What age to bring a kid on a Dangerous Game hunt?

[Art Lambart II]

I have asked my PH how old my son should be before he would let him accompany me on a DG hunt and he was quick to answer "15 or 16 provided he has some previous African hunting experience". My son is only 10 and he is more intrested in a Springbok or Impala Slam than hunting DG, hopefully we can get that done in 2023.

 

[Ike85123]

I was allowed to set in a leopard blind at 8yrs old, flashlight and comics in hand, back in 1979. I had to stay with my aunt at home or in the truck in the field until about 15. Staying in the truck was always rather boring. Nothing to do except glass the plains. Never was close enough to the hunt to watch from the truck. My children never had an affection to hunt africa, so I never had to make the decision on my kids.
Im sure all these hunters on AH and ph's here can give great advice to you about teens on pg and dg hunts.

 

[mark-hunter]

My kid, was 14 years of age, when I took him to Namibia.
For him, first safari. For me 2nd safari. Once I concluded its ok, and safe, I brought him along next time.

It did not happen over night, I trained him for this, 2 years in advance. (trips to range, local hunting, etc)
If a kid grows in hunting family, in hunting culture, no problem.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

My son, father and I hunted PG in the summer of 2018. My son is now 15 and quite proficient with a rifle. We hunt together in NA a lot. Lord willing, this July we return to Namibia to hunt again. (This is a postponed 2020 hunt.)
What age do you all think is appropriate to bring a kid on a DG hunt? Hippo is for sure included and we may add on buff. My son will probably not be the shooter as he is not yet comfortable with the .375. We both will be using R8s, so a barrel swap is easy if he gains proficiency this spring, but I’m not going to rush it.
What have others done?
What do the PH’s think and recommend?

@Tra3
He is at the perfect age to take in a DG hunt providing it's ok with the PH. As you said he most likely won't be shooting but the experience will be a great learning curve for when he does shoot. My son is 16 and wants to do his first buff hunt in OZ. He handles my Whelen without issues so would have no problems if it wasn't for the cost.
Bob

 

[Red Leg]

Back in the day, we were more focused on waterfowl. My son killed his first deer with me at the age of fifteen. At 23, in 2008, he and I went on our first trip to Africa. We, fortunately, were in the extremely competent hands of Nick Nolte in Namibia. I took a leopard, and we both took an impressive array of PG. In 2014 he accompanied me to Mozambique and the Zambezi Delta where we both took buffalo and a wonderful selection of East African plains game. I am not sure what might be too early - but I am certain it is never too late.

Mozambique Buffalo Hunt

Following my first hunt in Mozambique with my son, I published an article in African Hunting Gazette describing us taking a pair of bulls with Mashambanzou Safaris in Coutada 14 in the Zambezi Delta. Recently, the journal finished cataloguing the back issues on line. It was a fabulous...

www.africahunting.com

 

[WAB]

If you count grizzly as dangerous game, I let my son start when he was 14. Of course he was an Alaska kid so he was already spending a lot of time in the bush and was extremely cool under pressure.

 

[Newboomer]

Let him make the decision where dg is concerned. Sounds like he has some practical bush experience already with pg. Dg is a whole different ballgame and shows no mercy. Unless he is 100% mentally, psychologically, and physically capable to handle any circumstance, I would hold off for a year or two. I have seen too many parents trying to relive their youth vicariously through their children and it seldom benefits either. Let him accompany you in a nonshooting capacity as an observer to learn, but from a safe location. He has many years ahead of him to hunt.

 

[Tra3]

This is all very helpful information. I genuinely appreciate the advice. I don’t want to spoil the kid, but I want him to be part of the adventure. His primary objective this summer is an impala, he hasn’t specifically asked to hunt DG. I’m sure he will be happy being taken along.
I trust my son’s instincts and attention to hunting and safety. He has proven that over the last 4-5 years. I think having him involved, but slightly back will work out, but I’ll trust our PH (with whom we hunted in ‘18) on the details. I am now even more convinced that his focus should be PG hunting only.

