I think that today's technology has given us new options. Photos and videos have given the option of enjoying the moment and preserving it for posterity. I do not see that as pulling the trigger and walking away. Look at Late Bloomers creative genius! That is better than a simple mount in my books.

The high cost of taxidermy, shipping and display space (real estate) together is far in excess of the hunt cost. Some of us can barely afford the once in a lifetime safari for a selected few animals.

I will certainly not be mounting my buffalo. I may even leave the head behind if it costs too much to ship to NZ. I might do a Zebra rug. I would bring back the Warthog tusks, civet or honey badger, if I shoot them. The rest can stay after the photo shoot.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Ahrenberg:
Since I first read this thread, I have been struggling on how to say this. I will attempt to share my thoughts into words.

Earlier in this thread, I stated that I believe there is an "implied responsibility" to use our kills in a responsible manner.

Personally, I REPEAT PERSONALLY, I believe not participating in the trophy process of the Safari is giving our non-hunting adversaries bad PR to use against us.

I can see the conversation,

HUNTER; I just went to Africa.

NON-HUNTER; Oh, did you go on a photo Safari?

HUNTER; No, I killed a bunch of stuff

NON-HUNTER; Are those your trophy photos?

HUNTER; Ah...Yes

NON-HUNTER; Did you eat that stuff?

HUNTER; Why, yes...fed the whole camp for 10 days, and the local community.

NON-HUNTER; Did you bring anything home?

HUNTER; Nah, too expensive, I figure if I just leave the stuff there, I could go back again, sooner.

NON-HUNTER; Oh. Why not just take pictures then?

HUNTER; Because that doesn't close the circle of life in my view.

NON-HUNTER; So, the experience of Safari isn't the same unless you kill it, then leave it?

HUNTER; Yep!

NON-HUNTER; Then I see you as a recreational killer, not a sportsman.

I for the life of me cannot find a way to convince an anti that he would be incorrect based on that. Using, "We feed the hungry people is a bullshit argument, You didn't go over to feed people."

I am obviously not an anti. I am someone who always has, in the back of my mind, how do we as sportsman, not lose the PR battle we are fighting at an ever increasing frequency and velocity.

Steve

I'll tell people that I donated the capes, skulls, etc. I just won't say to whom the donation went. (The outfitter)

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Ahrenberg:

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:
I don't think most non hunters will really buy into mounted taxidermy. Most people who don't hunt will consider trophy rooms a little strange. It is our (hunters) thing - its not the mainstream non hunting thing to see mounted animals.

I don't see too many commercial home décor companies offering real or faux mounted taxidermy for sale.

I think rugs, antlers and Europeans are easier to sell to general public as home décor. I see Ikea selling cow hides. I have seen restoration hardware sell impala European skull mounts and antler lighting - both fake horns/antlers.

Only stuffed animals I have seen for sale have normally been touristy stuff - alligator heads ect.

Mike

Hi Mike,
Hope you're well.

I think my effort at explaining this is a failure. If the responsibility of a Safari hunted animal ends at pulling the trigger, All my reading of classic Africana, all my teachings from my father were in vain.

whether shoulder mounted, full mount or euro mount, I very strongly feel the responsibility of killing does not end at the kill. Where it ends and how far I would chose to take it, I really don't know. All I can say is it seems shallow to just go kill the shit and walk away.

Very analogous to visiting a prostitute I guess?

You get your needs fulfilled, throw your money on the dresser and piss off.

Steve

i find these comments offensive. "shallow", "walk away", "visiting a prostitute", "piss off"??? my fairly large trophy room ( and indeed most usable wall/floor space in my office and guest bed rooms) are completely full. so i should just quit hunting ANYWHERE or enlarge my house?? you say you don't really know how far to take it but then insult anyone who doesn't take it as far as you. what is the air like up there in your ivory tower, Steve? you are young enough to have a lot of hunting yet to do. when your current home fills up( as eventually it will) are you going to quit hunting because you can't close the "circle of life" with 1 more shoulder mount?? somehow, i doubt it....

