Am I Weird Or Something About Horn Size & Shape

[billc]

This is not a debate about hunting for inches but about goals and taxidermy as art.I set goals for each animal myself or son hunts.They are goals and they could change at anytime while hunting.I just want the change to be what I want not anyone else.

Like goals for springbucks.I would like to have my son take all four and have them all be 13" or better.With that said though i want that classic springbuck shape.You know the nice curl with tips going back.A 15" monster but with straight horns the size means nothing then.So as much as inches matter I want the shape to and that will over ride the inches.If a 12" or so ram has the shape he will be tried for.The reason besides the fun of the hunt I think the 4 springbucks make one of the best mounts ever.

Then you have all the spiral horns.Bushbuck most be better then the so called avg but have that nice twist and ridge.I would rather take a 13" cape bushbuck with that shape the a 15" that is straight.
Nyala the same I want that twist as it goes up.My goal is to get as close to 30" as I can get but with the right shape.
Eland horn size means the least as I want that long haired mop on it face with thick heavy ridge horns.That to me makes the mount when done.
Kudu goal is for a 55" or better or just one of the heavy horned wide ones. That makes you just drool as you watch him.

oryx the goal is to hit the 40" mark with a bull or 42 with a female.

The thing that is weird is as I look for the perfect horn shape and what must would call the perfect trophy for each animal.Let a kudu walk in front of me with a nontypical horn he is died right there with out a care in the world about the inches.
To this day I hate that I did not let dakota take an oryx we seen with the one horn making a circle in front of his face.Other horn was maybe only 30".I see animals with a non typical horns as nice as the perfect set we all look for.Non typical make as nice as mount as any to me and make people take that second look.

So is it me or do others look at each animal all the way up to what the mount may look like.I know the fun is in the hunt and I have all that fun and more as I do alot of stalks and pass on things must would shot.I look at the horns the capes as much as the rest on the hunt.

 

[enysse]

I'm a horn hunter. I like to shoot mature animals. I have seen some really nice nyalas shot, I'll have to go to KNZ and get one. I also would like to get a bushbuck with twisted horns someday.

 

[billc]

I'm a horn hunter. I like to shoot mature animals. I have seen some really nice nyalas shot, I'll have to go to KNZ and get one. I also would like to get a bushbuck with twisted horns someday.

But what makes the horns right for you the inches or is it shape to.I have seen some great trophys length wise but i would have passed them up.Thats why when people tell me not to hunt with a tape I say I dont as there is many factors then end up going into what makes me pull the trigger.The inches is more or less my personal goal is all.

 

[Diamondhitch]

For sure I am the same. I certainly have aspirations as to size but they all go out the window if I do not like the look of the horns. That 78" Kudu that was posted is a great example, one big normal horn and 1 giant weird horn, not for me.
I wanted my Nyala and Bushbuck to have a pretty curl with tips pointing out and luckily that is what I got. I enjoy the hunt as much whether I kill an animal or pass on him and I enjoy a mount of a nice symmetrical pretty rack best so that is what I look for.

 

[gi jane]

Hmm, I've been asked a similar question(s) with regards to whether "horn size" matters, being a woman and all..cough, cough.......

I have to say, IMO regarding the horn/trophy ratio I personally was only interested in the oldest animal and I didn't mind one with some character. My eland had a broken horn but he was old and mighty, that's all that mattered to me. He is my favorite trophy even above my buffalo.

To answer your question about whether your'e weird, well, you are defo not going to get a good answer from a whacko like me., I am very weird, therefore my opinion of you is irrelevant. :kt::kt::kt::kt::kt:

 

[sestoppelman]

There isn't anything wrong with having a tape along as long as its not the only reason one is there hunting. I have a number of animals that would make the SCI book, but none are listed there, I don't need bragging rights. I do however take some satisfaction on a personal level that those are better than average trophies. After all lets face it, we don't go there to find the smallest sample of what we are hunting but the largest, or perhaps the most unique. In my case it took several tries to get a kudu over 50 inches. My avatar kudu is the one that made it. Kind of a weird looking bull with barely 2 turns, but he has very deep curls, and gets his inches that way. Some of us get a little hung up on the whole thing which can detract from the purpose, and that we should be cautious of.

