What trophy are you most proud of?

[Ontario Hunter]

I have bagged at least a half dozen banded ducks, including one black duck. I'm guessing dozens of banded geese. I should dig the bands out of the drawer and count them up. No, I don't hang them on my call lanyard. I've had geese coming to the decoys spook from the university class ring on my right hand.

My brother and I shot our first ducks one morning in November 1965. Both were beautiful mallard drakes and brother's was banded! Sadly, in those days the bands were mailed in. He forgot the bird was banded. I showed him a photo last fall to refresh his memory.

 

[HookMeUpII]

I’ve duck hunted for years and have never taken a banded bird. My bird holy grail here in Ky would be a banded pintail!

Its remarkable how you can have someone like us where it never happens or only happens after 10 years. Yet, someone on their first or second hunt, will bag one.

There are secrets that I'm beginning to find out. For example, sometimes folks will hunt near a recent banding operation. I've heard of groups shooting a dozen or more bands in early September goose season because they setup on a field that was used prior to band birds. I also have a buddy who got into a group of black ducks 2 seasons ago that must have been all banded by the same net gun. He shot 3-4 black duck bands in about that many hunts. Peculiar enough though, they were all mixed-age bands.

We have some gems come from NJ. I know a gentleman that shot a banded pintail here. I also know of another who shot a banded pintail. And believe it or not...we have Eurasian wigeon here. Not many and I can't imagine any are banded. However, I've seen them from afar with my own two eyes in the refuge.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

It's a tough decision. So many trophies recalling memorable hunts. But I suppose my first elk still sits on top. I nearly died from hypothermia stuck on that mountain overnight opening weekend 1971. The doctor who examined me the morning after said my body temp was still too low to be alive. But I was back up there by next weekend. The bull was standing in thick alders about sixty yards below me. I will never forget that massive rack turning to look up at me. He gave only a clear shot at his neck. That racked swayed back but he didn't drop. He took a few steps and I could see him standing in the shadows, but when I scoped him he seemed to disappear. Then I could see his tail twitch so I just kept the scope on him till the tail twitched again and I shot it. Away he went. I tore off down the mountain and quickly intercepted the bull's track in the snow. After a few yards there was a bloody pile of poop. Texas heart shot. He shouldn't go far but if he got any deeper into that canyon, I'd never get the carcass out. After a hundred yards or so I stepped into a large scree slide and there he was still walking straight away on the other side. I put the crosshairs on his head and dropped him. I built a fire and spent the night on the carcass. Next morning I removed the horns. Luckily, the bullet didn't split the horns but it blew the skull cap clean from the skull. I only had to cut it away. Draped the horns over my shoulders, beams down and my head between the eye guards. It was a long hike out. At an outfitter I rented two horses for the following day. Back in town I found a friend of my dad's who had packing experience to go with me. The mountain was too steep to ride and Art blew out a knee on the way in so only half the elk came out with him having to ride on the other horse. That night a bad snow storm blew in followed by a prolonged frightful cold snap. It was two weeks before I was able to get back to the meat. Had a helluva time getting the front quarters on the horse by myself. Stupidly I had cut all the ribs off on front quarters (supposed to leave three ribs on rear quarters to balance the loads). It wasn't pretty but I got the meat out. I vowed then and there that I would buy my own pack string when I got out of the army (had enlisted in September and due to leave after Christmas). And that's what I did.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I have bagged at least a half dozen banded ducks, including one black duck. I'm guessing dozens of banded geese. I should dig the bands out of the drawer and count them up. No, I don't hang them on my call lanyard. I've had geese coming to the decoys spook from the university class ring on my right hand.

My brother and I shot our first ducks one morning in November 1965. Both were beautiful mallard drakes and brother's was banded! Sadly, in those days the bands were mailed in. He forgot the bird was banded. I showed him a photo last fall to refresh his memory.

The photo was on my phone. That's my first Lab behind old "Mutt." Great dog. Mike is holding the banded leg out with his right hand.

Ah! Cast on my right hand is from tangling with Mike. He didn't have a glass jaw! That knuckle is still flat.

 

[ftrovato]

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.

Fantastic! I appreciate the quest of the BAND!

 

[ftrovato]

My first grouse.

I took him in 1981 (@ 17 years old).

It took me 6 years with two seasons each year and countless misses before I finally started to figure it out!

As you can see, it's a special memory. I still have the tail.

 

[grand veneur]

A Sika deer shot in its native range in Manchuria province Heilongjiang.

By far not the biggest deer I have shot in my life, but the rarest, as Sika deers are almost all shot nowadays in areas where they were introduced.

 

[Green Chile]

I had to think about this question for a bit. My answer isn't the most dangerous hunt or the most expensive hunt but rather the hunt that challenged me the most physically, emotionally and mentally. I thought about my Coues deer hunt that to that point was my toughest. Then I hunted mountain lions in the canyons with dogs and that was a different level of toughness. My first attempt was blanked by a huge winter storm that shut down the Midwest. We hunted a week without getting the dogs onto a track.

