What to do when your walls are full of trophies?

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Originally Posted by 375HH

So I guess I'm worried that I *can't* get excited about another hunt as I'd have to answer the question: "Where will put the trophies?" I don't know - so can I hunt?

Does running out of space for trophies mean you can't hunt? I guess that's where I'm at, and I appreciate the vast wisdom of the good folks here.

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Welcome 375HH. Actually, this question has been bugging me for a while. I have hunted for a long time now, and I have never taken a trophy. Recently I shot a big old boar, took the lower jaw back home and boiled the teeth out to see how big they were, and now I have no idea what to do with them. I have so far not been to Africa, but I have been thinking about this for a while. I, honestly, hunt for hunting's sake. I think, overall, I would prefer to hunt more, take photos, keep a journal during my safari, and not spend money on taxidermy that I could spend on hunting. So, for what it's worth, that would be my advice to you: hunt for the joy and the memories, eat the meat or see it utilized by the locals, and let the other bits return to the cycle. It does not diminish the respect you have for the animal you hunt that you do not take bits home with you.

375HH Just remember the hunt is not about the trophy on the wall although that is nice but its about the adventure to this day I still remember my first Alaskan/Yukon moose I emptied my savings account an traveled north of the Yukon River in Alaska in hopes of a trophy moose after a week of freezing my butt off I went home with enough money in my pocket for gas and coffee got up the next morning drinking coffee and dang near shot my first bull moose in my back yard 34 years ago.

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Originally Posted by Hank2211

Apart from the issue of wall space, what do guys who go to Africa multiple times do if - or when - they shoot the same trophy? Take someone like Craig Boddington, for example - who I think says he has shot more than a dozen cape buffalo - do with the trophies? Even if you add a wall, or a room, or a whole house, how many of the same animal do you want?

I like to shoot springbuck, for example, on each visit to Africa - not usually easy shooting, good to eat, and not generally expensive - but feel I can't justify it because I simply don't want another hide or shoulder mount, even if I did have the sapce.

Not to hijack the thread, but what do others do when they get multiples of the same trophy?

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Most people know who Roger Raglin is? For those that don't know him, he has shot a ton of nice whitetails. He has WALLS of whitetails. He doesn't mount them anymore either. He still loves hunting and killing big buck but doesn't mount them anymore. There is only so much space!

There comes a time even if you shoot two nice kudu on a hunting trip where you don't have to mount a thing! It's the memories. I know PH's that have shot over 100 kudu and have not mounted a one, they still love hunting.

I really hope that one day I have this problem of walls full of tophies :rolleyes:

Become a PH, and live vicariously through your guests and the trophies they take. There is no greater feeling than seeing the Pleasure and Emotion which someone else derives as they approach an animal that they have dreamed of their whole hunting career. Or buy a cabelas, then you have a great investment and a huge trophy room!

Just go hunting and enjoy the hunt. Don't care about the trophies.
If you shoot something special or have a very special hunt and want to keep it as a solid memory, then make it into a European mount.

The only animal I keep all the skulls from are Roe bucks. I keep them all, small or big.
The rest of the animals I shoot, I just keep the trophy if it means something special to me.

I hunt for the hunt itself and never for the trophy.

Thanks everyone for helping me think through this - lots of great thoughts, ideas and perspectives. And I really should write down the stories as well.

Culture sure comes in to play. I never liked Euro mounts in the past. They are certainly in my future....

Donating trophies to hunter education programs, schools, museums, etc. is an option.
On the family side perhaps someone who was along might enjoy having the old trophies.

Still find this kinda funny. If I can afford the next hunt (to whatever country) I would find a way to make the room for additional trophies. Plain and simple. If I have a $45k budget for the next hunt, but, have no more room,,,,,,, the hunt can wait a year, build a 16 ft by 18 ft addition to your house.... Now is the time, there are a lot of hungry contractors (thanks to the current administration) and it would probably cost you around half of the hunt you are planning. Increasing your property value/tax break, and giving you the room you require. Then the following year you can harvest twice the animals you intended and still have room for a couple of more hunts.

