This whole pandemic has postponed my 2020 trip until next year,as I'm sure has happened to a lot of you. Don't know about you, but I miss the hunt reports and the forums seem to be a bit inactive, which is understandable under the circumstances. But, being bored, I thought I'd ask a question:

What is your best trophy, and why?

When we were marooned to a hotel during Hurricane Harvey in 2017, a secretary asked me at a group dinner what was the biggest animal I'd ever shot. Instinctively, I said elephant, but as I thought about the question, what does "biggest" mean? She meant size, but as I thought more about it, I thought "biggest" is relative, and frankly, isn't really important. What's your most memorable animal?

I'll start. The "best" trophy I ever took was a Masai bushbuck. He's really nice.

The most memorable was an elephant that I shot on the side of a steep hill. He rolled all the way down taking out trees all the way down to the bottom of the korongo. It seemed to be in slow motion. He wasn't that big trophy wise, but so far, he's the most memorable.

Hard to narrow it down to one, I know. Was for me. But want to hear from you. I'm bored silly.

First African animal...water buck
Then my first elephant on last day of 15 days hunt after passing on 70+ lbs one tusker because being greenhorn I wanted two tusker
pH is still pulling his hair every time I see him even after 10 years

My first safari started with a missed shot at a nice Kudu. Wrecked my self-confidence. Eight days later a leopard dead under the tree brought it back. That leopard is a full mount in my office.

A buff I shot in the Zambezi valley in 2010.It was the only time I hunted with a rented rifle.By chance it was the same model and had the same chambering as the one I own.That trophy stands out in my mind maybe more than the others.

quote:

Originally posted by lavaca:
...

What is your best trophy, and why?

...

My third wife. Tall, blonde, attractive, devoted, fun and 28 years younger.

Vaal rhebok because it's a Vaal rhebok.

Most memorable was 45 days in the Omay during September - October. I had to go to rehab after that one.

The Buffalo that almost killed me. Most memorable by far.

Most memorable, a charging leopard at 5 yards, dead at my feet. Most enjoyable, yearly deer and elk for the meat.

Dave

Mine is a charging Elephant that I dropped at 12 yds.

Each hunting trip a person takes there is always something that brings that hunt alive for you to remember.

Was some more exciting than others, well yes.

On my First trip to Alaska and walking by a brown bear at 10 feet and not seeing it, was told about it after the fact. I was hiking my caribou out and did not have my rifle with me on that pack out. Two climbs up the mountain to bring it back to camp. Was this the most exciting I am not sure. Other trips to Alaska (both hunting and fishing) were in there own right a great happening as I went to different locations and hunted with different family and friends.

Hunting and fishing in different states all have their moments that will live for ever in one mind.

As going to Africa, each trip and country provided something that brings the trip to life when you look back and remember.

As far a record book animals, I have never scored any of my trophies, as that is not my thing. However many of my trophies have been scored while at the taxidermist, I only learned about that after the fact. I have a few that would make the books, however maybe someone will have them scored later in life.

If size is what you are looking for, I would have to say. Giraffe

I would have to say the Giraffe taken would be the biggest.

Taller by far then the elephants or other smaller animals mentioned.

A very good friend of mine wanted to shoot a giraffe.

I think he had a 500 of some sort.

It was a custom rifle built for him in Austria - he was Austrian.

We found an old bull, and Roy was giving him advice to make sure he hits it in the right place, as many people apparently shoot these animals too high.

Well, he did shoot too high!

The giraffe took off, and my friend was not in a good condition to run.

He fired a couple of shots at the running bull, trying to hit it in the head, as that was what we could see.

Roy and me ran off after it, difficult to see in the bush.

As he got to the road dividing our concession from the neighboring one, I hit it in the spine!

It fell right on the road!

A very lucky shot!

The big leopard killing leopard of Jonsyl Farm in Southern Zimbabwe. He was a rogue, known for killing other leopard and I shot him over a female leopard that he had killed earlier that morning and had come back to feed on. 8'1" 180 pounds. A super cat with a super story. The cat pictured to the left of this, and below. Shot in 2008.

Best as far as biggest (relative) is probably the Eland I shot in the Selous. He was HUGE.

