I sit in my living room and look at the various trophies on the wall. I have game from Africa like bongo, lord derby eland, buffalo, a 58" kudu, bushbuck etc.

But I notice that what I admire most are my sheep.

I don't have to get into shape to hunt Africa. But sheep hunting is another story. Months of preparation. Weeks at the shooting range. All in hopes of not failing on the mountains.

That's what gets me going. Sheep hunting and the mountains.

Love it!

With me it's not the grandness of the trophy or the challenge of a particular hunt or the grandeur of the place. It's the little things a trophy represents. The people who were part of it who are no longer here. The part of my life or phase of my life outdoors it represents and things special about the moment.

My dolphin (mahi-mahi) caught off Destin in 1955 will be the last to go someday. If offered several thousand dollars, I still wouldn't part with it. Also the pair of quail, male and female, mounted with natural habitat in a glass bell that I got on a right and left in about 1980. They were among the last wild birds ever seen on the farm. Glad I have them.

Or my first mallard from the 1960s killed on my first opening day duck hunt at a genuine Arkansas duck club. A truly magical experience that never gets old though there have been over a 1,000 more killed since then.

Stuff like that gets the juices flowing. That's from someone who'll unfortunately never get to see Africa.

Then there're the memories. I still get a chuckle out of some of the things my hunting partners said and did two, three and four decades ago. And my family is long since tired of hearing those same stories over and over. So I think for me, it's the people I shared it with above all else.

Many fond memories of deer hunting too. But, deer is more a solitary endeavor and even lonely in many ways. Although I'm glad I have my mounted antlers and enjoy looking at them, it's just a bit different.

Hope that's what you were trying to get at..

For me it's sheep hunting as well. A guy can't describe the awe & majesty of being in the mountains and seeing a beautiful Dall ram standing on top of a mountain cast against a blue sky. You know that he knows that you're there watching him. He's saying back at you "I'm here. If you think you're man enough to come after me then do it. I'm the king of my domain and better than you."
Words can't describe the feeling. Guess I read too much of ol' Uncle Jack in my youth.
Bear in Fairbanks

Sheep as well, but I would add goat to that too. There is simply nothing better. Beautiful animals in beautiful places that not everyone can or cares to venture into. I'm only 22 but am lucky enough to have taken a Dall, tahr and chamois and look forward to many more trips into the mountains.

My dream:

Catching wolves in deep snow & open country or when you catch them following the caribou on a big lake with frsh snow;;;;on the snowmachine of course.

This time of year,the sheep are down drinking water outta the Yukon every morning. I've actually seen them when I was checking my king net in the middle of summer too. Have also caught them on river in middle of winter, but I think the wolves have run them down there. I cornered one once against the high bank and he didn't want to go back up in the woods either.

quote:

Catching wolves in deep snow & open country or when you catch them following the caribou on a big lake with frsh snow;;;;on the snowmachine of course.

Sounds fun!

Blue..

What gets me going is a BIG desert bighorn (Tibouron island and Bioshephere, Baja) and those BIG Cadomine, Alberta and Breaks, MT bighorns. Those are the only 2 animals in NA that I dream about having..

International, High Altai Argali are my number 1 dream animal. They are incredible.

All goats get me going too.. Ibex of all types, RM goats, BIG tahr billies, etc.. Ive taken a few thus far and am anxious to start trying for ibex next year.

Any hunt for the "glamour" PG in the shadown of Kilimanjaro.. Tommies, Grants, lesser Kudu, Gerenuk, etc.. Just being there would be unreal.

And of course BIG elephants!! I absolutely love big tuskers.

More realistic and back home, I like nothing better than a day of Mearns quail huntng behind my dogs. Days when the birds are everywhere you go, dogs throw out some great points and retreives, and I shoot straight with a nice SXS in hand are some of the best days I can imagine in the field.

