Some hunting cultures do… specifically Germans, Austrians, and the like. In Namibia, German clients will literally be “clambering,” as you said, to shoot an old oryx with two nubs. It would bring them immense joy, and they would proudly show it off and brag about it to their hunting friends. I’ve seen it firsthand. So don’t say “nobody.” I guess you mean all your American buddies?
In Namibia, I specifically shot my kudu because it was one horned. I gladly paid full price, as the outfitter has many German clients and is German himself. It would be prized by the majority of his European clients.
After that, I specifically asked for the shortest, most worn oryx we could find. I had a “when in Rome” epiphany. Spend time hunting with Germans and some of their hunting culture will rub off on you. So I did as the Germans do, they take no pride in killing males in their prime.
I actually like the European outlook on hunting in Africa and going for the oldest, most ragged male specimen. It’s not marketing hype, as you say…it’s simply generations of good game management practices in Europe that carried over into parts of Africa.
The opposite tends to happen in American hunting culture. Those giant 370–400" elk that get killed are almost always 3,4,5 years old, yet no one would pass on that. We just want the high “score.” It’s simply a different outlook.