Steve, If you are really trying to appease the non hunters with how "ethical" you are, then I think that after I close "the circle of life" my way of taking only photos/video is much more palatable than yours. Leaving all the meat/hides/heads to the locals for their consumption and use in traditional crafts is certainly more reasonable than some wealthy guy spending a fortune to haul it all home so that he can try and impress all of his friends with how great a hunter he is and be able to brag about his trophy room being featured in some obscure book. To each his own but maybe you should try and keep the disparaging remarks to yourself. P.S. Who but the other narcissists featured in a book titled "Great Hunters, their Trophy Rooms and Collections would actually pay money for something like that?

quote:

Originally posted by Tim Herald:
Here is a question for some thought- do we/you mount every whitetail, mule deer, pronghorn or elk we kill? I have no more respect for a kudu than I do an elk. No more respect for an impala than a whitetail. (I respect them all & ) I like to hunt them all, and I have some of all of them mounted, but I do not only kill a deer or elk if I am going to mount it...again, I don't think there is a right or wrong, this just had me thinking.

Exactly!!!!! If you mounted all the game animals you've taken over the years, you'd probably need a dozen houses.

+1 if you start hunting at an early enough age and mount every animal you kill( gotta complete that circle of life), you will either need a house the size of Hearst Castle or you will have to quit hunting by age 40. as Tim said, a whitetail or elk has no more "value" than a kudu or impala....

quote:

posted document.write('<nobr>'+ myTimeZone('Fri, 09 May 2014 18:05:26 GMT-0700', '10 May 2014 06:05')+'</nobr>');May 09, 2014 7:05 PM10 May 2014 06:05Hide Postquote:Originally posted by Beretta682E:I don't think most non hunters will really buy into mounted taxidermy. Most people who don't hunt will consider trophy rooms a little strange. It is our (hunters) thing - its not the mainstream non hunting thing to see mounted animals. I don't see too many commercial home décor companies offering real or faux mounted taxidermy for sale. I think rugs, antlers and Europeans are easier to sell to general public as home décor. I see Ikea selling cow hides. I have seen restoration hardware sell impala European skull mounts and antler lighting - both fake horns/antlers. Only stuffed animals I have seen for sale have normally been touristy stuff - alligator heads ect. Mike Hi Mike,Hope you're well.I think my effort at explaining this is a failure. If the responsibility of a Safari hunted animal ends at pulling the trigger, All my reading of classic Africana, all my teachings from my father were in vain. whether shoulder mounted, full mount or euro mount, I very strongly feel the responsibility of killing does not end at the kill. Where it ends and how far I would chose to take it, I really don't know. All I can say is it seems shallow to just go kill the shit and walk away.Very analogous to visiting a prostitute I guess? You get your needs fulfilled, throw your money on the dresser and piss off. SteveFormerly "Nganga"

Exactly.

There is an intangible line that is crossed…… and it is obviously blurred and different for each person…….. where the act of killing goes from killing for a purpose to simply killing for the sake of killing.

IMO,if your trophy room is too full and you are a little too old then why not just go along as an observer.I believe that what you do with the trophy says alot about your character.One can be a lot more selective in the quality of animal he shoots if he has the funds to hunt Africa many times.
Shooting a quality trophy,getting some quality video footage and making a quality mount all contribute to a quality hunt-eating a quality steak too and making a quality shot! Oh yes,taking a quality trophy photo too.
Quality is my middle name.George Quality Shootaway!

quote:

Originally posted by shootaway:
IMO,if your trophy room is too full and you are a little too old then why not just go along as an observer.I believe that what you do with the trophy says alot about your character.One can be a lot more selective in the quality of animal he shoots if he has the funds to hunt Africa many times.
Shooting a quality trophy,getting some quality video footage and making a quality mount all contribute to a quality hunt-eating a quality steak too and making a quality shot! Oh yes,taking a quality trophy photo too.
Quality is my middle name.George Quality Shootaway!

