Your most valued African trophy

[sestoppelman]

I thought it might be interesting for some to name their most important and valued trophy based primarily on desire, cost, and difficulty. Where and when did you hunt it? Can one still hunt it there? Can it be hunted anywhere in Africa now? I will start.

The trophy I hold in highest esteem is the Zambezi sitatunga I took in the Okavango of Botswana in 1990 with Vira Safaris and the late Willie Englebrecht as my PH. Two weeks in the delta hunting from a dry camp and a wet camp. Hunting from native dugout canoes called a makoro. Out on the water for several days, just me and two polers. Saw only a few sitatunga and only one shooter, the one I got. It was a fairly difficult hunt, part of the reason I rate it so high. Fantastic hunt I will never likely repeat especially in Botswana as it closed sitatunga hunting not long after I got mine, and of course recently stopped all but private land hunting at least for now, in favor of eco-tourism. Sitatunga can be hunted in other countries, Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, western sitatunga in some parts of West Africa, and no doubt other places as well.
It was a costly hunt at the time as it was also a lion, and buffalo hunt. By todays standards it was cheap! You can read a more comprehensive story about this hunt in my articles on my profile I believe. Looking forward to hearing from others.

 

[bluey]

id rekon my first trophy in Africa is pretty special ses a walk and stalk nyala with my old guardian . the ph got it all on film only find out there wasn't any sd card in his camera ,
but my kudu done the same way a week later is one that I hold dear ,aswell .
now in a few months when our last trip trophies come home , im pretty certain that my lioness will hold that positition .
but..... when l come home from Zambia next year , I rekon the sable im hoping take off ,of takeri will be right up there ,too .
but if you had of asked just what my favourite trophy in the whole world was , it would be my daughters very first deer , a 25 inch samba stag that we shot on an afternoon hunt just after she turned 12 . that was a special day ....in all honesty if our house was on fire (lord forbid) it would be the first head id grab of the wall .

 

[Royal27]

Mine is easy.

The Cape buffalo in my avatar. I had dreamed about this hunt since I was a small boy. I think I summed it up pretty well in my hunt report, so I'll include a quote here.

"I had shot the smaller, but older bull, and I couldn't be happier. He is my bull now. The other bull would have scored better and he was truly amazing - deep drop and curl, probably at least 40 inches, but he was not my bull. Going down to my bull was amazing, A couple more insurance shots and it was done. My hands trembled like never before in my life and I teared up.The emotion was overwhelming. A lifetime of dreaming, 2.5 years of planning, eight days of hard work. and then a few seconds of indescribable intensity. I had done well."

I don't think that I will ever top that animal. It isn't often that dreams come true almost exactly as you had imagined them for almost 40 years.

 

[James.Grage]

Value based experience:

I would have to say that this years Kudu taken in South Africa With Trevor Lake would be the top African trophy that i have taken to date, i do not think that i will duplicate a trophy like that in my life time.

prior to this year, i would have to say that the Cape Buffalo taken in Tanzania in 2010 with Game Frontiers was my trophy of a life time.
Links provided..

http://www.africahunting.com/threads/61-5-free-range-kudu-bull-with-trevor-lake-lake-safaris.16666/

http://www.africahunting.com/threads/tanzania-november-2010.4405/#post-35428

 

[Ridge Top Ranch]

I have to say the buffalo taken in Zim in 2013 on my 40th wedding anniversary. My once in a lifetime trip and my wife was on the stalk the whole way.

As an optimist I hope to say my best trophy is on a future safari... Nest hunt is in SA, Northwest July 2015.

 

[Buff-Buster]

Good topic Ses!
Really made me think long and hard. Every animal I've taken in Africa holds a special place in my heart and memories for various reasons. From a pure adrenilne factor, to a fear factor, to a Holy shit, I'm never gonna make it up this mountain factor (East Cape - to a Texas boy those are mountains..lol) to a teary eyed session, alone with my Sable thanking God for allowing me to realize a 40 yr dream. I loved every minute, hunting every one of them. Each one was unique in their own way. I'm not sure I could single out any one trophy in particular.

Maybe because it is the most recent, I don't know, but I think an awful lot about my hippo/croc hunt. Experiencing the Zambezie, the people along the river, the dangers associated with just traveling the river in a 16' boat, stalking hippo while on a sand bar knee deep in the middle of a river full of croc's, the stalk on a big sleeping croc, crawling thru and over burned bamboo worried that he will hear or sense your approach before you get into posistion, the adrenalne associated with trying to make a perfect brain shot on the hippo and croc....all of that makes for memories that come flooding back time and time again.

But then there was the Kudu hunt in 2004...........damn...If we were only around a camp fire in the bush with a sundowner in our hands..........

 

[Royal27]

Good topic Ses!
Really made me think long and hard. Every animal I've taken in Africa holds a special place in my heart and memories for various reasons. From a pure adrenilne factor, to a fear factor, to a Holy shit, I'm never gonna make it up this mountain factor (East Cape - to a Texas boy those are mountains..lol) to a teary eyed session, alone with my Sable thanking God for allowing me to realize a 40 yr dream. I loved every minute, hunting every one of them. Each one was unique in their own way. I'm not sure I could single out any one trophy in particular.

