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Hunting >> Hunting in Africa & hunting dangerous game
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Elephant_Man
.224 member


Reged: 02/10/07
Posts: 18
Loc: Colorado, US
Becoming a PH?
      #86788 - 08/10/07 01:57 PM

Hello!

I am not sure if I am posting this in the right place so please move it if it isn't.

My name is Sam Brown. I am 18 years old. I live and hunt in Colorado. I have hunted just about everything up here including bears and mountain lion. It is but a dream to hunt in Africa. For a while now I have been considering a career as a PH in Africa. This would definitely be my dream job and I still have my whole life in front of me. I know there are several PH's here in the forums and most everybody here will have helpful information about this subject. I have been doing some research on becoming a PH, but I figured why not ask you guys directly? So here come the questions...What does it take to become a PH in Africa? What advice would you PH's give someone interested in a career as a PH? What is the best plan of action for becoming a PH?

ANYTHING you guys have to offer will be greatly appreciated!

Thank you,

Sam Brown

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WyoJoe
.300 member


Reged: 18/02/04
Posts: 234
Loc: Cheyenne, WY USA
Re: Becoming a PH? [Re: Elephant_Man]
      #86793 - 08/10/07 03:32 PM

Sam,
I am not a PH but would like to give you one bit of advice. Follow your heart & dream. Don't let people tell you it can't be done but realize you are going to have a lot of hard work in front of you.

--------------------
There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor polite, nor popular -- but one must ask, "Is it right?"

Martin Luther King, Jr.

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mikeh416Rigby
.450 member


Reged: 24/02/03
Posts: 6051
Loc: The beautiful Oley Valley, PA....
Re: Becoming a PH? [Re: Elephant_Man]
      #86811 - 09/10/07 12:51 AM

Sam, first of all, welcome to NE. We've got a lot of great members here.

I don't have an answer for you, but I can tell you that on my first African Safari, my PH was an American from California. His name is Steve Tors, and his father was Ivan Tors, who was in the movie business. Steve came to Africa with his father, who happened to be friends with a well known African outfitter and PH by the name of Jan Oelofse. Jan took a liking to Steve, and upon graduation from high school, Steve took off for Namibia where he apprenticed under Jan, and eventually got licensed as a PH. So, it can be done, but the road to it is laden with detours and speed bumps. Good luck.

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xausa
.400 member


Reged: 07/03/07
Posts: 2037
Loc: Tennessee, USA
Re: Becoming a PH? [Re: Elephant_Man]
      #86828 - 09/10/07 06:50 AM

Sam,

You might invest a couple of dollars in a book "White Hunters: The Golden Age of African Safaris", by Brian Herne. It's available at abebooks.com. In it you will find the exploits of Charles "Bwana" Cottar, who was the first and possibly greatest American professional hunter.

As a starter, you might try getting taken on as an apprentice by a local hunting guide. A lot of the duties of a PH have nothing to do with hunting per se, but are all about looking after clients and learning to do things like repairing hunting cars and trucks and winching them out of mudholes.

Keep in mind that perhaps the majority of hunting clients you may encounter in Africa have little or no hunting experience, are not good shots, and may even be afraid of firing their weapons. You will have to put up with them, learn to deal with them cheerfully, and live for the ones who know what they are doing and are a pleasure to work with.

Learning to work with Africans and to appreciate their abilities in the hunting field, which are really awesome, is another facet of the PH's life which gets little publicity, but is vitally important. These are people you will have to on occasion entrust your life and those of your clients to, and dealing successfully with them is vitally important. This means learning their language, since they are unlikely to speak yours.

Anyway, welcome to the forum and the best of luck in your endeavor. I wish one of my three sons was similarly inclined.

If there is any way I can be of help, don't hesitate to call on me.


Bill Warren

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Elephant_Man
.224 member


Reged: 02/10/07
Posts: 18
Loc: Colorado, US
Re: Becoming a PH? [Re: xausa]
      #86844 - 09/10/07 01:13 PM

Thank you guys very much for your replies so far.

Bill, I actually have that book and finished it over the summer. There's some interesting stuff in there. I have read a few books about Africa and I am currently reading Horn of the Hunter by Ruark.

Keep this stuff coming, I am soaking it up. If anybody is able to hook me up with a PH, that would be amazing and greatly appreciated. By that I mean talking to him, e-mailing him, or whatever I can get. I would LOVE to get an apprenticeship or even a job under a PH or an outfitter doing anything. Like I said, I'll take whatever I can get.

Keep it coming!

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Bigfive
Sponsor


Reged: 06/01/03
Posts: 362
Loc: Freestate,South-Africa
Re: Becoming a PH? [Re: Elephant_Man]
      #86864 - 09/10/07 10:39 PM

Hi Sam,

I have my professional hunting registration here in South Africa. There are thousands like me who been there done it and got the T-Shirt but who is not active in the hunting industry. I do a lot of work for local guys and do a lot of my shooting/hunting by the means of culling and not by guiding clients on hunts. I believe what I am doing now gives me more experiance than doing the client bit. I got a couple of friends overseas who I will accompany on hunts when they are in South Africa.
To be honest it is really not an easy trade and even more difficult to get into. My advise is to try and get in with a ZIM or Botswana company as they are really strict on their registrations and training. In South Africa it is really easy to get a PH license.

Remember everythng about being a PH is hard work. But if you are a hunter by heart and it is your passion then nothing in the world must stop you from persuing this dream. I'll keep my ears on the ground for something and if I hear anything I'll let you know.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at any time.

Please send me a Private message with all your contact details.

Cheers
Bigfive

O and by the way, don't expect to start off with the big $$$$. You might just get sweet buggerall for the first couple of months.

--------------------
"Hunting is a way of life"
Bigfive,South Africa

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