The most memorable one right now is my Mountain Nyala. I really beat myself up getting him. He's not really big as far as Mountain Nyala go, but that was an experience!

The one that is close in my mind was was my Lord Derby Eland. That was a difficult hunt as well.

My most memorable African animal was my first in 2012. I hunted in Namibia with Jan du Plessis of Sebra Hunting Safaris and on the first morning made a 224 yard shot on a 40” Gemsbok Bull. He was down by 11:00 AM and we ate his backstraps that evening, cooked over mopane coals. I actually had a tear in my eye for a brief moment. That was the first of five safaris with Sebra.

The kudu as seen in my avatar.

It was 1996, with two of my sons, on a South Africa safari in the Eastern Cape.

A kudu was on the "want" list, and we flushed this fellow out of a valley and up a steep hill. I was out of breath by the time all partied made it to the top.

With nothing to use as a rest, the PH had me set the rifle on his shoulder while he put his fingers in his ears. As I recall, it took 2 or 3 rounds to put the kudu on the ground.

I have several that really stand out in my mind, but the most notable are two springbok, taken a year apart. I shoot a 45-110 Shiloh Sharps loaded with traditional paper patched bullets AND traditional iron buckhorn barrel sights and a blade front. No scope.

The first animal I took was a 48 inch kudu at 302 yards on the Leica rangefinder, one shot down and done. Another kudu, and a black wildebeast at 229 yards, and nobody said anything. Then came a very nice springbok ram at 327 on the laser, and at the shot the 511 paper patched bullet put him down like he had been hit by lightning. At the shot and the bullet impact, the PH, the trackers, the camera guys erupted in exclamations of "What a effing shot" and proceeded to go nuts. It dawned on me that they had all thought I had been lucky with the open iron sighted Sharps to that point, and the 327 yard springbok was a game changer in their thinking. Fortunately, I have this one on dvd.

The other shot that always jumps out in my mind was a springbok I took with the same rifle and set up in 2009. I wanted to verify a historical reference I had about some market hunters in the American west shooting deer at four to six hundred yards with their Sharps. I asked my PH if he could get me a shot at a springbok within that distance framework--and would he allow me to take a shot at an unwounded animal at that distance. He agreed, and got me on a springbok ram at 547 yards measured with the leica CRF1200. Using traditional sitting crossticks, and with my PH running the rangefinder and giving me the distance, I double lunged the ram in a 20 mph crosswind from 9 o'clock on the first shot. He went about 20 yards and piled up. I have some others that come to mind with a 45-70 Sharps such as a blesbok at 451 yards and two warthogs with one shot at 209 yards with the 45-70. Truth to tell, all of them are special. There ain't just one.

Do you use the fixed buckorn or the adjustable flip up elevator on the buckhorn on your shots? Or, do you use a Tang sight?

I use the flip up elevator and have it correlated with the laser rangefinder out to 1100 yards. This is the same sight set up used on the majority of the original buffalo hunting Sharps of the 1870s. It is exceptionally effective and repeatable once you figure out how to use it.

The tang sight is way too slow to adjust for the various distances and doesn't work in low light conditions well enough to be a viable hunting sight. Plus, it is fragile.

Never give up. A tough and exhausting hunt for Sitatunga. The hunt was basically over and we were all disappointed that we had not seen the monsters that this Kafue swamp was noted for. The last sitting we opted for the blind closest to camp and as the last seconds of the hunt ticked away I was about to call it quits with a handshake and a few words of commiseration as this magnificent Sitatunga broke cover. Steve here pictured with my son Ben.



Zambia has been kind to Steve who took a brute of a Lion in the Luangwa Valley, one of the largest Sable antelope ever recorded and a whopping Leopard in the Kafue with me. Some guys have all the luck.

That is one hell of a nice sitatunga. I would say he is on a roll. Congratulations.

+1

quote:

Originally posted by sharpsguy:
That is one hell of a nice sitatunga. I would say he is on a roll. Congratulations.

Certainly is.

Outstanding trophies all! More importantly, great, lasting and positive memories!

The biggest was a steenbok. He is the only thing I have taken that is big enough to go Gold in SCI. Not that he is in the book as I am not sure it is something I would do.

