Just wondering how many people have taken the big 5. I know Safari Club keeps track but there are (I think) lot of people who don't list with Safari Club. WHAT WOULD BE YOUR BEST EST.?
25,000 50,000 ???

I'd guess less, but I have no way of knowing for sure.

I'd guess a lot less as well. How many do you think make "the list" in a given year? On average less than 10? Just guessing here

Do you mean ever or in modern times?
Rhino would be the lowest common denominator.
So, if you mean since say, 1950. How many Rhinos could have been shot???? Easier if you say from 1970. Less than five hundred I would think.
Rich Elliott

I'm not even sure a white rhino should count towards big five. Maybe with an asterisk.

Rich I guess I did mean in modern times. I never had the money or the pleasure to kill a rihino.
I had quite the experence sticking pink little darts in two of them. Got really close had a staring contest at 10 yards for about 10 min.
It would have been real easy to kill one. I sure I will ruffle a few feathers, just my personal experience. I guess I have two asterisk

I'm not sure the SCI awards program is an accurate measure. They publish the list of all people who have the big 5 award. However,many people never register. For example, I have taken the big 5. Most more than once. I have never registered. I haven't turned in a record book animal since 1991.

To Jeff H, not all white rhinos are docile. I killed mine at 8 feet while it was trying it's best to mash me. It damn near did it.

According the 2003 Awards Edition SCI magazine, there have been about 400 persons awarded recognition for taking the Big Five. I would suspect there are maybe 100 more today, make it 500, and I'd bet there are not many who have done it who have not sought that recognition.

I know that I intend to, but haven't just because I have been too busy to put the paper work together.

I'd guess not more than 5000 people living today have done this. Kudude

I don't think the SCI list is a good indicator, except for making a rough estimate.

For one thing, the fee for the Big Five Award may keep some people from having their names listed.

For another, and I may be wrong, but I think SCI has stopped publishing the names of members known to have died. I went looking for C.J. McElroy's name in this year's awards issue and could find it in none of the areas I knew he was listed in years past.

Bill Quimby

Bill
I thought I had qualified my "guesstimate" by saying "living today."

Given what it costs to take the Big Five, I double that many would be constrained by the costs of the award from SCI. Kudude

Kudude:

Guess I should have said there are people who aren't interested in seeing their name in print if they have to pay to be listed. I've qualified for quite a few more SCI slams, circles and pinnacles since I stopped submitting entries, but I have no plans of entering them. It isn't because of the cost.

I have taken three of the Big Five, but it's been my health and not the price of elephants and rhinos that has kept me from collecting the other two. If I could ever get to where I could walk more than a couple hundred yards without resting I would go after them. I would not apply for the SCI award, either.

Flat out missed your "living today" stipulation. That makes the SCI list a better indicator if you factor in some unknown amount for the people who don't enter the program for one reason or another.

Bill Quimby

Bill you did not miss it I failed to say it from the start. I have not sent in my big 5 to the Safari Club either. I don't care about that, not saying if you do your a bad person. I also have a buddy who has done it twice and he has not sent it in either. I thought there would be more people who have done it.
Thanks for those who posted!