Jackal Hunting

Jackal are quite popular trophies for African hunters. They are well known as scavengers but in reality they primarily hunt down small prey themselves.

Jackal Huntable Species

Golden Jackal - Canis aureus
Black or Silver-Backed Jackal - Canis mesomelas
Side-Striped Jackal - Canis adustus

Where To Hunt A Jackal

Essentially, the black-backed jackal occurs in 2 separate ranges - in southern and east Africa. The side-striped jackal occurs in central and west Africa and overlaps with the black-backed jackal on the edges of their range. The golden jackal occurs right across northern Africa the Middle East and Asia.

You can hunt a black-backed jackal in Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.
You can hunt a side-striped jackal in Ethiopia, northern Namibia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In South Africa the side-striped jackal only occurs in the far north-east (Mpumalanga & KZN coast) and it is listed as a TOPS species, thus requiring a special hunting permit. Side-striped jackel do occur in the far north of Botswana but will not be huntable there now.
You can hunt a golden jackal in Ethiopia only.
No jackals of any sort may be hunted in Mozambique.

Jackal Hunting Prices

In Botswana you can hunt a black-backed jackal on private hunting areas for a trophy fee of around US$100 to US$150.
In Namibia most huntable jackals will be black-backed jackals with trophy fees of around US$70 to US$100. The side-striped jackal occurs in the far north but most outfitters do not specify the jackal sub-species on their trophy lists. In some instances, private landowners may allow jackals to be hunted for free.
In Zambia, both side-striped and black-backed jackals maybe hunted and some outfitters do not specify the type. The licence fee for both types of jackal is in the range of US$100 with trophy fees of US$400 to US$600.
In Zimbabwe, both side-striped and black-backed jackals maybe hunted and again some outfitters do not specify the type. The trophy fees for either type of jackal range between US$50 to US$350.
Most jackal hunting in South Africa will be for the black-backed jackal where they may be hunted for free or for trophy fees ranging from US$50 to US$300. If you are hunting a side-striped jackal in the north-east, you could pay a trophy fee of US$150 to a hefty US$650.
In Tanzania the black-backed jackal is available on a 16 & 21 day licence with a Government trophy fee of US$250. Add on Community Development/anti-poaching fees and the jackal trophy fee can be between US$290 and US$850. Occasionally the black-backed jackal is listed as a silver-backed jackal on Tanzanian trophy lists - it is the same animal.
Where you can hunt a jackal in Uganda, it could be a black-backed or side-striped jackal with a trophy fee of about US$120.
In Ethiopia, all three jackal subspecies can be hunted. The trophy fee for a golden jackal is about US$160 and the others around US$100. If you are a jackal connoisseur and want to hunt a particular jackal type, check with your outfitter because the trophy list descriptions of jackals can be confusing - you can find silver striped, common and black striped jackals listed! Interestingly, the golden jackal may not actually be a jackal as it is more closely related to wolves, coyotes and Ethiopian wolves.

Jackal Hunting Methods

Jackal are mostly considered animals of opportunity and vermin in some places which is why sometimes they can be hunted for free.
If you have jackal as a priority animal, walking and stalking the likely habitats in the early mornings and late afternoons should be successful.
You can also still hunt jackals and using a predator call. Be patient and ready to shoot because jackals are skittish and don't stand still for long.

A Good Jackal Trophy

There are no trophy records for jackals so any mature jackal is acceptable. In countries where hunting females of any species is not allowed, go for male jackal.

Jackal Hunting Shot Placement

As jackal shot placement is similar to other plains game species, go to Shot Placement On Plains Game.

Jackal Vital Statistics

Jackal Vital Statistics
	Black-Backed Jackal	Side-Striped Jackal	Golden
Shoulder Height	15-19" 38-48cm	14-20" 35-50cm	17-20" 45-50cm
Weight	13-29lb 6-13kg	14-31lb 6-14kg	13-31lb 6-14kg

Jackal Habitat And Requirements

The golden jackal prefers open, grassy plains, deserts and arid grasslands.
The side-striped jackal prefers moist savannas, marshes, bushlands and mountains.
The black-backed jackal lives primarily in savannas and woodlands.

Jackal Social Structure

Jackals live singly or in pairs, but are sometimes found in loose packs of related individuals.

Jackal Gestation Period

After a gestation period of 2 months, these species produce between 3 - 6 offspring.

Jackal Gender Identification

Females tend not to be as strongly coloured as males and are smaller.

Jackal Image Gallery

Click Images To Enlarge

Black-Backed Jackal

Side-Striped-Jackal

Golden Jackal

Jackal Trophy Permits (2015)

All Jackals
CITES	USF&W	EU	AUS
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Jackal Trophy Taxidermy

As with other small African animals, a full mount is the most popular taxidermy display for jackals. Full mounts with habitat of jackals doing what jackals do best - jumping around, often with a game bird in their mouths, make super displays.

Click images to enlarge