About Nick Bowker Safaris – African Hunting Concessions
Nick Bowker Hunting operates in the heart of South Africa’s Eastern Cape, around the historic town of Bedford — one of the most diverse and wildlife-rich regions in the country. Your hunting concession spans more than 150,000 acres of private land, with access to over 3 million acres of adjacent territory. You’ll never share your hunting area with other guests — every safari is private and tailored exclusively for you.
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Location and Landscape
Our lodges are located about 20 minutes from Bedford, a charming rural town nestled at the base of the Kaggaberg Mountains, part of the Winterberg range. Established in the mid-19th century, Bedford is known for its warm hospitality, fun-loving farming community, and the annual Garden Festival held on the second-to-last weekend of October.
The Bowker family farms stretch across expansive grasslands and into the dramatic Mankazana, Cowie, and Baviaans River valleys, where Angoras, Merinos, beef cattle, goats, and game thrive side by side — a true reflection of the Eastern Cape’s rural charm and diversity.
Hopewell Lodge & Hunting Terrain
The Hopewell Lodge, located in the center of our hunting concessions, sits on an escarpment 2,200 feet above sea level and overlooks four distinct biospheres within a short drive. The unique topography creates exceptional habitat diversity:
- Valley Bushveld: Home to kudu, bushbuck, nyala, and warthog.
- Savanna and Woodlands: Ideal for spot-and-stalk hunting for impala, sable, zebra, and waterbuck.
- Bedford Plains: Open grasslands where springbok, blesbok, and black wildebeest roam.
- Kaggaberg Mountains: Steep valleys and box canyons harboring eland, kudu, and other spiral-horned antelope.
Authentic Free-Range Hunting
Our areas are not high-fenced — only low, four-foot livestock fences designed to manage sheep and cattle. This allows the vast majority of animals to move freely, ensuring a truly free-range, fair-chase hunting experience. Most of these lands are owned by local farmers who, like Nick, balance agriculture and outfitting, ensuring responsible land and wildlife management.
While many outfitters in South Africa operate within high-fenced reserves for economic and management reasons, Nick Bowker Hunting focuses on natural, open terrain that offers an authentic, traditional African hunt.
Quality, Quantity, and Value
The sheer abundance of game is astonishing — you’ll see more animals in a single day than you might see in years elsewhere. For the cost of a North American elk hunt, you can harvest up to seven African trophies, making South Africa one of the most affordable and rewarding hunting destinations in the world.
All-Inclusive Packages
Our fully inclusive packages cover everything from airport pickup in Port Elizabeth to comfortable lodging, meals, guiding, and trophy preparation — with no hidden costs.
Travel, Climate & Health
Easy to Travel To
Getting to Nick Bowker Hunting is simple, safe, and convenient. Guests can fly into Johannesburg (O.R. Tambo International Airport) or Cape Town International Airport, followed by a short connecting flight to Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha).
Nick or a member of his team will personally meet you at the Port Elizabeth Airport and drive you to the hunting lodge — a scenic two-hour journey through the beautiful Eastern Cape countryside. Upon arrival, you’ll settle in at the lodge, where comfort, warm hospitality, and the adventure of your African hunt await.
Mild, Comfortable Climate
The Bedford district enjoys a temperate climate year-round, making it ideal for hunting safaris from March through October. The region receives an average of 390 mm of rainfall annually, mostly during brief summer thunderstorms between January and April.
Daytime temperatures range from around 18°C (64°F) in June, during the cooler months, to 28°C (82°F) in January, in the height of summer. Early mornings and evenings can be crisp, especially in winter, so layering is recommended.
Safe, Malaria-Free Area
Nick Bowker Hunting operates in a malaria-free region, ensuring a safe and worry-free experience for hunters and their families. The area is peaceful, secure, and well connected, with private hospitals and quality medical facilities located within easy reach of the lodge.
Whether you’re traveling alone or with family, you can expect a smooth journey, comfortable climate, and complete peace of mind throughout your stay in the Eastern Cape.
