and wildlife authorities, the Bontebok population has rebounded dramatically. Today, it flourishes across the Cape provinces — a remarkable conservation triumph that owes much to the foresight and stewardship of families like the Bowkers.
At Meyrick Bowker Safaris, this same philosophy continues. Every safari contributes directly to wildlife conservation, habitat protection, and the sustainability of rural communities — ensuring that the natural legacy of the Eastern Cape endures long into the future.
Bowker Safaris Google My Business / Google maps listing
About Brendan Moorcroft and Garland Safaris
About Brendan Moorcroft
Brendan Moorcroft works in close cooperation with a wide network of leading Eastern Cape landowners, conservancies, and wildlife partners to offer clients a diverse and exceptional range of African hunting opportunities. Through these long-standing relationships, Brendan provides access to premium plains game, exceptional buffalo hunting, and tailor-made safari experiences across some of the finest hunting country in South Africa.
Brendon specializes in dangerous game, particularly buffalo, as well as premium plains game safaris, and customized hunting experiences suited to both seasoned hunters and first-time visitors. His calm guiding style, deep bush knowledge, and ethical approach have made him one of the most sought-after Professional Hunters in the Eastern Cape, with repeat clients consistently requesting him by name.
Brendan’s hunting heritage is rooted deeply in the Eastern Cape. His family settled on the high-altitude farm Klipkraal in the Stormberg Mountains in 1870, where Hereford cattle were first introduced into the region. From a young age, Brendon learned the values of hard work, respect for the land, and responsible wildlife management. He took his first springbuck at the age of six alongside his father — a moment that shaped the course of his life.
With over 15 years of professional hunting experience, a Dangerous Game License, and 83 buffalo successfully hunted to date, Brendan has built a reputation based on consistency, safety, and ethical conduct. Through conservation partnerships and surrounding reserves, he currently has access to multiple buffalo herds totaling more than 700 animals, making the Kubusi Valley and Kei area the buffalo-hunting Mecca of the Eastern Cape. This same region is also renowned for producing the largest kudu in the province, thanks to its ideal habitat, strong genetics, and low hunting pressure.
An accomplished all-round outdoorsman, Brendan also represented the Border Province in deep-sea bottom angling and game fishing for 3 years. He spent 2½ years in Tanzania as a skipper and fishing guide, while apprenticing in hunting during the off-season. This combination of bush and ocean experience gives him a rare, well-rounded understanding of Africa’s natural systems.
Wildlife Management & Sustainability
At Garland Hunting Safaris, conservation and ethical hunting go hand in hand. Every safari operates within carefully managed ecosystems, supported through cooperation between private landowners, conservancies, wildlife authorities, and professional hunters. These partnerships ensure that game populations remain healthy, habitat is preserved, and wildlife can roam freely across large, interconnected landscapes.
South Africa’s successful conservation model is built on the principle that private landowners are custodians of the wildlife on their land, including free-roaming animals that naturally move between properties. This system has allowed many species — once under serious threat — to recover, expand, and thrive.
Brendon follows this same philosophy in every hunt he conducts. Through strict ethical standards, sustainable quotas, and responsible species selection, each safari contributes directly to:
- Long-term wildlife conservation
- Habitat protection
- Job creation and rural community upliftment
- Anti-poaching and monitoring efforts
Garland Hunting Safaris also operates in alignment with the Capstone Game Farming Enterprise, a progressive biodiversity and wildlife-economy initiative focused on restoring ecosystems, strengthening wildlife populations, and building a sustainable future for conservation-based tourism in the Eastern Cape.
Every hunt guided by Brendan is more than a trophy pursuit — it is an active investment in the long-term survival of wildlife, the health of the land, and the people who depend on it.
About Robert Bowker
Robert Bowker is the owner of Bowker Hunting, which he manages for the purpose of booking clients for both Nick Bowker Hunting and Bowker Safaris. Through Bowker Hunting, Rob ensures that every client enjoys a seamless, transparent, and professionally managed safari experience from first inquiry to the completion of their hunt.
In addition, Rob is part-owner and director of Nick Bowker Hunting, where he is responsible for finance, marketing, and client communications. Working alongside his brother Nick, he helps oversee one of South Africa’s premier free-range plains game hunting operations.
Before focusing on Bowker Hunting, Rob built a successful 25-year career as an international finance executive. He served as Chief Financial Officer at several multinational companies—including Play (Poland), Invitel Holdings (Hungary), and Eurotel Prague (now Telefónica O2)—where he specialized in strategic growth, capital management, IPOs, and multi-million-euro refinancing projects across more than a dozen countries in Europe and Africa.
A Certified Public Accountant (CA) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Rob brings world-class business and financial expertise to the Bowker hunting operations. Today, he combines this background with digital marketing skills, using the Bowker Hunting website and online outreach to connect clients directly with Nick Bowker Hunting and Meyrick Bowker’s Bowker Safaris.
Bowker African Hunts Google My Business / Google maps listing
Our Guides Benjamin & Ryan
Benjamin Pringle and Ryan Williamson assist Nick with guiding. Benjamin and Ryan are seasoned guiding professionals.
In addition, Benjamin and Ryan are landowners in the Bedford and Grahamstown areas, and both were born and raised on farms and are an integral part of the local community.
About our Taxidermists
At Bowker Hunting and Bowker Safaris, we understand that your taxidermy trophies represent far more than just a successful hunt — they are lifelong memories worth preserving. That’s why we work with two of the most trusted names in South African taxidermy services: Timoland Taxidermy (TT) and African Wildlife Artistry (AWA).
Whether you’re looking for trophy mounting, plains game shoulder mounts, dangerous game full-body mounts, or custom habitat displays, our taxidermy partners deliver exceptional craftsmanship, transparent pricing, and personalized service. With decades of experience, they ensure your African hunting trophies are preserved to the highest international standards.