I've been thinking lately that I'd like to hunt more NA game before I'm forced to climb mountains and sleep in the cold when I'm 70+.

Even if I took one animal per year I'm still looking at 30 years to complete the Super Slam and I"m currently 41...I may never get there but I'd like to at least start working towards it.

Who here has done it or is on their way to completing the Super Slam? What organization is the official body that records this achievement? Do all the animals taken have to qualify for BC and what animals would you start with..any particular order make sense?

educate me....

http://www.superslam.org/contact-us

This is all done by the Grand Slam Club Ovis people. Some do not think highly of them. Certainly one person who used to post here falls in that category.

Get the hard to draw and hard to hunt ones done first. All the Sheeps and Goat, Polar Bears, Musk Ox, Shiras Moose etc.
You can hunt Deer and Antelope when you are older.
Many of us are "on our way" to completing the North American Slam, most will never complete it but that's not what matters. The pursuit and enjoyment of the hunts and the people you meet along the way and camps shared is what really matters...

Apply for all the draws you can afford every year. And those years when you don't draw. Go hunt some of the OTC animals around the country. Sooner or later you'll draw a tag or three.

Good luck, and get started. Sometimes our health goes to hell long before we're ready. Then it's too late.

George

I have never thought of this type of competition but if your 41 I'm assuming you have already killed some of the 29. So one per year is going to be less than 30 years at one per year.
I'm curious as to why your thinking about this? Or has this been a long term goal?

Either way good luck.

Why does it need to be a competition? To some it's a personal challenge to accomplish.

Saying that the unfortunate thing is Club Ovis has pretty much stolen the concept for their own gain. They even sued the originator of the term "Super Slam" from using it in the future after they patented it. I think it would be quite an accomplishment but would steer well clear of that organization.

Heym,

We have had several clients task us with setting up, or "mapping" their plan for completing the Super Slam. The animals do not have to all qualify for B&C, and I'm honestly not sure if anyone has ever done it where all of them made book. The best tool for knowing where to start is either going to the link that Larry Shores provided or find the list of animals on Boone and Crockett's website. GSCO has an additional animal not listed on Boone and Crockett, which is the California Bighorn. All in all there's 32 or 33 animals listed depending on which list you use. Jaguar cannot be legally hunted but can be darted, which is an exciting hunt with hounds and would count on the GSCO list but not B&C.

As recently as 5 years ago, saying "do the difficult ones first" worked, but with changes to laws and game populations, particularly in Canada, that's not the best rout to go today. Pressure from governments, Non-hunting lobbies and local communities are threatening to close some species, and in fact did close the Quebec Labrador Caribou season after this year, and grizzly hunting in BC will close at the end of this season. Prices will jump for grizzly no doubt because we just lost access to 30%+ of the grizzly population. In my opinion, staying on top of the constantly changing laws and regulations year to year is the best way to map your approach to completing the Super Slam. Applying for draws and cashing in points for the sheep is a good idea at your age as well. If you draw just one of the sheep in the lower 48 you're saving yourself $40,000-$50,000.

Greg

Just to clarify...I don't need to be an official "super slam" title holder from Ovis. I was just using the term loosely as a goal to work towards. Record books and pinnacles of acheivemt are exactly why I don't participate in SCI anymore.

I'm already kickin' myself for missing out on opportunities like polar bear and Quebec caribou. I'd like to start with animals that might not be huntable in the next decade and yes I need to get off my butt and start putting in for some draws.

quote:

Originally posted by Heym 450/400:
Just to clarify...I don't need to be an official "super slam" title holder from Ovis. I was just using the term loosely as a goal to work towards. Record books and pinnacles of acheivemt are exactly why I don't participate in SCI anymore.

I figured that was the case, but the lists are a good place to start. A lot of our guys don't enter theirs either, and neither will I when I complete mine (in 20+ years!).

