May I share a very cool experience?

My son is 14. I invite him on all my hunts, but his mom is way anti-gun, and he is sort of afraid of guns (despite my best efforts).

Our church is raising money for a medical clinic in Namibia, and I told him we could visit the place if he wants.

Today he told me he wanted to try skeet shooting this weekend, and if he liked it, he wants to go on my next Africa hunt. Very cool. I told him real shooting was much more fun than his favorite hobby- paintballing.

Anybody have ideas on places to go in Namibia?

Keeping my fingers crossed.......

First -- congratulations and I hope it all works out for you.

Second, I hunted with Classic Safaris -- large conservancies and traditional tented camp, but there have been several threads in the last few months with recommendations for Namibia.

Good Luck!

Edited:

Here is a recent thread where I posted some other links.

quote:

Originally posted by Charles_Helm:
There have been a couple of threads lately that you may want to read:

Here is one.

Here is another.

Like several others here I hunted with I hunted with Classic Safaris (my report is here, lots more pictures here).

Have fun with planning your trip!

I hunted Namibia for plains game 4 years ago with Brian Connick. He and his wife Maggie run a great fair chase operation with quality plains game and great service etc.

In addition to plains game we saw desert elephant and black rhino. There were lion in the area but we didn't see any, only tracks.

The hunt went without a problem. I booked through Col. Bill Williamson. It's worth a look. Good luck!!

www.fairchaseltd.com

404Jeff, first off congratulations! Just be sure to make the experience as plesant as possible - i.e. as little recoil as possible and EASY targets, shooting ain't fun if you don't hit anything! Secondly, keep the boy close, real close. My own sons grew up shooting and working at my club. They loved every minute of it. However, as is normal for older teenagers, they developed "other interests. Thinking I was being a good dad
I allowed them go places with their girlfriends and buddys instead of insisting we keep shooting and hunting on a regular basis. Over several years I've nearly lost them. I'm confident they'll pick it up again one day, but we've lost some good times we'll never get another chance at. As someone else said here, you can borrow money but you can't borrow time. What's more, this is when they'll become who they'll be! As Ted Nugent is fond of saying; "take your kids hunting and you wont have to hunt for your kids!"

404,

There is nothing like having your son with you on a hunt...Comeraderie, and a real sense of understanding the sport of fair chase and respect for the animal... and each other...
My I suggest a hunters clay course let him see the rabbits run and the screaming left to right shots and all the other ways animals elude us..
Challenged my son if he went # 1 in his class I would take him on a hunt.. He shose the Dakota's lots of birds shooting for a week....

Mike

I've raised a son and grandson's with guns and hunting. Go gently and keep it fun! There's no guarantee they'll like it or stick with it. All you can do is expose them to the shooting sports in the most positive way and hope for the best.. Good luck with the Mom thing. Lucky I didn't have that to contend with.

I'll second Studdog and oupa here. Make sure you don't put pressure on the lad, make it an experience associated with positive incentives (exitement, good eating, drinks), make sure the lad does not feel any pain (recoil - no heavy rifles, no 12ga shotguns, if avoidable), and above all make sure he feels he is a success!! Being a success may mean you have to arrange conditions for him to succeed. If that means shooting at a claybird sitting on a stick 10-20 yds away to make sure he can break it, then so be it. Only success will make him want to come back for more.

You may be on the verge of realising the dream we all hold as fathers. Since the conditions you have to work with may be just a tad more adverse, and since your lad is already 14, you probably won't have that many chances. But if you play your cards right, and make the outing a succes, then you'll have the better odds of ensuring a repeat performance.

Good luck!

- mike

404Jeffrey. I have a little boy of 4 and when I come back from a hunt, he asks how many "Pighogs" (Warthogs) I hunted. I only hope that he will show a little interest one day when he gets a little older. I could think of no better way for a father & son to bond, other than being out their in mother nature. Good luck, and take care.

404Jefery

I hope that you can develop his interest in hunting and shooting. My son is 17 years old and headed off to university last fall. My wife and I decided that should take him on a trip to remember last year. We went to Namibia. It was a great trip and I hope that we get to go back. He has always had an interest in hunting and shooting but I think the last trip really burnt it home.

My only comment is that don't underestimate the value of the influence that your hunting and shooting friends can have on your son. Ask them to help or to join you in your actitivies. Not all the time but sometime.

The biggest influence on me was a man that I meet when I was 20 years old. Yes I hunted before but it was different with him.

My son and I met up with 'mho' & Stu in March to do a little shooting. My son had the time of his life, thanks to a couple of guys that we didn't know but have a common interest.

I hope it all works out.

I have some great deals in Namibia. See my website: www.tjsafari.com or

If you are willing to go this summer or early fall I have some even better last minute deals.

