How old to hunt Dangerous Game

[Killo]

I took my middle son for elephant when he was 11. We didn’t connect that trip, but he did take a croc. It wasn’t his first safari with bow or gun and he had been on a variety of hunts since he was about 6 years old. He was a multi-time hunter safety graduate and a jr instructor. He had the emotional intelligence and the proficiency required for such a hunt. There are other people aged 21-80 that are not ready.

You cannot rely on a clean answer to your question. I don’t believe in averages and bell curves in this regard because the average and median quality hunter of any age is not suited for a DG hunt period. The real question is how exceptional your kid is and how self aware. You’re just as likely to get killed by a snake on a DG hunt as being stomped by a buffalo. How “with it” is your kid going to be? If you cut them off emotionally and financially at 18, would they wilt in life, or would they go on to live productive lives like our grandparents did? Emotional IQ and general knowledge is critical. From the general US population, I’d say about 5:1000 18 year old males are suited for a DG safari. Sadly, its roughly the same ratios today for military service held to the standards we had in the Vietnam era.

Hunting with my son on multiple safaris was one of the most rewarding experiences of my lifetime. You have to put in the work early to hatch a good egg in general, for him it was 6 years of hunting extensively with many weapon types that got him to the right place by age 11.

He’s 14 now and he doesn’t like hunting with me too much anymore. Says I’m too noisy and I pick the wrong spots. Now he grabs a bow, picks a spot, and calls me to help him drag out his game. In Africa half the time he’d just split from camp with his own PH to hunt on his terms. Such is life, still glad to share a camp with him.

Congratulations

 

[rookhawk]

I had a long talk to a PH about this subject a few years ago.

He said he had guided a few younger hunters and most had done an average lifetime’s hunting by the time they were 21 and gave up.

He said he felt sorry for them as they were too young to appreciate what they were doing and then had nothing to aim for.

He was the son of a PH and had been allowed to shoot birds very young, then plains game from 14 and his first buffalo at 20. He said looking back, he appreciated it so much more being made to tag along with the trackers for years before being allowed to take a shot. His best friend hunted a leopard at 14 and gave up and went in to water sports.

To his face, I’d say the PH doesn’t know a thing about raising western children. The odds of a child playing with dolls and video games, never growing up, and having no interest in the outdoors approaches 100%.

I can’t tell you how often I meet neutered hunter dads that just sigh with disappointment their children have no interests in anything worthwhile. Sorry, you raised beta children, they aren’t going to emerge from parent’s basement at 26 and decide to build their first fort, go hunt squirrels, and practice with a bow. That ship sailed 20 years prior.

Asking PHs about child rearing in the first world is about as sensible as asking their recommendation on private equity plays in the market.

 

[Borderer]

I suppose it all comes down to the individual.

I know a lady who went hunting with her father as soon as she was big enough to follow him and did a lot of hunting all over the world up to the age of 19, when she gut shot a deer. She got a very harsh lecture from the guide about how she wasn’t fit to use a rifle, totally destroyed her confidence and she hasn’t picked a rifle up again since. I doubt she ever will. She did try a 22 a couple of years ago but couldn’t hit a tin can at 50m, despite the fact she shot competitively as a teenager.

 

[Flbt]

Lots of good advice….
I’ve taken my boy twice at 12 and 14. We did get a Communal Hippo tag and I let him shoot a Hippo with my .375. Dry land opportunity. Like you, I had him hunt plainsgame first…tag along… and get his feet wet. My daughter…she has zero interest lol.
However… what I would consider a true Dangerous Game Hunt….Buffalo, Elephant, Cats…
I don’t deem him old enough yet at 15+
Two issues to me as many stated above
1) safety…I’m actually less concerned about safety because the PH and myself will be there in any scenario
2) appreciation and true understanding and memory….this is my issue. Can a child truly understand and appreciate the opportunity? I’m not sure they can. Will it “spoil them”? Yeah…very possibly. Others wisely stated having them do something to “earn it”. Wise advice.