Greg

Well, I have killed Rocky Mountain Elk, Central Barren Ground Caribou, Eastern Canadian Moose, Woodland Caribou, Whitetail Deer, Rocky Mountain Mule Deer, Desert Mule Deer, Pronghorn, Black Bear and Javelina and Musk Ox.

I figure that ain't to bad for a Texas Boy.

You know that joke about how do you know if someone is from Texas? ,,,,they will tell you!

Randy holding stereotypes together.

What just exactly is wrong with a person being proud of what they have successfully hunted?????

I just returned from a grizzly - moose combo hunt in the Fort Nelson area in B.C. Picked up the local paper to read where the First Nations are mad @ the government about their concerns for the Laird river area caribou are not being addressed.First Nations want to shut it down. My point is this is the Mountain Caribou that can only be hunted in B.C., Yukon, and NWT.First Nations helped to get Grizzlies closed and caribou are next.If you are hunting towards a N.A 29,get it done asap

Heym,
You might also look at the Super 10. With all the closure's and the high price of sheep. It seems like a good alternative "goal" to me.

quote:

Originally posted by hvrhunter:
Picked up the local paper to read where the First Nations are mad @ the government about their concerns for the Laird river area caribou are not being addressed.

I killed my mountain caribou and a 60" Canada moose several years ago in the back country just north of Laird Hot Springs.

I've hunted in the Laird river area,toad river and gundahoo river drainage.I've always been sucessful,saw plenty of caribou but I got out of the pick-up to hunt.Can't say the same for the other culture.

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:
Well, I have killed Rocky Mountain Elk, Central Barren Ground Caribou, Eastern Canadian Moose, Woodland Caribou, Whitetail Deer, Rocky Mountain Mule Deer, Desert Mule Deer, Pronghorn, Black Bear and Javelina and Musk Ox.

I figure that ain't to bad for a Texas Boy.

That is great!

I knew I never would be able to afford hunts for some species, and some species I simply have no interest in.

The only species in North America I really want a chance at before my time is up is a Mountain Lion.

I have no problem with those that have the desire, financial resources and ability to try for all the species/sub-species of North American game, I am just proud of what I have been able to do.

I too had wanted a Mountain Lion for almost 50 years. Even before I left my native state of Colorado in the mid 70s, I started buying a Mountain Lion tag every year, just on the chance that I would run into a Lion while out Deer or Elk hunting.

I'd often see lion tracks, and I did see several lions, just not when hunting or during the hunting season. I'm also a DIY guy and I just hoped that I could kill a lion by myself.

Then a couple of years ago I saw an ad by JT Robbins of Fruita, CO for a reasonably priced Mountain Lion hunt. My 40+ years of wanting a Mountain Lion ended the first day out with JT and his dogs.

I grew up in an outdoor family, but none were hunters. I went on my first deer hunt my second year of college, on a weekend hunt with one of my roommates. I shot a spike Mule Deer with a Winchester .32 Special that he loaned me.

The next year I again went hunting with him and shot my first elk. I was bit by the hunting bug. When I got out of the Army and when I finally graduated from college, I continued hunting mainly for meat, but I also started hunting other species.

I shot my first Pronghorn antelope and my first Black bear. Those were my first mounts, and my family also enjoyed the meat that those animals provided.

As a longtime lover of the outdoors, I have always decorated the walls of my home with pictures of animals. After I moved to Montana in 1975, my hunting opportunities increased. Back then there wasn't the interest and the demand for special licenses that there is today, and I began applying for them.

In 1980 several of my friends were going on a DIY Caribou hunt in southwest Alaska. A week before their hunt, one of them had to cancel, and I was asked to join them. I was able to shoot a good bull, and I brought two boxes of frozen caribou meat home.

By 1983 I drew and was able to kill a Mountain Goat, Shiras Moose, and Bighorn ram, all on DIY hunts. I then replaced those wild animal pictures with mounts of the real animals.

In 1988 I needed more room so I added a 2000 sf, two story addition to my house. The upper level is a 30'x35' trophy room with high (but not high enough) walls and too many windows of a great view of the Gallatin Valley.

