I just love teaching kids to hunt. My own son's – the oldest nephew in our family - hunting education was followed by many nephews who were all helped to a greater or lesser extent by myself along the road to become independent hunters.

In recent years I also enjoyed helping a few sons of some wonderful clients to get their ‘first’ animals. Helping such a youngster on a hunt gives me tremendous pleasure. Now my oldest grandson is about three years away from his possible first real hunt. I'm doing initial preparation, but will have to wait at least three more years for him to actually be able to hunt. Now what do I do in the meantime? Clients with sons are few and far between. To enhance the chances of getting a parent and child hunter that I can help getting a first African trophy I now offer this special deal: Bring any young hunter, boy or girl, who already have basic shooting skills and firearm safety drilled into him/her and I will help any father/mother to teach a young hunter the ropes and guide him/her on a first African trophy hunt for free.

Fathers and mothers of young hunters here your chance: I offer the following absolutely free to any young hunter accompanied by one or two parent(s) while hunting from my home base at Mervilla in the Free State grassveld.

Daily rates – free for as long as at least one daily rate paying hunting or non-hunting parent accompanies the child.
Trophies also for free include the following absolutely free ranging animals whose movement is not restricted by fences at all – only low “cattle fences” in sight:
For each species the young hunter is welcome to shoot the biggest trophy that we can find amongst the herds – or even the biggest of the ‘loners’ that may be seen.

One blesbuck male or female.
One springbuck male or female.
One steenbuck male.
Any number of dassies (rock hyrax) and springhare and porcupine and in fact any similar varmint like black backed jackal, caracal as well as wingshooting for all bird species that is in open hunting season at that time.

Any other game as found on game fenced properties in the area can also be hunted at special low discounted cost by the young hunter. A minimum discount of 10%, with some species or types up to 25% off the normal website listed price, will be allowed for the young hunter.

The accompanying parent(s) may be a hunter at normal hunter’s daily rates, or even a non-hunter at observer daily rates. All normal services, such as meet at airport, transport, accommodation, laundry, trophy skinning and field care as well as delivery to taxidermist will be provided, just as for normal paying adult clients.

I look forward to welcoming any young hunters and one or both parent(s) here at Mervilla.

My contact details are:

Telephone (home): + 27 51 831 1110
Mobile (Cellular) : + 27 82 654 6474
E-mail: andrew@mclarensafaris.com
Snailmail: P.O. Box 31, SOUTPAN 9356 SOUTH AFRICA
More details at: www.mclarensafaris.com

To make it perfectly clear: The kid hunts for free while the compulsory accompanying parent(s)or uncle and/or aunt or other adult pay my normal low daily rates and hunt off the price list. This is posted here for completeness, but is difficult to actually read. The part following has 5 columns: these are named in first rows and separated by a "&". Then the further rows give the species or service and the cost for each type of hunt followed by a horn size in inches where appropriate. Where no price is given in a column it was replaced by a "*". Please also remember that the offer is for hunting from Mervilla, which is in the Free State grassveld and only species really common residents of the grassveld and a small smattering of bushveld species are readily available for this hunt. Maybe easier if you just go read the prices here:http://www.mclarensafaris.com/plainsgame.html

The quoted prices are fixed in South African Rand, for which the exchange rate is about R 7.40 for US$1.00 right now.

Service or Species & Varminting, Wingshooting, Budget and Culling Safari & Herd Management Plains Game Hunting Safari & Representative of Species Plains Game Hunting Safari & True Record Book Specimen Hunting SafariTrophy &

