Inability to learn from the mistakes and experiences of others is not a survival trait. Neither is over estimating your abilities, particularly when all you possess is theoretical knowledge in very limited quantities. Again, I hope I'm reading the vibe of his posts wrong, but when you ask about predators you don't know the area- hungry things that go bump in the night are the first things that most people ask about, a sign that humans are evolved from lunch. Not a the place for your first night out.

To answer "stay" or "go", I'd have to know him. If he's a pain in my butt, "go". The lesson, assuming he survives, will be learned and his genes might someday prove worthy of continuing. If he's not a pain in the butt, I'd say "stay until you learn". Or "go, but you'll have a shadow the entire way".

Or are you honestly suggesting that letting someone who sounds like he has no clue out on his own with an axe, a firearm, a camera and a couple buddies who all want to look cool on film isn't a bad idea? I would counter your question with this one: "Would you rather he went out without practical knowledge as to his environment and equipment to emulate something he's seen on television, or would you rather he had some idea of what he was doing based on practicing in his backyard and doing some research?"

Ethically, I can't toss a kid who can't swim but has seen plenty of surfer movies into the deep end of a swimming pool. I might want to, becuase I generally don't like teenagers, but I can't do it. Sure, if he doesn't panic and holds his breath, even if he sinks he can walk until his head out of the water. But I can't take that risk with a clear concious.

Heck, if I knew Ziggy had a decent manual that he'd read a few times I'd feel better about what has been proposed.