Trophy Measurements

[LivingTheDream]

@Speedster I thought your expectations seemed reasonable maybe a little high but if you are willing to hunt hard and maybe walk away with out one who cares. It just means more stalks and more searching. Enjoy yourself, your PH will get you close to those numbers.

 

[IvW]

Would you pass this inward tipping kudu ??

View attachment 229955

No definitely not!

Not the best picture but, from what is visible this is a old bull, thick neck, slightly broken horn tip, extremely deep first curl extending to the outer of the ear and carrying deep curl to the top. Maybe not everybody's ideal shape but this bull will score high, is old and a definite shooter.

 

[Nyati]

@Speedster, my first hunt, 2008, was also in the Limpopo, and just as you I had not a clue on animal sizes, not that it bothers me, but I also wanted to shoot only mature animals, which is what I told my PH.

And these were the results

Kudu 53.1, great mass, beautiful shape.
Gemsbok 30, male, very old animal, worn down tips.
Impala 22.5, second one I shot, the first was much smaller, and the PH said, my mistake, this one is for free, we can do better.
Blesbok 17

The following year I shot a 31 in. Waterbuck near Potchefstroom (North West Province)

I hope this is of any help to you.

 

[Slider]

On my plains game hunt in R.S.A. in 08 I took a 55 1/2" Kudu,a 24 inch Impala,a Burchell Zebra Stallion a 34" Gemsbok Bull and a beautiful Black Wildebeest. I hunted from daylight till dark for 10 days and they were the biggest ones I saw the whole time. Last year in Namibia I passed on a 5 1/2" Steenbok. Later that day I decided to take one and have it mounted with my Leopard. We looked for that big Steenbok every chance we got and of course never saw him again. I would recommend you make a little larger list (6 or 7 animals)and take the four best animals on that list you see. Just remember to soak it all in. You must take the advise of your P.H. If he say's to shoot. SHOOT!!!

 

[WAB]

I recommend that you measure the trophies more in how large was the property, how long and difficult was the stalk, was it a clean, killing shot, was the animal free range, etc.. At the end of the day the trophy represents a memory. I'd rather remember a great stalk on a moderately sized free range animal than a quick shot after jumping off a vehicle on the new world record. We don't get to go often enough, build memories of outstanding hunts! I hope you have a great trip!

 

[wesheltonj]

Funny that several people commented on leaving the tape measure at home. Actually I had no intention of bringing one. . . .

Don't leave it home, take one. Measure each horn and the bases and record those measurement before you hand over to trophy to the skinners and make sure your see them put your taxidermy tag on the horns too. You want to make sure you do everything possible that you get back your trophy and not someone else trophy. I had the crate opened up at JNB and had each trophy measured and those measurement sent to me before the crate was placed on the plane.

If a screw up occurs, better to try to fix it there, before you have a set of horns in the States that are not yours.

As to size of the Trophy, SCI Bronze make for a good representative trophy, SCI Silver even better. Of, course Rowland Ward is the gold standard and what everyone wants.

 

[Bob O]

I would say this:
If it's your first time hunting in Africa, leave the tape measure at home and just enjoy your experience. Don't get hung up on inches. Take what Africa offers you and make the most of it.

This is great advice for a first time hunt. I went on my first African hunt in June of this year. I had read the trophy sizes previous to my hunt, and decided I just wanted to take old mature bulls that I liked. On the first day I was fortunate enough to take a nice Kudu, with great symmetrical horns. I was ecstatic to get such a nice specimen on the first day. Back at camp, other hunters were commenting that it was a stud Kudu. Another hunter measured it at 52". I didn't really care. I was so happy to have a nice bull, the exact size didn't matter to me. Turns out that it was the biggest Kudu of our party until another guy got a 55" bull a couple days later.

 

[Tim Blackwell]

I recommend that you measure the trophies more in how large was the property, how long and difficult was the stalk, was it a clean, killing shot, was the animal free range, etc.. At the end of the day the trophy represents a memory. I'd rather remember a great stalk on a moderately sized free range animal than a quick shot after jumping off a vehicle on the new world record. We don't get to go often enough, build memories of outstanding hunts! I hope you have a great trip!

This. Instead of worrying about inches or sizes, I'd put my effort into finding a PH who has strong personal standards for mature trophies and herd management. I want a PH who has to be just as happy as I am with the trophy and hunt - if not more so. And thankfully, I've found exactly that on my two safaris thus far. I was fortunate enough to take some great mature trophies and we hardly ever bothered measuring anything. All the best with it!

Don't leave it home, take one. Measure each horn and the bases and record those measurement before you hand over to trophy to the skinners and make sure your see them put your taxidermy tag on the horns too. You want to make sure you do everything possible that you get back your trophy and not someone else trophy. I had the crate opened up at JNB and had each trophy measured and those measurement sent to me before the crate was placed on the plane.

If a screw up occurs, better to try to fix it there, before you have a set of horns in the States that are not yours.

The only problem with that, is that many folks would be surprised just how much horned trophies can shrink as they dry and undergo the boiling process etc. I can normally tell from photos and identifying features that they are mine. And yes make sure they are very well tagged, each and every part.