What trophy are you most proud of?

[NDWoods]

My Eland. I was speechless when I walked up to it. When I was finally able to speak I looked at my PH and said "What have you done?"

 

[ftrovato]

My Eland. I was speechless when I walked up to it. When I was finally able to speak I looked at my PH and said "What have you done?"View attachment 677545

They are special!

 

[Travis Johnson]

@Travis Johnson: Your overall adventure is something any Man would be proud of and the fact you got a Sheep/Ram On-Your-Own is very impressive. Just hiking in there (unknown area, using Map, 25km ie: 15 miles - very determined and very physical. I consider myself a Hunter and any animal I took On-My-Own means more to Me then any “Guided Trophy” —-But I don’t know that I could’ve done that even in my 20’s-30s? Physically Yes but the ability to maintain your focus & goal after all that effort & knowing your odds were Low….that’s a level of “Drive” few Hunters have.
Congratulations, You will ALWAYS remember that Hunt !
NOTE: placing that “Glow Stick” before you headed out from Camp = Brilliant !!

Thanks for the kind words . It was more strong back and weak mind , great brother and some luck on top, but really was a great trip .

 

[BryceM]

OK, so here's the story.

My dad and I made a connection in the Namibian Kalahari on our first trip in 2010. In 2015 we returned for our third trip. It ended up being dad's last. He beat the first cancer a few years earlier, but developed a second, unrelated cancer a few years later that derailed our plans for a fourth trip.

If you've ever been to the Kalahari, the gemsbok there are enormous. After a while, big gemsbok become a sort of obsession. On this trip, our PH arranged to hunt a huge neighboring property that hadn't been sport hunted in years. I don't believe it was even high-fence. Upon meeting the owners, we could see random 40+" horns laying about. The owner was shooting these once in a while for meat and just leaving the horns in the sun.

For some reason, I decided to give dad first crack at it. Before long we spotted a group and believed at least two or three animals in the bunch had 40+ inch horns. The chase was on. After a lengthy process and a bit of frustration, dad finally connected with a glorious, magnificent 43" bull (!) gemsbok with nice sweeping horns. The bases are incredible. Special animal.

My turn..... well, it didn't work out that day. We could never catch up with the herd again and it wasn't until many years later that I was able to join the 40 inch club with a 41 or 42" cow. Today, they sit side-by-side at the head of my trophy room. Dad was pretty thrilled that day. Magnificent animal, and a day that I will always cherish.

I always looked forward to revisiting that place, but the farm was sold and all of the animals were culled at the time of sale. Culled!!!!

Soon, a proper Caprivi buffalo will join them, directly in the middle where it belongs:

 

[baxterb]

My first turkey. I did everything wrong, from picking the wrong piece of land to hunt, then driving two hours to another spot, hunting mid-day, moving like hell, etc. but then when i saw that little flock of turkeys coming across the field a half mile away, I brought up my glasses and saw one was a tom, and for the next hour I stalked them like a man on a mission using cover, crawling to get closer etc. I was less than 10 yards away from them (about 6) in some very tall grass. I needed to get them to all lift their heads so I could shoot so put my shotgun on the ground, grabbed my slate call and knew that the second I made one putt on that thing I would have to drop it, grab my shotgun, find the tom, and shoot. That is exactly what happened.

I miss the hell out of that piece of land. I was a lark that I asked to hunt there - a shot in the dark, and the guy only let one other person hunt turkeys - a wildlife biologist. Not sure why he let me, but I saw him each year after, and always sent him and his wife homemade banana bread during Christmas. I wrote him two years ago to ask if I could come out (now that I had moved back west) and got a letter back from his wife that he had died - God Bless him - and since then, his son had leased the property to a guide.

 

[Scott CWO]

Hard to pick just one as all are special. I can probably narrow it down to three, maybe four.

In 2010 with 1 in 608 odds, I was drawn for a bighorn sheep tag in the Turkey Creek and San Francisco River units in New Mexico. I found my dream ram while scouting. He then disappeared with four other rams out of a group of eight total for five days. Finally on the afternoon before opening day, I found him several miles away on the SF River. A couple friends showed up to help and film and we got him on opening morning. I believe he is still the biggest ram to ever come out of that unit, scoring 185 net B&C and almost 40” long on each horn. An ancient old warrior.

Another favorite is my Stone’s sheep. I got him on day thirteen of an absolutely brutal fourteen day hunt after turning down other rams in BC. He was also about 40” broomed and was the largest Stone’s ram taken in the FNAWS (now WSF) records that year. I was guided on the hunt by one of the most famous sheep guides in Canada, the GOAT himself, Brent Sinclair. I spotted the ram on the 12th day when Brent told me to glass while he set up camp in a new area after an eight-hour horse ride. We got the ram the next day.