Shooting a cow must be a quality act then I assume.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:

quote:

Originally posted by shootaway:
IMO,if your trophy room is too full and you are a little too old then why not just go along as an observer.I believe that what you do with the trophy says alot about your character.One can be a lot more selective in the quality of animal he shoots if he has the funds to hunt Africa many times.
Shooting a quality trophy,getting some quality video footage and making a quality mount all contribute to a quality hunt-eating a quality steak too and making a quality shot! Oh yes,taking a quality trophy photo too.
Quality is my middle name.George Quality Shootaway!

Shooting a cow must be a quality act then I assume.

Mike

It makes for an interesting adventure.
Being an asshole haraser is not a quality trait.

This thread has become truly worthy of the political forum BS.

Does it really reflect the character of a hunter if he shoots a trophy quality animal and doesn't hang it on their wall??? Really???

What if he shoots a trophy, but opts for a really bad, cut-rate taxidermist job, but still hangs it on their wall... is that OK? Or what about a grossly sub-standard trophy that you hang on your wall... is that OK?

Oh boy

quote:

Originally posted by shootaway:
IMO,if your trophy room is too full and you are a little too old then why not just go along as an observer.I believe that what you do with the trophy says alot about your character.One can be a lot more selective in the quality of animal he shoots if he has the funds to hunt Africa many times.
Shooting a quality trophy,getting some quality video footage and making a quality mount all contribute to a quality hunt-eating a quality steak too and making a quality shot! Oh yes,taking a quality trophy photo too.
Quality is my middle name.George Quality Shootaway!

just when i think you couldn't get any dumber, you come up with this drivel. please post pictures of your quality cow trophy mount to go with your quality cow shooting video. its high time you stopped

After 5 safaris to Africa I can still tell you a story about every animal I have killed on each trip. Those moments are relived in my memory and through the notes, written stories, pictures, and mounts I have.

I have mounted about 2/3s of the animals I have killed. IN MY PERSONAL OPINION the overall experience of hunting the animals that I did not mount is not lessened in the least. I remember the difficulty of the hunts, the flora at that time of the year, the rifle I was using, the excitement of my wife, who the PH was, etc, etc. just as much whether it is mounted or not.

To a certain extent, I understand what Steve is saying. I struggle with the issue.

Personally, I have hunted a lot. I have a fairly large (1800SF) trophy room that is pretty much full. What do I do? Where does this stop? Am I supposed to mount every dove I shot in Argentina? Every duck? Every deer? Every hog?

I have thought about it a lot. These days, I mount something only if it is extraordinary or something I have not taken before. I video a lot of my hunts and have a collection of DVD's from these hunts. Given the amount of money I have spent on taxidermy, if I had it to do all over again, I would have more videos and much less taxidermy. I would have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars.

I still have the skulls sent from Africa. I have Europeans mounts done that I either give away (to those who love to hunt but will never make it to Africa) or hang at my hunting camp. I have a hell of a lot of stuff handing down there.

I don't feel bad about this nor do I feel I have done the wrong thing.

What does bother me (and I have seen it) is for someone to shoot something and take nothing. For example, I have seen guys shoot deer and be perfectly willing to leave everything.

I did 10+ years of culling work. What do I do with a few thousand heads?

I just came back from a lion buffalo hunt, where all I came home with were pictures. If someone doesn't like it, then feel free to pay for my shipping,taxidermy, and an add on to my trophy room.

