There have been some recent threads about what game animals are on our personal “top 10” and “bucket” lists.

What about animals that you don't plan on hunting or wouldn’t really want to shoot?

I can’t think of any game that I would absolutely refuse to hunt or shoot under any condition. But there are some that I don’t have any real interest in hunting. A personal guideline is to kill an animal only if I intend to eat at least part of it, if the animal is a danger or nuisance or it is injured or sick and suffering. Although I’m not by any means a Christian fundamentalist or Bible-thumper, Deuteronomy 14 pretty well spells out the kind of animals that I seek: split hoof and chews a cud. Anything else is down on the list for me.

Bear: I’d enjoy hunting bear and would like to get a bear hide but don’t care for the meat. It’s only my opinion but a hide alone is not sufficient justification for killing a bear. Upland birds and wild turkeys: I don’t know why, maybe I’m just a “rifle” sort of hunter. (Or not, because I would like to hunt ducks.) Large African game: An African safari would be a great experience and I have absolutely nothing against my fellow hunters who go to the Dark Continent. I know that the money they spend is vital to conservation but I can’t see myself hunting large or dangerous game in Africa. It's hard to explain but I'll give it a try. Hunting for African animals like the "Big 5" seems to be more like a sport, game or competition than predator vs. prey. Maybe I'm overanalyzing but dangerous game hunting almost a form of combat where the goal is to vanquish an opponent as opposed to 'bringing home the bacon' so to speak. I'm more of a hunter than a warrior. Does that make any sense?

What's not on your "top 10" or "bucket" list?

I would say the top of my "non-bucket list is cougar. Not much into hunting with hounds. Also water fowl, really not into shotguns, I kinda suck at it.

Interesting post.

Different strokes for different folks but Africa is what makes me get up in the morning and allows me to dream.

I am not into shooting female North American animals. No cow elk, doe deer, doe antelope, etc. Just not my thing. Just my personal preference.

Whitetail Deer and Turkey.

I hunted them when I was young and not a good hunter. Maybe I will return to them when I'm old and crippled and can't hunt anymore. Nice bookend species for the beginning and end, but in the middle I have zero interest in hunting them.

For some reason Caribou have never interested me. I cant think of anything else I dont like to hunt.

Giraffe,seals,penguins and the little antelope
of Africa

Thought I really wanted to hunt Giraffe at one point....but I just don't see the sport in it after spending a lot of time around them. I would shoot one or two for lion bait however!

Not really anything that would just be trophy only. The biggest reason I have never taken the step and gone to Africa to shoot a buffalo is because I would not be able to bring the meat home. I have no problem driving several hundred miles to shoot does/cows, simply because I want the meat and horns/antlers do not cook up worth a damn.

As much as I dream of what shooting a cape buffalo would be like and the whole African experience, the only animals I kill simply to kill are coyotes/armadillos/rats/feral dogs and feral cats. I am a collector and for me killing a representative animal, even a female is good enough. If I were ever to get a chance at a wolf, I would at least try to eat some of the meat.

Walrus, Turkey, Capercalie, Armadillo.

Polar bear and Elaphant are not on my bucket list (only because the wife put her foot down) waterfoul is something I'm not interested in doing as well as seals and walrus.

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:
Not really anything that would just be trophy only. The biggest reason I have never taken the step and gone to Africa to shoot a buffalo is because I would not be able to bring the meat home. I have no problem driving several hundred miles to shoot does/cows, simply because I want the meat and horns/antlers do not cook up worth a damn.

As much as I dream of what shooting a cape buffalo would be like and the whole African experience, the only animals I kill simply to kill are coyotes/armadillos/rats/feral dogs and feral cats. I am a collector and for me killing a representative animal, even a female is good enough. If I were ever to get a chance at a wolf, I would at least try to eat some of the meat.

Trust me--Every ounce of meat will be used in Africa-you truly have no concept of how those people live till you have been there.

Very interesting post. I have never really thought about the animals that I wouldn't like to hunt. But.....I'm with ravenr on this.
Giraffe, Seal, and Penguins do not appeal to me at all.

Interesting topic. I honestly can't think of one. I'm not a trophy hunter, but I can eat a 190" buck as well as a doe, maybe just cooked differently. I'll have to think on it more.

Raccoons

ravenr AKA Uncle Joe,

I agree on the penquins and marine mammals. No interest. A giraffe for lion bait yes but not as a trophy. You are showing your NA prejudice on the tiny 10 though. These are some of the most difficult and worthy animals in Africa. It sure as heck took me long enough to get the little guys I have. You may change your mind on this one.