Although I have guided lots of hunters to big mule deer scoring 200”+, including an amazing 256” buck, I was lucky enough to take a giant myself, scoring 232” and 34” wide in 2017 on the last day of the season after my four hunters were done with their deer scoring from 198” to 225”+. For two years, the buck I killed was hunted by my clients and he was missed twice, once with a bow and another time with a rifle. I got lucky on the last day when one of my landowners happened to spot him with an estrus doe and called me. I was able to relocate the buck and get him after a difficult stalk crawling a couple hundred yards in a picked cornfield before the shot.

Another favorite was my lion taken in 2023 on the tenth day and after playing cat and mouse with him for 2.5 days.

 

[HankBuck]

Very very unimpactful in terms of size and/or stature but:

View attachment 677398

Folks from outside the NE that are avid waterfowlers look at a black duck, alone, as a trophy. Folks in that group look at a banded one as potentially one of the Holy Grail's of North American waterfowling. We see a ton of black ducks here. In fact, if you want to shoot a black duck, NJ and NY are basically like Texas for wigeon, California for pintails, Arkansas/Missouri for mallards, etc.

I can't say I did much other than putting in the hard work to be there and not missing on that particular shot. Took me 10 years to finally shoot a band.

It was taken in one of the most storied gunning marshes in the USA. Gunning River in Barnegat Bay NJ. It was a 10+ year old duck that was banded literally, 5 miles from where I shot it.

@HookMeUpII - Nice and congratulations ! I’ve hunted that same marsh and all near Atlantic City is great for Black duck & Brant, more Winter in NJ then all other States combined. Any banded duck is a rare trophy and always prized. Even great years when my Son and I shot 100+ ducks each we only got 1 to 3 bands on ducks and “guessed” that only 1% or less of all ducks are banded? Canada Geese seem to be banded at a higher rate — maybe 3 to 4% around NJ, NY area as there are many “resident geese”. You must’ve been very pleased when you recovered that duck and saw that band !!

 

[HookMeUpII]

@HookMeUpII - Nice and congratulations ! I’ve hunted that same marsh and all near Atlantic City is great for Black duck & Brant, more Winter in NJ then all other States combined. Any banded duck is a rare trophy and always prized. Even great years when my Son and I shot 100+ ducks each we only got 1 to 3 bands on ducks and “guessed” that only 1% or less of all ducks are banded? Canada Geese seem to be banded at a higher rate — maybe 3 to 4% around NJ, NY area as there are many “resident geese”. You must’ve been very pleased when you recovered that duck and saw that band !!

I have seen more black ducks and brant around AC than I imagine anyone may ever see in their lifetime. You are absolutely correct. AC also has a special, in not a good way, place in my memory.

I can recall one nasty day out there in the sedges with a friend. It was blowing 25-30 kts out of the NW. It was about 25 degrees. We played the wrong hand that day and almost paid with our lives. I buried the bow of my sneakbox in a swell at 5am in the dark, heading out. We made a break for the nearest sedge we could find because my buddy who was in his own box, was concerned my rig might not be able to take another wave. At the sedge, we assessed the situation. Things went from bad to worse when his motor quit and would not restart. My rig, thank God, was in good working order and the minimal water that came in was bailed with my onboard bilge pump.

We decided to wait for light to figure our situation out. The sun came up, finally, and it was endless birds. I saw, that day alone, a 1000 or more black ducks and maybe slightly less brant. Even realizing the problem we had, I was in awe. It looked like clouds of snow geese coming up off a field, but they were black ducks and brant coming off the marsh. Pintails, wigeon, and some divers were also mixed in.

We decided to hunt for a bit in hopes the wind would die down. It, unfortunately, did not. We were in touch with buddies, significant others, and the USCG who said they would come get us if need be. Worse came to worst, when the NW wind blew out the tide. We had to walk our boats a 1/2 mile up a feeder creek in 2' deep mud with about 8-10" of water. Finally, we got to the open bay. I towed him back at full throttle, barely making it to the creek we launched from on the mainland. I came back in with 2.5 blades total on my 3 blade prop, all from hitting sand and shell bars going across the open bay.

I think that night I slept from 9pm until 11am the following day. I was exhausted. The next week I sold my rig and got a bigger, more seaworthy, boat.

Another really cool story about my banded black duck, I spoke to the biologist who banded the bird.

 

[Hunt anything]

That New Jersey mud is no joke. I have a nephew that thought he could cross a small finger of it (after being told not to) and he sank up to his waist. A friend of mine that is a New Jersey native tried to get to him but was stuck as well. We had to get the push pole out to them and drag them out. If they would’ve been alone they probably would have drowned when the tide came in.

 

[HookMeUpII]

That New Jersey mud is no joke. I have a nephew that thought he could cross a small finger of it (after being told not to) and he sank up to his waist. A friend of mine that is a New Jersey native tried to get to him but was stuck as well. We had to get the push pole out to them and drag them out. If they would’ve been alone they probably would have drowned when the tide came in.

