My name is James I am 19 almost 20 and have grown up in southwest Missouri. I started shooting at age 8 with a BB/Pellet Gun and moved up to my first 10/22 at age 10. I grew up in the woods of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas, with out sounding as if I have an ego, (well no more then most 20 year old young men, or am I still a boy by most of your standers… whatever), I would say I have well developed field craft, a good respect of mother nature, and a more than hearty sense of adventure.
So that brings me to this web page. I need info on big game hunting in Africa. I have a lot to learn. I (along with my best friend and hunting partner) have the short term goal of maybe getting some sort of work with a guide company, get in someplace were we can learn a lot from those who know best. What got me here tonight is I need to get a true Big Bore something a lot bigger than my 8mm Mauser K98K, (don’t laugh I can shoot 8.6” 3 rnd. groups out at 600m with iron no optics)
So what should I be thinking about? I mean both what rifles should I be thinking and what should I be reading, who do I talk to, how do I get in to this field of hunting. I need to know everything; it’s ok to treat me as if I don’t know anything because when it comes to Big Game and Big Bore I feel as if I don’t know anything.
THINGS I THINK I KNOW AND WANT.
I like bolt-action rifles more than anything I have ever shot, there for I think I want my big bore in a bolt-action.
I think I want something bigger than a .375 H&H. I think I can train with something in the .400’s and not develop bad shooting.
We (my friend and I) would like to start working for a company as an assistant or drivers or camp workers of some sort this summer anytime after May, however if something opened up right now we could leave after January 15. But because of classes that’s not likely. So anytime after May 11th.

Feel free to e-mail me jheatherly_editor@hotmail.com anytime. Please take us seriously we are goal motivated young men, I bet most of you would have killed for this at 20. I don’t see any point in waiting till I am 50 or 60 to live out my dreams. We will work hard, and learn well, we won’t waste anyone’s time.