Making the SCI (or RW) Record Books? How easy is it, really?

[curtism1234]

These organizations have to bring down scores attainable for the masses. How else are they going to make money....

 

[Excessexpress]

Meh, I can’t say the tape measure goes into the field with me, I’m happy with the story and the experience.

 

[Frederik]

Both methods are good and can be used to judge oneself if the animal you hunted is representative or an inferior animal the PH had in front of you.
If you are going to pay a trophy fee not a management fee on animal it must at least get close to qualify or a client heartely agrees to take it even if he was told the animal is not that big.

Normally SCI is easier to qualify and like mentioned before its good funding.
When RW moved over to the states the entry fees went overboard we could register animals for R400.00 ZAR now its $80.00 US thats just too rich for me. So I just rest with knowledge of my own trophies and where they stand measuring them myself.

One thing I don't like about SCI is that they measure both horns and bases so what if you bump into a very old kudu with a broken top half of one horn. While the other horn measures 55" as an example.

It would be nice or an idea for SCI to add another section for these type of animals.

 

[WAB]

No one has to chose one or the other. It can be both.

Like I said, I didn't do it, but someone that holds out for a record book animal is still hunting. Actually, being selective is a higher form of hunting.

One doesn’t have to chase a record book to be selective. The old dugga boy with broken down horns won’t make either book, but he is in my mind the ultimate trophy buffalo.

 

[Rubberhead]

Why do all internet discussions to into this?

Of course, one guy might want just a quality animal. Another might want just the meat. Another a ancient animal that's survived many years and many hunters. Someone else may want the animal's "trophy" to make the book. My simple question was...

Was I just very lucky or are these minimums set low to allow for folks to make the books?

Thank you to the folks that answered that. In summary it looks like I was very lucky (because the wildebeest I shot meets the minimum for Rowland Ward) and they (SCI) do set minimums low to allow for more folks to quality. Both, the answer is both.

Thanks again.

 

[Tucketed]

To be honest, my hunt this year was my first to Africa and I did have JKO put a tape an most of our animals. I really didn’t care what they measured but really out of curiosity. They were all outstanding mature old animals, just what we had asked for, end of life, worn teeth. The Kudu were the most interesting. My sons and I all took mid 50s Kudu, 53-55 and it was very educational to see the variations. The most impressive thing was how close the call out was in the field from the PH’s. It sure seemed their on the hoof call out was within an inch of what we measured in the shed. Though many of the animals would make the books, I really have no interest in registering them.

 

[Rubberhead]

To be honest, my hunt this year was my first to Africa and I did have JKO put a tape an most of our animals. I really didn’t care what they measured but really out of curiosity. They were all outstanding mature old animals, just what we had asked for, end of life, worn teeth. The Kudu were the most interesting. My sons and I all took mid 50s Kudu, 53-55 and it was very educational to see the variations. The most impressive thing was how close the call out was in the field from the PH’s. It sure seemed their on the hoof call out was within an inch of what we measured in the shed. Though many of the animals would make the books, I really have no interest in registering them.

Did you keep the hides, skulls or are you shoulder mounting any?

I'm getting the hides off of a zebra and brindled gnu and euro mounts on the gnu and impala.

 

[crs]

"It's the hunt that counts, not the damned record books. "

Agreed!

On my first African hunt, the outfitter measured all six of my trophies and they all met B&C minimums. I did skull mounts on all but the pretty Bushbuck and he was a shoulder mount. However, I care not about the record books and stopped right there. Those and other trophies bring back fond memories and that is their real value.

 

[Doug3006]

@Rubberhead, I believe you have the right outlook. You shot the Gnu because it met your personal standards, which were more about the hunting experience than the size of the trophy. Now that you have it and have learned it meets the criteria, there’s nothing wrong about entering it in SCI or RW.

 

[Tucketed]

Did you keep the hides, skulls or are you shoulder mounting any?

I'm getting the hides off of a zebra and brindled gnu and euro mounts on the gnu and impala.

I am just doing Euros, I might do the Eland skin, I had it prepped for a flat skin. I got a super sable, kudu and eland. Again, I am not an inches guy. I have great memories and my kids are anxious to book another hunt. It was wonderful spending great time with my adult sons and looking forward to taking them and my other kids.

 

[reineke]

#JPmbogo: That is true and a little bit simplistic as well. It depends on how you rate a hunt. Just to shoot anything that has the misfortune to come close enough to your rifle, as long as a good stalk took place before, for me is just half of the truth. Knowing the minimum at RW shows you what a really ripe and demanding trophy of a certain species in the country where you hunt really is and gives you some guidance what to strive for. And it is a misunderstanding that RW -and SCI as well, may be - is a record book in the sense of an order of merit - it means just keeping the log of the actually harvested animals
above a certain minimum.

 

[Graham Hunter]

Interesting as it appears to me I have several critters that make RW. If it's a Trophy to me it's BOOK.

 

[zip4644]

my thoughts are this, I like the record books for no other reason than they are a great research tool, I am not likely to hunt some off the animals I have had the good fortune to hunt in Africa ever again,. I want to know where the most mature animals are being harvested and who is the Company that's making that happen.

 

[Hunt anything]

I try and look at attractiveness, I’ve had the opportunity to take several animals that would have scored high in the books but to me they were just plain ugly but to each his own and i want typical horn formation.

 

[Rubberhead]

Great thoughts and conversation Guys. Thank you.

It has been accepted by Rowland Ward for publication. He scored 29 4/8" against a minimum of 28 4/8".

I have the SCI scoring done but having decided whether to send it or not.