 

[enysse]

But what makes the horns right for you the inches or is it shape to.I have seen some great trophys length wise but i would have passed them up.Thats why when people tell me not to hunt with a tape I say I dont as there is many factors then end up going into what makes me pull the trigger.The inches is more or less my personal goal is all.

I honestly believe you can have size and shape if you hunt the right places. I have my dream kudu, red hartebeest, waterbuck and a few more. I like my bushbuck but would like a different shape. Nyala I have one, wish I hadn't shot it...been bugging me for a while. I don't like springbok hunting unless you talking a cull hunt. I think they are expensive to hunt. And that ain't just me, I know a bunch of retired gentlemen that feel the same way.

 

[gi jane]

Oh sigh... I can relate in so many ways to this thread.

 

[billc]

some good answers and some funny ones.
I feel bad sometimes when I talk with the outfitters.I tell them my goals of this size or that.Then I hit them with it most have this shape or that.I have driven more then one guy crazy in my search for the springbucks.I myself would never hunt them all but want my son to take them.I love hunting them and hope to cull some if I have some extra cash to make rugs and pillows.

Looks like I am one of the few who like the weird rack or non typicals.

 

[gi jane]

some good answers and some funny ones.
I feel bad sometimes when I talk with the outfitters.I tell them my goals of this size or that.Then I hit them with it most have this shape or that.I have driven more then one guy crazy in my search for the springbucks.I myself would never hunt them all but want my son to take them.I love hunting them and hope to cull some if I have some extra cash to make rugs and pillows.

Looks like I am one of the few who like the weird rack or non typicals.

All joking aside, I don't think you are one of a few but one of the many that prefer a unique specimen with lots of character and history. I can guarantee you that I drove my PH absolutely crazy, most of the time with similar questions (and just being a woman in general, I'm sure). However, he still chose to have me and my dad as clients 4 times and I don't think he regrets it. Or at least I hope not!! Probably he does, but oh well.

 

[spike.t]

Looks like I am one of the few who like the weird rack or non typicals.

must have some german blood in you bill....

 

[gi jane]

I just stole this from Ivan Carter's page.. Talk about non-typical!!


View attachment 25977

 

[enysse]

I love springbok hunt at $100 each. I remember being in Namibia and looking at the PILES of horns after a drought came through.

 

[bluey]

when hunting a trophy big is always better , in my eyes .but theres a lot more to it aswell .
l don't mind scars in the cape ,as its the nature of the animal to fight for dominance and to evade predators .
the memory of the hunt is a major factor aswell .
my kudu is just 48 inches but I stalked hard for him ,and is my favourite bow trophy ,it was a great hunt , though I turned down bigger from the blinds.
my nyala , was another hard stalk , but I wish l had of backed out and tried again as we were in on three good bulls one had the classic shape , but it was getting late and l opted for the closest one .still a great hunt but. im sure if l tried harder in stead of that l may of got him .
the sable I spent half of a ten day hunt stalking , is my nemesis, and has my greatest admiration as does the very next hunter after we left ,who took him on the second day , ha ha ha

as for mongrel heads (non typical ) on that one , say to each their own ,
they are just meat to me after the shot .

 

[bluey]

I just stole this from Ivan Carter's page.. Talk about non-typical!!


View attachment 25977

you may ant to give back , janey
theres no point stealing something that doesn't work mate ,:biggrin2:

 

[gi jane]

you may ant to give back , janey
theres no point stealing something that doesn't work mate ,:biggrin2:

Bluey, you are the best!!

Could be cause' it's on FB..

 

[bluey]

bloody hell , that's a deep curl

 

[enysse]

One horned animals always get a pass from me. Crazy as it sounds, some people pay extra to hunt them??? To me they are culls.

 

[billc]

One horned animals always get a pass from me. Crazy as it sounds, some people pay extra to hunt them??? To me they are culls.

One horn or broken horns I dont think those are non-typicals in my eyes.A horn growing different is what I like myself.I have seen some great oryx non typicals and i will not let the next one pass.LOL

 

[G Skinner]

BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER ! Your 1st is always your greatest trophey .
Glen