PG Hunting 1x1 R 2500 R 3000 R 3500 R 5000
PG Hunting 2x1 R 2000 R 2500 R 2500 R 5000
PG Observer R 1250 R 1250 R 1250 R 1250
Non-Hunting Child R 500 R 500 R 500 R 500
Wingshooting 1x1 * R 3000 R 3000 R 6000
Wingshooting Group R 2000 R 2000 R 2000 R 5000
Baboon R 25 R 50 R 100 R 1500
Black Wildebeest Bull R 3500 < 19" M & F R 4000 < 21" R 5000 R 7500 > 22 7/8"
Black-Backed Jackal R 25 R 50 R 100 R 150
Blesbuck Ram R 1500 < 14" M & F R 2000 < 15 1/2" R 2500 R 3000 >16 1/2"
Blue Wildebeest R 3500 < 22" M & F R 4000 < 26" R 5000 R 7500 > 28"
Bontebok * * R 8000 R 10000 > 14"
Bushbuck * * R 5000 R 6500 >14"
Duiker Grey or Common * * R 2000 R 2500
Eland Cape R 7000 < 30" M & F R 8000 < 32" R 10000 R 12000 > 35"
Fallow deer * * * R 5000
Gemsbok R 4500 < 32" R 6500 < 37" R 7500 R 10000 > 40"
Hartbeest Red R 3500 < 19" M & F R 5000 < 21" R 6000 R 7500 > 23"
Impala TR R 2000 < 18" M & F R 2250 < 22" R 2500 R 3000 >23 5/8"
Kudu Greater R 5000 < 45" M & F R 10000 < 48" R 12500 R 15000 > 53 7/8"
Kudu Supertrophy * * * R 20000 > 57"
Kudu Supertrophy * * * R 30000 > 60"
Mountain Reedbuck * R 3000 < 5 1/2" R 3500 R 5500 > 6 7/8"
Nyala * * R 15000 R 20000 > 28"
Springbok Common R 1500 M & F R 2000 < 12" R 2500 R 3000 > 14"
Steenbok R 2000 < 3 3/4" R 2250 R 2500 > 4 1/2"
Warthog R 2000 M & F R 2500 < 10" R 2500 R 4000 >13"
Waterbuck * * R 10000 R 12000 > 28"
Zebra Burchell's R 7000 R 7000 R 7000 R 9000
ALL OTHER SPECIES POA POA POA POA
POA = Price On Application

This offer is specifically intended for younger, say below 21 years old youngsters that have not hunted much before. Even if your kid has some or ample home country hunting experience, but have not yet hunted in Africa, you are also welcome to take up the offer. If you do not have a young kid that qualify, please tell someone who does have one about this offer.

Something else - by all means bring a bow & arrows, but this is a rifle hunt for free ranging grassveld animals. Stalking to within 200 yards is difficult enough, basically forget about getting to within arrow range for any animal, unless you are very good and very lucky!

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren

Good man! How are you on nephews?

Rich

You mean can you bring a nephew along in the same way as an own child? Sure!

My idea of the offer is to get young hunters here and afford me an opportunity to enjoy teaching and guiding them on a hunt for a first African trophy. The offer that was made to a parent, is confirmed as also applying to an uncle/aunt or any unrelated adlut with proper parent's permission to take youngster overseas.

I can think of a few alternative ways to reply to your question: One is: "I'm not really a nephew man, give me a nice young niece any day, or night!" Another way is: "My older brother has 3 sons, all hunters, with one absolutely devoted to hunting. My selder sister has two - hunters! My youngest sister also has two - hunters. Now she also has one son-in-law, also a hunter. Add my own son and I have 9 hunting 'nephews'! Without exception I had a hand in the hunting training of all of them."

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren

Andrew,

This is very generous of you.

Would you be kind enough to clarify this for me please?

I am assuming that this offer is for the one hunter to have as free, with the animilas mentioned aboce. But, the parents, whether hunters or observers, would have to pay their daily rate? And any animals they might shoot would be charged for?

If the above is correct, please include your daily rate for both hunters and observers, and the trophy fees of the animals they might shoot.

Saeed,

Sorry, the original posting edited to include all costs [even if difficult to actually see and understand, it's all there] and make the offer clear. It is as you understood it!

Thanks.

Andrew McLaren

Very generous offer Andrew...your a good man!

Here is my then 14yo son with his Rowland Ward Steenbok taken with his .243W on Andrews place. He did the final stalk himself with Andrews guidance and the event is one he still talks about. The shoulder mount is the only trophy he cares about.



I'd recommend him to any father/son outfit keen to hunt the grassveldt.