Do you have a Quest?

21 November 2008, 11:14

I started late in life (after college) to begin my hunting 'career'. Since then I've be very busy with my hunting having hunted now in Texas, New Mexico, Wyoming, Louisiana, Alaska, Canada and Africa. I've taken elk, pronghorn, whitetail, mule deer, ducks, geese, Stone sheep, mntn goat and 7 different African game. To say I've been blessed to be able to do all of this is an understatement.
With all of this I have come to realize that for me the coup de gras has to be sheep. So much so that I am finding that I am totally focused on obtaining my N American grand slam with the icing some day being a Marco Polo.
I've chosen sheep because for me it's the essence of hunting. The terrain is formidable, the living conditions while hunting are rudimentary at best, the shots tend to be long, you have to be in decent physical condition and not many people have done sheep hunting much less obtained the grand slam. I see a lot of trophy rooms and yet many don't have sheep. When I do see a trophy room with sheep it really tells me something about that hunter.
I'm just curious how many of you have a quest and if so what is it and why did you choose it?

Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum

"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they are ignorant, but that they know so much that isn't so. " - Ronald Reagan

21 November 2008, 17:49

muygrande

For me the day of the sheep hunt will have to wait until my return for the "next go round". My hat is off to those "youngsters" who in some cases must actually be mountain climbers. I have had the good fortune to hunt other animals in the sheep country of the NWT, Alaska New Mexico and West Texas and truly love the country in each locale but to put my 65 year old body in "harms way" to get my sheep is just more than I will take on.

As many have said, get those sheep early in life! They are beautiful animals and live in beautiful country.

My quest for today is to travel to S. Texas, watch it rain a little, start a big fire in the fire pit, open a bottle of red wine, grill a big steak, tell a few lies and MAYBE go sit in the blind for a short time and watch the deer, javalina, feral hogs, turkey, coyotes, bobcats, quail and probably even a "wet back" or so. Life is good.

21 November 2008, 22:40

Wendell Reich

Dang, Hikerbum stole my answer!

Sometimes I am just happy to make it to the coffee pot in the morning.

4 continents and 10 countries later, I still do not have any kind of a goal. I believe I would like to hunt all 6 huntable continents. Not too difficult to complete that quest just 2 more to go, and they lie next to each other! I can knock both of them out for under $10k each and have good hunts in both.

Those Ibex interest me greatly. I like the sheep, but I can not afford them.

I think I could get hooked on taking a bunch of different Ibex.

I go where I want, without a list of places and animals. That might explain why I still have not hunted Elk, but I have 6 Cape Buffalo in my house.

Just taking it as it comes around.

That Elk is on the schedule this year!

22 November 2008, 03:18

Outdoor Writer

Although I killed a whitetail buck in NY state when I was 17, I didn't start avidly hunting until I moved to AZ at the age of 20. Since then, I've been fortunate to hunt in 32 states, 9 Canadian provinces, Mexico, New Zealand and South Africa.

I long ago lost count of the critters I've killed because of the numerous deer, javelina and turkeys added to the pot over the last 45+ years.

I do know I only lack a Sika blacktail for all of the NA deer species and a Quebec/Lab of the common caribou species. I already have a turkey slam, finished off with a Gould's from Mexico about 10 years ago.

When it comes to a REAL quest, however, I would like to draw an AZ desert sheep permit -- something I've been working on for the better part of 35 years. I'm now at 18 bonus points but so are a couple hundred other guys. And I would really like to draw it before I'm 70, which ain't too long off.

As it is now, someone might have to carry me up the mountain.

I need the sheep and a bison to finish off what we call the Arizona Big 10 here, which consists of those two, Merriams turkey, javelina, lion, elk, mule and Coues deer, black bear and a pronghorn. They MUST all be taken in AZ, though. Other than only one AZ lion and bear, I have several of each of the others that qualify. Since the inception of the Big 10, we've added RM sheep and Gould's turkey to the huntable AZ critters. So maybe the Big 12 is not far off.

I just started applying for the bison permit a few years ago, though, after they made the Houserock Valley hunt in northern Arizona into a fair-chase affair. Prior to that, it was a basically a "shoot" and the subject of the movie "Bless the Beasts and the Children."

So...given the limited number of permits now available, I might never get them all.
But I sure would like that sheep permit.

Tony Mandile - Author "How To Hunt Coues Deer"

22 November 2008, 04:52

muzza

My quest is to have interesting hunting adventures.I am not so much a trophy hunter as just a hunter . I like to eat what I hunt , and sometimes I get a specimen worth mounting , either for the species or the hardship involved in bagging it .

The biggest buzz now is my 9 year old and his hunting adventures. As he gets bigger we will be able to tackle more adventurous stuff , but I am always going to be 40 years older than him so it will get easier for him and harder for his old man.

But at the end of the day - the animal is just the excuse for being out there.

________________________

Old enough to know better

25 November 2008, 10:47

SDhunter

I have lots of quests, in no particualr order.

-hunt north of the arctic circle for a tundra grizzly

-Sitka blacktail in SE Alaska.

-Cape Buff, Leopard and some PG in wild Africa

-Shoot a deer in every state that has a viable deer population

-Shoot a mature mule deer that I truly had to earn.

- But lately I been pondering buying my own hunting land and apply the Aldo Leupold land ethic to it. If this comes to fruition, I probably won't realize the other quests as time and finances won't allow it. But, if I could own a piece of land and leave it better than I found it. That would be very fullfilling.

25 November 2008, 15:06

Kensco

No quest.

I will hunt hog in Indonesia next weekend. I hope it is interesting. It should be an adventure.

I've done all the hunting I could have ever imagined as a kid. Nothing particularly excites me. I'm an opportunistic hunter. I will be in Argentina next year, there are animals to consider. I move to Australia in April; more animals to consider.

Coming back from Zimbabwe this year I told myself I had to hunt either moose or leopard in 2010; too bad they don't inhabit the same range.

I will hunt something. I've been thinking about hunting with my son in 2009; or rather him hunt, me watch, for Pronghorn or Aoudad.

I like value for my money. Prices have gone up year over year for quite some time. Since I don't wet myself thinking about hunting, at some point I may quit, simply because it's not worth it. That's when I'll sit back, look at my trophies, clean and polish my rifles, reload some rounds, and go let that recoil spank me a few times, just for luck.

****************
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Mike

Legistine actu quod scripsi?

Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.

What I have learned on AR, since 2001:
1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken.
2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps.
3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges.
4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down.
5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine.
6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle.
7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions.
8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA.
9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not.
10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact.
11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores.
12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence.
13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances.

27 November 2008, 00:33

Equinsu Ocha

Ive been really fortunate in my hunting thus far.. With 4 trips to Africa, Ive taken almost all the PG I want to.. Ive got a trip to Namibia in 2010 for the last few PG species I want to hunt. After that, my Africa dream is down to three animals.. a PAC ele, cape buff and Sable hunt.. When I pull that hunt off(and I will), I'll then be able to put out my African flame till I'm old and can take my grandkids..

For the remainder, its goats and sheep. I want to hunt as many Ibex species as I can.

If I provoke you into thinking then I've done my good deed for the day!
Those who manage to provoke themselves into other activities have only themselves to blame.

*We Band of 45-70er's*

35 year Life Member of the NRA

NRA Life Member since 1984

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Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262
Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018
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Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007
http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007
16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409
Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311
Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added
http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941
10 days in the Stormberg Mountains
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322
Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232

"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson

Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running......

"If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you."