Becoming an experienced Dangerous / Big Game hunter

[Doubleplay]

I will respectfully exclude the likes of HO's & PH's from this category.

I was wondering what the general consensus is as to when we class a person as being an experienced Big Game / Dangerous Game hunter. I am talking about the guy that you will phone late at night asking him to accompany you on hunt, and you know that he will have your back when things go wrong (Again, we exclude HO's & PH's as back up).
Will you think of them as experienced if they have taken one species of DG on a one-day hunt, or should they have hunted multiple species over extended periods of time? Or what about the guy that can't afford a DG / BG hunt but have accompanied the hunter on such hunts.

When do we class "Joe Public" as a true, experienced dangerous game or big game hunter?

Never for dangerous game unless you do it as your job, professionally day in day out.

 

[mdwest]

When do we class "Joe Public" as a true, experienced dangerous game or big game hunter?

I think there is a HUGE separation between an experienced DG hunter and an experienced big game hunter..

and I think "experience" is a relative term..

To a kid thats never been hunting before in his life, a guy thats hunted deer 3 or 4 times a year for the last 3 or 4 years might be seen as highly experienced.. and to a complete newby, he probably is very experienced "big game" hunter and it is likely that the new guy could learn quite a bit from him...

but.. I think for most of us that frequent a place like AH.. a guy thats hunted occasionally for the last 3-4 years is probably seen as a novice at best..

Considering the cost of dangerous game, and the amount of time and energy it takes to pursue things like cape buffalo, brown bears, and hippos... I'm not sure very many people that arent PH's are truly "experienced" to the point that I personally would consider them experts.. there are certainly some people out there with a dozen or more DG hunts under their belts.. which I would consider very experienced by comparison with myself (1 buff to my name.. and been on hunts for 1 other buff and 1 croc with someone else).. but comparatively to a PH that might have 50-100 (or more) DG hunts logged.. is a guy thats taken 6 or 8 buffalo, a couple of bears, and a lion "experienced"? he certainly isnt an expert, and certainly would have the ability to continue to learn and improve his skills and capabilities in DG hunting (far from someone that knows most of what there is to know or that has seen most of what there is to see, etc..)...

 

[freefall]

One morning in Trapper Creek I was greasing my disk when my friend George walked up and said "I had to shoot a grizzly up on Moose Creek, will you help me pull him out of the bushes?"
I took that as a compliment. We went and got it, it was dead in an alder patch.
I did 5-6 years as an AK Assistant Guide, that was as hairy a situation as I ever found myself in. So I would not consider myself an experienced bear guide should things go sideways.
I like to think I wouldn't throw my gun and run screaming...

 

[Sideshow]

Do elephants in the teens count as experience?

Also, if looking for backup I'd eliminate the aficionados of rat caliber rifles like the .375.

Guess you would not call Kam Bill then with his 7x57

 

[Tanks]

Guess you would not call Kam Bill then with his 7x57

Definitely not as backup for a charging elephant.

 

[Sideshow]

As that falla Capstick said “Africa has no patience with careless hunters”! So call the one that isn’t and also has a good load of 4 leaf clovers and other good juju charms stuffed in his pocket

 

[saswart]

I have a very controversial opinion...but there are experienced hunters (however you wish to qualify them) that I would trust over some PH's. PH's are supposed to be professionals yes, but there is a difference between a dangerous game qualified PH and a normal one, well in SA that I am aware off.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Knowledge.
Rifle competence, being size and use of.
Composure under stress.

Those I think are the three necessary and sufficient qualifiers. Age or time in the field is not necessarily the answer, it may give you 1 and 2, but unless 3 is there as well it is irrelevant. I have seen youngsters who can pull this off and older ‘experienced’ hands that were not as good.