Killing your dream animal?

[huntinlabs]

So I am going on my first safari with @Pawprint Safaris. I don't know why but ever since I was a young teen a giraffe has always been my dream animal to kill. Now I have the opportunity to make that dream come true. However I was watching giraffe hunting videos last night to try to help with the anticipation of going (that's not helping by the way) and it hit me. Would I really be able to pull the trigger? I say I would but what about the feelings after? I believe we should live life to its fullest potential but should something's be left a dream? I am worried that I would get shooters remorse after letting the hammer down and the mood would be killed by regret of taking my dream and wondering what would come next. Have any of you let a dream animal walk just so you could keep the dream alive?

 

[thi9elsp]

Interesting thought. I've let younger animals walk as most have. But, I can't say I've let a dream animal go by. I've let larger / older animals go because I already had one of the species and wanted to focus on new animals.

 

[cls]

Can't say as I have, harvesting that dream animal just made me dream of others. Now Everytime I sit in my man cave and look at that mount I relive the moment.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Not one hope in hell I would pass up this beast if I saw it.

There are plenty more critters to add to the dream list. That's hunting!

 

[cpr0312]

Well said by all the three who have already commented. I would not pass one up either, just dream of the next one i=or in the case of many speicies, dream of hunting them a second, third, fourth time etc.!

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

It was quite sometime before I finally took a mature 6x6 bull elk with my bow. I'd hunted a number of archery hunts in Idaho and then my hunting buddy moved away. A few years went by and I moved to Arizona in 2001. I didn't bowhunt again until 2010 for elk and I got my bull that year. I must say after all that time when it finally happened, while I was grateful for that experience, there was a bit of a "Well what do I do now?" thought in my head.

I got over it and apply every year for the same hunt. So no I could never watch a true trophy no matter the species walk.......at least not without me scaring him!

 

[huntinlabs]

I honestly doubt I could let one walk but at the same time this is more than likely my only chance of getting to go to Africa so part of me says you idiot its the number one on your dream list (I am already taking number 3 and 4 as well) dont let the opportunity pass you up. but then the other part says its your dream animal literally number 1 and the only animal that really makes me want to do it other than the black wildebeest and the impala. (the big 5 honestly doesn't interest me) At being only 26 I still have a lot of hunting left to do and wonder if I will regret taking my dream (number 1) animal so early.

 

[Shootist43]

I'd have to agree with all of the previous posts. The only remorse I can remember feeling is when I took a deer that was standing alone near dusk. I thought the deer was larger than it turned out to be. n the long run that mistake made me a more cautious hunter. Poor shot selection i.e. not waiting for a better shot has also come into place a time or two. Unseen tree branches have resulted in deflected bullets and or missed shots, but I guess we've all had those.

 

[LivingTheDream]

Heck there are animals you will hunt that we're never in your dreams. I never dreamed I hunt the big 5. Just a "must be nice never going to happen" type of thing. Then you are doing it. Dreams change, opportunities are endless, just a matter of what you want to sacrifice to make it happen. If you are 26 I imagine you have plenty of more trips to Africa in your future!

 

[kathy]

HELL NO , may head is full of dream animals & hunts. I wish I was 26 and going to Africa, HA I wish I was going back To Africa now.
when you actually see the animals in Africa you may have dream animal 2,3,4,5. Forrest

 

[thriller]

Can't say I have ever felt shooters remorse. To me the hunt is the experience not the animal itself though. Just remember you have wanted to do it your whole life and savor the moment.

 

[Buckdog]

HELL NO! The more dream animals I can harvest the better just makes for more great memories and tall tales to tell by the campfire. I dont think i will ever run out of dream animals as long as i can walk talk and shoot i will always be after just one more!! (ok maybe 2,3,4,5, etc...)

 

[Bsto270]

I think most hunters ( and even anglers) are dreamers at heart. We fulfill one and then two more come up. When I was a kid I wanted to hunt feral hogs in the worst way. Finally did it a few years back. Plenty more species on the bucket list. Same with fishing, caught my first grayling out in MT, didn't feel anticlimactic at all. I say go for it and keep chasing the next dream.

 

[huntinlabs]

What I am saying is fulfilling so much on one hunt. Maybe save the giraffe for a future hunt if I ever get back over there just so I have something big to look forward to?

 

[Bsto270]

I can see what you are saying. I suppose it all depends on what you personally feel the odds are of you getting back and if you don't are you okay with not fulfilling that particular dream. A really personal choice

 

[BRICKBURN]

What I am saying is fulfilling so much on one hunt. Maybe save the giraffe for a future hunt if I ever get back over there just so I have something big to look forward to?

You never know what life is going to throw at you. Like the Nike ad says: Just Do It!

Guys talk about being spoiled for hunting at home after hunting in Africa. I have felt that momentarily and then I give my head a shake, check the draws and start hunting.
I love hunting.

 

[LivingTheDream]

That to be is a bit of silly logic, don't complete the dream so you can continue to dream. I say live the dream and get you a stud of a giraffe!

 

[thi9elsp]

I suggest you go for the giraffe, but take the opportunity if something else extraordinary or really flips your switch and take it. I didn't go to Africa until I was 51. You have 25 years on me. Once you take your first dream animal, another one will take its place.

 

[Mekaniks]

Awesome!! You will enjoy hunting with Pawprint. Get the Giraffe and then lots more to do!!

 

[CAustin]

So I am going on my first safari with @Pawprint Safaris. I don't know why but ever since I was a young teen a giraffe has always been my dream animal to kill. Now I have the opportunity to make that dream come true. However I was watching giraffe hunting videos last night to try to help with the anticipation of going (that's not helping by the way) and it hit me. Would I really be able to pull the trigger? I say I would but what about the feelings after? I believe we should live life to its fullest potential but should something's be left a dream? I am worried that I would get shooters remorse after letting the hammer down and the mood would be killed by regret of taking my dream and wondering what would come next. Have any of you let a dream animal walk just so you could keep the dream alive?

No I have not passed up the dream animal . You see the dream just evolves sir. The nature of hunting always leads us to the next dream! Who is to say that you can't hunt another giraffe after Pieter helps you harvest the first one. I dare say the dream will not end for you on that day. Enjoy every moment of your hunt and when you board the plane for home .....start planning the next hunt.