I do plan on letting him Shoot a Buffalo in 2026 at age 16.5. I believe he will be much better prepared to “appreciate” by then.
Caught a photo of them the first time a herd of Wild Elephants walked up lol

View attachment 668901View attachment 668903

I am not talking about your kids I obviously do not know them.
But age and remember/ understand the hunt.
I remember being with my dad the dangers or bear and hog stands out to me still vs deer and small game.
And of family that passed I truly remember and chareish the hunts I went on as a young child with them.
My mom and dad split when I was young.
Dad kept me. I was with him a lot some did say to young for some of the stuff
So small I had to use a 410 on my first bear hunt
But as the child in the situation
I truly appreciate and remember it
I try to pass that on to my nephews and both have taken deer by age 6

 

[Brian]

Only you know when your kid is ready.

It's wonderful that the young guy is included in your hunting. Awesome!!
Also, a 375 or 45-70 with a muzzle brake or silencer kicks about like a .30-06. Get him close, 50 yds or less, for a good heart shot. Have him practice several hundred rounds with a .22 rimfire off sticks. My Grandson has made 12 one shot kills on plains game between age 10 and 12. He practiced on sticks with a Ruger 10-22 and a bit of 308 and when he got to Africa Africa he used the outfitters 30-06 with a silencer.
He is a tall skinny guy. He is 14 now and it ready for a cape buffalo when ever he wants . We will set him up with my 11 lb, straight stocked single shot 50-110 Win. with CEB Raptor bullets and a tank type muzzle brake. It kicks about like a mild 30-06 and kills cape buffalo "dead right there".

I take it as a privilege to be allowed to give some advice.

Here is my two bits worth,
Get him very close for a broad side, top of the heart shot and use first class bullets. ( CEB Raptor, NorthFork, Swift, TSX. etc.)
Muzzle brakes and electronic ear muff are a good thing.
Half the recoil and he can hear all the bush sounds an instructions from the PH.

I am no fan of the 375 or Hornady bullets for cape buffalo. ( I know that every one else loves the 375 with poor bullets. "Thousands of cape buffalo are killed every year that way." bla-bla-bla...) Oops, did I go too far with my personal opinions? My bad. Brian

 

[coreydb]

Ask your PH and take his recommendation.

 

[375Fox]

He said he felt sorry for them as they were too young to appreciate what they were doing and then had nothing to aim for.

I agree with you on this part for DG. I did my first PG hunt at 13. It was a lot of fun but a wildebeest held the same importance as any other game. A few years later I was old enough to appreciate what I got to do and still remember it as one of my best hunts today. I’ve forgot many of the details of my first trip at 13.

 

[Elkeater]

Well I didn’t think this topic would garner this much interest. I think what many of you are saying is what I’m feeling. I love hunting with my kids and they both enjoy hunting so I want to keep that fire going. I don’t think I’ll be able to get them back to Africa for a hunt for the next 4 years minimum. So in the meantime I’ll lean a little heavier on the hunts available here that add a little more excitement than a deer. Bear and hogs come to mind. I still need a DG rifle anyway before I go back. And someone suggested having the kids work to save up. Maybe I’ll have them pay half of whatever they want to hunt up to buffalo or something like that. 4ish years from now they’ll be 14 and 16. I’ll have to see what they are capable of at that point.

 

[BryceM]

Depends on the kid. Plenty of adults aren’t ready.

On some level though, I think it’s a bit difficult to encourage kids to do things that could get them killed. The science behind risk assessment is pretty consistent. That part of the brain isn’t fully ripe until around age 22-25. Getting messed up as a teenager “hurts worse” than when it happens to an adult. Even if “it” happens to someone else in the group, being party to a traumatic scene would leave a pretty deep emotional scar.

If it was my kid, I’d start thinking about it at age 16-18, if I thought it would be meaningful to them.

 

[Flbt]

I think DWB's answer is spot on.


A pretty young child can be taught to make a good shot with a .375, especially with a muzzle break or suppressor.


One thing many people forget, is that dangerous game hunting can become really DANGEROUS.



If things go sideways, things can end up dangerous, fast, and at close range.

I'm pretty sure my son could have handled it when he was 17-18, because he did quite a bit of competitive shooting (competed in "steel challenge" events and "3-gun" matches) where shooting involved pressure, timed events, mandatory reloads, safety violation disqualifications, competition, etc.


