Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Plains game trophy dimensions

I have had inquiry about the size of my trophies, and although it means little to me, I include them here.






Gemsbok 38 3/4" each side with 8" bases








Mountain Reedbuck 7"





Kudu 42" 10 1/2" base







Black Wildebeast 55 1/2" 11" boss






Blesbok 14" 6 1/2 bases







South African Common Sprinbok 11 1/2" 5 1/4" bases.

The outfitter says the Gemsbok and Mountain reedbuck are " very good trophies" I say they all are as each animal has given me a unique memory and thus has a special significance to me.

Randy

Randy,
you, sir, are a brave man for actually posting inches. Don't you know that a kudu must be at least 55? A blessie at least 17?
Good God man, what were you thinking? And that springbok??

IN all serious now, well done, sir. Inches should not matter. What matters is an animal well-hunted is a true trophy. The memories burn brightly now, soon after the hunt. May yours burn even brighter in the future.

+1
It looks like you had a ball!

Another +1

You got a couple real dandies,just like the rest of us and you got others that are good representatives, yada, yada, yada...did you have a good time?
Did you do or see something every single day that you'll remember for the rest of your life? Did you feel truly alive while you were doing/seeing it?
If you answered "yes" to any of the above... you got your trophies!

One of my best and favorite trophies was an enormous Gemsbok bull I snuck up on and killed with an open sighted .303 British, his horns were all worn down to around 30", real character.... not my "longest", but definitely my best!
Ingwe

What everyone above said.....

Damn sure was some fun;huh?

Good hunting,

Dinsdale

awesome btw that gemsbok is a hoss!

If we could only get more people to view the sport this way hunting would be a lot better off. My hat is off to you and I appreciate the fact your experience is where the value of the hunt lies...not with how well it scores. If we could only get the SCI boys to see the same value in hunting....

Medicman,

Thanks for the pictures of your animals, I did enjoy them. Like you, I often know the scores of the game I take, but don't place particular importance on a specific score.

I am curious, how was the mountain reedbuck hunt? My good friend has some on his families place and finds them to be one of the trickier species they have to bag. Were you setting out after them, or was it a target of opportunity?

Thanks,
Carl

Amazing, some excellent trophies and some average trophies, imagine that on the internet!! ..

Thanks for a refreshing look at how hunting really is in a real world...:)

Remember how you felt while you were tramping around in the bush? Remember the excitement, the back slaps and handshakes and jumping around. Remember the private sadness when you walked up to them? How about, how tired you were when you got there, but you couldn't sleep? Remember the people, the sights, and the smells? Those are the trophies.
Those animals are beautiful, too. In some areas they would all be bigger than average, in others, maybe not. Certainly the gemsbok would be wonderful almost anywhere.
I left my horns and capes in a box for more than a year after I opened them. But I go over my journal and pictures at least once a month, even serveral years latter. The horns are on the wall, but the memories go through my mind every day.
Bfly

We were after them as I think them to be attractive, and amazingly well camoflaged. I had told my PH I was really clued out on the open shots and asked him if there were not some closer more cover shots. We had seen reed buck on slopes in the trees and I asked if we could try for a day or two for them. He was sceptical as I was very slow on open country shots with wildebeest and blesbok.

The one I took was the second stalk we did. I got a "trophy rock" on the first one as he stepped behind a rock as the trigger broke, and I never even saw the rock.

We were on our way back to the truck when we saw fresh scat and tracks. He said it might be a nice ram and asked if I was up to another stalk. Of course I was. About fifteen minutes later we spotted him on a well treed slope, and made a circular stalk to keep cover and wind to our advantage. As we were climbing out of a draw he was perfectly broadside at 100-110 yards between two short trees on a thirty degree slope covered with scattered trees. I was on him with rifle steadied by sling as I heard LaLaSe say he's the one, and the shot broke. He fell without a step and my PH said "Well done Madallaa". he asked why I did not shoot without hesitation like that on bigger game, and I told him that this was like I usually hunted, only usually closer.

I felt like I was in my element again and at ease with the shot. I was really tired from the walking and was glad to sit for the photos my wife took. She and he carried it back to the truck a half mile or so and had it loaded by the time I arrived.

We were after reedbuck, yet cutting the sign and scat was opportunistic. The actual pursuit was calculated, so I guess the answer to your question of were we trying for , or was it a target of opportunity is yes.

Randy

I have only been home since March 30, but your post describes my experience well. I have always been more reserved, but my wife caught me on video babbling after my kudu. I was trying to tell the PH how well he had set me up with our stalk, but all that came out was " you are good, you are good."

My journal recorda the events dispationately, much as my incident and patient reports do. The journal though stimulates memorie of sights smells sounds and emotes the sensations of my heart. It is hard to desribe how evocative reading the journal actually is.

Randy

I have always equated your first trip to Africa with your first true love...regardless of what happens in the weeks/months/years following, not a day in your life will pass that you don't think of her...
Ingwe

That Kudu looks bigger than the tape measure indicated. It's a beaut!

He was one of five bulls seen that morning. The first was a young one right within a couple miles of the farmstead. Numbers two and three were seen in a dry stream bed and walked into the trees before getting a shot. We hurried in a circle to get in front of them, and spotted two more on the far side of the stream bed 3/4 of a mile from where 2 and 3 were spotted. They were different as one had a wonky horn. My PH said I could shoot the left one, but that both of 2 and 3 were better animals. I chose to wait am and very well pleased I did. The 4 and 5 turned and walked off briskley looking back oveer there shoulders. Numbers 2 and 3 walked into the bush along the bed and were obviously larger animals. I was told to take the first one, and as he came out of the trees into a 30 ft clearing he spotted me and turnrned just as I shot him. He dropped right there, and then the exitement hit. I tried to tell the PH what a fine job he had done in reading the movement and setting up the ambush, but all that came out was " You are good, you are good."

He was hunted well and shot well and is beautiful to me. He shoud be received Feb 2010 with the others, and I have already determined where they will be displayed.

Point of interest Big Ugly Man, your posts a year and a half ago about, sent me over the edge, making the decision to make the trip. Your narative and photos really convinced me to go.
Thank you for that and your Kudu assessment.

Randy