- Why do some hunters have little or no interest in certain species ... species which, we well know, are of the utmost importance to fellow hunters? For example, I can muster little desire to hunt elephant, possibly the grandest and most prestigious of trophies. Giraffe, eland, rhino, hippo don't get my blood up. The accumulation of the myriad of lesser plainsgame is not key. Could such thinking be the product of an overly budget conscious mindset? Or maybe I just don't care for the look of the mounts?
What thoughts formed the criteria for your trophy list?

RE: your list, I have little desire to hunt/kill elephant, rhino, hippo, giraffe or lion. But I am nuts about eland, as species that is just an afterthought for most. As a matter of fact, the only thing I would want to hunt more than eland is buffalo. Kudu etc, come after. I have no explanation for this. It just is.

Despite not wanting to hunt those species, I still love reading about hunting them and watching videos. Wierd?

Two things seem to play a factor in this to my way of thinking. Raw appeal and association. Raw appeal would just be whether you really like the particular look of an animal. Association has to do with something else that you get by hunting the animal, whether it be a style of hunting that interests you, the location and/or habitat where the animal is found, a sense of accomplishment in collecting a rare or difficult species, or just plain old bragging rights.

IMHO, depending on your particular interests, a large part of determining (or just intrinsicly knowing) what your own cup of tea is would be based on a combination of those factors.

FWIW, I have no explanation for the following either:
-I prefer blondes and brunettes over redheads.
-I drive a Dodge, but like Ford's and Chev's too.
-I don't hate pushfeeds.
-I waste all my time fireforming 6.5 Gibbs brass, when I could just own a 6.5/06 and get only 50fps less, but I still love it.

Go figure!

Canuck

[ 07-08-2002, 19:11: Message edited by: Canuck ]

I chalked it up to different strokes for different folks! I have clients that hunt nothing but Kudu and others that only hunt elephant....I'm pretty locked in on Buffalo and care not about shooting cats anymore and have little interrest in todays elephant, besides I can't afford to hunt them like I would want to, because I only want a 100 pounder and they cost to much for my pocketbook....I still like to shoot Kudu and an ocasional Eland..I love to shoot big Impala.

And I forgot to add that I really like to shoot big Impala in the 30" class that you run across in Tanzania from time to time....

Nick,

I think either an animal appeals to you (in a trophy sense, you perverts!), or it doesn't.

I know guys who think waterbuck are more handsome than kudu. Others who wouldn't hunt buffalo for free.

Like Ray said, different strokes for different folks. If everybody wanted the same trophies, our trophy rooms would all look alike.

George

Nickudu,
I concur with your list and would add one that gets a lot of "you are kidding?" responses from other hunters and that is warthog. We only saw one on our hunt and he was a long ways off. Our outfitter said I would change my mind when I saw one but we only got a glimpse. I guess what turns me off from them is their looks. The rest of the African animals that I would like to hunt are so beautiful it seems like a waste to shoot one so grotesque. That may change in the future.

Chic

Nick,
I can't wait to take all the species you listed. I can't think of a specie I wouldn't like to have at least one of. This is one of the things about hunting that is so great, there is enough diversity, that there is something for everyone to get excited about.

Nick,

I am not a trophy hunter, and probably never will be.

I just like to hunt. Buffalo are my personal favorites, and any other game is welcome too.

Hippos and giraffes are not on my list, unless I have to shoot one for bait.

I have only been on one giraffe hunt, and it was not what I had expected.

Normally, you see them standing there looking at you with utter stupidity. But when we tried to shoot one for lion bait, it was a different matter altogether.

My friend the late Gerhard, was voted to shoot this giraffe.

We saw a bull as we were driving along, and we just jumped out of the car and followed it. It kept about 200 yards away from us in the bush, and as Gerhard wanted to use his 500 Jefferey, with open sights, we never got the chance at a shot.

A few days later, we saw another bull, and this time Gerhard had his 416 Rigby, with a scope.

He shot it too high, and the giraffe took off with us in persuit. He fired a couple more shots at it, hitting it once, and missing the second time as he was trying to shoot it in the head.

Gerhard could not run any longer, so Roy and myself continued after that giraffe. I got a clear shot and put one into him next to his tail. That stopped him, and he fell down. In fact, he fell right on the road dividing our concession with our neighbours!