Grace under pressure, and knowing what do quickly and under pressure, is key.

I took my middle son for elephant when he was 11. We didn’t connect that trip, but he did take a croc. It wasn’t his first safari with bow or gun and he had been on a variety of hunts since he was about 6 years old. He was a multi-time hunter safety graduate and a jr instructor. He had the emotional intelligence and the proficiency required for such a hunt. There are other people aged 21-80 that are not ready.

You cannot rely on a clean answer to your question. I don’t believe in averages and bell curves in this regard because the average and median quality hunter of any age is not suited for a DG hunt period. The real question is how exceptional your kid is and how self aware. You’re just as likely to get killed by a snake on a DG hunt as being stomped by a buffalo. How “with it” is your kid going to be? If you cut them off emotionally and financially at 18, would they wilt in life, or would they go on to live productive lives like our grandparents did? Emotional IQ and general knowledge is critical. From the general US population, I’d say about 5:1000 18 year old males are suited for a DG safari. Sadly, its roughly the same ratios today for military service held to the standards we had in the Vietnam era.

Hunting with my son on multiple safaris was one of the most rewarding experiences of my lifetime. You have to put in the work early to hatch a good egg in general, for him it was 6 years of hunting extensively with many weapon types that got him to the right place by age 11.

He’s 14 now and he doesn’t like hunting with me too much anymore. Says I’m too noisy and I pick the wrong spots. Now he grabs a bow, picks a spot, and calls me to help him drag out his game. In Africa half the time he’d just split from camp with his own PH to hunt on his terms. Such is life, still glad to share a camp with

In

Depends on the kid. Plenty of adults aren’t ready.

On some level though, I think it’s a bit difficult to encourage kids to do things that could get them killed. The science behind risk assessment is pretty consistent. That part of the brain isn’t fully ripe until around age 22-25. Getting messed up as a teenager “hurts worse” than when it happens to an adult. Even if “it” happens to someone else in the group, being party to a traumatic scene would leave a pretty deep emotional scar.

If it was my kid, I’d start thinking about it at age 16-18, if I thought it would be meaningful to them.

I take it you did not grow up on a working farm/ ranch
Getting hurt was kinda common
And really not very traumatic.
But idk my son in law saw a scar ask what happened just my thumb got knocked nearly off from a seed spreeder. He said something about ptsd for that. Idk

Well I didn’t think this topic would garner this much interest. I think what many of you are saying is what I’m feeling. I love hunting with my kids and they both enjoy hunting so I want to keep that fire going. I don’t think I’ll be able to get them back to Africa for a hunt for the next 4 years minimum. So in the meantime I’ll lean a little heavier on the hunts available here that add a little more excitement than a deer. Bear and hogs come to mind. I still need a DG rifle anyway before I go back. And someone suggested having the kids work to save up. Maybe I’ll have them pay half of whatever they want to hunt up to buffalo or something like that. 4ish years from now they’ll be 14 and 16. I’ll have to see what they are capable of at that point.

if you want something exciting and sorta dangerous
Gator with a rod and bang stick instead of a rifle

 

[Safari Dave]

Fblt get's its.



Being able to think and act rationally when things get traumatic, is either innate, or learned, IDK...


I think I'm blessed that my wife, myself, son and daughter seem to have have that ability.

My son is now an ER nurse, who became interested in emergency situations after being in Boy Scouts and taking a Red Cross Wilderness First Aid class.



I've never seen my wife or daughter, "lose their wits" in an emergency situation.

I was (somewhat) a first first responder a few years ago, because we (public works) had to respond before fire and police to clear roads before they could even get to a scene during serious weather emergencies.

The only time that I can remember that my wife may have gotten too emotional on me was on 9/11, when I was trying to fly from Denver to Atlanta in the morning.

(I ended up promising her not to get on a plane (it was pretty easy to make that promise, when you are pretty sure that no plane would be flying that day!)).

 

[rookhawk]

Fblt get's its.



Being able to think and act rationally when things get traumatic, is either innate, or learned, IDK...


I think I'm blessed that my wife, myself, son and daughter seem to have have that ability.