You sir, are correct. The mud and the tides here are just punishing. A lot guys will hunt with a dog and let their boat sit on the dry till the tide comes back in.

On the other hand, the public access here is unbelievable considering it's NJ. If it's tidal and you are 450' from the nearest dwelling/building or playground...you can hunt.

Strong contrast to places in other areas of the USA where you need to draw to hunt WMA's, blinds, etc.

 

[uplander01]

My 31" Nyala from Coutada 9 in Mozambique, great hunt, great shot, beautiful day.

 

[ftrovato]

Hard to pick just one as all are special. I can probably narrow it down to three, maybe four.

In 2010 with 1 in 608 odds, I was drawn for a bighorn sheep tag in the Turkey Creek and San Francisco River units in New Mexico. I found my dream ram while scouting. He then disappeared with four other rams out of a group of eight total for five days. Finally on the afternoon before opening day, I found him several miles away on the SF River. A couple friends showed up to help and film and we got him on opening morning. I believe he is still the biggest ram to ever come out of that unit, scoring 185 net B&C and almost 40” long on each horn. An ancient old warrior.View attachment 677556

Another favorite is my Stone’s sheep. I got him on day thirteen of an absolutely brutal fourteen day hunt after turning down other rams in BC. He was also about 40” broomed and was the largest Stone’s ram taken in the FNAWS (now WSF) records that year. I was guided on the hunt by one of the most famous sheep guides in Canada, the GOAT himself, Brent Sinclair. I spotted the ram on the 12th day when Brent told me to glass while he set up camp in a new area after an eight-hour horse ride. We got the ram the next day.
View attachment 677557

Although I have guided lots of hunters to big mule deer scoring 200”+, including an amazing 256” buck, I was lucky enough to take a giant myself, scoring 232” and 34” wide in 2017 on the last day of the season after my four hunters were done with their deer scoring from 198” to 225”+. For two years, the buck I killed was hunted by my clients and he was missed twice, once with a bow and another time with a rifle. I got lucky on the last day when one of my landowners happened to spot him with an estrus doe and called me. I was able to relocate the buck and get him after a difficult stalk crawling a couple hundred yards in a picked cornfield before the shot.
View attachment 677558
Another favorite was my lion taken in 2023 on the tenth day and after playing cat and mouse with him for 2.5 days.
View attachment 677559

You've made some special memories....congrats!

 

[Hunt anything]

That New Jersey mud is no joke. I have a nephew that thought he could cross a small finger of it (after being told not to) and he sank up to his waist. A friend of mine that is a New Jersey native tried to get to him but was stuck as well. We had to get the push pole out to them and drag them out. If they would’ve been alone they probably would have drowned when the tide came in.

We had a wonderful time there. We hunted the year the brant limit went to 3, shot limits for 4 days in a row and I think I killed 3 black ducks in the 4 days. The biggest problem we had was coming up with creative ways to eat the previous days limit to stay within our possession limits.
All public ground and the other groups of hunters were very respectful as not to crowd or sky bust.
The only thing I didn’t get was a big greater snow goose but I killed one a couple of years later in Delaware.

 

[Rem280]

My first black bear is my proudest. The year before I booked this hunt in Idaho, I was told the area was "rugged". 5 months before the hunt I blew my back out and it is pain I could not wish on anyone. 2 weeks before the hunt I was talking spinal fusion with my Dr. My guide who became a great friend helped me accomplish my goal of a color phase black bear. Because of this trip I made a life long friend who motivated me to hunt in AK and Africa. This is my proudest trophy. YOLO!

 

[HankBuck]

I have seen more black ducks and brant around AC than I imagine anyone may ever see in their lifetime. You are absolutely correct. AC also has a special, in not a good way, place in my memory.

I can recall one nasty day out there in the sedges with a friend. It was blowing 25-30 kts out of the NW. It was about 25 degrees. We played the wrong hand that day and almost paid with our lives. I buried the bow of my sneakbox in a swell at 5am in the dark, heading out. We made a break for the nearest sedge we could find because my buddy who was in his own box, was concerned my rig might not be able to take another wave. At the sedge, we assessed the situation. Things went from bad to worse when his motor quit and would not restart. My rig, thank God, was in good working order and the minimal water that came in was bailed with my onboard bilge pump.

We decided to wait for light to figure our situation out. The sun came up, finally, and it was endless birds. I saw, that day alone, a 1000 or more black ducks and maybe slightly less brant. Even realizing the problem we had, I was in awe. It looked like clouds of snow geese coming up off a field, but they were black ducks and brant coming off the marsh. Pintails, wigeon, and some divers were also mixed in.

