Jackals are divided into two subspecies, namely the black-backed jackal and the side-striped jackal. The black-backed jackal is the more common of the two subspecies and can be found all over Southern Africa. Northern Namibia, Botswana, and some of Zambia are home to the side-striped jackal.
The black-backed jackal is our main focus here, but its close relative is included as well. The black-backed has a subtle reddish hue, earning him the Afrikaans moniker ‘rooijakkals’ (red jackal).
Its name comes from the black saddle with white spots that adorn its back. The only distinguishing feature between males and females is that males often weigh more than females.
Similar to the North American coyote, this skilled small predator is accorded roughly the same level of respect. Both farmers and wildlife ranchers are doing everything they can to reduce their population due to the relentless manner with which they prey on young antelope and livestock.
Although the jackal is most at home in dry, open environments, this dog is capable of adjusting to any setting as long as there is sufficient cover, such as woods or meadows with bushes.
Jackals don’t stick close to water sources and often prefer to move alone, however they will occasionally team up and set up a territory. They feed on anything from fruit to large insects to scavenged lambs and mice and hares.
For many farmers and ranchers in South Africa, jackal present a relentless problem. While jackals play an important role in the ecosystem, once they learn to kill newly born lambs, they continue to employ this tactic. As such, jackal can devastate lambing populations in a single night, making them a severe problem.
In order to keep the ecological balance between wildlife and farming, it is important to regulate the population size of each species.
Like its North American relative, the rooijakkals is a tenacious small predator, making eradication efforts unlikely. They respond to drastic population decline by having larger litters. Hunting jackal can be a great distraction because they usually appear when other game becomes scarce.
When hunting jackal, make good use of whatever ammunition you have in the rifle’s chamber or magazine. Jackals are extremely perceptive and will immediately notice any change in motion.
For its high magnification and generous eye relief, a 2 – 12 X 50 rifle scope is an excellent choice. As a result, you’ll have more leeway in how and when you check your target.
In South Africa, the best calibre for hunting jackal is the one you have with you at the time, however there are some good options to consider beforehand:
Within effective range, a 12-gauge shotgun is incredibly useful if one happens to be at the ready. For the most part, jackal is hunted with a floodlight late at night.
The jackal is most commonly spotted in open regions early in the morning and late in the afternoon, when it is either returning home from a day of hunting or making its journey there.
One can almost always get a shot off if a rifle is nearby. Jackals will respond to predator calls initially, but if they figure out they’ve been duped, they may ignore them for a while.
An exclusive jackal hunt can be set up with our expert team at Hunt24, or can form part of larger game hunt. We employ a variety of tactics to help you target these tenacious and respected little predators.