Other than the above I personally want to shoot one of everything.

Mark

Thanks for the responses guys, keep 'em coming.

quote:

quote:
Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:
Not really anything that would just be trophy only. The biggest reason I have never taken the step and gone to Africa to shoot a buffalo is because I would not be able to bring the meat home. I have no problem driving several hundred miles to shoot does/cows, simply because I want the meat and horns/antlers do not cook up worth a damn.

As much as I dream of what shooting a cape buffalo would be like and the whole African experience, the only animals I kill simply to kill are coyotes/armadillos/rats/feral dogs and feral cats. I am a collector and for me killing a representative animal, even a female is good enough. If I were ever to get a chance at a wolf, I would at least try to eat some of the meat.


Trust me--Every ounce of meat will be used in Africa-you truly have no concept of how those people live till you have been there.

I agree with the spirit of what CHC is saying and don't believe that he meant to imply that animals killed in Africa go to waste. We've all heard the stories on how an entire village will show up at an elephant kill site and strip every ounce of meat off the carcass in a matter of hours. The natives eat well and really appreciate it. The point is that the hunter him/herself usually eats very little, if any of the game that they kill (except for possibly a few meals in camp) and none of it is brought home. There is absolutely nothing wrong this with but I (and appearently CHC) have a "thing" about using the animals we kill for personal sustinence. Not eating the animal - or at least a good part of it - leaves out an important part of the hunting experience, at least for some of us. Eating the kill is the natural conclusion of a successful hunt. A secretary at the company I work for went on an African hunt with her husband and shot 5 different species of plains game. She said she didn't get so much as a drop of blood on her hands and didn't touch a scrap of the meat. I'm sure they were all put to good use but in my mind that's using the animals as nothing more than targets. Not my thing but it's all good. And what about inedible animals such as lions?

It's not just Africa. I've heard of many instances in which someone shoots a moose, caribou or whatever in Canada or Alaska and then gives all of the meat away. I'm not accusing anybody of poor ethics (unless the carcass is left to rot) but leaving all the meat behind is not something that I'd want to do if I ever got the chance to bag a moose or caribou.

To be perfectly honest about it, I do have to mention that I've killed over 500 deer doing agricultural damage control. And no, I didn't eat every one of them. Almost all of the ag damage deer were given away. The only explaination I can offer is that the deer were killed for the purpose of reducing crop damage, not personal recreation. (Although nobody forced me to shoot them against my will, either.) This outlook brings up an ethical dilemma. I'm going for antelope this fall. The speedgoat (if I'm lucky enough to bag one) and a deer here at home will provide all of the meat that I can use for the next year. I'd really love to go to New Mexico and bag another cow elk but I'd end up giving a lot of meat away. One "inner voice" tells me that if I don't really need the animal I shouldn't be killing it. The other inner voice says I really want to go on this hunt and as long as the meat gets used it's OK. Decisions, decisions...

I dont have a bucket list of any sorts

I dont keep count or score.....I just wish and dream for one more day.....one more hunt

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Originally posted by ted thorn:
I dont have a bucket list of any sorts

I dont keep count or score.....I just wish and dream for one more day.....one more hunt

Making wishes and having dreams is just another expression of a bucket list. It's maybe not as firm as a formal, written-down list but it's the same general idea.

One more day, one more hunt. I like your thinking. Someone once asked me how many game animals I hoped to kill in my lifetime. I told them only one more than I already have...

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Penguins do not appeal to me at all

I didn't know penguins were hunted. But, having gone to a strict Catholic grade school during the 1960's, the idea of shooting up some penguins has a strange appeal...

Other than bigfoot I would shoot about anything. Ron

Ducks! Nasty meat and hunting them is usually miserable.

Merriams turkey are pretty fun and challenging. Great time of the year to be in the woods.

Wolf for me. I don't like wolves and wish they were still endangered but it seems a lot of coin to shoot an overgrown coyote.

It's disappointing to see guys who wouldn't want to hunt seals (or sea lions) given the population levels of many species of pinnipeds.

Many of them are quite good eating, I'd take a harbor seal for food every year if I could. And the pelts are beautiful and very durable, make nice vests, hats, jackets, or just one stretched out on a wall.

I'd add in some of the more abundant species of dolphins as well, also very good eating. Some could be taken from the beach as they hunt the surfline, others would require a vessel offshore.