Through books, magazines, and outdoor TV shows I had heard of the "Grand Slam of North American Wild Sheep" and the "North American 29 big game animals". With the outrageous high costs of many of these animals, I have never thought of completing either of those goals. As a long time member of SCI I get their Awards magazine every year. Again, I have no dream of killing every animal they list and I have never submitted any of my animals to fulfilling any of their "Slams". But long ago, and especially on my Africa trips where there are so many different animals, I decided to primarily hunt different animals on each trip. So I now plan many of my trips around which animals are available in that area.

By 2004 I had done a Canadian mountain hunt and had made my first trip to South Africa, which had added 11 mounts on my walls. Although I had only had the "unusual" and largest of the common species of animals that I had shot mounted, the count of mounts on my walls was up to 35.

For a long time I had thought it would be fun to hunt Musk ox, but I didn't relish the thought of hunting in the -40 to -50* temperatures. So that year I saw a combination September hunt for Caribou and Musk ox, so I went.

That turned out to be a great trip and I was able to shoot two Caribou and a Musk ox, plus do a little Northern Pike fishing, and view a very spectacular show of Northern Lights one night. It also added a full Musk ox mount and two Caribou to my trophy room.

Fast forward to 2015 and my Mountain Lion hunt in the beginning of this story. Sometime after that hunt I watched one of Tom Miranda's shows on the Outdoor channel where he pushed the Grand Slam Club Ovis and their "Super Ten" award. I then realized that my lion completed the ten animals required for me to get that award. So I submitted the required paperwork, and last January my girlfriend and I had a great weekend at their Las Vegas convention.

We met and talked to some great people there, shared dinner tables with the auctioneers, I booked two hunts (which turned out great), I spent too much money, and I went up on stage where they gave me the piece of paper stating that I had completed their "Super Ten".

It basically took me 50 years from my first deer to my lion to complete those Super Ten requirements, but what makes me the most proud is that I killed 8 of those 10 animals on DIY hunts, and 7 of them were solo hunts.

I was looking at the Super Slam website and saw under the Auxiliary animals were Atlantic & Pacific Walrus.

I've never thought of a walrus as a game animal though I know native people eat them but how does one go about hunting a walrus? I have no desire to do so myself, just curious.
Is there such thing as a B&C/P&Y/RW trophy walrus?

Sorry to hijack..

quote:

Originally posted by adamhunter:
I was looking at the Super Slam website and saw under the Auxiliary animals were Atlantic & Pacific Walrus.

I've never thought of a walrus as a game animal though I know native people eat them but how does one go about hunting a walrus? I have no desire to do so myself, just curious.
Is there such thing as a B&C/P&Y/RW trophy walrus?

Sorry to hijack..

Yes, B&C, P&Y

quote:

It basically took me 50 years from my first deer to my lion to complete those Super Ten requirements, but what makes me the most proud is that I killed 8 of those 10 animals on DIY hunts, and 7 of them were solo hunts.

Congratulations that is a really great accomplishment.

I just wish that I could get a Mountain Lion without having to do so with dogs, but that looks like my only choice.

Just curious...

What other ways are Mountain Lion hunted? Baiting?

I've never heard of anything other than dogs...

Calling, they are predators after all and can be called in.

Hunting them with dogs is the most successful, personally however, I would like to shoot one under different circumstances, but if that is the only or best way to get one, that is what I will have to do.

Just curious, but since it is something I want to do, and have final say on how I want to do the hunt, what business is it of yours?????

Please explain.

I shot my black bear over bait because I wasn't interested in following hounds.

Using dogs to hunt anything other than pheasants and quail or retrievers when shooting waterfowl, has never appealed to me.

Since I am the person that will be paying for the hunt, why does it matter to you?????

quote:

Originally posted by Heym 450/400:
Just curious...

What other ways are Mountain Lion hunted? Baiting?