My wife and I value the experience and education of travel more than buying the kids expensive stuff. This family Safari will be quite an adventure, especially as my two kids are in high school. I hope more of these trips are possible... but I remember when my interest in girls became more important than fishing. (Poignantly, my dad still reminds me about that.)

P.S. The other dynamic, which some will find amusing, is my daughter and spouse are both vegetarian. They firmly support hunting because of the benefit of free range, hormone free meat.

 

[Tra3]

Just a thought on the 375, has he shot the 235gr loads? They are a bit less recoil. He can accompany you, take a couple PG with your rifle / 235gr (assuming they shoot close to impact as your other ammo) and hang back at the final approach to the buffalo for safety.

We will have his rifle along for PG. He will be either on a 6.5CM, .270win or 7 mm Rem Mag.

 

[sureshot375]

It all depends on the kid. I shot my first Buffalo when I was thirteen. For the first 7 days of the trip I hunted alone with another professional hunter while my dad and my older brother hunted together. Although I was three years younger than my brother, I was better equipped to hunt without parental supervision.
I know 12 year olds that I would take on a DG hunt in a heartbeat, and I know 18 year olds I wouldn’t squirrel hunt with.

 

[Scott CWO]

From a guide’s perspective and that of a father, I think you are right on track to take him but limit his hunting to PG only. Kids need something to look forward to, in my opinion. You are already taking him to Africa as a teenager, which is a heck of an opportunity for him even without DG being in his plan.

When my son was five, he told me that he wanted his first big game animal to be a Dall’s sheep. I mentioned that I thought he should start with our local deer, pronghorn and then elk. He immediately said that would be fun as well. I promised him that if he studied hard and got good grades, I would take him for a Dall’s ram after he graduated college. We were supposed to go the Yukon in August 2021 but Covid changed the plan to 2023.

 

[Chickenfarmers]

19, a good that they are grown enough to take responsibility and care of themselves, follow instruction and enjoy the experience.

 

[jdemocko]

Both my boys were 10 years old when they first went over. I did the dangerous game shooting while they tagged along. They got to shoot plains game and camp meat. My oldest son shot 3 impala with a 416 Rigby and never mentioned recoil. My youngest shot mainly a 375 H&H. For whatever reason, neither have ever been recoil shy and they have made all one shot kills while over there.

 

[Muskox]

I knew I was a hunter when I was a little kid, my father and uncle brought us on antelope and deer hunts in Wyoming until we were 14 and finally legal to shoot one ourselves.

I read every hunting magazine I could get my hands on front to back, I went through the library a 1000 times over reading every hunting story I could find in every book. I probably checked out the same 20-30 books over a hundred times from age 8 to age 18.

So the old man knew I was serious. I tis about 40 years later and our conversations rarely ever venture outside that window.

I have hunted globally partially on my own dime, and partially thanks to a 20 year military career and a 10 year civil servant career all over the world.

But it wasn't always that way, being young and poor and enlisted I just dreamed of hunting. Getting married and then divorced and then 10 years later married again (worst financial decision of my life). Somewhere in the midst of that I managed to hunt Africa, Europe, Australia and do quite a bit of hunting in the United States.

My nephew has never been interested in hunting, his father was once a big hunter but doesn't really hunt anymore. Though he still likes to shoot.

I have friends that have kids that hunted as children (even taking bighorn sheep, persian ibex and other really amazing trophies) only to not have much of an interest as an adult.

An early Navy friend gave me a skull of a 165 whitetail, he didn't hunt anymore.

You might hear the hunting horn at a young age, to tune it out as an adult. Maybe he will keep doing it, maybe he won't.

Women who are anti-hunting (but still have a vagina) can corrupt a man's brain to thinking that he doesn't really need to hunt anymore. Look at poor Harry, pussy ruined that boy. He killed more deer than blue tongue along with African big-give and a variety of other big game. Only to have some divorced Hollywood bimbo dull his hearing for the hunting horn.

Sad thing to happen to a lad. Really sad.