Please see these posts of mine:

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tp.../295105564#295105564

and this one:

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tp.../286101264#286101264

Todd

Call Mims Reed www.hunters-hq.com 'Harry' on AR. He put together a great father-son trip two summers ago. We stayed with a wonderful family, great company & learning experience for both of us, reasonably priced and excellent hunting experience. Depending what your son's interests are, they also have an extensive area of bushmen rock engravings form tens of thousands of years ago on their property (it's considered a Namibian national monument). I'll be glad to give more info if you'd like. Bob

404Jeffery. I hope this works out for you. Having your boy hunt with you is a most rewarding experience. I find greater joy in watching and taking my boys on a hunt than doing the actual hunting myself. My boys, 8 & 9, will be doing the warthog hunting in a week’s time, with me just tagging along – if a monster kudu stumbles into us, the roles may change.

When your son joins you on your Namibian hunt, be sure to include the “son-friendliness†of the PH in your selection criteria. Your ideal PH would have the ability to mould this hunt around the needs of your son, ensuring a very positive experience. The fact that he’s already interested in paintball, an action shooting sport, means your halfway there in getting him hooked on shooting & hunting.

SA Hunter. If possible at all, start taking you boy with you during this season. My boys accompanied me on hunts from a very early age. I did not pressure them to start shooting & hunting, but merely took them along – which they enjoyed a lot. By the time my eldest turned 5 he asked to be allowed to hunt. He took his first springbok with a .22 Mag Chipmunk at under 40 yards. My youngest did not ask so soon. He waited until he turned 7, taking a blesbok with a .223. Both of them are now completely hooked. They have now developed to the point where it is not just about shooting and killing anymore. They’re starting to show a keen interest in tracking, anatomy and behavioral differences between the species and sexes – now that is rewarding!

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1411043/m/534107764

or good pricing here.

This is a fantastic hunt that I highly recommend.

Also, don't be afraid to enjoy HIS shooting sports with him. Go play paintball......

Once again congratulations on convincing your son to hunt. I hunted last summer with Jan Oelofse Safaris. They have excellent staff and housing the food comprised of game as traditional meats was superb. From what I could tell they have quite the conglomeration of personalties in there PH's e.g. ours was fairly relaxed while another was more gunho. I might suggest our guy for your son's first hunt. His name is Rudie. Incidentall the clients attitudes seem to match there PH's accident? Don't know. Just my two cents worth.

7mm. guy

Thank you gentlemen.

I am thinking he can handle a 20g autoloader for skeet here at home. I am sure the 223 is fine for him on the hunt, but better if he can handle a 243. I'll start him with the 223.

One concern came up = malaria meds. I am a little wary of giving him meds that may affect his well being eg larium. I suppose all of Namibia is a malaria zone.

RSA is possible, but I think a rugged/bush hunt may be more to his liking - we have camped a lot together.

Yes, yes yes, need to find the right PH. Someone who is way easy going, calm. Family atmosphere. For me, I will have no agenda, no particular animals, just to go along and have some fun.

Another positive factor would be the presence of teenage girls (for HIM not ME)!

Thanks to all for the suggestions, keep em coming, and I will check of all these out.

404Jeffery ----- Keep up the good work with your son, it will pay of when the grandson or grandaughter comes along. My son has hunted with me since he was 4 years old, picking up doves. He graduated to Deer and Elk hunting and I couldn't ask for a better buddy, he now has a son and daughter that already have a zeroed in rifle when they are ready. Between two daughters I have five other grandsons, that I also started hunting, if they wanted it. One is a golfer, but he can shoot a 1/2 inch group from the bench regularly. A proud moment when they Deer hunted, then one went to Colorado with me as a 14 yearold and got his first Elk. That same grandson also shoots Trap and Skeet and last year as a 16 yearold shot 100 straight at the Grand National Trap Shoot in Vandalia Ohio. In my opinion the woods and fields are much better for them than the streets or TV. Keep them hunting and that keeps them out of trouble. Good shooting.

Consider African Twilight Safaris. www.africantwilightsafaris.com. I'm heading there in 2007. 110,000 unfenced acres.

404:
Give Van Heerden Safaris a try. Hentie van Heerden is the owner/PH. Good guy and a lot of fun. My Son and I hunted with him in 2004 and had a ball. He does not advertise. His email is vhsaf@mweb.com.na. He was born and raised in Namibia and knows a lot of farmers. We hunted on 118 square miles of farm land. No other hunters. I'm going back.

Actually in most of Namibia, it is dry enough at least when I was there that insects were almost non existent. I still took malarone however. My son who was almost 15 went with me on this 10-day hunt. Get him some serious practice and take him with you. My dream now is to someday be able to afford to take him and my grandson (who just turned 4 and is already shooting a .22) both on an elephant hunt together. I figure you may as well set your sights high, or you have nothing in life to work for. A few years ago, I never seriously entertained the thought I'd ever hunt in Africa, so I figure anything is possible if you work hard and put your mind to it. If nothing else, at least you have a dream instead of just going to work and going home at night.

quote:

Originally posted by 404Jeffrey:
Today he told me he wanted to try skeet shooting this weekend, and if he liked it, he wants to go on my next Africa hunt. Very cool. I told him real shooting was much more fun than his favorite hobby- paintballing.

Just a suggestion. If he enjoys the skeet, take him out for pheasants this fall. If he thinks paintball is fun, he will flip over upland hunting. From there, the transition to plains game is a snap.