Saeed,
was that last year?

I like to hunt everything I can in Africa. I have no pre-disposed distaste towards any one species. Like Saeed, I go there to hunt, and I hunt to please myself and no one else. That's what motivates me - the hunting. Record book entries do not, however. I like to collect the best specimens I can, make no mistake about it, but I don't enter anything in any record book or compete with anyone. This position gives me a lot of freedon, as I pick and choose my hunts at will, without the burden of worrying about qualifying for the next "Level Of Achievement" award.

I enjoy hunting cats and plainsgame the more than anything else. Lions get my interest up more than any other African animal. I'm lukewarm on buffalo, elephant, rhino, even though I know there are more buffalo in my future, and I'd like to take one elephant and one rhino before I quit hunting.

AD

Some of us are just weird i would take a monster warthog over an eland anyday!
Ps i am one of the weird ones.
Dean

Saeed said it: I like to hunt. I don't hunt for the record books, I don't score my trophies and I'm getting to the point of being more selective about what I have mounted. I just like being in Africa. I'm not trying to get the discussion off topic with the reference to trophy scoring. But the question Nickudu raises to me is what really motivates us to hunt. Some want the biggest of a particular species and the recognition or satisfaction of being in the book. Some like to hunt the animals they find beautiful. Others may only like hunting the animals that are particularly challenging or dangerous to take. Would you rather hunt sitatunga (beautiful and challenging) or a bull elephant (challenging, dangerous)? For me it would be both, but if I had to chose it would be elephant. Savannah or swamp? I'll take the giant eland because I like tracking hunts and I love hunting in that dry thornbush type country. I've found my ideas about hunting in Africa changing. At first, I wasn't particularly interested in leopard. I've since shot two and love hunting leopard. I couldn't understand why anyone would shoot a giraffe. In September, I plan to hunt one on foot. Although, I may do it sometime, I'm not particularly interested in shooting hippo in the water. To me, if it is fair chase, it's all good.

Dassies don't do anything for me as a trophy, but I've heard they look good when fully mounted.

*******

Customstox

Come on, warthogs are REAL beautiful, I wanted to hang mine over the bed but my wife wouldn't let me!

********

Saeed

So let me get this right. It fell right on the concession boundary road.

So the neighbouring concession got the head and you got the ...?

[ 07-08-2002, 20:48: Message edited by: NitroExpress.com ]

Eric,

Yes sir it was.

Saeed, I think a properly mounted giraffe would make for one hell of an interesting Toll Gate into Kruger or Wankie. Can you imagine?!

All most valid and insightful responses to a tough question. Now, THIS is the "AR" Talk Forum!

Nick,

I saw a full mount of a giraffe at teh taxidermist in South Africa a few days agao, and I can tell you, it looked ginormous!

We asked how they were going to get it out of the workshop, and they said "Tail first".

There was also an interesting mount of a warthog, I will post a picture of it in the morning - with Walter


[ 07-09-2002, 16:01: Message edited by: Saeed ]

I wanted to hunt kudu just for the sheer beauty of the beast, and the majestic mount.

Oddly enough, the first African animal I became interested in taking was an oryx, about 40 years ago. I was a kid growing up in southern New Mexico. The Fish & Game Department imported them and released them into White Sands Missle Range. I knew then I had to have one. My chance comes next month in RSA.

The oryx have become a pest on WSMR. They loved it, multiplied, and are now moving off the range. I think it is a great success story.

When I started out in Africa, I had a small list of animals I was absolutely sure I wanted. I was correct in this list and although I have filled it, repeatedly, I find I still like primarily the same species and intend to continue hunting them and hopefully, bettering them. Sable, Kudu, Waterbuck, Oryx and Buffalo. Future goals include a truly fine warthog, a red lechwe, Grants gazelle and a big 30" Tanzania impala, as Ray mentioned. I also find Bongo an interesting animal but such a hunt may be beyond me now.