Hunt is about the thrill of the good stalk and kill and trophies in our caves define us as successful cave men
When we sit in that cave and look at our trophies, it's priceless
When other Cro'magnons come for beer and see it and hear the stories, it makes us proud.
Pictures speak a thousand words and touching the trophies is priceless
That's my Neandertal way of looking at this ..." and pass me another beer while I scratch my hairy appendage ... "

I agree boarkiller. I love to hang out in my small trophy room and have a beer with friends and admire my mounts and memories. I have a few mounts as well as pictures and when people come to my house they ignore the pictures and ask a bunch of questions about the mounts. And if I dont mount it I do a euro mount home made I must have 8 wild boar skulls and will keep collecting them and I give some to friends as well.

I have several hunting buddies who don't do taxidermy, just pictures. They all say it saves money for hunting. Yet they drool over mine and our other friends mounts and every one of these anti-taxidermy guys are married to women who don't allow taxidermy in the house.

Might be the reason they don't like to have taxidermy done, is because they married poorly.

Too each their own, but I'm proud to have sent my taxidermists daughter to college. She's a nice young lady.

Plus a euro mount is so easy to do. bury it in your back yard for a year and soak in peroxide for a bit. Everyone one that walks in my house and sees my bison shoulder mount are amazed at the size and awe of it cause its not something you see everyday. I even mounted one of my brothers boars he shot because it was really nice and large I could not bear to let it go to waste, plus I was involved in the hunt so it still brings back memories.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Ahrenberg:
Since I first read this thread, I have been struggling on how to say this. I will attempt to share my thoughts into words.

Earlier in this thread, I stated that I believe there is an "implied responsibility" to use our kills in a responsible manner.

Personally, I REPEAT PERSONALLY, I believe not participating in the trophy process of the Safari is giving our non-hunting adversaries bad PR to use against us.

I can see the conversation,

HUNTER; I just went to Africa.

NON-HUNTER; Oh, did you go on a photo Safari?

HUNTER; No, I killed a bunch of stuff

NON-HUNTER; Are those your trophy photos?

HUNTER; Ah...Yes

NON-HUNTER; Did you eat that stuff?

HUNTER; Why, yes...fed the whole camp for 10 days, and the local community.

NON-HUNTER; Did you bring anything home?

HUNTER; Nah, too expensive, I figure if I just leave the stuff there, I could go back again, sooner.

NON-HUNTER; Oh. Why not just take pictures then?

HUNTER; Because that doesn't close the circle of life in my view.

NON-HUNTER; So, the experience of Safari isn't the same unless you kill it, then leave it?

HUNTER; Yep!

NON-HUNTER; Then I see you as a recreational killer, not a sportsman.

I for the life of me cannot find a way to convince an anti that he would be incorrect based on that. Using, "We feed the hungry people is a bullshit argument, You didn't go over to feed people."

I am obviously not an anti. I am someone who always has, in the back of my mind, how do we as sportsman, not lose the PR battle we are fighting at an ever increasing frequency and velocity.

Steve

I consider myself a ethical hunter and sportsman. I do collect items but not so much in trophys.
I seriously doubt that an anti cares if the bones or skin are not taken as trophy's. I doubt they look at a trophy collection as acceptable in their eyes.In fact quite the opposite.

Having spent damn near 3 years trying to move a few of my hunting trophies from RSA to Portugal & seeing ever increasing costs for new permits (each is numbered so if one permit expires, both import & export permits need to be renewed) & ludicrous tax requirements such as having to pay something like 125% import tax on the cost of the wooden crate & shipping cost as well as the value of the trophies, I'm bloody amazed that anyone imports any trophies nowadays.

I'm gatvol sick of the whole damn process & the fidiots that make life so difficult for no apparent reason except to justify their own jobs!

Steve

I fixed you "conversation" with the answers that I would give. As for your assertion that taxidermy justifies hunting in the eyes of a non-hunter I have to tell you that you are deluding yourself if you believe that.

Non hunters see taxidermy for what it is: cutting off and animals head, pealing off its skin and spending a bunch of money so that you can hang it on your wall.