My son is now an ER nurse, who became interested in emergency situations after being in Boy Scouts and taking a Red Cross Wilderness First Aid class.



I've never seen my wife or daughter, "lose their wits" in an emergency situation.

I was (somewhat) a first first responder a few years ago, because we (public works) had to respond before fire and police to clear roads before they could even get to a scene during serious weather emergencies.

The only time that I can remember that my wife may have gotten too emotional on me was on 9/11, when I was trying to fly from Denver to Atlanta in the morning.

(I ended up promising her not to get on a plane (it was pretty easy to make that promise, when you are pretty sure that no plane would be flying that day!)).

By the way, it’s only slightly off tangent.

Recent studies on childhood trauma are pathetically self evident. Dr Abigail Shrier noted that kids seem to be doing worse the more therapy they get. Suburban affluence and dwelling trivial problems seem to make weaker, more neurotic people.

In another study, the Harvard happiness study, I believe the longest longitudinal study ever conducted, they found the happiest generation was (wait for it) “the Great Depression” kids.

Nerf covered life has made worms out of human beings. Your job isn’t to coddle, it’s to build resilience. Safaris are evidence of that, not training for that.

 

[LimbNoMo]

If you’re taking your daughter for plains game now, she should be ready anytime. I taught archery for a Boy Scouts troop and one of the boys at 13 had already taken the Big 5 and a whole host of other animals around the world.

 

[BryceM]

In

I take it you did not grow up on a working farm/ ranch
Getting hurt was kinda common
And really not very traumatic.
But idk my son in law saw a scar ask what happened just my thumb got knocked nearly off from a seed spreeder. He said something about ptsd for that. Idk

if you want something exciting and sorta dangerous
Gator with a rod and bang stick instead of a rifle

I worked a little in harvest growing up, and saw kids get hurt. That’s work though. Getting hurt from what for most of us is a purely recreational pursuit is a bit different. Traffic accidents happen. We accept the risk/benefit proposition of this without even thinking about it. Same with youth sports and other jobs.

Pushing a kid into sky diving, racing experimental aircraft, or hunting dangerous game is exciting sure, but in a way deliberately going looking for trouble. In my mind, it’s a different thing than growing up on a farm, and a risk to be thoroughly understood before jumping in. As I suggested, teens (and plenty of adults) are notoriously bad at accurately judging risk.

That’s my view, and I think a kid ought to be a little older to do it, but I have zero problem letting other people raise their kids the way they want to.

 

[Neophyte]

It takes a certain detachment to be effective when it’s someone you love facing danger.

 

[Flbt]

I

I worked a little in harvest growing up, and saw kids get hurt. That’s work though. Getting hurt from what for most of us is a purely recreational pursuit is a bit different. Traffic accidents happen. We accept the risk/benefit proposition of this without even thinking about it. Same with youth sports and other jobs.

Pushing a kid into sky diving, racing experimental aircraft, or hunting dangerous game is exciting sure, but in a way deliberately going looking for trouble. In my mind, it’s a different thing than growing up on a farm, and a risk to be thoroughly understood before jumping in. As I suggested, teens (and plenty of adults) are notoriously bad at accurately judging risk.

That’s my view, and I think a kid ought to be a little older to do it, but I have zero problem letting other people raise their kids the way they want t

I would not push a kid into anything ( but maybe work)
Living on a farm / ranch fun and work were really the same to some degree. Riding horses jumping them etc was fun
Bulldog cows was also work and fun
Getting hurt part of life there no getting around it.
Yes worrie about it after the fact is somewhat nessary especially because of pain.
But to have long lasting trauma makes no sense at least to me.
I have not hunted true dangerous game.
But I think it while not saying safer than working cows
You have more help.
I have the ph and your dad .
Go get a bull out of a swamp you are on your on a lot you have to worry about your horse and dogs if you use them
The bull
Gator,snakes,all the bugs especially hornets and yellow jackets and you could very well be a long way from any help or people might not know where you are even at.
In one of the other post here we talked about laws and ethics. Well this is where I broke laws and I Guess so did my dad. In those swamps I had a revolver on me since I was 11 years old I still have the single 6 my dad bought me.
I was trusted with the horse,cows, dogs, and gun.
I showed I was trust worthy
I showed I could be counted on and do the job
And some times because dad just didn’t have anyone else to be of help

