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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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