Copper Springbuck and the Springbuck Slam

Apparently copper springbucks are getting really high priced. I had wanted to do a springbuck slam and mount them all together on a kind of tree branch pedestal type mount. But now I am wondering.

I have a common and a really great black and no real concern about getting a white one. and shoulder mounts look great to me for the black and white and the commons are cheap enough that no problem there either... But I am 1; Reconsidering if I even want the copper if the price is to high. 2; if I do take one, should I do more than a shoulder mount? I have never actually even seen one in the flesh but their beauty goes farther than a shoulder mount does justice to.

So that leads to a question; If I spend the money for the animal, I have to wonder if I should do a mount that shows more of the animal than just a shoulder mount... And then how to work it into the complete display?

Would love to get some ideas and input.

Bob

Hi ActionBob,
Yes, that is a dilemma It comes down to the question of "just how much money do I want to put into this" doesn't it? I completely agree with you regarding their beauty and how much you sacrifice with a shoulder mount. I wish you well on your decision, here's what I think it would come down to for me. I fear I would regret NOT doing a lifesize every time I looked at him and remembered the beautiful coloring on the body.
Here's another thought. Book the hunt, put him on the ground, get a full body cape and then you've still got some time to decide. You can always change your mind and do a shoulder mount and use the remainder of the cape for a pillow or something. Pretty hard to go the other direction! Once he is DRT and you see that beautiful coloration your decision might be made for you!
Good luck!

personality if it was myself i would go a full mount after recently just finishing a safari in south africa with my dad. between the two of us we shot common, black and white and saw many copper rams worth taking. for my next trip i am going to take all five: common, black, white, copper and the Kalahari version to get all full mounted together on the same mount

IdaRam said:

Here's another thought. Book the hunt, put him on the ground, get a full body cape and then you've still got some time to decide. You can always change your mind and do a shoulder mount and use the remainder of the cape for a pillow or something. Pretty hard to go the other direction! Once he is DRT and you see that beautiful coloration your decision might be made for you!
Good luck!

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This is the route that I have begun to take recently.

I like to have options.

Bob you can take him when the time is right and add him to the mount.If you start the combo mount before you have taken them all just let them know you will be adding one to it later.

I think so many animals look best full body mounted.You could say a nyala,bushbuck all the tiny ten make great full body.I would love a full body oryx and kudu to but man that starts taking up all kinds of space.The cost and room they would all take would really add up.Then if you find them lions you want there going to take some space al

I do think springbucks make the nicest of them all as a group but they do take up room if you do them all full body.I have seen mounts of one being a full body and the rest just shoulders around it.

If you have the money and the room that kind of makes it tougher to decide.It was easy for me 4 wall peds for us with them long enough to show some of the body and color strip on the side.

AS for what they cost it will change each year with how many are around.I have notice a big demand the last two years for springbuck slams but not everyone going wants them so they could change.Plus some place raise there own and you can find better pricing but may need to hunt with some else for a animal or two.

I believe in time some of he prices will come back.Right now some of the game farmers are making it hard on the outfitters with pricing.It all comes down to supply and demand.Right now the demand is high as people start backing off from taking some they will adjust and prices will come back.

IdaRam said:

Hi ActionBob,
... I completely agree with you regarding their beauty and how much you sacrifice with a shoulder mount. I wish you well on your decision, here's what I think it would come down to for me. I fear I would regret NOT doing a lifesize every time I looked at him and remembered the beautiful coloring on the body...

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Years ago I shot an exceptional Mountain Goat and only got a half mount of him. I regret not having him mounted lifesize every time I look at him.

That said, I see beauty in just about every animal that I shoot. Life size mounts take up a lot of room, and are several times the cost of shoulder mounts.

I do have several life size mounts, and have several animals at the Taxidermist (including a Himalayan Tahr) that will be mounted life size. I just don't know where all of them will fit.

I never realized how big game breeding was until this last trip to Africa, it could really ruin hunting for everyone by inflating the prices of everything. I has been a concern of mine for a while. We will have to see how this plays out.

buffybr is correct having enough room to have your mounts displayed comes into play at some point. It's definitely a huge concern of mine and I have not come up with a solution yet either. I might buy a enclosed trailer for my mounts in a year or two down the road, because I have no desire right now to buy a house and settle down. Everything I have is in storage right now, wrapped in plastic and bubble wrap. But it is far better to have a mount skinned for a full mount and then back off if you change your mind.

Thanks everyone for the great advice and thoughts. Seems like sound advice to skin the copper for a full mount.

Does anyone have an pictures of a springbuck slam mounted with one or two full mounted and the rest shoulder or pedestal?

Bob

enysse said:

I never realized how big game breeding was until this last trip to Africa, it could really ruin hunting for everyone by inflating the prices of everything. I has been a concern of mine for a while. We will have to see how this plays out.

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enysse, I don't understand how big game breeding is raising the cost of hunting to everyone? I can understand a temporary extra demand as animals are pulled out of the huntable population to enter breeding herds, but these extra animals should only serve to increase the overall population longer term and thus it would seem logical the process may actually hold prices down over the long haul. On one hand I was told that copper springbuck are going for $3500 on auctions and the game farmers are asking higher prices for huntable ones this coming year. On the other hand I have seen price lists that have not gone up from the ~$1500 range they were in the past year or two (or more?).

