Cape Buffalo Mount Question

[Safari Dave]

I think it is the same buffalo.

I had no idea of the condition of trophies shipped from Africa to the US, until my buffalo arrived in December of 2023.

The horns were are just "floating" around on the skull and the skin was horrible.



Good US taxidermists do a wonderful job considering what they end up having to work with.


I gave my taxidermist several pictures of the animal, so that he would be able to put all of the pieces back together as true to life as possible.


I'm still waiting after 1 year and 5 months!

 

[Fixfire]

So, with all the potential loss of mass between “green” and “dry”, how or when do you score a buff?? Sorry for hijack.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

So, with all the potential loss of mass between “green” and “dry”, how or when do you score a buff?? Sorry for hijack.

I seem to recall sixty days drying is required.

 

[Fixfire]

I seem to recall sixty days drying is required.

Yes, but in the OP’s example. The score would be much different after “boiling”.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Yes, but in the OP’s example. The score would be much different after “boiling”.

SCI and B&C require sixty days drying before the horns/antlers can be measured. Thus the difference between "green score" and "official score." There can be quite a bit of shrinkage, especially with horns (not much, if any, shrinkage with antlers that have become bone).

Yes, the green score of a soft boss bull would likely be much different than official score. But keep in mind a soft boss bull will likely have much longer horns than an old dagga boy who's worn his down from fighting. So the spread score on a soft boss bull can make up for what he loses on bosses score.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Frankly, I am surprised so many outfitter/PHs are still letting clients shoot soft boss bulls. It has become quite a controversial issue, even among the measurement junkies (i.e. SCI). Shooting impressive long horned soft boss bulls often results in the best genes being removed from the herd too early. I thought the safari industry moved away from this.

 

[sureshot375]

Same buffalo. Bosses were soft and had some boiled away.

These things happen.


Cool mount. Enjoy with pride.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Interesting that European hunters have tended to move in the opposite direction from their North American measurement conscious brethren. European Cape buffalo hunters generally seek out the most beat up and malformed specimens. Short broken off horns is what they are after. They want an old warrior with character up on the wall, not just a "bigger is better" trophy. I cannot imagine any of those guys ordering plastic surgery done to their buffalo trophies.

 

[Fixfire]

SCI and B&C require sixty days drying before the horns/antlers can be measured. Thus the difference between "green score" and "official score." There can be quite a bit of shrinkage, especially with horns (not much, if any, shrinkage with antlers that have become bone).

Yes, the green score of a soft boss bull would likely be much different than official score. But keep in mind a soft boss bull will likely have much longer horns than an old dagga boy who's worn his down from fighting. So the spread score on a soft boss bull can make up for what he loses on bosses score.

Thank you!!

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Frankly, I am surprised so many outfitter/PHs are still letting clients shoot soft boss bulls. It has become quite a controversial issue, even among the measurement junkies (i.e. SCI). Shooting impressive long horned soft boss bulls often results in the best genes being removed from the herd too early. I thought the safari industry moved away from this.

While most PH's can tell the difference between an old bull and a young bull under most conditions, very few buffalo are willing to let a PH come up to feel the horn for degree of softness. A dagga boy with deeply corrugated horns is old, but some material is still likely to come off during the skinning and boiling process. It does not mean that the PH let the hunter shoot a "soft boss" bull. I believe the term is being over used.or misused. If you look at the SCI scoring method, you will find that the material that comes off between the bosses on an old bull actually has very little to do with the score.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

While most PH's can tell the difference between an old bull and a young bull under most conditions, very few buffalo are willing to let a PH come up to feel the horn for degree of softness. A dagga boy with deeply corrugated horns is old, but some material is still likely to come off during the skinning and boiling process. It does not mean that the PH let the hunter shoot a "soft boss" bull. I believe the term is being over used.or misused. If you look at the SCI scoring method, you will find that the material that comes off between the bosses on an old bull actually has very little to do with the score.

Yes, I know. I'm an official SCI scorer. In fact, for a very long time the world record was actually a cow with negligible bosses. But she had a helluva spread! The measurements across the greatest height of bosses requires, of course, that the material be solid horn material, not semi-horn material which in any event will not survive preparations for export.

My PH didn't have any trouble picking out hard vs soft boss. He didn't have to touch them to know the difference. Considering that the usual engagement range is fifty yards or less, the target is not far removed from touchable.

 

[PARA45]

Who was the PH/outfitter?

 

[WAB]

Interesting comments. Here is a bull I shot in Botswana. Nasty old dugga boy, but his bosses had actually chipped away. We were unable to see this through the Kalahari thorn scrub. He probably never had really thick bosses so what was there was fairly easily broken.

 

[WAB]

Here is another bull I took in Klaserie. Certainly the largest bosses I have ever seen on a bull. He is 42” wide to but the bosses in perspective.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Interesting comments. Here is a bull I shot in Botswana. Nasty old dugga boy, but his bosses had actually chipped away. We were unable to see this through the Kalahari thorn scrub. He probably never had really thick bosses so what was there was fairly easily broken.

View attachment 606823

That is a weird one indeed. Look how his left horn is hooked almost into his shoulder. Good animal to remove from the gene pool. Or possibly a mineral deficiency?