1. Bears
2. Giraffe
3. Penguin
4. Birds (except wild turkey)
5. Primates
6. Marine mammals
7. Feral dogs
8. Feral cats
9. Rhino
10. Prairie dogs

No particular order. I leave my share to others.

Bill Quimby

No the biggest reason you havent gone to africa is because you dont have the coin to spend.$15k
for a buffalo hunt represents more than your net worth.The most valuable thing you have is your big mouth on forums.Crap man you dont even own a home.Those feral pig pics stack up nicely against everyons great trophies
from around the world.Cant bring the meat back.\Hahahaha

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:
Not really anything that would just be trophy only. The biggest reason I have never taken the step and gone to Africa to shoot a buffalo is because I would not be able to bring the meat home. I have no problem driving several hundred miles to shoot does/cows, simply because I want the meat and horns/antlers do not cook up worth a damn.

As much as I dream of what shooting a cape buffalo would be like and the whole African experience, the only animals I kill simply to kill are coyotes/armadillos/rats/feral dogs and feral cats. I am a collector and for me killing a representative animal, even a female is good enough. If I were ever to get a chance at a wolf, I would at least try to eat some of the meat.

You are correct and he will never go there.There is not even an ounce of protien wasted .I even tried both lion and leopard.The lion tasted like shit but the leopard deep fried was a cross between chicken livers and pork not too bad

quote:

Originally posted by Cross L:

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:
Not really anything that would just be trophy only. The biggest reason I have never taken the step and gone to Africa to shoot a buffalo is because I would not be able to bring the meat home. I have no problem driving several hundred miles to shoot does/cows, simply because I want the meat and horns/antlers do not cook up worth a damn.

As much as I dream of what shooting a cape buffalo would be like and the whole African experience, the only animals I kill simply to kill are coyotes/armadillos/rats/feral dogs and feral cats. I am a collector and for me killing a representative animal, even a female is good enough. If I were ever to get a chance at a wolf, I would at least try to eat some of the meat.

Trust me--Every ounce of meat will be used in Africa-you truly have no concept of how those people live till you have been there.

quote:

I agree with the spirit of what CHC is saying and don't believe that he meant to imply that animals killed in Africa go to waste.

Thank You. I stated that the concept is that

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I cannot bring the meat home with me to share with family and friends

, nothing more.

While it is not really anyone's business, if I really wanted to go to Africa, I can afford to go. Not sure why one person keeps making accusations about my financial status, never realized that anyone had to be of some supposed income level to be a hunter.

I have talked to several folks that have done African Safaris and all have talked about how little if any meat goes to waste. That is great, glad that the locals do get the meat as it may or does help cut down on poaching somewhat.

I am not real sure when it became unacceptable on this site for a hunter to refuse to go anywhere and hunt because they will not be able to at least bring some of the meat home with them! The trophy to me is more than just a set of horns or antlers, it is getting to the hunting area, it is the experience of seeing new places and meeting new people. Trying or using new or different hunting methods is also part of the trophy.

I apologize to the membership of this site that simply because I view what is or is not a trophy and where I choose to hunt or not hunt does not meet the standards of the membership of this site.

Several people not interested in seals. For those not interested, but without any experience, I have shot 5, all for dog food. They where Ringed Seals and each had about 3 inches of fat under the skin. You skin off this layer of fat or blubber and there is the meat and skeletal structure underneath. To really turn off the squeamish I will point out that once the fat is peeled off, the seal looks more like a human cadaver with the skin removed than any animal I have seen.

They are hard to hunt, we crawled up to an open stretch of water with the ice getting progressively thinner as you got to the edge. We placed 2 guys on the down current edge, then I would shoot the seal in the head as it bobbed in the open water 50- 150 yards away, and then the guys would boat hook the body when it drifted to them. All done at 55 below with a calm 15-20 mph wind. You fall in and your dead. I found it far more challenging than potting a deer from a tree stand, but its not for everyone. When someone tells me how cold their hunt was, this is the reference point I use. There was open water from the current accelerating between 2 islands and wearing out the sea ice. Seal tastes better than raw Arctic Char, but worse than anything else I have tried including raw Beluga Whale.

Interesting!

As for me, I like to hunt. Hunt as in really hunt, not drive around in the truck or wander around in the field after planted game.

I find called moose, waterfowl and turkeys to be true hunting. Spot and stalked deer or bears to be real hunting. Wild pheasant or quail over trained bird dogs to be authentic hunting.

