Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Most Difficult Game Animal?

I would like to find out what you guys (or gals) consider the most difficult game animal to hunt and why you belive so. My experience is lower 48 based with whites, mules, pronghorn, elk, and some pigs. I certainly would be interested in our Alkaskan poster's opinions as well as our African experts. <P>From my experiences, I can only comment on the Rocky Mtn Elk. This animal is so fine tuned to it's environment and has worked me to death and dispair at times. Between terrain, altitude, weather, it's senses, hunting pressure, and packing a bull out of a remote high altitude region, I can't imagine a more complete challenge, but I'm sure there are.<P>Thanks<BR>~rossi~

Has to be Bigfoot. In all the years I've spent in the woods in the Pacific Northwest (suspected home of Bigfoot), I've never even seen one, much less gotten a shot at one. Heck, I don't think I've even seen a track- but I think I saw Bigfoot "droppings" one time! That's my story and I'm sticking to it! - Sheister

Glacier bears would rank high for me as I have seen them but never been able to shoot one yet. Mtn Goats are the most physical effort and the most scary habitat in my experience. <P>In Africa the Kudu ranks high as a fleeting moment is usually longer then you get to judge and shoot one. <P>The older I get and the more I hunt the greater the value in the chase. I no longer remember the ones I have taken as much as I remember the ones that have gotten away. The chase is the hunt to me not the "kill" no different I guess then when anticipating dating in High school. The chase was the entertainment for me then too. <P>If I consider the Chase and the difficulty to secure a "good" trophy, Mtn. Goats would rank high as well as lions on foot(no dogs). The chase may last years for a good trophy making it all that much sweeter. <P>I guess by this measure the worst hunters have the most fun chasing game, Hmmmm Maybe I should quit while I'm ahead here!jj<P>------------------<BR>The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything they have.

Hey Sheister, how hard is it to draw a tag for a Bigfoot? I'd like to see a BC score for one also, since I'm only interested in a trophy .<P>~rossi~

JJ, <P>Nice post. High altitude, rough terrain, long shots and difficult recovery are always a challenge. <P>I'm sure DG is a whole different emotion, such as face to face knowing you may be the quarry in a moments notice. Kind of cleans your bowles quickly, I should think. <P>Also, I can't imagine what red blooded American male hunter can't identify with your analogy to high school challenges.<P>Take Care<BR>~rossi~<P><p>[This message has been edited by rossi (edited May 25, 2001).]

Mature Northern Maine Whitetail Deer, No question bout it for me.<BR>YH

Nah not Bigfoot. I have seen lots of bigfoots or bigfeets or what ever. You can recognize trophy bigfeets by the smell. Sorta like Muenster cheese that has been left out too long.<BR>Now the most difficult is the unicorn. Hasn't been a B&C unicorn recorded in the last thousand years. Hasn't been even a representative head in the last five hundred.<BR>I know a guy that has been hunting unicorns for the last twenty five year and has yet to even hear one much less see one.<BR>Left a young wife to go hunt unicorn. Hunted so long and so hard that he grew his own horn in the middle of his head. I guess you could say he was ***** but then I guess you could also say somebody else put the horn there.<BR>BCR

I've been in this debate many times before....and many will not like my reply....but a MATURE slough-footed, mossy-backed, knarley-horned, nocturnal old whitetail can be as tough as any. I know the same can be said for the MATUREST animals of many species......but I think the whitetail gets under-estimated mainly because of sheer numbers and record harvests.....but the one's I'm referring to will generally die of old age rather than a hunter's bullet! ...just wanted to give the old whitetail his due.....<P>......so my answer would definitely be Mt Goat! ....final answer....<BR>DS<BR>DS

Having shot a number of goats and dall sheep, all I can say is that if they swapped head gear, no one would even care what a sheep was!<P>Goats are tough beyond compare and dall sheep are the most over-rated of all. IMO<P>But, Sitka blacktails are the best, nothing else comes close!<BR>art<P>------------------<BR>Life is too short to hunt with an ugly gun.

