Age to Start Kids Hunting in Africa

[Cleathorn]

I have a big and young family. We cannot hunt Big Game in the USA until at least 12, and the hunting can be tough. Not as many animals are seen and the shooing can be quick and difficult and if the chance is blown, it coud b a while before anyting else comes up.

What age do you recommend starting hunters out in Africa. Game like impala etc. Does RSA or Namibia have a minimum age?

This assumes as a parent I know when my kids are ready, meaning that they have the had the time to practice and become proficient with the hunt they will need to take the animals of choice. It is still a few years out but curiosity is starting to come upon me, kids grow up SO FAST!

Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[jaustin]

There is a minimum age in RSA to handle a firearm as I had a police officer get all over me because I let my 14 year old son carry a gun case. That being said, once you are out on the farm hunting you do not have to worry about it. If your child can shoot there should be no problem with taking game in most areas. I had actually discussed this with my PH before coming over and he had some good advice. My son had taken quite a few deer, turkeys, and wild boar before we went to Africa the first time so he had some experience. Your best bet is to talk it over with our PH before you go.

 

[Patrick R]

There are very little children that i know being on farms / hunting / outdoor that don't start hunting at a young age. My son started only this year an he is only 8 years old.

To own a weapon in S.A today a min. age of 21 do apply. There shouldn't be any problems if your PH knows about it, he himself probably started hunting also at a very young age...

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

Cleathorn,
I have seen kids as young as 9 come and hunt with their parents in Namibia and South Africa... On the young side I would say somewhere around 8 to 10 years old depending on the kid and his experience and maturity... You will know when the moment will be right to bring your kids hunting with you.

Gun laws in the United States vary from state to state and are generally independent of federal firearms laws, though in general a person must be 18 years of age to possess a firearm so this would be applicable as well to traveling with one.

In South Africa, a temporary firearms and ammunition importation permit will only be issued at the port of entry if the applicant is twenty one (21) years of age or older.

In Namibia, I believe that a temporary firearms and ammunition importation permit will only be issued at the port of entry if the applicant is eighteen (18) years of age or older. For some reason I cannot find confirmation on this, maybe someone can confirm.

Please make sure to not only look at the age limit for importation into the country in Africa where you will be hunting but it is also very important to look at the countries that you may be transiting through as they have their own laws, regulations and procedures that you will have to adhere to. Some airlines may also have their own rules...

What all that mean is that your kid cannot carry or import their own firearm, all of this has to be done under your name.

 

[Dlove]

Young hunters

Cleathorn,
In Texas there is no age restrictions on hunting. My son started shooting hogs with a 22 minibolt at age 4. He is now shooting a 222 and is ready to start shooting does and maybe a cull buck nesxt season. I have a Namibia hunt booked for sept 2010 and I concidered taking him(he would be 6 at that time), but being it is my first trip to africa I would wait a few more years. I plan to take him on plains game hunt when he is 10 and his younger brother will be 7. If they have the desire I am all for starting them young. I attached a few pictures of his first couple of hogs when he was 4. You might consider coming down to Texas to break them in.

 

[daggaboyblog]

My girls are very young - Klancy will be 2 in April and Melita is just 2 weeks old. I just collected a Savage scaled down single shot .22 rimfire for them to share.

Klancy was in Africa with me a few months ago and she loved it. She knows more of her African game than a lot of hunters I meet over there. She would walk around and handle all the game we shot and together we would spend hours at the skinning shed.

I had her in a backpack out pig and deer hunting from 6 months. I expect she'll be shooting tin cans later this year, but it will be some time before I give her the opportunity to hunt; I think they need to appreciate what they are doing.

If we forget about legislation for just a minute, I think that kids need to be involved very early so that hunting becomes a normal part of their everyday lives; I reckon that as they grow the desire to hunt will to come to them and if they want to hunt, and they can shoot, then just do it! If you are hunting in South Africa or Namibia then you have the perfect opportunity for a relaxed and enjoyable hunt with your child. We would ride up in the bakkie together, spot and name the animals and handle and talk about any animal that was on the ground.

There's nothing better after a long day than when your little girl asks to go to the gunroom before bed to say goodnight to piggy, Freddy fallow, Roger rusa, Ian impala and the rest of the gang!

 

[TOM]

I like the picture of the little hunter with little hog. Pretty cool!

 

[sierraone]

Unless it recently changed, if the child's mother is not going with you, you may have to have a legal document granted you permission to take the boy out of the country even if you are the father. Follow this closely, it can completely cause your trip to be cancelled. Good Luck.

 

[rifletuner]

I dont think there is a specific age as such. It depends a lot more on the temperament of the child. My son has always been very calm and safe, and follows instructions very well. He has been coming to shooting matches with me since he was 5 (as a spectator), and has basically grown up with firearm safety being drilled into him. But some of the guys I competed against and had children of their own would not bring them and didnt feel they were at a point were they could responsibly be around firearms, let alone be handling firearms.

In my son's case, he hunted in Namibia at 8 years old when we were staying on a friends ranch. It went great, and now at 19 he has a lot of hunting experience and makes very sensible shoot/no shoot decisions. Also at a PRS match in 2023 when my son was 18, one of the ROs commented that my son had the safest gun handling out of anyone the RO had ever seen.

So in short, if they have the temperament for it, I think the sooner they are introduced the better as they start developing the skills at a young age. But if the child is not ready, then it could turn out not-so-well.