Not on the "Bucket List",? ( I don't have one nor do I believe in one,) American buffalo, whitetail deer, farm pheasants, coyotes and caribou. Yes I have taken them all and no it wasn't sporting.

My God gentlemen, if you haven't had big geese feet down and flapping back into the decoys you just haven't lived.

Not really inspired to hunt wolf/coyotes. I see the sport and utility in it, but just couldn't bring myself to put the sights on a dog.

Musk ox

I'm a meat hunter, pretty much like CHC stated on this thread. I'm flying to Tejas soon just to hunt javelina, every ounce of meat is coming home. Matter of fact,almost all meat from all my NA hunts comes back. I do give away some @ hunt area b/c airline pound restrictions (God Bless Tejas food banks!). Next, back to Africa for safari #3. But I support ALL legal forms of hunting. If my buffalo will be sold or given away as edible protein, wonderful.

I won't kill a game animal to use it solely as bait. Please keep the bashing to a minimum, or at least funny (!) on this one.

I do not want to hunt Black Bears over bait.
Thanks about it.
Thanks,
W

Turkey is not on my list. I've tried it and didn't feel the thrill. One of my deer and elk hunting partners lives for turkey hunting. If he could hunt only one animal, it would be turkeys. I'd much rather be trout fishing in the spring.

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Trust me--Every ounce of meat will be used in Africa-you truly have no concept of how those people live till you have been there.

Cross L, the above was your response and I guess you just flat missed this part of what you responded to:

quote:

The biggest reason I have never taken the step and gone to Africa to shoot a buffalo is because I would not be able to bring the meat home.

That is why I confine my hunting to North America and why I drive to the places I hunt.

With the exception of the flight I had to make from Edmonton to Cambridge Bay on the Musk Ox hunt in 2000 and even then we drove from Texas to Alberta, I brought out as much Musk Ox and Caribou as was permitted on the flight. We stayed over an extra couple of days and had the meat processed and brought it back home and shared it with family and friends. I cannot do that on an African Safari.

I would love to kill a Greater Kudu, and could here in Texas and get all the meat, but it would not be the same as shooting one in Africa, where I could not bring the meat home.

I am like an old Indian, I enjoy sharing the fruits of my adventures with family and friends as much as possible.

Standing or setting around the fireplace or in the den regaling folks with my latest adventure and showing off my trophies, is not part of who I am.

Setting around a cooking fire grilling steaks or pieces of backstrap from the latest critter I have killed and sharing that meat with close friends and family is what really validates the hunt and my own worth to myself.

quote:

I'm flying to Tejas soon

Where is Tejas?

If it were free, I still wouldn't have the desire to shoot:

elephant, giraffe, high-fenced game, marine mammals, jack rabbits, and as RavenR said the little antelope of Africa. Also don't enjoy just shooting prairie dogs and ground squirrels, but we do it to control damage.

Not saying those are wrong, just not my desire.

What's not on my bucket list?? Ummm, nothing!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:

quote:

Trust me--Every ounce of meat will be used in Africa-you truly have no concept of how those people live till you have been there.

Cross L, the above was your response and I guess you just flat missed this part of what you responded to:

quote:

The biggest reason I have never taken the step and gone to Africa to shoot a buffalo is because I would not be able to bring the meat home.

That is why I confine my hunting to North America and why I drive to the places I hunt.

With the exception of the flight I had to make from Edmonton to Cambridge Bay on the Musk Ox hunt in 2000 and even then we drove from Texas to Alberta, I brought out as much Musk Ox and Caribou as was permitted on the flight. We stayed over an extra couple of days and had the meat processed and brought it back home and shared it with family and friends. I cannot do that on an African Safari.

I would love to kill a Greater Kudu, and could here in Texas and get all the meat, but it would not be the same as shooting one in Africa, where I could not bring the meat home.

I am like an old Indian, I enjoy sharing the fruits of my adventures with family and friends as much as possible.

Standing or setting around the fireplace or in the den regaling folks with my latest adventure and showing off my trophies, is not part of who I am.

Setting around a cooking fire grilling steaks or pieces of backstrap from the latest critter I have killed and sharing that meat with close friends and family is what really validates the hunt and my own worth to myself.

I agree with Crazy on this.I only hunt what I want to eat.Even if I could afford it,which I can`t Elephant,Rhino and Lion(African Lion)would be animals I would not hunt.

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron Neilson:
What's not on my bucket list?? Ummm, nothing!!!

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