"The true trophy hunter is a self-disciplined perfectionist seeking a single animal, the ancient patriarch well past his prime that is often an outcast from his own kind... If successful, he will enshrine the trophy in a place of honor. This is a more noble and fitting end than dying on some lost and lonely ledge where the scavengers will pick his bones, and his magnificent horns will weather away and be lost forever."

- Elgin Gates, Trophy Hunter in Asia


One of my all time favorites:



I think he will finally come home to hang on the wall in a few months.

What's yours?

That is one hell of a kudu Ann, and with a bow even! Here's mine albeit an easier kill

Ann, that is one of the best kudus ever!

Thanks for the post Ann. That is a magnificent bull - and a very appropriate quote.

Your post makes me pause and remember my favorite- a 12 year old ram, day 10 of a 10 day, 75 mile backpack hunt.

Favorite trophies are a thing of firsts in my experience and I am no excpetion. This is favorite: my first African animal on the first day of my first safari.

All of mine are special to me for various reasons. The greater kudu that was a 25 year dream, and my first African animal. The eland that was probably the hardest tracking I've ever done. The buffalo which was my first DG animal, the hippo that was charging. They and all of the other trophies that I've taken are special to me.

I have 3 that have become extra special to me since August, a bushbuck, waterbuck and an impala. They may not be record book specimens, but thay are extra special becaus of the PH who led me to them: Devlin Carton Barber. I am moving soon, and when these mounts are rehung, they will be placed together as sort of a personal memerial to Devlin.

Caleb,

I don't mean to pry, but what happened? Did your PH pass? If so, I am sorry.

Good thought provoking thread Ann. It's a hard one to answer as to which is my favorite. I think probably the leopard I took this year in Zim for several reasons. 1) I had a successful but disappointing leopard hunt in 08 resulting in taking a female, 2) It took quite a bit of commitment on my part to hunt leopard again ($'s), 3) I had my youngest son along this time on his first safari, 4) Took the cat on day 13 of a 14 day hunt with no cats feeding by noon on the 12th day, etc. Lots of things that made it special I suppose.

It has been posted before but here is a pic.

I'm a sucker for good written thought and when I read Elgin Gates' quote I thought of my kudu pictured above first. I've got to get the cape off to Dennis now, he already has the horns.

I've been fortunate to hunt and kill some extraordinary game as I think we all have. I appreciate everyone sharing their pics and stories, these bind us as hunters.

Now, THAT is the perfect Kudu!

quote:

Originally posted by Aspen Hill Adventures:
- Elgin Gates, Trophy Hunter in Asia

I just recently finished this book. All I can say is it's a great read! That said the last chapter of his book deals with his run across the "red" Chineese boarder from Pakistan for Marco Polo. That story/chapter is easily one of the best, if not THE best, hunting stories I've ever read!

Brett

Mine would have to be this old eland my wife shot in Mozambique last year:

For me there are a couple of favorites out of the many, many African animals that I have taken:

My favorite trophy picture:

quote:

Originally posted by DCS Member:
Caleb,

I don't mean to pry, but what happened? Did your PH pass? If so, I am sorry.

Yes he did, was killed in a home invasion type robbery. Was actually through AR that I found out about it.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...043/m/3651033061/p/1

Grafton, I would not say an old eland, but a fully mature blue bull and forehead full of hair..

Mike

My two favorites:

Selous 06 Famars 450#2


Selous 2009

I won't likely take another this big, and it got a bit western taking him.

quote:

Originally posted by Aspen Hill Adventures:
my kudu pictured above first. I've got to get the cape off to Dennis now, he already has the horns.

Ann that is absolutley fantastic news. I have thought about your "lost" kudu quite a lot over the past couple of years. I wanted to ask about it, but I just didn't know how to ask without reopening old wounds.

Anyway, I am excited and relieved for your. That is an irreplaceable trophy. It would get my vote for the #1 trophy taken by an AR member.

I'll post my own favorite trophy later.

quote:

Originally posted by cable68:

quote:

Originally posted by DCS Member:
Caleb,

I don't mean to pry, but what happened? Did your PH pass? If so, I am sorry.

Yes he did, was killed in a home invasion type robbery. Was actually through AR that I found out about it.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...043/m/3651033061/p/1

There are some really wonderful trophies and obviously for those concerned, wonderful memories invoked. Thank-you Ann for starting this thread.
Unfortunately, sadly tempered by this.