My tastes run to what I can afford and what I think looks good mounted in my house (and what I have room for).....I like hunting impala for fun. Normally there are a lot of them and if you blow a stalk there's always more around the bend....damn good looking mount too. Warthog are more a trophy of opportunity. I've shot one large sable (maed a striking mount on a pedestal) and it was a great experience but I'll probably never shoot another (unless a 46" walks by)...will always, always hunt kudu. Shot one really nice buff and want to shoot more..a lot of work, a lot of excitement and a lot of pressure to make a good shot but the good thing is you can get most of the "kick" out of buffalo feven if you don't fire a shot...just getting up close and personal is fun. Leopard is my favorite animal as long as you don't need to stay in a blind all night...if I can't shoot him in the daylight (at dusk usually) I will pass. A hunt for leopard and kudu would be heaven. I have absolutely zero interest in tsseebee (?) or duikers or any of the smaller antelope.

I do want to hunt gemsbok and red hartebeest but I have the hots for both Grant's and Thompson's gazelles plus one of the big East African impala that Ray mentioned. I think this will be my next hunt...10 days in Namibia for kudu, gemsbok,and red hartebeest plus one of the short buffalo hunts in Tanzania where you can also hunt the two gazelles and E.A. impala which I guess means the Masai.

To each his own I guess... I don't hate cats to the point I'd like to hunt them. I love dogs but I'll shoot any coyote I see. I'll probably never get a chance to go to Africa, so I hunt African game in Texas and have had some nice hunts for eland, wildebeest, waterbuck and oryx (scimitar-horned type). If I ever get the chance, I'd like to hunt Kudu, Gemsbok, Sable, Buffalo, and oh yeah Ray, I nice 30" Impala. BTW I saw an add in the Houston newspaper that a ranch I hunted eland at a couple of years ago is having a herd reduction special this summer with non-trophy eland going for $500-1000 - hmmmm, my freezer is about empty....

I have a trmendous desire to hunt elephant. A lust, covetousness whatever. Also for lion. And leopard. Well, buff, hippo, croc, kudu, eland, nyala, rhino, hippo, I guess all of it. I'll take on of everything then try to better the ones I really enjoyed hunting the first time. This is just for the African continent, right?
Doug

I like the little guys. I do hunts specifically for them. In my mind you can't beat the flash of a gun metal blue Duiker and a split second to get off the good shot. Twisting thru the under brush looking for a little guy or setting up and calling a Red Duiker. I also like that a life size mount doesn't take up a whole room. Also I do score all game taken get the plaques (those that don't qualify I make my own) because it helps tell other who are not fimilar with the game how it rates. To go for awards is just another form of competition another goal to reach. I still hunt whitetails every year and am not interest in big racks, just some meat for the larder. I just wish I could bring meat back from Africa.

[ 07-08-2002, 23:37: Message edited by: The Old Hunter ]

when i started looking at africa as a reality rather than a dream i made my list which in the last year has changed !!
it is a toss up between Gemsboc and impala and at the moment ,impala is winning .ray 30" i figured 25" and you had the world by the *****.
next is wildebeest really like the Blue until i found out the history of the black a real conservation success story !
redhartebeest comes along next , they seem to grow on you .
elephant , buff , crocs and hippo don't seem to interest me but a buff with a 45/70 will help me get ready for one with a bow .
Canuck i am sorry but eland remind me of a brama bull it is amazing that everyone has such different tastes .------ herb

It's evolution of a given hunter to a certain extent. To a great degree I will hunt in a certain way until I feel I've "mastered" that type of hunting and then I invariably become attracted to something else. I guess I like to explore new ground so to speak.

As to attraction, take the Cape Buffalo for example. Personally, I thought it to be a rather ugly animal for the better part of my life. As I learned more about the animal I gained a great deal of respect for it and would like to hunt them some day with the hope that I put one "on the wall." When I first started duck hunting I was like everybody else in thinking the Wood Duck was the prettiest while now I'd take a drake Pintail in a heartbeat over a Wood Duck. Tastes change based on experiences.

My history/evolution (skip if you're in a hurry):

Growing up in Kansas my first hunting was upland for pheasant and quail. I loved that and wanted to hunt ducks pretty badly as the situation of hunting such an interesting type of bird was appealing. So much so that duck hunting was MY game for much of my hunting life. I even did a lot of photography in the off season and even moved to North Dakota to be in a good area for waterfowl. I started getting some photos published in DU and a few other magazines but had to move away for job reasons. It's much more difficult doing publication quality work while living in St. Louis so I've pretty much quit.