My 2nd attempt was in CO and after a lot of driving, we jumped a cat off a 180 class mule deer kill. My guide said why did he have to kill the biggest buck on the mountain?! He bailed off the cliffs into the steep canyon and the dogs followed. It was about mid-day when we heard the dogs baying across the canyon and followed them down into the nasty stuff. About 2 hours after that, we arrived at the tree where the dogs had bayed the cat. He was way at the top and barely visible. I was shooting a S&W 10mm revolver with iron sights and this was a tough shot. I had to lay on my back and aim straight up. The bullet entered the back of his body and exited the chest. He fell and briefly stopped halfway down the tree...2nd shot knocked him off that branch and he bailed out of the tree quickly. The dogs met him at the bottom and fought him. I was able to finish it there at the bottom of the tree.

By this time, the sun was getting low and we had a horrible climb in front of us. We talked about walking out of the canyon and getting to a truck in many hours or...climb straight back up and try to beat the cold coming that night. The younger guide (father and son guides) grabbed the pack with the skinned cat and called up the dogs. They went straight up and the last I saw of them, the young guide was having the leashed dogs pull him up. His father gave me his crampons and we started climbing and it was slow and tough going! It took us about 3 hours and both of us threw up on the climb out...turns out we both were getting the flu. We got back to town very late and I collapsed in the hotel room bed and slept for 8 hours without moving.

I was so glad to have finally gotten a mountain lion...with a tough shot and a tough climb out. Those aspects make this one of my proudest hunts. I'm so glad I don't have to go for a 3rd attempt!

Here he is at the very top of the tree, barely visible...

 

[dhoover]

My first and only B&C Whitetail. I grew up in KS but wasn't smart enough and or didn't have the $400 to buy a lifetime hunting and fishing license when I moved away. It was in 2003 the same year we had our first and only child, a daughter. After 10 years of struggling with infertility. When we finally gave up on ever having a child it happened. Gods timing is not our timing.

She was born in July, and I killed this big buck in December in the rifle season. The night I killed that buck and then came home and held my daughter was the happiest day of my life.

The next year I killed another giant buck that wasn't quite as big but still a monster. I have had a KS deer lease every year since and have not killed another truly big buck since.

 

[jpr9954]

My bushbuck that I got last June. It took parts of three hunting days for me to finally get a good shot on a bushbuck and I got this guy at about 200 yards. He was an old fighter that had worn down teeth and a hole in his ear.

I am most proud of this guy because of how hard I had to work to get him.

 

[BeeMaa]

Conservation Canada goose season in Upstate NY 2024.

IGS and I took 17 in a few hours on the river opening day. Three of which were banded.

A few days later a group myself and a group of guys took down seven in a field...and FIVE of those were banded!

 

[HookMeUpII]

The photo was on my phone. That's my first Lab behind old "Mutt." Great dog. Mike is holding the banded leg out with his right hand.
View attachment 677460
Ah! Cast on my right hand is from tangling with Mike. He didn't have a glass jaw! That knuckle is still flat.

Good memories right there. Even more impressive to shoot a band back then because they definitely didn't band as many back then as as they do now.

 

[375Fox]

My first grouse.

I took him in 1981 (@ 17 years old).

It took me 6 years with two seasons each year and countless misses before I finally started to figure it out!

As you can see, it's a special memory. I still have the tail.

View attachment 677475

I couldn’t think of a trophy I was most proud of until I saw this post. I’d have to say same. I’ve only ever taken one as a kid and sadly haven’t seen one in years. I wish they were still around in my part of state.

 

[Spearhead]

My wife. Very proud of that trophy
Couldn't resist.

 

[ftrovato]

I couldn’t think of a trophy I was most proud of until I saw this post. I’d have to say same. I’ve only ever taken one as a kid and sadly haven’t seen one in years. I wish they were still around in my part of state.

Thx. Nothing like the 'fright' a guffed grouse instills when it flushes close!

On the other hand West Nile virus has really taken a toll on them too.

 

[Green Chile]

Thx. Nothing like the 'fright' a guffed grouse instills when it flushes close!

On the other hand West Nile virus has really taken a toll on them too.

I lost one of my best falconry birds to WNV. Horrible disease.

 

[Hunt anything]

There are so many, sticking to the banded waterfowl theme, it would be an Atlantic brant that was banded as an adult 6 years earlier. My old Chesapeake bay retriever Brandt chased him about half way across Abscecon bay in New Jersey. That was Brandt’s last season of hunting.

I have shot quite a few bands, tundra swan, Canada geese, snow geese, white fronted geese, mallards, blue winged teal, wood ducks, lesser scaup, gadwall and pintail. All of them are special.

 

[Green Chile]

Tundra swans are always special! Beautiful birds...and it's not every day that you see a pinwheel of swans (one per hunter of course).

 

[BryceM]

This is a tremendously good question. There is a possibility that my favorite trophy is an animal that I let my dad shoot, on what turned out to be his last hunt in Africa. I will muse about it, and report later.

 

[Flbt]

A simple eastern wild turkey.
Not very impressive jake. He was a big body bird.
But it was my first spring turkey hunt and the very first day of season.
But the most important it was after the doc told me I would not be walking anymore .
I can still walk not much and not far. But I still can and taking that turkey after the the aloted time helped a lot