How old to hunt Dangerous Game

[Neophyte]

Sadly we interfere with Darwinism too much.

 

[375Fox]

Some of you guys are really making DG hunting into something it isn’t. If the criteria for being allowed to hunt DG is the ability to respond to an emergency 99% of us are untested and many have reached an age they are a liability. DG hunting is about goals, some mental toughness on a long track and busted stalks in the heat, and the ability to follow your PH’s directions. If a kid needs a parent behind him pushing him along on a DG hunt probably better they wait a few years. PG hunts are fun in the meantime.

 

[CBeck]

When I saw the thread I thought maybe it was about how old you can be and still continue hunting DG, haha. Also an interesting question.

LOL…me too….i was hoping someone would tell me how much time I had left.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

Teach your kids to be resilient, to challenge themselves and to not be afraid to step out of their comfort zone. You have already taken them to Africa. The pinnacle of sport hunting on this Earth. If they liked it they will return and you will not be able to stop them. Take care of yourself, your health and build strong relationships and when they go, they will likely invite you to accompany them.

When my kids each got their drivers permit, I made it a requirement that before they were allowed to test for their drivers license, they must learn to drive a stick shift and must complete three SCCA auto-x events so they could learn how to steer into skids, find the limits of their car and brake at maximum efficiency. It was also a great confidence booster. From that experience, my son was tossed the keys to a Lotus and told to go out and find me and take me for a ride. My daughter was tossed the keys to a 1956 Bentley road racer that was both valuable and very rare. She took me for a ride in this open roadster laughing all the way. After my son's 2nd auto-x race he was driving his little sisters home from piano claase with me in the passenger seat. he hit a patch of well hidden pea gravel in the apex of a tight off camber turn and his car skidded, and he instinctively steered into the skid and recovered without my intervention at all. I smiled and praised his quick thinking and commented that it looks like the SCCA race experience was helping. His look of complete confidence and satisfaction was priceless.

I taught them all to shoot. When my daughter brought home her 1st boyfriend in high school he was a little short kid who loved Call of Duty shoot em up video games. After he had been hanging around for a few weeks, I said, It is time we take your beau shooting some real guns. His face turned ashen, lol. We loaded up and went to one of our private ranges and tested, FAL, Rem 700 in 223, 1911 in 45acp, M16 full auto, AK47 and a few others. We shot pumpkins, targets and I showed him how to hit a pop can at 400y with the precision rifle. My daughter shot every gun he did and out shot him with every one. Even those she had never handled before. She is very competitive and almost fearless. It was not too long before she kicked him to the curb for someone more worthy. Good girl. My son gravitated to racing cars but my daughter had no interest. To each his or her own.

 

[kpoynter]

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.

I respectfully disagree, at least in this context.
The reason why mostly is I feel myself or other Father (presumably experienced) would be right there too in addition to the PH. They wouldn’t be out there alone.
I would be the second standing there not my son at that point.
The first shot isn’t where things get dangerous. It’s when the first shot wasn’t good or the follow up.
When my son shot his Hippo, for example, I was to his Left with my .450/.400 Double and the PH with his .458
When he hunts Buffalo next year… he will have my .375… and I’ll again be right there with my Double
Cats? Would be in a blind and first shot counts
Elephant? Same… only danger could come from some weird charge or Cow herd etc

 

[Piet-Vis]

I would say it's entire up to the way the kid were raised. I was allowed to hunt "independently" ie on my own on the farm since I was 8 with a airgun. I could only hunt specific species, and I had to eat everything I shot. The air gun was replaced with a 22 when I was 12 and a 303 when I was 15 (my progression was slowed down by my ability to save money. Another rule was that I had to buy my own ammunition and rifles from my pocket money and whatever ways I could earn money).

I was 100% ready to do a unguided dangerous Game hunt by the age of 18.

I know a few guys with affluent parents who did hunt Dangerous Game in their pre-Teens (Brink and Calits from Botswana), but I don't think a 9 year old is fully able to appreciate and comprehend such an event.

For me it would boil down to how much hunting experience the parent has given the child. If he have done numerous hunts, I would say a 15 year old, that has been shooting very regularly ie every weekend since he was a pre-Teen, are able to take on the big stuff with a 9.3 or 375