Moving back here has put me in a region where turkey & deer hunting are prevalent so I do quite a lot of both. In addition to that I always manage some time afield with a friend that runs upland dogs. That, along with the difficulty of finding quality duck hunting in Missouri public areas, has me to a point where I haven't hunted ducks in two years.

To chase after deer I started learning more about quality rifles so now I do a lot of shooting as a result. As I hunt big game more and more I find myself more interested in other options. Now that I've been hunting deer for about 7 years I find myself with a trip to New Mexico for elk hunting scheduled this fall. What's next? Moose, caribou?

As I learn more about Africa I'll probably find a way to go. Once I start there will no doubt be a leaning curve or an evolution that will change my tastes even further.

Bottom line? Take advantage of whatever opportunity you can as it may only come along once.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

For me the primary African trophy is buffalo. I have one now and hopefully three more by mid-September. I can never see going to Africa and not hunting buffalo.

I also love to hunt zebra. I have three now and have one on my list for Tanzania. Crocodile interests my wife (why I don't know) so we have one on the list. Also, sable is high on my list for this trip.

I have no interest in sitting in a leopard blind. I would be interested in a Kalahari leopard tracked by bushmen. I would definitely like to take a lion before I am through, but I don't really like sitting in a blind (even for lion). I am also fascinated by elephant, but will probably never have the money for an elephant hunt.

Animals that I want to take before I am through include, giraffe, black wildebeest, springbok, bushbuck, red hartebeest and reedbuck. You can keep your funny looking pigs.

Regards,

Terry

How can this be? Everyone has a different slant on this and I can relate to all of them? I suppose this makes us all hunter-brothers, huh?

Allen, would you like to take your older brother along on your next trip to Tanzania? Ray, would you like to take your younger brother to Australia? Oh, Brother, would I like that!

So far the only thing I have taken a pass on was an African porcupine. I will take one of every species available if given the chance. But on the top of the do not have list are lion, leopard, kudu, gemsbok, rhino, red hartebeest and warthog.

Elephant and buffalo so far are what really gets my heart pumping though and I would be hard pressed to make that long flight without a buffalo on the list and hopefully an elephant.

BigB

On my first (and only) trip to Africa, buffalo was all I could think of. I truly like buffalo hunting and I could hunt them every year, but my interests have turned to the plains game of Africa. The spiral horned antelope, gazelle, sable,bushbuck etc.
I don't think I would have an interest in shooting a giraffe, baboon, varmints, or some of the tiny antelope. No rhino for me, but I might like to hunt elephant once, and lion just once.

Talk about haveing different tastes! There are some animals that I have seen in every trophy room I have ever been in. That fact alone has caused me to not care for them at all. The top two most would list as the holy grails of Africa, are KUDU, and the Sable. I have absoultely no desire to take either. Two animals that I will never tire of hunting are, the Cape Buffalo, and the "WART HOG". I would like to take a Leopard before I'm down for the count, and I would dearly love to take a good LION, and 100 lb Elephant, though these last two I will never be able to afford, unless I hit the lottery. Even then I would only want one of each. But Buffalo, and Wart hog, I could hunt everyday of every year till I either die in my sleep, or get a horn up my butt! The Buffalo has been my downfall, and is the dirrect reason I don't have the cats, I simply cannot leave them alone!

I have no desire to hunt hartebeest, although I did shoot a sick one for my PH while in Namibia. I gave it to my taxidermist in exchange for him doing my springbok. I may have a possibility at giraffe on my next trip to Namibia but I still do not know if I can bring myself to do it. I suppose that I will have to wait until I am actually there to make that decision.

On my first trip to Africa in 95 I just hunted what I thought were challenging animals and passed on some that I thought were to easy. After seeing my family's enjoyment of my mounts I have since taken many animals just so they can see the mount.

If there is a single thing I enjoy about African hunting is the tracking with experts. I hunted Cape Eland in Namibia on my first hunt and had 5 1/2 days of the most humbling experience I can imagine. I was terribly unlucky in taking the eland, meaning I was hunting with Steve Tors and his personal tracker and it still took me till noon on the 6th day of only tracking eland. However I would not trade that experience for the world record Cape Eland.