My dream is sheep, but I have never hunted one. A back pack hunt for 10 days in Alaska, coming out with a 38 inch dahl on my back would be incredible. But I will most likely never meet that dream on my path in life. I have killed lots of muleys, whitetails, elk, state P&Y record moose, and been with many who have shot mtn goats, buffalo, etc..

My most enjoyable trophies are high country mule deer. Miles back in and away from others, no roads or farm deer. Hunting heavy horned 5+ year old bucks at elevations which sometimes exceed 13,000 feet. I have shot some dandy bucks and it never gets old. While I always want to shoot the biggest I can find, the most special at the moment came last year.

I took my 10 year old boy with me on his first real deer hunt. We hiked for 3 hours in the dark, 3.5 miles in, and gained 2,100 feet of elevation. At first light we saw some small bucks and of course he was wondering if I would shoot. After seeing seven smaller bucks we worked our way up a ridge and I promised him I would shoot the next 4 point we saw. Just 2 minutes later I shot a 20" 4x4 (plus eye-guards for you exaggerators haha) through the heart at 346 yards. He slid down the opposite side of the drainage-- away from the truck. It was a 6 mile hike back to a road where my wife could pick us up. My boy worked hard and enjoyed every minute-- ok not every minute, but at least 3 or 4 minutes out of every hour.

The smile on my son's face that evening and a smaller 4 year old muley: That gets my attention at the moment.

Good one MC I already knew what I was going to write but after reading yours I will definitely post it now.
For a long time Sheep and Goats were "it" and even a long time after I got a real nice Bighorn and a Mountain Goat here in Colorado they still had me transfixed. I am still amazed and drawn to them both but must admit a true old love of mine, big Mule Deer have always had a special place in my thoughts and I'm sure I will persue them till I can't. I want a Colorado Moose in the worst way but I've been applying since 1986 so its tough to keep an intense fire for them that long with no hunt opportunity. Desert Sheep are in the same category as Moose!
My latest focus has been hunting and shooting with my kids. This year my oldest son (16) really has put it all together, he is a good shot and I'm very confident that when he drops the hammer an animal goes down cleanly. He has become picky about his shots and now won't take a shot that worries him so when he shoots I know it counts. He is really hunting now and no longer just trying to keep up with me or follow me. He carries his own weight including his share of the downed animals and is gutting and skinning his own as well as helping me cut and package the meat.
My youngest is only 7 but loves guns and loves to shoot. I've had him shooting .22's since he was 4 now he has his own 6.5 Swede and with a cut down stock, bipod and reduced loads he is ringing the gong at 100 yards regularly enough that he has me talked into taking him on a hog hunt. By the way he refers to his 6.5 as his "Hog rifle".
Seeing these two boys not only taking an interest in hunting but living the life of the outdoors is probably my biggest focus and drive now and will be for a long time to come.
Hope you all have a chance to enjoy your kids too.

Life...everyday I get to spend with my seven year old daughter, weather it's team roping or shooting or hunting our hounds. I may not have lotts of money, but I'm a rich man with her in my life.

Steve

I love to hunt big game and have hunted the USA, Canada, and Africa, but my passion is predator hunting. There is just something about calling in a coyote, fox, or bobcat and watching them come in.

Bob

Grew up in KY where every direction seems to be "Up" from wherever you happen to be. And on the way back it is still Up. So, climbing around the mountains to Kill a Goat or a Sheep is of no interest to me. But best of luck to you guys who are climbing to see them.

Deer Hunting is what makes opening my eyes each morning something to look forward to. I can do it all year long, whereever I am. Sometimes and in some places you can Kill them year round. Even when you can't, just the Hunt(or Scouting) gives me a lot of pleasure.

The Holy Grail of Deer Hunting for me is to "Pattern" a HUGE Whopper Trophy Buck and then put a young'un with 3-5 years of Hunting experience in a position to Kill it. Even if the Hunt dosen't result in a Kill, if they just get to see it and make the memory, it was worth all the effort.

Good Hunting and clean 1-shot Kills.

I get the biggest kick out of other peoples success. Meaning taking someone new to hunting and watching their reaction to the killing of an animal. Trophy or not.

