What is your favorite conformation?

[steve white]

I am amazed at the variety in coloration, and anatomical difference within the same species. For example, a white tail buck can have wide, low antlers, or be better described as a "high horn" buck. Antlers vary in terms of mass, width, height of the G2's, etc. Some bucks have precious little white under the chin down onto the neck while others have a sharply bordered snow white patch, or two. The heads can vary from a straight line, nose to crown, or the crown can be pronounced. No two are exactly alike, though one can often see a blood line coming from the local dominant buck. Oddly, some places in the North East USA favor heavy body weight over ANY consideration of antler size. Each to his own.

Cape buffalo can have horns drooping down immensely or almost straight out with upturned tips, and anything in between. The horn itself can be round and bulky like some seen in Tanzania, or almost flat in profile, like the first one I shot in Zimbabwe. Some horns are wider, some hook backward at a different angle. The bosses can be massive and rest high atop, thick at the top of the head, or they can appear to be thin atop the head, but still be wide and the horns massive farther out. Hunters have definite preferences which define, for them, the perfect bull. Many increasingly prefer a worn down "Dagga Boy" or even a scrum cap, with both sides broken off close in. It's as personal as a preference for red heads over blondes.
Midwest has a thick bossed buffalo displayed at his house which I would crawl across broken glass to obtain. It is perfect in conformation IMO and I'm more than a little jealous! But I wouldn't throw either of my mounts on the trash heap, either! Some trophies have qualities that over ride considerations of age and maturity--they are just too good to pass up. Other trophies, especially maybe first trophies, would not make the cut later in the hunters' career. Some PH's think that the first buffalo need not be a truly great trophy, that the excitement of the first hunt, and the prospect of repeat business trump all. Experience does refine selection.

So, what do you prefer in a trophy? For me personally, in a word, the answer is MASS. It trumps width, and covers a multitude of sins. Your answer may be completely different. I want the most massive boss on a buffalo I can find. Ditto with mass of white tail antlers. I turned down a wide, tall rack because it was too skinny.
Kudus--I like the curls wider but not excessively flared. Bushbuck, the taller the better! I would not settle for the first warthog I shot, today....
What do YOU look for?

 

[Russ16]

Age. Something broken off is a bonus if it looks like it happened in a fight or do to use. But anything that shows its age.

 

[dgr416]

I like but nontypicals in any game .I shot a buck that looked like he had hooked muskox horns pretty cool .My best buck was nontypical 14 point but I didnt see it when i Shot him running .He has three huge brow times on one side and lots of funky points on the other side .I was totally disapointed when I got him mounted used bad taxidermist I had not used made me sick when I picked it up part of his nose fell off from bad job .I shot a 450 wild hog that looked like a giant wort hog .He was caked with mudd changed colors when i washed him off .

 

[steve white]

I like but nontypicals in any game .I shot a buck that looked like he had hooked muskox horns pretty cool .My best buck was nontypical 14 point but I didnt see it when i Shot him running .He has three huge brow times on one side and lots of funky points on the other side .I was totally disapointed when I got him mounted used bad taxidermist I had not used made me sick when I picked it up part of his nose fell off from bad job .I shot a 450 wild hog that looked like a giant wort hog .He was caked with mudd changed colors when i washed him off .

Maybe another taxidermist could use another cape to remount it better. Sounds like an awesome buck!

 

[farmer_john]

I am amazed at the variety in coloration, and anatomical difference within the same species. For example, a white tail buck can have wide, low antlers, or be better described as a "high horn" buck. Antlers vary in terms of mass, width, height of the G2's, etc. Some bucks have precious little white under the chin down onto the neck while others have a sharply bordered snow white patch, or two. The heads can vary from a straight line, nose to crown, or the crown can be pronounced. No two are exactly alike, though one can often see a blood line coming from the local dominant buck. Oddly, some places in the North East USA favor heavy body weight over ANY consideration of antler size. Each to his own.

