Recommendations for youth plains game hunt

Great sponsors here. I recommend KMG Safaris. Hunted with them before, and going back in May with my two sons.

PHOENIX PHIL said:

Hello @MikeStaten,

Welcome to AH! Jacques @JKO HUNTING SAFARIS can provide you and your son a great hunt. Both of my sons hunted with Jacques on the first trips to Africa. Jacques is very patient with all of his clients but especially with the kids. We can offer you a few places in South Africa, one of which is a not too far drive from Johannesburg where you'd be picked up at the airport.

Jacques typically likes to get his clients in to about 100 yards or closer if possible. Don't sell the 7-08 short, loaded with the proper projectiles it'll do the job on bigger game too.

Fires at night in camp are standard fare. However we tend to dedicate the camp to only one set of clients at a time. If there are others, it's typically at the start of your safari or the end as previous clients are wrapping up and new parties are arriving.

The pics is of my younger son with his first animal, obviously a zebra. He killed it his 7x57, pretty close ballistics to a 7-08.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

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Hello @MikeStaten,

I agree with Phil, Jacques would be a good choice for the hunt with your son. In 2022 my young adult son and I, along with a friend and his 2 young boys (10 and 12 I think), hunted with Jacques. Jacques was very patient with the kids and they were each able to harvest 4 animals. I believe they used a 308 Win so your 7mm-08 will work just as well. Use a heavy for caliber bonded or monometal bullets like Swift A Frame, Nosler Accubond or Barnes TTSK and you'll be fine. Pictures are of some of the animals my friends boys shot.

Hallo @MikeStaten ,
We are based in Namibia, in the North-West close to Etosha National Park.
We would be certainly able to assist you with such a hunt. Please feel free to drop us an email at info@leopardlegend.com and visit our website www.leopardlegend.com for more information.

We have 2 kids of our own 10 and 13 and both like to hunt, big swimming pool and also have giraffes on our property. We would take you to Etosha as well a Tame Cheetah Park with the kids.
Talk to us about animals and pricing.

Thank you
L'wyk Jansen van Vuuren

DP knight said:

Pat Knight here, I’ve hunted Blaauwkrantz the last two year on cull hunts , I believe they would be perfect for what you want . Fly into Port Elizabeth, South Africa beautiful and very safe . The p/u @ airport, Camp is only about hour away. Thousands of animals.
I think they check all your boxes. I’ve hunted Africa 9 times now and highly recommend Blaauwkrantz.

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I'll second this one. I'm sure there are plenty of places to have a good experience, but myself, my wife, and my kids (all hunters) had a fantastic experience at Blaauwkrantz. Feel free to PM me if you would like me to brag about them some more.

MikeStaten said:

Hi all,
I’m considering taking my 10 year old son for a plains game hunt in 2025 or 2026 if the right outfitter isn’t available in 2025. My main focus is on safety but in order of importance, my goals are-

1. Safety for my son. While hunting but also traveling to/from camp.
2. Prefer a lodge versus tents. Envision campfires with other hunters at night and that whole experience.
3. Want a PH that is patient and focused on my son. I’d be ok if I didn’t take a shot the whole time.
4. Prefer wild game. Ok with larger high fence properties but would like to avoid game that is brought on to the property
5. Would like shots to be available that aren’t too far, say 150 yards. Occasional water hole hunts would be nice if needed but would not want to hunt over a waterhole the majority of the time.
6. Small to medium sized game preferred as he’ll be shooting a 7mm-08. Warthogs, impala, blesbuck, gemsbuck, zebra would be high on my list of animals but open to others. Cost is a factor on the animals so not likely going to shoot animals with very high trophy fees. Realistically don’t need the largest trophies out there. Would be great to get a mount or two, possibly a few European mounts and a zebra skin.
7. Would be a bonus to see other animals like giraffes or other game even if we aren’t hunting them. Maybe even just a day of photograph safari to see lions, hippos, elephants etc..

Just started planning so I’d really appreciate any insight and recommendations.

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I went on my first ever African safari last summer with my daughter. She is a bit older (21) but we went with motsomi safaris.
I am going back with them in 2025.
Good operation, good Christian people, I recommend them with out any reservation.
That being said. I also think there are a awful lot of good outfitters you can go with in South Africa. Just check the reviews and do your due diligence.

Houston Bill said:

Hello @MikeStaten,

I agree with Phil, Jacques would be a good choice for the hunt with your son. In 2022 my young adult son and I, along with a friend and his 2 young boys (10 and 12 I think), hunted with Jacques. Jacques was very patient with the kids and they were each able to harvest 4 animals. I believe they used a 308 Win so your 7mm-08 will work just as well. Use a heavy for caliber bonded or monometal bullets like Swift A Frame, Nosler Accubond or Barnes TTSK and you'll be fine. Pictures are of some of the animals my friends boys shot.

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This may sound odd since I've not actually hunted with Jacques yet, but I'd feel very good about taking my son hunting with him. I happened to run in to Jacques last summer when I was at Africa Sky. He was there to meet his hunters and head to the airport with them. Even though I was not with him, he was engaging and talking to me about where I was headed and what I'd be hunting. He spent his time making some recommendations to me about clothing due to unexpectedly warm weather and good repellent to deal with pepper ticks. And just talking in general. Never once did he say or do anything I took as him trying to convince me to hunt with him in the future or to 'lure' me away from the outfitter I was hunting with on my trip, he just was outgoing and friendly with me as a fellow hunter. I later came to find out that he and my PH were good friends and had a history together, but that was only after Jacques commented on one of the posts my PH made with my Blue Duiker. At Africa Sky, Jacques didn't know me from any random person there, yet he was still welcoming and outgoing.

I went by his booth at DSC this year and got to talk with him some more about a possible buffalo hunt. He spent time to ask what I was looking for in the hunt and talked through options he had. I look forward to soon booking a hunt with him. As we were wrapping up, another hunter came to him along with his 4 grandkids. I saw Jacques interact with them directly and engaging. At DSC I'd seen others somewhat ignore the kids who were there with their parents or grandparents and they'd only talk to the adults. Not Jacques, he asked the kids about their hunting experience, if they wanted to go to Africa, and what they'd like to get. I have a really good feeling that if my son has an interest in hunting in South Africa, Jacques would be a good person to hunt with.