But if I had to pick only one animal to hunt it would have to be Bongo. Tracking with the pygmies is like no other hunting, first the pygmies are a great joy to be around and second I am constantly in awe of their ability. Last year we tracked from 9 a.m. until nearly 4 p.m. before I took the bongo. Every time you go with the pygmies you are just amazed.

Mike

I am here to learn from the experiences of others and I am amazed by the diversity of opinons expressed here and for all the diversity, all seem to be much in accord in that they all sound correct! Perhaps it is because we as HUNTERS define our successes by the quality of the memories of noble game taken fairly and in the company of good friends. May our creator continue to bless us with the oppertunity to to persue game and share our lives with good griends. (along with a glass or two of Irelands finest)

A bleached warthog skull with teeth is an impressive trophy...I like them. I wouldn't want one mounted particularly...

My favorites are all the Dr Seuss animals: Gerenuk, hartebeeste, warthog, wildebeest, etc. The weirder the better. Jeff

I love big and preferably nasty stuff.
I have no desire for some "prestigious" animals like bongo or gerenuk, a huge waterbuck doesn't get me going, I have hunted and taken kudu, but didn't find it particularly exilarating, while eland I loved.
Leopard was all boring and one moment of exitment, while lion was awe inspiring for me.
Buffalo get my heart going and elephant not so much, but I would like to take one.
I have taken a lot of impala, but when you get onto a big one it's usually a good hunt.
I enjoyed the duiker and klipspringer.
I hunted tsesseebe and it remains one of my most memorable days hunting, taking an old but unimpressive trophy.
Although in some areas, shooting some animals is like shooting part of the scenery. It was like that in Zimabawe with impala, in RSA the springbok were ever present.
My dream animals are giant forest hog, record class warthog, lots of warthog, serval and caracal by day, a nice nyala, big sable would be nice too.

I would like to shoot a big croc, but can't imagine it to be a very exiting animal to hunt. The skin on my wall would be the only reason for it.

All this talk, but at the end of the day I will jumo at the chance to hunt any species I have never hunted, regardles of the trophy or size.
Though on most hunts once I have taken one of a species, I will not usually chase after another one I might see.

My best memories have come from the most unexpected animals, like stalking a mangy jackal and the tsesseebe in the long grass.

I have no desire for an elephant, rhino, or hippo. Lion, leopard, and buffalo are on my wish list, as are warthog, sable, oryx, eland, and some other PG. ~~~Suluuq

Giraffe, White Rhino and hyaena have no interest for me.

Giraffe - I have no idea why.

White Rhino - one I will never be able to afford one, and also they seem a little docile and cow like (but correct me if I'm wrong). Black Rhino, yes, I would if they were on a come back and affordable.

Hyaena - can't see them as a "trophy". Shot at one once, but not for myself, the carcass was wanted for a movie! But missed it, or as I like to believe, the bullet passed right through the "witch spirit" hyaena. Good excuse for missing an easy shot anyway.

Spiral horns. Any of them......

One of the things I'd also like to experience is some of those beautiful jungle antelope/deer/whatever animals they have in the equatorial Aftrican countries, and I understand they are very challenging to hunt. Dutch.

I couldn't hunt elephant, giraffe, bears.
I would like to get one of every pig species that can legally be hunted and also one of every canid and bovine (this is a wish list )everything else with horns, antlers or big teeth I would like to have a crack at, I'm not worried about trophy size. Like Saeed I just like to hunt, have done ever since I taught myself how when I was 15.

Bakes

I was entranced by the spiral horns, especally after taking a kudu on my first hunt. That's why a goal for the hunt last month was to hunt the other commonly available ones: nyala, eland, and bushbuck. I'd read so much about buffalo that I just had to have that experience as well. And I was fortunate to take a nice waterbuck.

Even if money were no object (and it is a very big obstacle!), I don't have much interest in leopard, rhino, giraffe, ostrich, crocodile, hippo, or the small antelope, and only a mild interest in lion and elephant. I certainly wouldn't pay to shoot things like baboon, vervet monkeys, hyena, jackal, and the small cats. I wouldn't mind going after some open plains game like springbok and black wildebeest, and a sable holds a certain appeal for me. I'd definitely hunt buffalo again.