In fact most non hunters go one step further: they believe that your entire motivation for hunting is to procure a bunch of heads to hang on your walls. The non hunter does not even have to ask why you hunt, (in there mind) the proof is right there on your wall.

At least in the absence of taxidermy I can explain what truly drives me to hunt.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Ahrenberg:
Earlier in this thread, I stated that I believe there is an "implied responsibility" to use our kills in a responsible manner.

Personally, I REPEAT PERSONALLY, I believe not participating in the trophy process of the Safari is giving our non-hunting adversaries bad PR to use against us.
I can see the conversation,

HUNTER; I just went to Africa.

NON-HUNTER; Oh, did you go on a photo Safari?

HUNTER; No, I killed a bunch of stuff hunted

NON-HUNTER; Are those your trophy photos?

HUNTER; Ah...Yes

NON-HUNTER; Did you eat that stuff?

HUNTER; Why, yes...fed the whole camp for 10 days, and the local community.

NON-HUNTER; Did you bring anything home?

HUNTER; too expensive, I figure if I just leave the stuff there, I could go back again, sooner. Nah, I don't like taxidermy. Too macabre for my tastes.

NON-HUNTER; Oh. Why not just take pictures then?

HUNTER; Because that doesn't close the circle of life in my view. I hunt because I enjoy it and it is in my DNA. Taking photos is of no interest to me.

NON-HUNTER; So, the experience of Safari isn't the same unless you kill it, then leave it?

HUNTER; Yep! I don't "leave it". The animal becomes part of me. I can recount every moment of the hunt. Just closing my eyes I am back in Africa.

NON-HUNTER; Then I see you as a recreational killer, not a sportsman.

Hunter: What is a sportsman? How would spending money on something that would do little "for me" other than giving me increased bragging rights make me a more ethical hunter?

I for the life of me cannot find a way to convince an anti that he would be incorrect based on that. Using, "We feed the hungry people is a bullshit argument, You didn't go over to feed people."

I am obviously not an anti. I am someone who always has, in the back of my mind, how do we as sportsman, not lose the PR battle we are fighting at an ever increasing frequency and velocity.

Steve

My own experience with some of my friends is that wives don't allow trophies in their house. I can see kitchen or bedroom, but living , dining room and hallways are fair game. I think it is sad and takes away from men to be able to express themselves.
Each to their own I guess ...

The leaving the trophies in Africa is not uncommon for folks who must heavily budget to be able to hunt Africa. Taxidermy is very expensive for any type animal, and in some cases outrageous for animals from Africa. Then you add the shipping which is another very expensive bill. For many of us that cost can be better applied to more hunting in Africa.

In my case I have imported very little of what I have taken in Africa or lately in Alaska or Canada.

Years ago I used to try to mount every good trophy I took before I ever went to Africa, and did mount a large amount of the North American trophies. Then we had a house fire that destroyed not only my home, but all that taxidermy as well. After that I started doing a lot of the mounts my self mostly European antler mounts. Then just stopped all together after the first few from Africa that were done by a taxidermist.

Today, after retirement, I have down sized and have little room for trophies anyway, so have forgone most of the mounts, and just brought back things like sculls, and tusks, and some back hides to make things from.

So the same goes for the guy who would rather hunt African with a $400 Wall Mart special rather than a double rifle that costs thousands so he can use that money to be able to hunt Africa. It is all a matter of personal priorities. For that guy and my self it sometimes becomes a toss up between hunting Africa more or having the mounts on the wall, and becomes a priority issue.

For the guys like me, it make perfect since! I've been able to do a lot of hunting that I otherwise couldn't have done because of not mounting a lot of stuff!
....................................................................

quote:

It is all a matter of personal priorities.

MAC hit the nail on the head here. There is no right or wrong, it is totally up to the individual. In downsizing since retirement I have dumped all of my shoulder mounts and only keep skulls or skull plates. I stopped taking a tape measure nearly 20 years ago. And, I only take one or two photos of the game. Great memories that are fading due to old age…
Cheers,
Cal

quote:

Originally posted by cal pappas:

quote:

It is all a matter of personal priorities.