To date the greatest thrill I have had was watching over my wife's shoulder as she took a nice black bear coming to bait. The trip down to the bait to look for the bear was punctuated by his moaning. She thought he was gonna get us.

I have a grandson who is approaching turkey hunting age. I hope that is just as exciting.

Not hard to guess based on my handle. Five sheep and a mountain goat so far. But based on my age (67), its doubtful if I will ever hunt one again (unless lightning strikes and I draw a desert tag!

no specific quarry,thou i do love laying eyes on a BIG mule deer.
the need to spend almost 1/2 a year without walking on concrete and seeing no other human evidence other then con-trails of airplanes.
walking in the tracks of grizzlies....
exploring new country...
sharing it with first timers or old friends....
waking up in the morning and rolling out to stir the fire and start the coffee,watching the ponies cut dew trails in the meadow as the mist slowly burns off...
my red heeler running back to me thru the sage
with a brown deer horn in his jaws,happy to be "working"for me....
the first meadow lark call of the year...
the horse trailer after a all day ride out of the back country....
the honking of migrating geese or sandhills...
watching spotted fawns chase and scamper....
capuring these visions on film and sharing with folks that have never had the chance to experience the same....
the smell of gun oil...
the first green grass of spring...
the first snow capping the peaks...
the last package of this years elk wrapped and in the freezer...
irrigating and watching the water saturate the dry ground....
sunrises and sunsets...
these little things....

For me it is just hunting, preferably big game. It just good to get away from the office and not stuck at the desk behind the computer. When out in the field I noticed and watch everything from the game I may be hunting down to the chipmunk running across the ground. It is just great to be in the outdoors.

It would be sheep and goats for me I am sure had I gotten into this wonderful sport much earlier. Since that is behind me and only in my dreams it must be a ride into the wilderness, along a meandering stream, listening to the bugle of big bull elk and knowing I have five golden days to locate the sound, the beautiful animal, country and dulling a good piece of D2. Gonna do it again this fall if the Lord is a willin', at 66 and just trying to stay in relative good hunting shape.

When I look at my Brown Bear rug in front of fireplace and relive the stalk (half mile crawl up a Salmon stream), the shot (90 yards) with my reloaded .300 Winny (200 grain Nosler Partition at 2900 fps), and then the fall of the Bear and the aftermath, I can be there (Cold Bay Alaska) all over again. All the other stuff from Africa, Alberta, Alaska and American West is just icing on the cake. The training of the 7 grandkids and a great, becomes a new pleasure trip all unto itself. May all the rest of you be so fortunate. Good shooting.

Elephants. For me there is nothing else like it.

In North America, I thing that bears are the most exciting...

However, I really like hunting wild pigs.
They are so much fun to hunt, and they are so good to eat... I prefer wild pig to ANY OTHER 4 legged game meat.


But, I will admit I just like to hunt...
Most especially if the meat is good to eat...

I do like wild duck, squirrel and rabbit.

But for instance, I would MUCH rather have 500lbs of Mountain Grouse meat, vs. 500 lbs of deer, elk, or moose.

I am in the group that just the concept of going hunting gets me high.

Whether it is hunting on my own, guiding someone else, it don't matter.

Just being able to get up and out into the field makes my life interesting and pleasureable.

Big massive Alaskan Brown Bears do it for me.

Africa has a terrible hold on me. No one species is at the top of the list. I just love being there. As long as I'm hunting particularly an area I have not hunted before I can be very happy.

Bluefin, I'd gladly give up a body part to have done the two CAR hunts you have done. The CAR and Ethiopia are on my dream list.

Mark

Sitting in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan,looking through a spotting scope at hundreds of Marco Polo Sheep grazing.

I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to go there and hunt ibex following my husband's Marco Polo Sheep hunt.

But if there was one hunt I could do for myself, it would be Marco Polo Sheep. Beautiful mountain ranges, high altitude, and hundreds and hundreds of sheep.