Anyone know of more good 'trophy' hunting quotes? I'm thinking it might be nice to have some of them (or all of them) put on nice placards and hung about with the mounts in a trophy room.

quote:

Originally posted by Aspen Hill Adventures:
Anyone know of more good 'trophy' hunting quotes? I'm thinking it might be nice to have some of them (or all of them) put on nice placards and hung about with the mounts in a trophy room.

I read once that if an animal is mounted it becomes immortal for the hunter; forever living in the memory of the hunter who took him. I think it was from Ruark.

quote:

Originally posted by cable68:
I read once that if an animal is mounted it becomes immortal for the hunter; forever living in the memory of the hunter who took him. I think it was from Ruark.

Actually I believe it was something to the effect of: once a hunter kills a trophy it becomes immortal.

A trophy holds a place in your memory the moment you possess it. The mount only serves to bring the memory to the surface more often.

My first buffalo wil always be special. It was my first shot fired at an animal in Africa.




I was very proud of my wife for her first African kill. She took it with one shot.

"Favorite" is hard to determine -- there have been so many great memories:

I also have many favorite tropiees but my oryx is the favorite nr 1

or was it the warties........

Ann, that must be the ultimate kudu bull, a real beauty and taken with a bow...

Mine is the blue wildebeest I took on my first trip to South Africa.

Not that big (28 "),
but the intence two hour stalk on the flat bush veldt close to the old and muddy Limpopo River, following the small herd with the single bull, was as close to my African dream as I will ever come

Strangely enough, despite my love for Africa, some of my all time favorites are not African species:

NZ Free Ranging Tahr:


Homegrown Alabama Whitetail from our Farm:


As for Africa, there have been lots of good ones, but these always rise to the top:

Last Day Eland:


This old guy:


My First Nzou:

Damn Will, that's a serious whitetail!

Yeah, I'd love to see a whitetail like that come in front of me someday!

Good stuff, guys.

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by cable68:
I read once that if an animal is mounted it becomes immortal for the hunter; forever living in the memory of the hunter who took him. I think it was from Ruark.

I think that is one of the best quotes ever. I had to get my copy of Horn of the Hunter out and find it. Here it is as Rurk wrote it as Selby told him:

"You are not shooting to kill. You are shooting to make immortal the thing you shoot. To kill just anything is a sin. To kill something that will be dead soon, but is so fine as to give you pleasure for years, is wonderful"

Will, there is something about a big Whitetail, eh? Elephants, Leopards, Buff; all great fun, but a big ole Whitetail turns me into jello! Go figure.

This one would have been at the top of my favorite list if I hadn't shot him! Short explanation, this deer walked out at 20 yards broadside and stopped. I was filming as my son raised the rifle. In the process, he exhaled on the scope; outside temp about 20 degrees. The scope fogged and he couldn't see it. I shot it instead.

Had he shot this deer, it would be at the top of my list as I get more excitement watching my boys hunt than me.

Sorry I dont have a field photo, but this deer is the first big game animal I ever killed. I shot him in 2008 while on terminal leave for the Navy. I spent about 30+ days on stand until this guy showed up one morning about 1030.

My next one!

Ann: Great thread! That kudu of yours is simply stunning.
As to my favorite, I haven't shot it yet ...

I've been able to do more African hunting than I would have ever thought possible and every animal I've taken has been special in some way but I think the three below have given me the most joy.


This broken horn lesser kudu was a gift on safari where nothing came easy. Even with 10 inched broken off his right horn he still easily makes the SCI book.


As far as trophies go this 45.25" Sable may be my best ever. First hour of first day of a dream safari in '07 with Neil Duckworth of Mokore Safaris.

This 39" Livingstone's eland is a reminder of t probably the worst day of shooting I've ever had. I was bad! We got him though and the difficulty makes me appreciate him a great deal.

Mark

Nice trophies there Mark. Awesome Sable and the Lesser Kudu is so pretty I didn't even notice the broken horn until you mentioned it.

Some great looking trophies everyone!

I have two favorites, for similar and different reasons. If we are talking the whole world, hard to top my first ever deer kill ... only took me five years to get a shot at one.


If we are talking Africa, my cape buffalo ranks as my favorite. This hunt turned out to be much more difficult than I could have ever imagined.

How about two trophies that are inextricably linked? The first is the leopard I shot in 2007. While hunting the leopard we were surrounded in our blind by a group of elephant, including a large one tusker. Two years later we went back to hunt the same area to see if we could find the one tusker. We did.

Taken in May 2000 the year I left Dillingham. It was a DIY fly-in. Spent 9 days in and took this Boar on day 5. Glassed 16 Bears the first 4 days.