Why do you hunt for trophies?

[CBeck]

Damn, I hate being lame.
But then, I don't feel the obligation to answer ANY question.
And many questions are implicitly accusatory....
"why do you kill defenseless animals?"
etc.
FWB

No lame answers…..I’m just trying to get past the politically correct answer and get to the heart of the question.

Why shoot an elephant for example….There are a lot of answers that tell the beneficial side effects but why really hunt an elephant?

I for one have mixed feelings about, an elephant or Lion perhaps. They are majestic beasts….hunting a problem elephant, no problem. Hunting a man eating lion, no problem. Hunting one in the wild minding its own business? I don’t know. Yes it provides meat for villages and income for conservation but, really, why kill one? Giraffe? Seems an odd question on an African hunting forum right?

Why does a Cape buffalo seem different to me? I can’t explain. The justifications are there for either specie but one seems different than the other? Why? I don’t know.

This is a great place with likeminded people. No accusations or obligations implied.

 

[CBeck]

It seems that with some of your other answers, you have a preconceived notion of what the answer should be. If you read my full first sentence I included my desire to challenge myself and go where few have been.

You are probably correct. I do have a notion in my head and want to hear from others……I can understand your desire to challenge yourself and the allure to go where few have been is probably one of my biggest driving factors too.

What I’m curious about are the “real” why answers and not the justifications we as hunters are so often forced to use….

No one goes to Africa for meat or conservation for that matter….its much easier to send a check.

Sorry if I offended you.

 

[CBeck]

Maybe a better way to explain, is for me, it’s the adventure and the trophy is the memory of that adventure….

Meat for the people and money for conservation are icing on the cake but not ‘why’ for me.

 

[Puddle]

I guess trophy hunting is partly about what I don't shoot.

It took 2 trips of hard hunting to come across the Kudu I had imagined in my mind. I'd never seen Gerhard so excited and in awe over what we had accomplished together in downing that magnificent animal.

I've lost count of the number of Sable I've come across and let pass. It's never about inches; it's about that certain curve of horn that the Prince of the Bush ought to be wearing when he's wandering in his domain. Sable has got a hold on me, and I guess that's part of trophy hunting too.

The trophies I've brought back are on floor pedestals, so family and friends can get close to them, reach out and touch them, and marvel at what nature has produced rather than imagine from a picture on the web or at an 8x10 glossy.

 

[R eight]

I’ve been asked a few times if I’m a trophy hunter or a biltong hunter? Both and neither is my answer. I hunt because I love the adventure and wild places…well, that’s my best guess.

 

[Frederik]

There is more right answers that wrong ones.

For me its a goal an acheivement learning a new specie how to hunt them in their own environment to outsmart them and if I don't get my trophy will go back and try again untill I succeed.
I am lucky to live in SA to have the opportunity to go and hunt at short notice I might not have the budget but work harder spend more and return more to nature than any wildlife organiztaion as a hunter.

It also brings respect for the animal and gives it a better status than livestock I can go on and on but I love hunting which in return gives back to nature and break free from the world rat race and enjoy my Fathers Creation.

 

[mdwest]

Playing devils advocate….you may make a meal of an animal harvested in Africa, but you didn’t go there to feed your family.

The five wildebeest we culled on our last hunt and then donated all of the meat to a local orphanage sure fed a lot of people…

(This is something we do on many hunts)

 

[mdwest]

I primarily hunt for food… but I also hunt for adventure… it’s an opportunity to see the world, experience other cultures, and share a campfire with like minded people…

If I happen to get a “trophy” that’s just icing on the cake…

I believe strongly in the North American conservation model and adhere to looking for old animals that are no longer productive for the herd.. if they happen to have great antlers or horns, that’s all the better..

I also believe strongly in Genesis 1:28 where God clearly assigns dominion over the animals… I don’t take that decree lightly..

 

[Doug Hamilton]

This was asked of me today and I thought it would make for an interesting discussion. The question is simple, the answer may not be. Folks understand hunting for food, but perhaps not trophies. So, a very simple question, why do you hunt for trophies?

I hunt because I love the hunt. Trophies are something to remember where you were and who you were with, and to.honor the life of a fine animal. I also keep photos of the animals, hunting camps, my partners and any professional staff to remember good times, fine people and great animals. I hunt for the hunting, the trophies are a side benefit, as is the meat which I also enjoy.

 

[ryno111]

If I'm being honest, I think I can trace it back to my childhood...for several reasons. We weren't "well off" and so we maybe had fewer "things" than others. I think I started collecting things as a way to feel like I had something. When I tie my love of collecting to my passion for adventure and the outdoors, it just makes sense. And the bonus of sitting in my living room while re-living the excitement of the hunt is a huge bonus.