I've never heard of anything other than dogs...

Unlike African cats, I've heard that Mountain Lions will not come to baits. I'm also not sure if baiting lions is legal, especially in the western states.

Several years ago I knew one local hunter who called in a lion.

My hope for many years was to basically stumble across a lion while I was hunting deer or elk. (I also buy a Wolf tag every year for that same reason.)

I've seen two lions crossing the road less than 1/4 mile below my house, and once I saw a very large lion chasing some deer on the hill above my house. None of those encounters offered an opportunity for a shot.

My sister lives on top of a mountain West of Denver. She has seen many lions near her house, including two that were on her porch. She took pictures of them with her computer tablet. She was less than 6' from them with only her sliding glass door between them.

She is VERY anti-hunting of predators, so even if I had been there with a tag I wouldn't have been able to shoot one. She also doesn't know that I shot a lion two years ago.

quote:

I've heard that Mountain Lions will not come to baits.

I have read/heard that also, but if a person could find a fresh lion kill, they might be able to set up and watch it and get a shot.

Going in, I knew that the two really productive methods of getting a black bear was with hounds or over bait. I chose to go with over bait, and if I ever go again it will probably be over bait, although some folks are having fairly decent results calling them.

If I decide that I want a lion bad enough I will go with hunting one with dogs.

It is just getting interesting on the whole site that people can't merely express their thoughts on a subject without getting called out by someone.

That comment is NOT directed at you buffybr, as I personally know a young man from the Colorado Springs area that went out and set up watching the carcass of one of his families Llamas that a lion had killed, and killing the lion when it came back in to feed on the carcass.

In South Dakota we cannot use dogs, and cannot bait for mountain lion and we still fill the quota every year. Most of them are shot while hunting deer or elk or watching a fresh kill. It works to call them also sometimes. It's a lot tougher than using dogs for sure.

quote:

Originally posted by Heym 450/400:
Just curious...

What other ways are Mountain Lion hunted? Baiting?

I've never heard of anything other than dogs...

quote:

In South Dakota we cannot use dogs, and cannot bait for mountain lion and we still fill the quota every year

That tells me there are a lot more lions then the fish and game thinks there is.

My point is, Mountain Lions can be killed with methods other than using dogs, but hunting with dogs results in a higher success rate.

Not all that different from Black Bear, where hunting them over bait or with dogs are the most productive methods, they can be successfully hunted by other methods.

Not sure why an individuals personal choice concerning how they would like to collect a certain species is a problem for anyone.

I'm only 3 species away from the NA 29, but just haven't had the drive to complete it. The couple of species I have left, are of little interest to me to be honest.

It is however a tremendous / personal accomplishment, and I wish you lots of luck if you choose to pursue it.

I tried getting a Coues deer in Arizona in 2011 but all I saw were does. I have enjoyed collecting the species/subspecies I have collected and maybe I will collect a couple of more in the future.

quote:

Originally posted by Outdoor Writer:

quote:

Originally posted by hvrhunter:
Picked up the local paper to read where the First Nations are mad @ the government about their concerns for the Laird river area caribou are not being addressed.

I killed my mountain caribou and a 60" Canada moose several years ago in the back country just north of Laird Hot Springs.

I've never hunted in Canada but have driven to and hiked the Liard area both on the AK Highway and up to the village of Liard and soaked in the hot springs. Your posts brought back great memories.
Cal
PS. That said, I've never heard of the super slam. What is it exactly and what are the requirements? Is it like the slams that SCI touts?

quote:

Originally posted by cal pappas:...I've never heard of the super slam. What is it exactly and what are the requirements? Is it like the slams that SCI touts?

The North American Super Slam is a product of Grand Slam Club/Ovis. They identified the 29 major big game animals in North America and listed them in 10 groups of similar animals. Their Super Ten award is for taking one animal from each of the 10 groups. To qualify for their Super Slam you have to take all of their 29 listed animals.