Cape buffalo can have horns drooping down immensely or almost straight out with upturned tips, and anything in between. The horn itself can be round and bulky like some seen in Tanzania, or almost flat in profile, like the first one I shot in Zimbabwe. Some horns are wider, some hook backward at a different angle. The bosses can be massive and rest high atop, thick at the top of the head, or they can appear to be thin atop the head, but still be wide and the horns massive farther out. Hunters have definite preferences which define, for them, the perfect bull. Many increasingly prefer a worn down "Dagga Boy" or even a scrum cap, with both sides broken off close in. It's as personal as a preference for red heads over blondes.
Midwest has a thick bossed buffalo displayed at his house which I would crawl across broken glass to obtain. It is perfect in conformation IMO and I'm more than a little jealous! But I wouldn't throw either of my mounts on the trash heap, either! Some trophies have qualities that over ride considerations of age and maturity--they are just too good to pass up. Other trophies, especially maybe first trophies, would not make the cut later in the hunters' career. Some PH's think that the first buffalo need not be a truly great trophy, that the excitement of the first hunt, and the prospect of repeat business trump all. Experience does refine selection.

So, what do you prefer in a trophy? For me personally, in a word, the answer is MASS. It trumps width, and covers a multitude of sins. Your answer may be completely different. I want the most massive boss on a buffalo I can find. Ditto with mass of white tail antlers. I turned down a wide, tall rack because it was too skinny.
Kudus--I like the curls wider but not excessively flared. Bushbuck, the taller the better! I would not settle for the first warthog I shot, today....
What do YOU look for?

Honestly for me it is the culmination of the journey. The trophy itself a totem of a great adventure.

 

[Rifleman97]

For Mr its uniqueness and character. I’d take a lopsided sheep over a “textbook example” any day

Both of these next pictures are stolen:
I’d take this sheep any day over the one after it

To me, the likelyhood of getting a sheep that looks like the former is significantly more rare and therefor special, than just getting a run of the mil sheep that’s slightly bigger than average. Boring, not interested.

I’d even go so far as to say this buck-

(stolen image)^

-is more unique and cool, than this 17pt buck (taken by me on public land)

While the above buck is non typical, it’s just another deer. I recently gave the head of the last one pictured away, as I have no interest in taxidermy or mounting.

“Perfect” 10pt buck typical (huge mass, long tines, big spread) are just boring to me. I’d rather shoot a young buck or doe than a big older typical, they taste better anyway.

When I get to Africa, it’ll be about the experience not the trophy. But if I see a really odd looking one (say a Buffalo with asymmetrical horns, or a kudu with one way longer than the other, etc) I’m going to go after the weird one over a classic example. Like I said, I don’t care about taxidermy, so I’m gonna go after a weird one for a fun story and an awesome picture to remember.

 

[steve white]

For Mr its uniqueness and character. I’d take a lopsided sheep over a “textbook example” any day

Both of these next pictures are stolen:
I’d take this sheep any day over the one after it
View attachment 740510
View attachment 740511

To me, the likelyhood of getting a sheep that looks like the former is significantly more rare and therefor special, than just getting a run of the mil sheep that’s slightly bigger than average. Boring, not interested.

I’d even go so far as to say this buck-View attachment 740512(stolen image)^

-is more unique and cool, than this 17pt buck (taken by me on public land)
View attachment 740514

While the above buck is non typical, it’s just another deer. I recently gave the head of the last one pictured away, as I have no interest in taxidermy or mounting.

“Perfect” 10pt buck typical (huge mass, long tines, big spread) are just boring to me. I’d rather shoot a young buck or doe than a big older typical, they taste better anyway.

When I get to Africa, it’ll be about the experience not the trophy. But if I see a really odd looking one (say a Buffalo with asymmetrical horns, or a kudu with one way longer than the other, etc) I’m going to go after the weird one over a classic example. Like I said, I don’t care about taxidermy, so I’m gonna go after a weird one for a fun story and an awesome picture to remember.

Well, you are far from alone. The farm owner in Namibia stated that most of his European clients prefer to shoot something "abnormal."
But next time you shoot something really big you don't want, cut them in two for me into rattling antlers. I could use a beefy set big time.

 

[coreydb]

I like the atypicals, but also mass.