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Civet hunting in Africa

The African Civet is a Nocturnal, Secretive Catlike Creature

The African civet (Civettictis civetta) is a small, catlike mammal. It is native to southern and central Africa, preferring habitats that include savannas and forests. This specialist game hunting trophy is an accomplished swimmer and chooses to inhabit areas close to the water while rarely being found in arid regions.

Civet hunting in Africa is available in numerous African countries, including South Africa, Cameroon, Namibia, Tanzania, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and the CAR. Its status with the IUCN is “least concern.”

The nocturnal civet is a solitary, mysterious animal, preferring to rest and hide during the day before venturing out at night to hunt. It is adept at climbing and spends lots of time in trees, so look up during your African hunting adventure! 

They are most active for about an hour after dark as they hunt. Civets enjoy an omnivorous diet that includes carrion, birds, eggs, crabs, rodents, reptiles, fruits, and insects.  

Females breed from roughly one year old and can produce 1-2 litters per year. Young are born after a gestation period of 57-63 days. Between 1-4 are young born, and they are dependent on their mother for the first few weeks of their lives. The young civets eat solids from about four weeks and start hunting at around eight weeks old.

The civet is prey to numerous animals larger than itself, including hyenas, wild dogs, snakes, and crocodiles. It is often on the menu for many large cats, including lions and leopards.

AT A GLANCE

Name:
Civettictis Civetta

Male Weight:
22-33 pounds

Male Shoulder Height:
16 inches

Range:
South and Central Africa

Gestation Period:
57-63 days 

Life span:
15-20 years

Hunting Civet

Solitary Habits Make Civet a Challenge to Target on a Game Hunting Safari. 

Size and Appearance


When on a game hunting safari targeting civets, look for a slender catlike animal with a bushy, dark tail, a sharp muzzle, and rounded ears. Its shading ranges from brownish to gray, with a black spot or stripe-like pattern on its body. It sports black legs, and most of its tail is also black. Weighing about 22-33 pounds, the civet stands approximately 16 inches at the shoulder.

Hunting Methods


Civet hunting in Africa is usually part of a specialist game hunting safari. Enjoy civet hunting using the spot and stalk method or a spotlight for a nocturnal hunting adventure! Nothing is quite as exciting as a night-hunting adventure under African skies! Spotlights target the animal, allowing for an exhilarating hunting safari as hunters search for this elusive animal.

Challenges and Rewards


Civet hunting in Africa is a rewarding hunting adventure. Your prey is known as being secretive and camouflages itself well within trees, thickets, or long grass, so should you spot them during the day, it's already a major accomplishment! They are extremely fast-moving, making the challenge of successfully hunting this elusive mammal at night even more rewarding.

Rifles and Requirements

Any regular plains game hunting rifle is sufficient to get your civet into the salt; 7mm Rem Mag, 30-06 Springfield, .308 Win Mag, and 300 Win Mag will all work well. Smaller fast shooting calibers such as a .243 or 223 will also work nicely, and big bore rifles such as a .375 H&H, .416 Rigby, or .458 Win mag will get the job done. The hunter must focus on the ammunition used on the game hunting safari. When on a general plains game animal, a hunter would ideally use expanding or soft bullets, on a small mammal such as the African civet, one should use a monolithic non-expanding bullet. This will eliminate a large exit wound, with a small entry and exit hole and small wound channel, preserving your trophy and making it easy for your taxidermist to work with your game hunting trophy.

MASTERING SHOT PLACEMENT FOR AFRICAN CATS


Civet Side ViewCivet Side View Shot Placement

Available Civet hunts

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Hyena Hunting & African Critters in Limpopo, South Africa  

Limpopo, South Africa

Hunting Categories:African Cats , Exotic Plains Game , Speciality Animals

Species:Brown Hyena , Bushpig , Civet , Honey Badger , Serval , Spotted Hyena

Hunt Preferences:Accessible Hunts (Disability Friendly) , Family Friendly , Gun Rental

Hunters and PH/Guides On Hunt:1 x Hunter 1 x Professional Hunter

Booking Season:2025

Destinations:South Africa

Languages Spoken:Afrikaans , English

Hunting Methods:Baiting , Crossbow hunting , Hunting from a Blind , Rifle hunting

Hunt Difficult:Difficult , Moderate

$10200 for 11 days
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Hunt Brown Hyena and African Cats in South Africa

Waterberg District Municipality, Limpopo, South Africa

Hunting Categories:African Cats , Speciality Animals

Species:Brown Hyena , Bushpig , Civet , Honey Badger

Hunt Preferences:Accessible Hunts (Disability Friendly) , Family Friendly , Gun Rental

