What is a trophy and what falls short?

[K-man]

5' 4" auburn hair with a few little freckles on her nose and married to me for 35 years this August!

Good one! I bet your trophy occasionally looks over your shoulder like mine does. Mine scores SCI gold, too.

 

[Royal27]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder to me, plus it is the hunt and the experience that is the important part. I don't really know how to answer other than that.

Is bigger better? For me quite honestly yes it is. But I'm not driven by it. My first whitetail as a kid was a little spike and he was definitely a trophy to me. The horns were about the same length as my klippie. LOL! And honestly, I haven't changed much. My impala from zim wouldn't qualify as a trophy in SA either, but he was my first African animal, the PH wanted to see me shoot, and I couldn't have ended up happier.

Now this next trip I plan on being picky on my Kudu in particular. But again, I will know him when I see him and won't worry too much about the inches, at least not an actual measure I'm going to the EC and my personal "goal" is 50. But I also have a particular shape in mind.

Not even really sure I've answered the question. At the end of the day I know this. If I pull the trigger I had better think he is a trophy beforehand.

 

[billc]

I think one thing to also remember is if we are true to what must of us think makes part of a good hunt . Sometimes an animal could be taken just because of the stalk or how the hunt happens that day. Maybe you start the stalk thinking the animal is a better then an avg. trophy and the hunt is a good stalk and maybe a chase that gets your heart going. Then you get there and maybe he falls short of what would be a great trophy by horn size. The ph may think you can do better but you enjoyed the stalk so much you decide to take the animal. Is the animal not a trophy now.

I go ever trip with goals in mind and that means goals as in horn size. I have broken that so called goal more then once now. Maybe because of the stalk maybe because of the way the animal looked cape wise. Maybe because it horns were different then normal and that made him different to me that I wanted to harvest him because of that.

So I think sometimes the picture does not always tell the whole story.

 

[Hank2211]

This is an important question, particularly from an economic perspective. Personally, I prefer to shoot old, broken down, half-horned things that have lost condition and are on their last legs. As those who have read my hunt reports can attest! That doesn't mean I won't take monster, I have and will in the right circumstances.

Now for the economics. I don't think I should necessarily pay the same for what are described as "cull" animals as I should for trophy animals. And generally, I don't, because my PH knows what I want and will say -"there's a cull impala - interest? And I always respond, "yes", and I get if for half price. Everyone's happy with this arrangement. Animals that might die of old age without generating any return generate a return, and I get the pleasure of hunting.

Where unhappiness would start is if I was paying the same for a cull animal as someone else was paying for a trophy animal. This takes us back to something that comes up frequently in these types of threads, and that's communication. If the PH doesn't say anything, and charges the full freight for something clearly non-trophy, well, that will likely hurt the repeat business, as Brickburn says.

So what's a trophy? It would depend on the animal and the area. I've seen trophy impala in Zimbabwe that would be considered cull animals in South Africa. A one-horned sable could be a trophy if that one horn is 44 inches, while one that is old and sub 35" would be a cull in my eyes (is there such a thing as a cull sable?). A sub 30 pound elephant (assuming it's old enough to shoot) is non-trophy in my books; but if that's big for the area, then I would be wrong and it might be a trophy. Any bongo is a trophy. Etc.

People need to have these discussions with their outfitters or agents before they book. If you understand what is average for a certain area, then animals that fall well below that average are non-trophy (assuming, again, they aren't that way due to youth). If you want to shoot a 44+ inch sable, then perhaps you should be looking at Zambia, or Matetsi. Elsewhere, you probably would have to have more reasonable expectations.

Be honest and fair with hunters and they will return.

 

[BRICKBURN]

...................
So what's a trophy? ........... A one-horned sable could be a trophy if that one horn is 44 inches, while one that is old and sub 35" would be a cull in my eyes (is there such a thing as a cull sable?). .................

Damn, don't say those broken down 44 inch ugly unicorn Sable are trophies. They are crap and you should get to cull them for free just to save the others in the herd from being gored.

 

[Saul]

Y'all either have zen-like patience or are simply spoiled by all your safaris. I couldn't care less about what kind of trophy it is. As soon as I get to Africa and get a Kudu in my crosshairs, I am pulling the trigger.

 

[Hank2211]

Damn, don't say those broken down 44 inch ugly unicorn Sable are trophies. They are crap and you should get to cull them for free just to save the others in the herd from being gored.

I have offered my services, and am prepared to do so again.

 

[Hank2211]

Y'all either have zen-like patience or are simply spoiled by all your safaris. I couldn't care less about what kind of trophy it is. As soon as I get to Africa and get a Kudu in my crosshairs, I am pulling the trigger.

Dont do it Saul! You'll regret it! But that's one of the advantages of having a PH along. They have a habit of staying itchy trigger fingers!

 

[Royal27]

Dont do it Saul! You'll regret it! But that's one of the advantages of having a PH along. They have a habit of staying itchy trigger fingers!

But when those sticks go up....

I found that when the sticks went up my gun went off. And have never regretted it!!!