 

[Tradmark]

I always say we are omnivores biologically which means we are made to hunt. Wired that way genetically. I can buy the food but theres no inner gratification. Indians and all ancient peoples did and kept trophies too. Why are we different. Other than we are more domesticated to the state. Some more than others

 

[coreydb]

Oh boy.....my entire family asks that of me every time I hunt. My response is truthful and to the point; We eat some of them, and for the trophies, I help maintain healthy herds and reduce the numbers that will die an agonizing death from starvation.

 

[steve white]

because it's more fun than hunting skunks...

 

[CBeck]

The five wildebeest we culled on our last hunt and then donated all of the meat to a local orphanage sure fed a lot of people…

(This is something we do on many hunts)

I prefer hunts like this. I look at the 10 or more undernourished deer I see in my yard everyday and think it should be easier in NA to do the same!

We took a lot of canned goods to the local soup kitchen during the last cold snap…..I wish it was legal to flop a deer on the door step

 

[Doug Hamilton]

For Africa I hunt for trophies to secure habitat, reduce / eliminate poaching, provide jobs and to visit remote areas where few people have visited and to challenge myself. Anyone who challenges me on killing and not bringing the meat back I ask a couple questions back


do you eat meat? If yes then you’re ok with animals dying. If they get uppity I tell them they’re just leaving the dirty work to someone else. If truly interested they usually start asking more questions and the conversation ends with them saying I didn’t realize or didn’t think of that

How many people did you directly out of your own pocket and efforts feed in your lifetime? They usually hang their heads and move on

How much have your spent or what time have you put in to reduce poaching and protect wild areas? Another hanging head or possibly some discussion and they change their view.

I had one sierra club woman think I was horrible. We interacted in multiple social events about the third time she begrudgingly said we have more in common than different

That's good, and I do the same thing, but I don't let vegetarians off the hook either. Nothing kills more animals than agriculture. Bird nests are destroyed, rodents are poisoned. Even larger animals such as deer and hogs are killed wholesale to get crops to the grocery store. When the "vegan" pays for the vegetables they kill the animals.

 

[mdwest]

I prefer hunts like this. I look at the 10 or more undernourished deer I see in my yard everyday and think it should be easier in NA to do the same!

We took a lot of canned goods to the local soup kitchen during the last cold snap…..I wish it was legal to flop a deer on the door step

Some states make the regulatory environment almost impossible to donate meat to hungry families in need… it’s sad…

At this point we’ve hunted South Africa so much a “trophy” really isn’t the objective anymore…

If I see a huge Roland Ward quality gemsbok, I’ll certainly get excited and take a run at it.. but that’s not really why we go anymore..

We simply love hunting and love travel.. and an international hunt or safari is a really cool way to combine our big passions…

Specific to South Africa we have made friends with a few families there and it’s a great way to spend time with them, catch up, and enjoy a fire and a braii together as well…

If at the end of the trip we can drop 1000 lbs of meat off and feed a lot of kids for half the year.. that’s a wonderful bonus and great way to close out the trip…

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Because thousands generations of our ancestors evolved to give us the ability to be a top predator. We’re a species with no fangs no claws and a very small percentage of our body is covered in fur yet we’ve survived and thrived using our brains. Ever stop to think how incredible the rise of man is? If you stop and think about it for a second man as a species has been taking trophies from our kills sense before we mastered language. Don’t believe me look at the scenes depicted in early man’s cave paintings. My rifle is to the caveman’s spear what my shoulder mount is to his cave drawing.

 

[CBeck]

If at the end of the trip we can drop 1000 lbs of meat off and feed a lot of kids for half the year.. that’s a wonderful bonus and great way to close out the trip…

I need to find a trip like that

 

[mdwest]

I need to find a trip like that

All kidding aside, come with us on our 2026 hunt.. that’s something easy to arrange…

This year we’re hunting New Zealand in the late spring (we can bring meat back from New Zealand.. so that’s exciting!)… and then we’re doing a PH course in South Africa in the fall..

But we should be back on schedule with our annual South Africa hunt for June/July time frame for 2026…

AH member @Goopy was with my wife, daughter, and I last July and helped us with a little culling for the orphanage, and then went with us at the end of the trip to do the delivery… it’s a wonderful experience every time we do it..

The year before AH member @roverandbrew was with us and culled a wildebeest for the orphanage…

And the year before that AH member @pattesonfamily was with us and did an orphanage visit…

I think all would report that it’s a highlight of the trip…

 

[sniper7]

Simple. I was meant to hunt and provide.
My very first trip to Africa I went for the biggest animal you can pursue. I asked only one question before booking the hunt which was what happens to the meat. The answer was in depth and the truth.

In the end I saw several hundreds if not into the thousands of people get their meat. I was lucky enough to shoot my “trophy” but the true blessing was watching the mothers carrying babies and a basket full of fresh washed clothing with a nice bag of meat from an animal I was lucky enough to harvest.