Hunters and PH/Guides On Hunt:1 x Hunter 1 x Professional Hunter

Booking Season:2025

Destinations:South Africa

Languages Spoken:Afrikaans , English

Hunting Methods:Baiting , Bow hunting , Crossbow hunting , Hunting from a Blind , Rifle hunting

Hunt Difficult:Easy , Moderate

$7400 for 6 days
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Hyena Hunting and Endemic Antelope 8 x Nights in Namibia

Khomas Hochland, Khomas, Namibia

Hunting Categories:African Plains Game , Speciality Animals

Species:African Genet , Brown Hyena , Civet , Damara Dik-Dik , Honey Badger , Serval , Spotted Hyena

Hunt Preferences:Accessible Hunts (Disability Friendly) , Family Friendly , Gun Rental

Hunters and PH/Guides On Hunt:1 x Hunter 1 x Professional Hunter

Booking Season:2025

Destinations:Namibia

Languages Spoken:Afrikaans , English , German

Hunting Methods:Baiting , Black Powder Hunting , Hunting from a Blind , Rifle hunting , Walk & Stalk

Hunt Difficult:Difficult , Moderate

$5950 for 8 days
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Free Range Trophy Lion Hunting in Tanzania,16 days in Rungwa

Rungwa area Tanzania

Hunting Categories:African Cats , Dangerous Game

Species:African Crocodile , Baboon , Black-backed Jackal , Bohor Reedbuck , Bushbuck , Bushpig , Cape buffalo , Civet , Hippo , Impala , Johnston's Wildebeest , Kudu (greater) , Lichtenburg Hartebeest , Lion , Livingston Eland , Roan , Sable , Serval , Spotted Hyena , Topi , Warthog , Waterbuck (Defassa) , Zebra

Hunt Preferences:Family Friendly

Booking Season:2024/25

Destinations:Tanzania

Languages Spoken:English

Hunting Methods:Baiting , Hunting from a Blind , Rifle hunting

Hunt Difficult:Difficult , Extreme , Moderate

$50050 for 16 days
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Zimbabwe Hunting Safari Matetsi (ECA)“Night Critter” Packaged Hunt  

Matetsi, Hwange, Matabeleland North Province, Zimbabwe

Hunting Categories:Speciality Animals

Species:African Wildcat , Civet , Porcupine , Serval , Spotted Hyena

Hunt Preferences:Family Friendly

Hunters and PH/Guides On Hunt:1x Hunter 1 x PH/Guide

Booking Season:2025

Destinations:Zimbabwe

Languages Spoken:English , Spanish

Hunting Methods:Baiting , Rifle hunting

Hunt Difficult:Difficult

$9000 for 7 days
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Spotted Hyena Hunting in SA plus 7 Specialty Species

Limpopo, South Africa

Hunting Categories:African Plains Game , Speciality Animals

Species:African Genet , Baboon , Black-backed Jackal , Bushpig , Civet , Honey Badger , Spotted Hyena , Vervet Monkey

Hunt Preferences:Family Friendly , Gun Rental

Hunters and PH/Guides On Hunt:x1 hunter x1 PH/Guide x1 Observer

Booking Season:2025/2026

Destinations:South Africa

Languages Spoken:Afrikaans , English

Hunting Methods:Black Powder Hunting , Bow hunting , Crossbow hunting , Rifle hunting

Hunt Difficult:Moderate

$9500 for 10 days
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Hyena Hunting and Night Critters ALL IN 8 x Nights in Zim

Chichindwe, Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe

Hunting Categories:African Plains Game , Speciality Animals

Species:African Genet , Black-backed Jackal , Bushpig , Civet , Spotted Hyena

Hunt Preferences:Accessible Hunts (Disability Friendly) , Family Friendly , Gun Rental

Hunters and PH/Guides On Hunt:1 x Hunter 1 x Professional Hunter

Booking Season:2025

Destinations:Zimbabwe

Languages Spoken:English , German

Hunting Methods:Baiting , Black Powder Hunting , Hunting from a Blind , Rifle hunting , Walk & Stalk

Hunt Difficult:Difficult , Moderate

$10104 for 8 days
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Hunting Adventures with Honey Badger & 4 Species in Limpopo

Musina, Vhembe District Municipality, Limpopo, South Africa

Hunting Categories:Speciality Animals

Species:African Genet , Black-backed Jackal , Caracal , Civet , Honey Badger , Porcupine , Serval

Hunt Preferences:Accessible Hunts (Disability Friendly) , Family Friendly , Gun Rental

Hunters and PH/Guides On Hunt:1 x Hunter 1 x Professional Hunter

Booking Season:2025/2026

Destinations:South Africa

Languages Spoken:Afrikaans , English

Hunting Methods:Bow hunting , Hunting from a Blind , Rifle hunting , Walk & Stalk

Hunt Difficult:Moderate

$6550 for 7 days
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