And I think it’s like that with hunting
You know your kid or you should
You know what there abilities are
And you know if there trust worthy

Dad never put the guns up in the house never kept the shells else where
And never told me not to use them
But I’d my sister son was going to be there
All that was done.
It was not because of age there was only 3 years different.
It was because of the child.
Talking to one of my older cousins the other day he said it like this “ you were never really a kid you were all ways looked at like a small adult you were you “ I don’t know if it was what was in you or that you’re dad let you go every where and do everything when it was just you 2”

 

[CBH Australia]

Possibly at 18, that is the age you are considered an adult in Australia and can make adult decisions or wear the adult consequences.

Now, saying that even 16 might be fine it it is legal and they are mature and have the physical and shooting ability.

At least by then it’s fair to let them make the decision and take the risk if it is something they want and not something they think you want.

As for making them earn it or work for it , well it’s your money and if you have the means and it’s not taking money away from priorities like housing and education then go ahead share it with them while you can share the experience.

Remember, there is a risk and even professional hunters have been injured by Cape Buffalo. Sure plenty of kids have hunted DG and things like Water Buffalo in Australia so it can be done. Just ensure they understand the risk.

 

[Safari Dave]

It takes a certain detachment to be effective when it’s someone you love facing danger.

It certainly does.

I think we may have completely derailed the topic, at his point...

But, like Fblt said, kids who grow up in an environment, where traumatic injuries are present, but somewhat rare, seem to have the ability to deal with them during the event, much better than kids who think that "911" is the only answer to everything.

Kids with the prescience of mind to hold pressure on a bleed, while calling, satellite texting, yelling, using a two-way radio, blowing a whistle, etc. are a whole lot more useful.

There is both farming and logging where we live...

 

[rookhawk]

I

I would not push a kid into anything ( but maybe work)
Living on a farm / ranch fun and work were really the same to some degree. Riding horses jumping them etc was fun
Bulldog cows was also work and fun
Getting hurt part of life there no getting around it.
Yes worrie about it after the fact is somewhat nessary especially because of pain.
But to have long lasting trauma makes no sense at least to me.
I have not hunted true dangerous game.
But I think it while not saying safer than working cows
You have more help.
I have the ph and your dad .
Go get a bull out of a swamp you are on your on a lot you have to worry about your horse and dogs if you use them
The bull
Gator,snakes,all the bugs especially hornets and yellow jackets and you could very well be a long way from any help or people might not know where you are even at.
In one of the other post here we talked about laws and ethics. Well this is where I broke laws and I Guess so did my dad. In those swamps I had a revolver on me since I was 11 years old I still have the single 6 my dad bought me.
I was trusted with the horse,cows, dogs, and gun.
I showed I was trust worthy
I showed I could be counted on and do the job
And some times because dad just didn’t have anyone else to be of help

And I think it’s like that with hunting
You know your kid or you should
You know what there abilities are
And you know if there trust worthy

Dad never put the guns up in the house never kept the shells else where
And never told me not to use them
But I’d my sister son was going to be there
All that was done.
It was not because of age there was only 3 years different.
It was because of the child.
Talking to one of my older cousins the other day he said it like this “ you were never really a kid you were all ways looked at like a small adult you were you “ I don’t know if it was what was in you or that you’re dad let you go every where and do everything when it was just you 2”

FYI. Dangerous game hunting is far safer than rural life. Multiple children in my kids school have died from bulls. Been bringing kids to ER regularly, again today due to a Lacrosse bad check to the knee.

People drown fly fishing because they don’t cinch their wading belts tight. They drown because they don’t swim diagonally against the current to shore.

Safety training is key. Mitigating risks and having emergency preparedness is a must.

Generally, people are very helpless. Try not to raise more helpless people.

 

[Safari Dave]

There is a whole lot of difference between pulling a trigger and dealing with an emergency situation.


IMO, having the maturity to deal with an emergency situation is much more important than pulling a trigger when hunting DG.