When to start hunting Africa?

NoStepOnSnek

NoStepOnSnek

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This is a question I heard on a podcast recently. When should you start? How experienced should you be hunting in your home country? What life situation should you be in? When did yall start?

My first hunt is August 2027. At that point I’ll be 28 years old with no debt and out of the navy for 2 weeks. I’ll be using a large chunk of my life savings for the trip at my wife’s urging
 
I do not believe their is a one size fits all answer.

The simple answer I would give is ASAP, if it's something that interests you. Due to life circumstances I did not make it over until age 53. It should have been sooner.

Your plan seems sound to me. Best of wishes.
 
Congratulations and thanks for your service! There is no certain set of guidelines for starting your safari career. It’s different for every hunter.

I’ll start with the financial considerations. Being debt free is a tremendous advantage. This gives you a lot of freedom. That said, are you and your wife planning to buy a new house and take on a mortgage? Are you planning to have children? Do you have a new job lined up? These are considerations beyond your immediate circumstances that you should take stock of. Safaris ain’t cheap and you likely have plans for the future that will require money.

From an experience standpoint, lots of relatively inexperienced hunters have made the jump into safari hunting. I think starting with a plains game safari makes sense. Then work on getting back to Africa for dangerous game in the future.

I started hunting in Africa after my mortgage was paid, my kids were out of the house, and their education fully paid for, and didn’t really need to save any more for retirement. I was 48 when I made the leap.
 
Thanks for your service. There is no right or wrong answer here on when or what to hunt on your first trip. I was 47 my first trip to Africa and my very first animal was a buffalo in Zambia. I’ve hunted my whole life but never paid a guide until I was 45. But since 45 I’ve gone on 3-5 big travel hunt trips a year and since 47 I’ve gone to Africa at least once each year. I think the bigger question is where in Africa. Fence or wild. Do you go on the cheapest trip you can earliest afford or do you have a dream of a specific species in a wild area and save for that …
 
NoStepOnSnek said:
This is a question I heard on a podcast recently. When should you start? How experienced should you be hunting in your home country? What life situation should you be in? When did yall start?

My first hunt is August 2027. At that point I’ll be 28 years old with no debt and out of the navy for 2 weeks. I’ll be using a large chunk of my life savings for the trip at my wife’s urging
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Go ASAP! I was 25 when I went on my first safari and it literally changed my life.
 
Go whenever you have the financial opportunity, personal commitments to go and are interested of going regardless of age or any other circumstance.
But do yourself a favor and prepare for it. Don’t want to show up there and injure a bunch of animals!
Get a good set of shooting sticks and go to the range. Work your way until you are comfortable shooting from the sticks up to around 300 yards
 
It took me 48 years to get over there.I should've looked into it further (How without the internet...lol) and gone when I was 38. It would've been a much better deal.
 
The best time to plant an oak tree is yesterday. The 2nd best time is today.

I wish I hadn't had to wait until my mid-50s. Go. Enjoy yourself.

And yes, I'm an enabler.
 
As soon as I had a bit of money together, I did it. No regrets. Next month will be trip number 8. :)
 
As soon as you have the good sense to save and plan for it GO! Nobody may understand, but go. These are the good old days.
Go while you are young and fit, able to walk an elephant into the ground. Go before it's gone....
 
When you can.
I started in my early 40's. But I had been thinking of it since my late teens. I certainly wasn't experienced then, but I'd have done it if someone paid. Anyway, no one did so at 40 I looked over a lot of outfitters and found a package that really worked for me, exactly what I wanted both species hunted, time to do it and other things. I'm neither the most or least experienced, but I can keep my cool, that's all you need there. After that I figured out the finances and made sure I would not be in debt in the end and went for it. Those are my rules, it has to be paid for up front.
Keep your cool. Know what you want, don't go out of your means and bounds, and you'll do well.

Cheers.
 
Everyone’s experience is a little different, but most will say they waited too long. And that’s the case with me as well.

@NoStepOnSnek - You have a good plan. Stick to it and go as often as you can.
 
You are going now so great for you. Sooner the better.
I would plan on going the rest of your life whenever you can swing it. Most people like it that much.

I suggest attending DSC and/or SCI shows. That will keep you up to date with this "world" and motivate you too.
Also, AH is really good at doing the same.

You can go to Africa for PG for less or in the same ballpark than a guided USA Western hunt costs these days, generally speaking. Depends on how you travel, your taxidermy ideas and what you are hunting.

Also, cull hunts in Africa are a bargain so that is also an option. Good luck.
Cheers
 
I think it’s a choice we all need to decide on separately.
My first trip is soon and I’m 38, if I never went and I was on my death bed it wouldn’t bother me.
I don’t have “bucket list” items. I just live the life I want and enjoy what comes for opportunities
 
MTA said:
I went in my early to mid 30s and I am glad for it. My vote is to go as young as possible as budget permits
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Tundra Tiger said:
The simple answer I would give is ASAP, if it's something that interests you.
Click to expand...

I'll second this notion. I went in my early 30's as well (not that that specific age range is relevant). I am a firm believer in doing the things you want to do while you are still young enough to do them.

There is a very useful mnemonic tool I like to use when weighing decisions like this. It involves three factors: time, money, and energy. As you go through life, you will have these three things in ever-changing amounts.

When you are young, you have loads of time and energy, but often no money.
When you are an adult, you probably have money and energy, but very little time.
When you are older, you (hopefully) have plenty of money and time, but your energy may be running out.

So, in short, the right time do ANYTHING that you've dreamed of doing is as soon as you are able. You can always get more money, but you can't get more time.
 
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