 

[Rob404]

For 2 years before my Trip to SA I read and dreamed about a 60 Plus Kudu, but as anybody who has hunted the terrain in some parts of Limpopo Province and going out every morning and afternoon only to catch a Glimpse of the Ghost you finally get lucky enough to get one in your sights, I didn't ask my PH how big it was I just concentrated in what was a Once in a lifetime opportunity and made a clean shot. It was a beautiful Bull not the record holder of my dreams but I'm proud of my Limpopo Kudu. Enjoy the Hunt leave the tape measure at home

 

[Hank2211]

Interesting rea

But when those sticks go up....

I found that when the sticks went up my gun went off. And have never regretted it!!!

Interesting reaction that. Likely an area for research.

Some years ago I was hunting sable in Zimbabwe. We were chasing a zebra when we spotted a sable some hundred yards away. He had spotted us, but as sable are won't to do, he decided to stomp his feet and snort at us. I was up on the sticks, and had the crosshairs squarely on him. MY PH whispered he was about 39 and we could do better. It took superhuman will to back off (fortunately, I am, at rare times, superhuman!). Two days later we came around a bend , the truck instantly stopped, and I was ordered to get out and shoot a sable that was some 60 yards away. I did as I was told, and he measured eventually 44 5/8. I'd have been happy with 39 . . .but . . .!

So to answer the initial question, that's a trophy!

 

[Royal27]

Interesting rea

Interesting reaction that. Likely an area for research.

Some years ago I was hunting sable in Zimbabwe. We were chasing a zebra when we spotted a sable some hundred yards away. He had spotted us, but as sable are won't to do, he decided to stomp his feet and snort at us. I was up on the sticks, and had the crosshairs squarely on him. MY PH whispered he was about 39 and we could do better. It took superhuman will to back off (fortunately, I am, at rare times, superhuman!). Two days later we came around a bend , the truck instantly stopped, and I was ordered to get out and shoot a sable that was some 60 yards away. I did as I was told, and he measured eventually 44 5/8. I'd have been happy with 39 . . .but . . .!

So to answer the initial question, that's a trophy!

And honestly, it really goes back to your point about clear communication (and trust) with the PH. Richie knew what I was looking for and the sticks never went up when it wasn't there.

Love the Sable story....

 

[dobber]

to me the hunt is the trophy, the horns are a reminder
I have scored 1000's of deer, bear skulls and moose over the years, some monsters but there only a few i remember and that is down to the story being told by the lucky hunter
I hunted my property for a mature buck for several years before i took one, wasn't the 180" everyone dreams of, was a 150" buck that was at least 7.5 yrs old (pics of him since 2011)
The trophy is in the eye of the beholder

 

[bluey]

Some of the best hunts we have had are when we take a hind for meat, they count as trophies to us
But anything that is young, with malformed and broken horns,dont...

 

[Scott Slough]

Saul ... that is why I went with an outfitter that gave me a DISCOUNT on the second kudu ... a DISCOUNT!!!!!!! I would have charged me more money for the second!!!!!! I shot two in less than 24 hours and was on the sticks for the third two different times.

 

[Hank2211]

to me the hunt is the trophy, the horns are a reminder
I have scored 1000's of deer, bear skulls and moose over the years, some monsters but there only a few i remember and that is down to the story being told by the lucky hunter
I hunted my property for a mature buck for several years before i took one, wasn't the 180" everyone dreams of, was a 150" buck that was at least 7.5 yrs old (pics of him since 2011)
The trophy is in the eye of the beholder

dobber, I dont disagree with you. My point was that if the animal was "non-trophy" or a cull you shouldn't have to pay the same as someone shooting a trophy animal.

Don't you think?

If you love the hunt as much as I do, and as much as you seem to, hunting cull animals makes lots of sense, because you get more hunting for the same money, provided you are treated fairly.

 

[dobber]

Yes i think if i was sold a trophy hunt then that would be what i expect, and the same for a cull hunt, so in that aspect we certainly agree
This then brings another debate that i have seen here, pay by the inch, which is an interesting concept for an outfitter with some big horns and someone holding out for a true trophy, just need to trust that PH that he knows his inches from 100 yards away lol

 

[Hank2211]

Yes i think if i was sold a trophy hunt then that would be what i expect, and the same for a cull hunt, so in that aspect we certainly agree
This then brings another debate that i have seen here, pay by the inch, which is an interesting concept for an outfitter with some big horns and someone holding out for a true trophy, just need to trust that PH that he knows his inches from 100 yards away lol

THAT is something I will not do. You charge by the inch, I go elsewhere. Very few things are as non-negotiable as this practice, not entirely sure why, but there it is.

 

[jeff]

Many in the thread didn't see the difference between what a trophy is to you and what constitutes a trophy class animal, they are two different things.

 

[Hank2211]

Many in the thread didn't see the difference between what a trophy is to you and what constitutes a trophy class animal, they are two different things.

I think that was the original question:

I personally need some clarification on what everyone considers to be a trophy animal.