We decided to hunt for a bit in hopes the wind would die down. It, unfortunately, did not. We were in touch with buddies, significant others, and the USCG who said they would come get us if need be. Worse came to worst, when the NW wind blew out the tide. We had to walk our boats a 1/2 mile up a feeder creek in 2' deep mud with about 8-10" of water. Finally, we got to the open bay. I towed him back at full throttle, barely making it to the creek we launched from on the mainland. I came back in with 2.5 blades total on my 3 blade prop, all from hitting sand and shell bars going across the open bay.

I think that night I slept from 9pm until 11am the following day. I was exhausted. The next week I sold my rig and got a bigger, more seaworthy, boat.

Another really cool story about my banded black duck, I spoke to the biologist who banded the bird.

View attachment 677696

@HookMeUpII - I can’t believe you sold your Sneakbox for “a more seaworthy boat”? The problem was Not the Sneakbox - it was your Judgement. Most sneakboxes, especially the older hand made cedar ones, are seaworthy in the conditions they were designed to hunt in “back water areas”, creeks, tidal areas that are shallow or hugging along the leeward side of a shoreline in high winds. They were never made for large open water, bays, or severe whitecaps. They are a Great boat design to get you into places where the puddle ducks are and you can hunt Out-of-your-boat. They handle a 9.9 to 15 hp engine. I loved mine.
Be carefull in your New “more seaworthy” boat - you can still get in trouble if you think it can take you Out Farther in ever rougher weather…even the Titanic sank.
Wear your life vest anytime your boat is under power, never more then one person in a Sneak box and maybe a dog. Good luck Hunting the Barnegette & AC areas — worth the effort for good duck & Brant hunting —-snow geese too when they are around.

 

[Happy Myles]

I have given this question a lot of thought. I have taken so many fine trophies and the adventure of hunting them all is so important that picking one out seems not to be fair to so many others. I have mentioned before the adventure is so important.
Hunting is mostly a solitary endeavor judged by me and no one else. I am proud of my North American grand slam of sheep, plus a Marco Polo, and several Altai rams. Yet a call from a big bull elk in our wild country bring wonderful shivers to my spine, wild,tough country is most important to me.
The dedication to take all four subspecies of Sitatunga and all the varieties of bushbuck is as important as my lions and elephants. Yet one of my most important memories is being mauled by a leopard when Mother Nature rightfully humbled me for several of my very own mistakes…..Kindest Regards

 

[Scott CWO]

I have given this question a lot of thought. I have taken so many fine trophies and the adventure of hunting them all is so important that picking one out seems not to be fair to so many others. I have mentioned before the adventure is so important.
Hunting is mostly a solitary endeavor judged by me and no one else. I am proud of my North American grand slam of sheep, plus a Marco Polo, and several Altai rams. Yet a call from a big bull elk in our wild country bring wonderful shivers to my spine, wild,tough country is most important to me.
The dedication to take all four subspecies of Sitatunga and all the varieties of bushbuck is as important as my lions and elephants. Yet one of my most important memories is being mauled by a leopard when Mother Nature rightfully humbled me for several of my very own mistakes…..Kindest Regards

Would love to see your Altai ram pictures!

 

[HankBuck]

I have given this question a lot of thought. I have taken so many fine trophies and the adventure of hunting them all is so important that picking one out seems not to be fair to so many others. I have mentioned before the adventure is so important.
Hunting is mostly a solitary endeavor judged by me and no one else. I am proud of my North American grand slam of sheep, plus a Marco Polo, and several Altai rams. Yet a call from a big bull elk in our wild country bring wonderful shivers to my spine, wild,tough country is most important to me.
The dedication to take all four subspecies of Sitatunga and all the varieties of bushbuck is as important as my lions and elephants. Yet one of my most important memories is being mauled by a leopard when Mother Nature rightfully humbled me for several of my very own mistakes…..Kindest Regards

@Happy Myles - sounds like your BEST Trophy is in a “20 way tie for 1st”…but that Cat-Scratch must be near the TOP?

 

[HankBuck]

My first black bear is my proudest. The year before I booked this hunt in Idaho, I was told the area was "rugged". 5 months before the hunt I blew my back out and it is pain I could not wish on anyone. 2 weeks before the hunt I was talking spinal fusion with my Dr. My guide who became a great friend helped me accomplish my goal of a color phase black bear. Because of this trip I made a life long friend who motivated me to hunt in AK and Africa. This is my proudest trophy. YOLO!
View attachment 677725

@Rem280 - that’s a Nice bear and nice head - especially for a Color Phase bear because most hunters shoot the first one that walks in and they don’t get to live as long. Beautiful color coat - was that an Early Fall hunt or Spring ?(looks very green).
What did you have done with it (rug, 1/2 mount?). Based on your “smile” - doesn’t look like your back was hurting at that moment !! Congratulations…