MAC hit the nail on the head here. There is no right or wrong, it is totally up to the individual. In downsizing since retirement I have dumped all of my shoulder mounts and only keep skulls or skull plates. I stopped taking a tape measure nearly 20 years ago. And, I only take one or two photos of the game. Great memories that are fading due to old age…
Cheers,
Cal

Hi Cal,
Old age? that is simply a state of mind. You do not act like an old dude.

Steve

quote:

Originally posted by cal pappas:

quote:

It is all a matter of personal priorities.

MAC hit the nail on the head here. There is no right or wrong, it is totally up to the individual. In downsizing since retirement I have dumped all of my shoulder mounts and only keep skulls or skull plates. I stopped taking a tape measure nearly 20 years ago. And, I only take one or two photos of the game. Great memories that are fading due to old age…
Cheers,
Cal

Well said gents!
Just a matter of personal taste...no right or wrong
Easy peasy

There is no right or wrong decision on this topic, it comes down to so many different scenarios and situations,

I love taxidermy at this stage in my life but I can see a time where I too will scale down and maybe only keep a few odds and ends,

People will also change with in there hunting careers as well, as Mac has said.

In the end hunt well, be ethical don't take the animals for granted.

And Don't scam the outfitter by not paying the Trophy fees just because you don't want them...........

My experience with guests is that they find my trophy room fascinating. They frequently ask where the animals are from. Many question the legality of hunting elephant and lion, but in the end, they all think it a neat place.

I have a few rules of thumb that I like:
1. I never invite anyone into the room; if they want to see it they have to ask
2. All of my taxidermy is in my trophy room.

I don't like taxidermy splashed all over the house. I think a few heads in a living room are okay, but if you cram stuff on every wall in every room it looks quite bizarre in my opinion. I once toured a hunter's house in AZ that was only about 1800 sq feet but was filled with over 100 animals, including many cats and other game from Africa. It was cluttered, cramped, and quite one dimensional. Not for me.

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Ahrenberg:
Since I first read this thread, I have been struggling on how to say this. I will attempt to share my thoughts into words.

Earlier in this thread, I stated that I believe there is an "implied responsibility" to use our kills in a responsible manner.

Personally, I REPEAT PERSONALLY, I believe not participating in the trophy process of the Safari is giving our non-hunting adversaries bad PR to use against us.

I can see the conversation,

HUNTER; I just went to Africa.

NON-HUNTER; Oh, did you go on a photo Safari?

HUNTER; No, I killed a bunch of stuff

NON-HUNTER; Are those your trophy photos?

HUNTER; Ah...Yes

NON-HUNTER; Did you eat that stuff?

HUNTER; Why, yes...fed the whole camp for 10 days, and the local community.

NON-HUNTER; Did you bring anything home?

HUNTER; Nah, too expensive, I figure if I just leave the stuff there, I could go back again, sooner.

NON-HUNTER; Oh. Why not just take pictures then?

HUNTER; Because that doesn't close the circle of life in my view.

NON-HUNTER; So, the experience of Safari isn't the same unless you kill it, then leave it?

HUNTER; Yep!

NON-HUNTER; Then I see you as a recreational killer, not a sportsman.

I for the life of me cannot find a way to convince an anti that he would be incorrect based on that. Using, "We feed the hungry people is a bullshit argument, You didn't go over to feed people."

I am obviously not an anti. I am someone who always has, in the back of my mind, how do we as sportsman, not lose the PR battle we are fighting at an ever increasing frequency and velocity.

Steve

I'll tell people that I donated the capes, skulls, etc. I just won't say to whom the donation went. (The outfitter)

I don't owe anybody any explanation about any aspect of my hunting adventures. If they are a hunter then we have pleasant conversations.

