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I posted this on the Hog forum too. Carolyn is going to be going with me in a couple of years on my first safari. She has insisted that she starts going after big game now....think I'm going to stop her?!?!?! Well...the time is growing near. Carolyn (My twelve year old daughter) is getting ready for our first Boar hunt together where she will be the one pulling the trigger. She has been dilligently practicing at the range and seems to be ready to go. Last year I took her with me and let her have at it on some squirls...she was 5 for 5 and raring to go for larger game. We'll be off to Tejon Ranch in (California) in 5 weeks. Here are some pics of her at my club practicing with her 270 and her .22 (She still wants to flatten some squirls). (I'm the ugly slob dressed like some refuge from Cabelas.) My pop took these pics before his Europe trip...disregard the rest...unless of course you like seeing someone elses vacation photos! http://homepage.mac.com/jaylieberman/PhotoAlbum2.html | ||
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Make sure she is comfortable shooting over shooting sticks. Also, my wife thought she didn't have as much time to get on target in Tanzania vs South Africa, because the animals didn't tend to stay around as long. | |||
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Steven, Great pics. I find that the big issue is getting into shooting positions quickly and being comfortable in a variety of positions...so I would have start to practice of short stick. For her size i would cut about 2.5 ft lengths and tape them to gether at about the two foor mark and then have her start to use those. I would also make sure that her scope is set no mor than 4 or 5x so she does not see the shake if she get nervous. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Great pictures, thanks for sharing them. You have two beautiful daughters. Cheap shooting sticks can be made from bamboo poles which you can get from the garden center in any home improvement store. Use vacuum cleaner belts (Eureka size F&G work real well) as the binding and wrap the top portions in cloth, leather or inner tube to protect the rifle. Regards, Terry  Msasi haogopi mwiba [A hunter is not afraid of thorns] | |||
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steven, You inadvertently raise a question about how old or how young to take kids hunting in Africa. My African hosts do not like to see under 16 -- not because they can't shoot, but because they don't fully appreciate the different environment with potential dangers. By this logic sounds as if your daughter will be fine in the couple of years that you mention. Now, sticks are fine, but you really want her to be able to shoot offhand. Looks as if she has a good start with kneeling. If I recall Mellon's book, the goal is to put all of the rounds in an eight-inch pie plate offhand at 100 yards. Regards, Tim | |||
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Steven, You have made a great decision to take your daughter with you on safari. I took my 11 year old son with me to RSA last summer and we had the time of our lives. He was able to handle all that was thrown at him and did very well when his time to shoot came. He made three one shot kills. His blesbok was the first trophy taken by either of us on the trip. I agree with the others that she needs to learn to shoot off of shooting sticks and offhand. She also needs to learn to quickly aquire the target in the scope. I was surprised at how ill prepared we both were for the types of shots that we would be taking. I have my son shooting mostly with a light, scoped .22 now. Standard weight rifles make offhand shooting tough for kids his size. He is steadily improving. Tim, I don't know what the right answer is about how old kids should be. My PH met my son and thought that he would be fine. I do know that I am very happy that I took him with me. | |||
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Dude, that's a beautiful family you've got there. Carolyn is certainly exhiibiting good technique and proper form. You've taught her well. I think she'd do well in the hunt. Have you contacted your outfitter about taking her and what does he think about her age? You know that when Chaney is of age, she'll want a rifle or two of her own! Good going.    Lo do they call to me, They bid me take my place among them in the Halls of Valhalla, Where the brave may live forever. | |||
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Hi 475guy...no we haven't had a conversation with an Safari outfitter yet...that will happen probably next year in Reno. The guides at Tejon took a liking to her right away and they too were impressed with her form...thanks for the compliment..I would love to take credit for it, but most of her training came from some local sheriffs people here in So Cal...the rest came through practice. it's funny you should mention Chaney..she loves the whole "gun and hunting thing"...I suggested to Carolyn that when Chaney was old enough we give her Carolyn's .22....well that went over like a lead balloon. So...in a couple of years I'll be buying another one! | |||
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Dude, LOL. I kinda fingered that out as I raised two kids of my own and numerous nieces and nephews that I had a direct hand at, I found that nobody wants their older sibling's hand-me-downs or to give up what's theirs. Look at it this way, you're gaining two future hunting partners. Just wait till they're both getting into boys and will be wanting BRAND NEW OUTFITS for the Soph Hop, JR Prom and Sr Ball. It's going to get expensive! I pity the boys coming around the house as they'll never measure up compared to dad.   Lo do they call to me, They bid me take my place among them in the Halls of Valhalla, Where the brave may live forever. | |||
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I'm glad to see kids taking an intrest in hunting and shooting, i too have two daughters 6 and 10, and they love it when i take them to the range, my 10 year old whats to go shoot big floppy ear with me, i told her she'd have graduate with honors and i'd pay for the hunt. she'll be 18 at that time. I'll be taking her on her first deer hunt this year. keep taking your kids hunting and shooting there our future. At 16 years old your daughter will have a great time in africa shooting PG, and the memories will last forever. i too would have her practice shooting off sticks.and trying to acquirer the target quickly. | |||
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What a beautiful young lady. She must have good parents also. What I want to know is how long until dad is sitting on the front porch with a gun eyeballing the boyfriends as they show up  .....................JJ" venator ferae bestiae et aquae vitae " | |||
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Well...that is a problem isn't it! The idea here is to make sure the boys are so intimitated with her that when they get to me I really scare the crap out of them! | |||
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