Rifles, Equipment & Expertise
To make your trip easier, we provide .300 Winchester Magnum rifles with suppressors and Swarovski tactical scopesat no additional charge. You’ll hunt from modern 4×4 vehicles with the assistance of expert trackers who have worked alongside Nick for decades.
Long-Range Hunting in South Africa
For hunters who enjoy the challenge of precision shooting, Nick Bowker Hunting offers dedicated long-range hunting experiences in the Bedford region of South Africa’s Eastern Cape. The area’s wide valleys, open plains, and natural elevation changes make it an ideal environment to test both marksmanship and fieldcraft.
Long-range hunts are typically conducted over distances of up to 650 meters, offering an exciting and technical experience for experienced shooters. Nick personally guides these hunts, ensuring each setup — from range estimation to wind reading — is handled with professionalism and safety.
Target species for long-range hunting include impala, springbok, blesbok, mountain reedbuck, and warthog. These hunts often focus on non-trophy animals, providing a unique opportunity for shooters to take multiple ethical shots in a single day while refining their accuracy under real-world field conditions.
The rates for non-trophy long-range hunts are highly competitive:
- Males: $250 per animal
- Females: $100 per animal
With the incredible abundance of game in the Eastern Cape, few destinations in the world offer this combination of variety, accessibility, and affordability.
Nick himself is a passionate long-range shooter with extensive experience in tactical optics and handloading ammunition. Hunters have access to his personally maintained equipment, including tactical and digital Swarovski scopes, mounted on precision rifles tuned for accuracy and consistency.
In addition to traditional spot-and-stalk hunts, Nick also offers driven hunts for the same species under similar conditions — ideal for hunters seeking both challenge and volume in their shooting experience.
A Typical Day
A hunting day with Nick Bowker Hunting begins at the first light of dawn — when the African bush slowly awakens. You’ll start your morning with a fresh cup of coffee and a light breakfast, often accompanied by the distant calls of francolin or the soft rumble of the valley below. The air is cool and crisp, perfect for setting out on an early morning stalk.
Within minutes of leaving the lodge, you’ll be in the field — all of our primary hunting areas are within a half-hour’s drive, meaning you spend your time hunting, not traveling. The day’s target species will have been planned the night before, allowing Nick and his trackers to head straight to the right terrain.
Morning Hunts
Early mornings are reserved for the brush-dwelling and spiral-horned species such as kudu, bushbuck, and nyala. These elusive animals tend to emerge from the dense cover to graze in the open during the cool hours of dawn and dusk. Moving slowly and quietly through the bush, your team will use wind direction, light, and natural cover to get within range — every stalk is a test of patience and skill.
Often, the hunt begins by glassing from elevated vantage points, scanning valleys and ridgelines for movement or the glint of a horn in the sunlight. A quality pair of binoculars is essential, as hours may be spent observing and planning before approaching a chosen trophy. Once an animal is located, Nick will guide you through a careful stalk — reading the terrain, using shadows for concealment, and positioning for the best possible shot opportunity.
On occasion, when conditions favor it, the team may set up an ambush at a waterhole or game trail — a strategy that rewards quiet patience and precise timing.
Midday Break
By late morning, around 11:30 AM, hunters return to the lodge for a hearty brunch and a well-earned rest. Some days, especially when pursuing distant game or during long stalks, a packed lunch is taken into the field, allowing you to remain out all day and make the most of the daylight.
Afternoon Hunts
The afternoon brings a shift in focus to plains game species such as impala, blesbok, springbok, and wildebeest — animals that are more active and visible during the warmer hours. Hunts at this time often involve spot-and-stalk techniques across open savannas and grasslands, using the rolling terrain and anthills for cover.
Evening at Camp
As the sun sets over the Eastern Cape hills, you’ll return to the lodge where a warm fire and delicious dinner await. Evenings are spent sharing stories from the day, discussing shot placement and close encounters, and planning the next morning’s strategy. The atmosphere is relaxed and genuine — the perfect end to a rewarding day in the African bush.
For many hunters, these fireside moments — laughter, camaraderie, and the flicker of flames under the Southern Cross — are as memorable as the hunts themselves.