If they are not a hunter there will be no conversation. You can't convert or convince them. They just get pissed off and start yelling. One person called me an animal serial killer. Another refused to date me because she was afraid I would harm her dogs since I loved killing animals. Fuck these people.

Back to the original topic.
For my early plains game hunts I brought back trophies. For the past several hunts only photos. I am totally happy having just the photos and saving money. My hunting experience is complete and satisfying without having trophies on my wall.

quote:

Originally posted by Muletrain:

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Ahrenberg:
Since I first read this thread, I have been struggling on how to say this. I will attempt to share my thoughts into words.

Earlier in this thread, I stated that I believe there is an "implied responsibility" to use our kills in a responsible manner.

Personally, I REPEAT PERSONALLY, I believe not participating in the trophy process of the Safari is giving our non-hunting adversaries bad PR to use against us.

I can see the conversation,

HUNTER; I just went to Africa.

NON-HUNTER; Oh, did you go on a photo Safari?

HUNTER; No, I killed a bunch of stuff

NON-HUNTER; Are those your trophy photos?

HUNTER; Ah...Yes

NON-HUNTER; Did you eat that stuff?

HUNTER; Why, yes...fed the whole camp for 10 days, and the local community.

NON-HUNTER; Did you bring anything home?

HUNTER; Nah, too expensive, I figure if I just leave the stuff there, I could go back again, sooner.

NON-HUNTER; Oh. Why not just take pictures then?

HUNTER; Because that doesn't close the circle of life in my view.

NON-HUNTER; So, the experience of Safari isn't the same unless you kill it, then leave it?

HUNTER; Yep!

NON-HUNTER; Then I see you as a recreational killer, not a sportsman.

I for the life of me cannot find a way to convince an anti that he would be incorrect based on that. Using, "We feed the hungry people is a bullshit argument, You didn't go over to feed people."

I am obviously not an anti. I am someone who always has, in the back of my mind, how do we as sportsman, not lose the PR battle we are fighting at an ever increasing frequency and velocity.

Steve

I'll tell people that I donated the capes, skulls, etc. I just won't say to whom the donation went. (The outfitter)

I don't owe anybody any explanation about any aspect of my hunting adventures. If they are a hunter then we have pleasant conversations.

If they are not a hunter there will be no conversation. You can't convert or convince them. They just get pissed off and start yelling. One person called me an animal serial killer. Another refused to date me because she was afraid I would harm her dogs since I loved killing animals. Fuck these people .

Back to the original topic.
For my early plains game hunts I brought back trophies. For the past several hunts only photos. I am totally happy having just the photos and saving money. My hunting experience is complete and satisfying without having trophies on my wall.

I would have agreed with you 10 years ago. If we go into the future, the way we have acted in the past, sell your guns and buy some golf clubs or get into hot rods. We represent such an incredibly small group, we have no numbers. We have no choice but to use PR in a manner that sways the people on the fence, whom really don't care either way, in our direction.

I do agree anyone defined as an anti is of no use and speaking to them is a waste of oxygen.

The question about taxidermy will be moot.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
+1 if you start hunting at an early enough age and mount every animal you kill( gotta complete that circle of life), you will either need a house the size of Hearst Castle or you will have to quit hunting by age 40. as Tim said, a whitetail or elk has no more "value" than a kudu or impala....

LOL. Taxidermists would be doing a hell of a lot more squirrel, and rabbit mounts.

Someone said that the wife wouldn't allow any more mounts in the house. This sound's like one of my good friends, deceased, who always said he needed a "kitchen pass" to go hunting. My reaction is who paid for the damn house? I did. If I want to go hunting, or hang a dead animal on the wall I will.

Fortunately, I have a very agreeable wife.

quote:

Fortunately, I have a very agreeable wife.

And that is the truth in it!

Getting rid of an obnoxious one comes with a serious price tag and may not be worth it in the long run.