 

[Houston Bill]

@Cleathorn, my 2 boys started hunting deer and hogs when they were 6 and my daughter when she was 8. I took them to Namibia when they were 9, 10 and 14 for their first hunting trip in Africa. By then they had had a few seasons of deer and hog hunting. When we were not hunting we spent a lot of time practicing shooting at balloons in the field from shooting stick and over backpacks etc so they became comfortable with shooting from different field positions. When they first starting hunting and shooting I loaded their 308 Win rifle with reduced powder "youth loads" from the Hodgdon manual and light bullets so it significantly reduced the kick. I also cut down the stock of their rifle 2 inches so the rifle fit them better. Because we took the time to practice shooting out in the field on shooting sticks my kids were comfortable hunting in Africa and we never had to track wounded game. That safari in Africa with my wife and kids is probably the best safari I have ever been on, trip of a lifetime. I hope you have a chance to do the same with your kids.

 

[Caitlin Williams]

personally, i grew up hunting with my dad. i started learning to shoot with a bb gun and then pellet gun and eventually the .22 and so on. i hunted only guinea fowl and warthogs for years! but it taught me that i cannot just "kill" anything and everything i see, it taught me that there is a reason why we hunt and how important hunting is for sustainable wildlife management. Starting young and "climbing the ladder" also created so much excitement, appreciation and a genuine love for hunting. I was only allowed to shoot my first antelope at 12 years old when my dad felt i was ready and i fully understood what i was doing. i am now 21 almost 22 and still have not hunted every plains game specie there is but i can say that i truly love hunting and have such a passion for it.

I think it is fully dependent on the child and the ultimately the parent as to when they can start hunting. Safety is of utmost importance and this cannot be stressed enough. My dad is an outfitter and land owner and i have seen so many children that hunt on his farm from as young as 6 years old, learning to handle a rifle safely, shooting at the range for hours on end, developing such a love for hunting and developing an understanding of exactly what they are doing and why they are doing it. It's great fun for kids and the kids that have hunted on my dads farm come back for more every year sometimes more than once a year.

Kids are the future of the industry and it is so important to get them involved.
HUNT WITH YOUR KIDS, NOT FOR THEM.

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

well said caitlin, very well said

thats why we do as we do at Tallyho, kids are the future clients, get them hunting.....this is my passion

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I started taking my son when he was 7 years old and my daughter when she was 12.

 

[Cleathorn]

Thanks AH Community - I had long ago forgotten about this post and question. I wrote this post in December of 2009 when my youngest of 5 children was only 2 weeks old.

As an update, that 2 week old baby shot his first lion 2 years ago at the admittedly young age of 12.

I started all of my 5 children out with airsoft guns (the modern BB gun) and/or .22's around 6-7 years old. All of my children have hunting plains (trying to start at 9-10 years old) and some have hunted dangerous game as well.

After I took my oldest, who is currently 19, on a safari just before her 10th birthday, it became a "tradition" to take each kid on a "10th birthday trip." Unquestionably the best safaris I have taken.

That first hunt was for Impala and Springbuck. My oldest has now been back to Africa with me and taken Kudu, Gemsbuck, Lechwe, Wildebeest and other plains game.

My twins were next; one of them took a black bear that still counts near the top of the record book in the area it was shot, and she was only 9. They have both hunted in Africa already, and one of them is going with me in June to hunt for a week in Namibia and then a week in Mozambique.

My sons started in Africa at 12 and 14 (there was a SARS Covid19 interruption). We have hunted lion, elephant, and hippo along with a bunch of plains game. Both boys could easily handle shooting a 375H&H magnum by the age 12. They can both handle the double rifles that I use in 9.3x74 and my 470NE. Their ability to shoot those guns is a product of shooter training and confidence with the guns. I have also hunted with my 14/yr old in Spain, Serbia and Macedonia.

It's been great being able to hunt with my kids (and wife), though I admit that it has increased my hunting costs rather substantially. Worth every cent.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

Definitely depends on the kid

My son started at 8. We brought a 22. He shot ground squirrels and Guinnea fowl and doves and had a grand time of it.

We’ll be heading back for our 5th trip together. This time for buffalo.

 

[Frederik]

Young children are the future of conservation and hunting so they need as much exposure as possible to the real life outside out of the cement jungle.

We love having younger ones shoot at BASA even if we are predominantly big bore we have a special class for them Colts - Where they can shoot any calibre and being supoorted by a grown up to load and hold shooting sticks if they need.

But they shoot at the same targets and range and have the trhill of that lion charging towards the cahrge box.

My son shot his first big animal a warthog sow at the age of nine and now has a decent trophy collection at the age of 19 including buffalo cow.

 

[Huntsmans Bane]

It depends on how interested and responsive the child is. 15-16 should be a ripe age to take it all that overwhelming adventure

 

[Tra3]

I first took my kids hunting in NA at the ages of around 4 and 6. It was more like a short walk with some crawling and a significant amount of noise.
I tried again when my so got to about 10-11 and it worked very well. His friends would be there usually, so learning to be quiet and still took effort.
At 12 my son went to Africa to hunt. We returned at age 15. My daughter took up hunting on that trip, she was 17. We have since added two hunts in England and another return to Africa last summer. They have hunted DG with me and have hunted DG themselves.
The value of a couple week vacation with one’s kids is amazing. But, we cannot forget about the time spent practicing at the range and doing NA hunts to get better. Even .22lr shoots in the yard are a great bonding moment.
A hunting kid is more cost. But,
the lifelong value from time spent together is much greater. It get easy to let the kids do the hunting in Africa and I follow and watch.

Note: I brought my best friend’s son last summer to Namibia as a high school graduation present. Boy was it a treat for me to do that.
You will never get that time back, so spend the effort and money now to hunt with the kids.