About Us
Easy | Reliable | Cost effective
It was the cost of capturing game that set Steytlerville game farmer Haydn Krige on a mission to find a cost effective-solution to the problem. In the process, he unwittingly created a sensational passive game capture system that is a first in South Africa and is making enormous waves in the industry.
‘Under normal circumstances, a game farmer would need a qualified vet, expensive drugs and a helicopter to perform the task. That is not a cheap exercise and it becomes a problem for smaller game farmers who may only need to capture a few smaller buck whose commercial value would not warrant the costs of hiring a vet and a helicopter.’
‘Once prices were so lucrative that cost could still be absorbed by the seller but now things are getting more difficult for smaller operators, ‘says Haydn.
‘I also had the daily operational needs of the smaller game farmer in mind when I designed this net. Farmers may, for instance, need to select rams to move to other camps or identify ewes for a breeding programme and cannot afford or wait for the expensive alternative. Very often the need to perform a task is immediate but a vet is not always available at short notice,’ comments Haydn.
After much thought he realised that a net that could be suspended and dropped on unsuspecting animals was the answer. He had observed how nets were being used from a helicopter to perform the same task and realised that the answer lay there.
‘It’s handy to have friends who can turn your dreams into reality!’ Haydn comments. Greg and Russel Knott from Port Elizabeth assisted with the technical and electrical skills required to make the dream come true and the rest, as they say, is history
How does the De Dam Capture Net Work?
The system is really very easy to operate since the net comes packaged with all the functional parts including a manual and can be assembled on site.
The four metal posts are positioned in the suitable capture area and the net is spanned over the space with the help of a guide rope and attaching mechanisms. The 7x7m² net covers an area of 50m² and is ideally sized to capture small groups of small game like springbok and impala or single or pairs of larger antelope.
We also now have a magnum net that is exactly the same as the standard net as it is also 7x7m² and the squares are 150 x 150mm which ca also be used on larger animals. (Test on wildebeest successfully.)
The net is released by remote control with an effective range of 500m and drops over the selected animal(s) once they are within target.
This passive capture method works very well with game that are used to being fed. It would not be practical for capturing free ranging herds.
Passive capture like this requires a slightly different category of sedative drugs which can be administered by game farmers with the guidance and advice of vets. ‘I encourage users of this net to consult their vets before they venture out with it. The wrong dosage of drugs can in turn bring, unwanted loss,’ Haydn cautions.
‘We’ve mainly been using the net for the capture of springbok and impala but I’ve sold some to rangers who have had success with other species as well.’
The advantage of this passive method is that there is a greatly reduced risk of horn damage and leg breakages.
‘It’s interesting how animals respond to the net. I was concerned that they would not want to venture in under it or that they would become suspicious after having been caught once or twice. The amazing thing is that they seem to show no resistance or fear. They continue their normal behaviour and continue feeding in their normal way.
‘In essence, it puts the farmer back in control of his operations. He can plan and execute his management in his own time and can select his own choice of specimen when it suits them best.
This system is cost effective and requires a once off payment of equipment that can be used over and over again.’