Desert mule deer, O.H. eremicus. You must hunt them by tracking. Nothing else works with any consistancy. I know. I've tried them all. Where I hunt, most of the bucks are old, to very old. Average age of animals taken runs 4.3-5.4 years. This compares to a national average of 1.5 years. They always get some every year that run 10-14 years, and a couple in the 15-18 year catagory. The oldest taken was 20.5 yrs. Tied the all time record for a north american deer. This means they know all about hunters, and have an excellent survival system to deal with them. Hunting around waterholes doesn't work here. They often live several miles from water, and seldom water during the hunting season, etc. Average density is about .4 deer per section. This compares to 3-8 per section in most western US habitats. And rough country. Home of the Desert Bighorn. I've got lots of storys about "the big one that got away." And big they are. My biggest produced over 100 lbs. of cut and wrapped meat. I have a friend that got one that produced 140 lbs. of cut and wrapped meat. Nice racks on some of them too. E

A bird is an animal, right?<P>I have seen guys shoot 50 or more rounds out of a shotgun and not even come close to killing a dove. <P>Dove, yeah thats it,,,,thats my vote. <P>Don <P>------------------<BR>A 300 Win Mag beats a 30-06 every time

DonK, is it a coincidence or are you making funny about the past President who made the remark about quail not being animals?<P>Talus

Let's look at it this way: if you compare the money spent to the trophy obtianed, the prarie dog has to be the most expensive quarry out there!<P>I still like the way Idaho Jim's .375H&H changes those cannabalistic rats into "merely ballistic". Priceless image there, worth the cost of a .375 shell, especially since he paid for it!<P>Grins, Talus

Talus,<P>I wasn't aware that the past President made such a statement. Then again, I never listened to much of anything Billary said <P>I only said "dove" because I have seen many people attempting to hit one <P>Don

Well, I have listened to several people who hunt Exotics say that the "Markhor" sheep or goat, or whatever he is is a tough one to get. I saw one being life sized mounted in Castroville,Texas a couple weeks ago, and was told that a ram that size would cost you about $12,000 IF you could ever get on him.<BR> They are a little bigger in body than a Nubian Ibex, and have spiral horns that are pretty straight...very impressive, and you can only hunt them here...I think.<BR> I agree with every game animal you guys listed as being tough, so, for me, right now, I have to pick the Markhor. I still think he is a sheep. Jim.

P.S. Oh yea, tough not just on price, but it seems his eyesight is just a hair short of being "supernatural", ha. I talked to guides/outfitters on IdianHead Ranch, in Del Rio, and they said long range shooting IF you even get a shot is the norm. It seems they have better eyesight or are at least spookier than a big aoudad ram, which is pretty wild!

For me it is things that fly. A Chukar is a pretty wily opponent. I've probably shot about 1000+ rds at them and only actually taken home less than a dozen. Plus the terrain where they like to hang out in is usually steep,rocky and fairly rugged.

well, there are two that come to mind..<P>1) was a sable, in '84 that I was after in the Mumbwa West (Zambia.. I spent 4 days after that boy, over hills, down valleys, around trees.. him and me, I would have spent the entire 14 days after just him.<BR>He wasn't that spectacular, but we had a relationship going there after a while.<BR>As Capstick put it, that one had a lot of sweat equity invested.<P>2) was a quail up in Wisconsin, and a perfect hunting day with my BELOVED Labrador Kaesi. She spent 30 minutes, flushing this thing out of a wood pile, busting up branches, running around to the other side, barking at this damn thing. God how I miss that dog... I still cry sometimes when I think about her. I know that doesn't sound very macho in this crowd, but once in your life every man should be blessed to have such a companion.<P>------------------<BR>Those that would trade freedom for security, deserve neither freedom or security.

Moose when they are down, caribou when the bugs are bad but I'll chime in with Sitka. The Sitka Blacktail. for me, are the most fun to hunt. On Kodiak, the bears make the deer hunting especially exciting. I've been to Kodiak about a dozen times. I try to hunt a different place each time I go and I have enjoyed the entire place. There was this time when I was camped on Karluk lake close to the thumb lake outet and the bears were quite abundant...didn't get much sleep that trip .pak

Pygmy Shrew. 1/2 oz of ferocious rodent. Hides at the first sign of trouble, attacks when necessary. How many people you know that have taken one of these? After all, you try to pick one off at 500 yds.