35bore, what happens if you live in a apartment and the job situation is unsteady? You downsize...you can't alway upsize. I'm downsizing from a house, have zero idea, what I'll do with my mounts, there are probably going to end up in storage. It took a terrible amount of time for me to realize, mounts are wonderful, but they take up space, cost money to mount and no one appreciates them but you most of the time.

Not sure what I am going to do. I enclosed my back patio and turned it into my "trophy room", but it is full now and I still have a 345" elk to have mounted and the 4 animals I shot in RSA in Sept, a lioness, a klipspringer, and 2 bushbucks are going to be full body mounted. I know that my wife will have to move her desk out of my trophy room and make room for the lioness and the klipspringer will probably go on the mantle above the fireplace, the bushbuck and the elk, I have no idea now. I already have 4 pedestal mounts and a full body mount on my Nylala and a Zebra rug so I am at a standstill on my possibilities.

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Originally Posted by enysse

35bore, what happens if you live in a apartment and the job situation is unsteady? You downsize...you can't alway upsize. I'm downsizing from a house, have zero idea, what I'll do with my mounts, there are probably going to end up in storage. It took a terrible amount of time for me to realize, mounts are wonderful, but they take up space, cost money to mount and no one appreciates them but you most of the time.

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Eric, no disrespect here, because I do respect you, your opinion and your situation. All I was getting at is that with a profile like 375 has, (375 I am not saying you are a millionare, but you have done a lot with your life, so, kudo's to you) I think that this is the day and age to add on (contractors will give him a hell of a deal, just to get the work) that's all I was getting at. As previously stated, IF I could afford a 45k hunt but didn't have the room, I personally would just ad a small trophy room, and put the hunt off for a year.

Trust me, I own a construction company,,,, I know what you mean about the unknown. As far as your personal situation, I hate to hear that your job is questionable, but as much as my wife would hate it I would have mounts WHEREVER I could (or put them in storage if I had too) put them until things picked up/got better.

35bore, I respect what you are saying. I guess there are always two sides to a coin. I know a few guys that have a million bucks going into retirement and they won't expand onto their walls of the house. They are more worried about making their money last. I frankly don't blame them. They would love to mount everything too, but there is only so much space and when you start thinking about how much taxidermy and shipping costs it becomes a less of a necessity.

I have been rethinking everything about life lately, big changes ahead. Wish I would have had a better game plan over dozen years ago. I guess you can never plan too far ahead! I guess I'm trying to anticipate things ahead of time. I think I'll go to a lot smaller footprint and downsize big time, that way I won't be impacting my paycheck as much. More space, equals great bills most of the time, I could you use less of them not just today but 20 years from now too.

I appreciate all the thoughts in this tread but I love to hunt but cannot afford the taxidermy and shipping costs associated with hunting internationally. Also limited space is another problem. Has anyone donated their trophies while they were in Africa? I think after over 40 years of hunting, I have enough heads on my walls but would like to preserve my memories. I think a picture really says a 1000 words. Who has ideas about donated trophies and can this be done legally while in Africa?

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Originally Posted by Lapaiki39

I appreciate all the thoughts in this tread but I love to hunt but cannot afford the taxidermy and shipping costs associated with hunting internationally. Also limited space is another problem. Has anyone donated their trophies while they were in Africa? I think after over 40 years of hunting, I have enough heads on my walls but would like to preserve my memories. I think a picture really says a 1000 words. Who has ideas about donated trophies and can this be done legally while in Africa?

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If you would like to donate your horns you might contact David Sutherland, Sutherland Hunting Academy.
He can use horns you may not want.

I looked at the website, do they use the donated specimens for training? I'd love to keep hunting and have never been to Africa but I'm afraid the taxidermy and shipping costs will break the bank. Thanks Brickburn

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Originally Posted by Lapaiki39

I looked at the website, do they use the donated specimens for training? ....Thanks Brickburn

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Attachment 14547

Note number 9 in this photo.

They are used for training. Measuring, field ID, etc.

Drop David a line and tell him wayne said hi.

For some reason I cannot see the attachment