SCI's Animals of North America lists 58 animals in 17 groups or categories. They have 5 levels of achievement, and you have to get their specified number of animals in each group to qualify for each of the 5 levels. Their top level requires a total of 32 of their specified animals.

SCI splits many of the animal groups far greater than does GSCO or Boone & Crockett. For example SCI lists 18 species of deer in 3 groups whereas GSCO lists only 5 species of deer in one group.

Neither GSCO or SCI require a certain "score" for animals to qualify, and even female animals qualify.

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:
...the two really productive methods of getting a black bear was with hounds or over bait...

In Montana it is illegal to hunt black bears over bait, with dogs, or to use scents to attract bears.

One of the most productive ways to find bears is to glass avalanche chutes and open areas just below the snow line in the spring.

One day many years ago when I lived in northwestern Montana I saw 22 different bears while just driving old logging roads.

That is why I hunted my bear in Idaho.

I started hunting elk in Colorado in 1992, the same year they shut down hound hunting and baiting as methods to hunt bear.

I went ahead and bought a license a couple of times in hopes of seeing one I could get a shot at, same thing on my Moose/Woodland Caribou hunt in Newfoundland in 1996.

Found out at the end of the hunt, that had I have really expressed an interest in shooting a bear, one had been trying to break into the outfitters second camp, about 5 miles away daily.

I did get my Caribou which at that time a combo hunt with that outfitter for Moose and Woodland Caribou was $4200.00 dollars and the Black Bear was basically thrown in Free if I got the license.

I do not believe from what I have been seeing that a Woodland Caribou hunt can be arranged for that amount.

I'm curious why the aversion to using dogs for a lion or Blair hunt. I'm not trying to judge everyone has there own views. The use of dogs can up the odds of success greatly and it offers the chance to be very selective of which animals are taken. It's the only form of hunting where you can practice catch and release.

Its the same mentality of a landowner that we once asked permission to hunt pheasants on their land. She said we could hunt, but we couldn't use our dogs, because she said hunters with dogs killed too many birds.

Actually, the dogs just find many wounded birds that hunters without dogs may not find.

quote:

I'm curious why the aversion to using dogs for a lion or Blair hunt. I'm not trying to judge everyone has there own views. The use of dogs can up the odds of success greatly and it offers the chance to be very selective of which animals are taken. It's the only form of hunting where you can practice catch and release.

A. Personal Choice!

B. When I am HUNTING, I do NOT practice catch and release! Fishing yes, I will release undersized fish. Hunting, I am out there to kill something and I am NOT selective. If it is a LEGAL ANIMAL, it is shot.

Fishing is somewhat of a "Sport" to me, but my goal when fishing is to catch something to eat.

Hunting is NOT a sport to me! When the rifle/shotgun is in my hands, my total intention is to kill something. I do not look at Trophy Potential, because I developed the personal philosophy many years ago that a "TROPHY" was an animal I could back the pickup next to and load.

That is why I( no longer hunt/shoot buck deer, except spikes, antlers do not make good gravy even.

If it turns out that the only way I can ever get a mountain lion will be to book with a guide using dogs, than that is what I will do, I just think it would be special to get one without using dogs.

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:...If it turns out that the only way I can ever get a mountain lion will be to book with a guide using dogs, than that is what I will do, I just think it would be special to get one without using dogs.

That's also how I felt for over 40 years. Mountain Lions are just so secretive and nocturnal that it extremely rare just to see one, let alone be able to shoot one. So that's why I finally "bit the bullet" and went with a guide and his dogs.

I'm also more proud of all of the animals that I've shot on DIY and DIY solo hunts than of the animals that I've shot with a guide.

Packing a bull moose 5 miles out of the wilderness my myself (and my 2 horses) was quite a job.

In answer to Mr. Brownlee, The only hunter who has taken the "Supper Slam" all qualifying for the Boone and Crockett book is the late Basil Bradbury. Basil was also a Weatherby award winner. He was the "real deal" and took all his animals fair chase.