It certainly appears that Capitalism is alive and well in the RSA hunting industry! That means that when there is a shortage of supply, and/or increase in demand, the price will go up, which will cause profitability of that commodity to increase. That increased profit opportunity will in turn cause more production while the higher prices will eventually cause less demand. And the process reverses itself; supply eventually outstrips demand and prices fall. The producers who survive are those who are the most resilient, and the lowest cost producers. When an industry or commodity gets to the point that only the lowest cost producers are left, they will become very good at what they do and the consumer ultimately always wins!

I have decided I will not hunt an ordinary copper springbuck for the higher prices. I will either find a really exceptional one that I cannot pass up (doubtful if those are making their way into breeding herds), find someone with a deal on one, or I will go without until the price comes down.

The area we hunted last April was literally teaming with game! It was very evident that the reason for this was the profit it made the farmers and outfitters who were doing what they can to ensure those strong populations persist.

This widespread capitalist game management system seems to provide a lot more hunting opportunities than the largely socialist game management system in the USA.

ActionBob said:

enysse, I don't understand how big game breeding is raising the cost of hunting to everyone? I can understand a temporary extra demand as animals are pulled out of the huntable population to enter breeding herds, but these extra animals should only serve to increase the overall population longer term and thus it would seem logical the process may actually hold prices down over the long haul. On one hand I was told that copper springbuck are going for $3500 on auctions and the game farmers are asking higher prices for huntable ones this coming year. On the other hand I have seen price lists that have not gone up from the ~$1500 range they were in the past year or two (or more?).

It certainly appears that Capitalism is alive and well in the RSA hunting industry! That means that when there is a shortage of supply, and/or increase in demand, the price will go up, which will cause profitability of that commodity to increase. That increased profit opportunity will in turn cause more production while the higher prices will eventually cause less demand. And the process reverses itself; supply eventually outstrips demand and prices fall. The producers who survive are those who are the most resilient, and the lowest cost producers. When an industry or commodity gets to the point that only the lowest cost producers are left, they will become very good at what they do and the consumer ultimately always wins!

I have decided I will not hunt an ordinary copper springbuck for the higher prices. I will either find a really exceptional one that I cannot pass up (doubtful if those are making their way into breeding herds), find someone with a deal on one, or I will go without until the price comes down.

The area we hunted last April was literally teaming with game! It was very evident that the reason for this was the profit it made the farmers and outfitters who were doing what they can to ensure those strong populations persist.

This widespread capitalist game management system seems to provide a lot more hunting opportunities than the largely socialist game management system in the USA.

Click to expand...

Well I can see the price of certain escalating, where it will be a lot less profitable for outfitters and a lot harder for the average joe to hunt in Africa. I can see, kudu, nyala, waterbuck, sable, cape buffalo...etc. all going up. And I am not sure about flooding the market, because there always seems to be enough hunters, especially when something has big horns.

If South Africa becomes this country where certain properties are raising animals just to auction them off to somewhere else. Then I have some ethic concerns. And the breeding properties are not about diversity of species either, no warthogs or bushpigs are invited, a lot more fencing involved. If really comes about the money.

My dad use to have a real nice whitetail property, but then land and crop prices rose and every farmer tiled every wetland and bulldozed every fenceline and woods they could. It is excellent farm land now but it crappy to say the least for wildlife. Everything to me is a process. I thought my dad could have compromised some, but no that was not going to happen.

I don't want to come to hunt Africa, for farmed animals. I would rather hunt animals that live and die there. I realize some animals have to be moved around, but the property better be suited for that animal species. I have seen nyala and blesbuck that seem like pets because to me they don't belong there.

Enysse you have more experience in Africa than I do and I value your input.... but I'm still going to argue with you

As for the average Joe being able to hunt Africa, my PH put it this way, the "good old days of African Hunting is right now!" If we had an index of the average working American's income level compared to the cost of an average African hunt... It might be an interesting comparison over the past 50 to 100 years.

And I still don't quite get how breeding more creates less supply and raises prices long term. Seems like maybe the prices will go up anyway if there are always more hunters (more demand). and those extra critters are gong to need to come from somewhere.

As for <If really comes about the money.> I do think a lot of PH's and Outfitters do what they do because they truly enjoy it...(that is why I do what I do for a living). However they do need to make a living and they are running businesses to make money. The Africa hunting industry is and as far as I can tell, has always been, about making money. It is a lot (dare I say "totally") different than deer hunting in Wisconsin or Minnesota where we get together with buddies and/or family to hunt dad's or grandpa's or the neighbor's farm at little or no cost.

I do agree with the ethics concern. And I do not want to hunt farmed animals either... And so far I have not. However I suspect a copper springbuck is going to have a high probability of falling very close to that line...... I am not opposed to hunting high fenced large sized property, but never have yet... But I am sure I will..... However I will want to know it is a fair chase hunt on a large enough property.

As for your dad and the deer hunting land being turned into prime farm land.... Had the wildlife had real value (as it does in Africa), perhaps there would have been incentive to compromise and maintain some of that habitat.

Have some understanding for your dad... Modern agriculture is being not only asked to supply food, fiber/fabric (including plastics/polymers), a Worldwide huge growth in beer wine and most other liquors, a huge increase Worldwide (especially China) in pet food, but also energy (as much or more corn in the USA now goes to ethanol as to livestock feed).... The cost of growing corn has more than doubled in the past 5 or 6 years, there are economic realities and ever greater needs to be efficient... I know it is a shame to lose the wildlife land... But look at the bad politics that created the artificial demand for ethanol through mandates and subsidies that overroad real economics. Well intended political meddling that screwed up yet again.