The physically biggest animal was a murray grey yearling heifer.

I would claim that my Mountain Zebra was the most difficult, because of how smart they are.

Most of the North American animals I have taken are small.

I am walking through the woods with my father. A dik dik moves and my father hands me the gun and says shoot.

The dik dik collapses dead. As we walk up, there is a second dik dik dead on the other side of the bush. The first animal I ever shoot turns out to be my only double on mammals.

There have been many days pass since that day. My Dad is gone, My kids have grown. My hair is white. A few more nice animals have been added to the collection, including a world record. But nothing compares to Dad handing me the gun and saying shoot. My eyes are moistening up as I write this. There is only one first time!

Thanks Dad. You were the best!

Ailsa,

Truly the most memorable.

When I think back I remember two. The first was when I was about 12 or 13. We were quail hunting and I was by myself just walking a field. A single flushed right at my feet and I took it with my single shot .410. Best quail shot I ever made and the only individual shot I remember.

The second is my first buffalo in the Selous. I remember him not only because he's beautiful and he's staring over my left shoulder as I write this, but also because I still have the scars from the thornbush! Wish I was there again right now.
kh

quote:

Originally posted by tanks:

quote:

Originally posted by lavaca:
...

What is your best trophy, and why?

...

My third wife. Tall, blonde, attractive, devoted, fun and 28 years younger.

Not my wife(I am single), tall or blonde but attractive and younger.I wouldn't call anyone a trophy.Wounded and heart shot are the words that come to mind.

A smallish black bear taken with my crossbow. In second place might be a mountain caribou.

For African game, a Cape buffalo, hands down.

Scrum cap bull with PH Tanya Blake in Zim. Tanya and the team earned every bit of success on this hunt.

There are small days and big days. That day was definitely the latter.






As to the “Why?” of it... I could answer that question ten times over and each time would be different. So I'll say this; it just is.

Awesome Buff that!

quote:

Originally posted by T.J.:
Scrum cap bull with PH Tanya Blake in Zim. Tanya and the team earned every bit of success on this hunt.

There are small days and big days. That day was definitely the latter.






As to the “Why?” of it... I could answer that question ten times over and each time would be different. So I'll say this; it just is.

I know where you shot that, but don't tell anyone .

My first DG hunt which was for cape buffalo in Hippo Valley. Was supposed to hunt there 3-4 days and move to another concession for other game.

8 1/2 days of snares, thick cover, thorns, and buffalo on edge. Throw in a buff stampede that were being chased by dogs and it was a heck of trip.

I think my best trophy may be the 45.25" sable I shot on the first morning of a dedicated 10 day sable hunt in Ngamo Sikumi. that bull is not my highest scoring trophy but the whole experience was one where it seemed just meant to be.

My most memorable trophy was the 6 point buck that almost ran over me in 1965. My Dad had died suddenly on a hunting trip the first week of November and the neighbors had kindly asked me to hunt with them the following Veteran's day holiday. The rainy morning turned up nothing and when we went out in the afternoon I traded my Dad's rifle for my 20 ga pump with buckshot. After about an hour of walking slowly through the thick woods a buck burst out of the brush coming almost directly at me. I threw up the 20 ga and let fly. The buck went down plowing leaves as he hit the ground. He tried to get up but one more load in the chest sealed the deal.

That deer was my first buck and I've always thought that deer was a gift from someone to help with my grief over my Dad's sudden death.

Mark

I'd have to choose this pair of old dugga boys I killed in the Selous one year. They were wandering in the miombo bush. Out on their own, feeding, when we ran into them at fairly close range. I shot them both bout ten seconds and less than twenty paces apart.



I could easily pick a lot of others, but I will always place these old boys at or near the top of them all. They have a special place in my memories.

.

Too many to list and hopefully many to come!

- Big blue wildi that my eldest son shot in the Limpopo.
- Monster common duiker that my youngest son shot with me when we were out after impala.
- Leopard that my wife shot after 20 mins in a blind in Namibia when we were on a sandgrouse trip - great story behind that one.

Me .... I would have to say a 124 kg bushpig sow, bayed in the thickest shit you can imagine in the Natal Midlands and shot at 3 meters after a 3 hour run with the dogs!

.