Maybe because it is the most recent, I don't know, but I think an awful lot about my hippo/croc hunt. Experiencing the Zambezie, the people along the river, the dangers associated with just traveling the river in a 16' boat, stalking hippo while on a sand bar knee deep in the middle of a river full of croc's, the stalk on a big sleeping croc, crawling thru and over burned bamboo worried that he will hear or sense your approach before you get into posistion, the adrenalne associated with trying to make a perfect brain shot on the hippo and croc....all of that makes for memories that come flooding back time and time again.

But then there was the Kudu hunt in 2004...........damn...If we were only around a camp fire in the bush with a sundowner in our hands..........

Nice to see I'm not the only Texas boy who tears up after living a dream.

 

[Buff-Buster]

Truth be told......that happens pretty regularly with me. One of the reasons I always ask for a few minutes alone with the animal. I guess I'm just a big ole wuss!...good to know I'm not the only one....lol

 

[Lpart]

Mine is definately the leopard I took in 2013 with Touch Africa Safaris and Jonathan Collett. It was my third attempt as I severely broke a shoulder on my first try that finally resulted in a complete shoulder replacement after three years and 3 surgeries. I wanted that leopard enough to stick with it and all the effort makes it that much more rewarding.

 

[Nyati]

I would say my buff, as for many of us, it was the dream of my life as a hunter. And I had to work hard for it, four days looking the right one in the hills of KZN.

Another trophy I value greatly is my kudu, best shot I ever made on a running animal.

 

[35bore]

I thought it might be interesting for some to name their most important and valued trophy based primarily on desire, cost, and difficulty. Where and when did you hunt it? Can one still hunt it there? Can it be hunted anywhere in Africa now? I will start.

The trophy I hold in highest esteem is the Zambezi sitatunga I took in the Okavango of Botswana in 1990 with Vira Safaris and the late Willie Englebrecht as my PH. Two weeks in the delta hunting from a dry camp and a wet camp. Hunting from native dugout canoes called a makoro. Out on the water for several days, just me and two polers. Saw only a few sitatunga and only one shooter, the one I got. It was a fairly difficult hunt, part of the reason I rate it so high. Fantastic hunt I will never likely repeat especially in Botswana as it closed sitatunga hunting not long after I got mine, and of course recently stopped all but private land hunting at least for now, in favor of eco-tourism. Sitatunga can be hunted in other countries, Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, western sitatunga in some parts of West Africa, and no doubt other places as well.
It was a costly hunt at the time as it was also a lion, and buffalo hunt. By todays standards it was cheap! You can read a more comprehensive story about this hunt in my articles on my profile I believe. Looking forward to hearing from others.

I would be very proud of the Sitatunga as well Scott. Of all of the plains game in Africa, it is my dream hunt. Congratulations again on that beautiful animal.

 

[sestoppelman]

Mine is definately the leopard I took in 2013 with Touch Africa Safaris and Jonathan Collett. It was my third attempt as I severely broke a shoulder on my first try that finally resulted in a complete shoulder replacement after three years and 3 surgeries. I wanted that leopard enough to stick with it and all the effort makes it that much more rewarding.

I think we would like to hear that story!!

 

[enysse]

Well the red hartebeest and mountain zebra I shot in Namibia on my first trip were really special in 2008, then the bushbuck from the East Cape in 2009, a Kudu from the Limpopo Province in 2009 and then this year the sable and bushbuck. But in all honesty, some animals came easier than others. I got lucky on some and unlucky on others. I still don't have a warthog that would look mature for the trophy room. I have seen some nice ones but they have all escaped without a bullet fired.

 

[Velo Dog]

The sweet smell of thorn bush and nitro powder smoke that still lingers in my memory.

 

[bluey]

The sweet smell of thorn bush and nitro powder smoke that still lingers in my memory.

the ffffft sound of a smoothe release instantly followed by zoooink ,pop of a pass though ,may not excite the nasal senses , but sure does sound like music , with stick and string

 

[Velo Dog]

the ffffft sound of a smoothe release instantly followed by zoooink ,pop of a pass though ,may not excite the nasal senses , but sure does sound like music , with stick and string

Yes! I have heard this melody and I agree ... 'Tis a beautiful symphony to the archer's ear.

 

[K-man]

For me as well as most of these posts its not about the animal, its about the experience, the sights, the smells, the sounds and usually the degree of difficulty or the extra effort going into the harvest. Thanks for the post. It makes me re-live the most personal times that I can't always put into words.

 

[sestoppelman]

Of course. Its much more about how it happened, than what it was we took home. The amount of work involved is directly proportional to its value as a trophy. The trophy itself is usually not the real reward, just the symbol of what was hopefully a great experience.

 

[Cable68]

They're all special to me, but some stand out for other reasons. The zebra that became a rug for the step-daughter (any dad can go and buy one, but not all can go shoot one). A waterbuck, bushbuck, and an impala are special to me because I hunted them with the late Devlin Carton Barber: murdered in a home invasion while guiding clients. However, the one most special to me is the kudu I took in Namibia in 2005. I remember looking at a Weatherby catalog as a grade-schooler and being mesmerized by those corkscrew horns and body stripes. I always thought that going after one would be impossible, but about 25 years later it was the first animal I took in Africa.

 

[CAustin]

I agree with Royal127. It really has to be my Cape Buffalo. He made a run at me and it was a big thrill to bring him down. I can't wait to get the finished trophy back to put on the wall.