Not on Your Bucket List

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Interesting thread, The one thing that I have never been interested in is Grizzly. Maybe if they had horns?

It does make them more appealing

 

[Trap]

the turkey slam. travelling state to state to shoot turkeys has no appeal. I usually do shoot a turkey every spring in Idaho but we are infested in my area. Its more of a depredation hunt Every year I have less desire to even shoot one around where I live. Second is coues deer. Basically a basket buck whitetail IF you get a huge one . Third is waterfowl, I might hunt some ducks with my son but rarely. I am a little different than most posts. I have Been to Africa and NZ (both one time) Both were a bucket list hunt and awesome experience for me. I also love hunting all predators and do so often. Lions, bears, bobcat, coyotes and wolves. We eat the lions and bears. Bobcats are ground into bait and the rest feeds something in the woods.

 

[buffybr]

African game, or really any game that isn’t North American. I’d feel too much like a tourist, and while hunting, never want to be anyone’s “client”.


Alligators and turtles. No thanks.

It took me 45 posts before I saw one that I would agree with...I've hunted turkeys, and have had them in my yard, but I have no desire to shoot a "turkey slam".

I've been fortunate to have hunted many of the North American animals, and most of the ones that I haven't is because I can't justify the high cost of their hunts. I've also made a dozen international hunts and enjoy seeing their mounts in my home every day and remembering their hunts. Some of my favorite hunts were my mountain sheep hunts.

Nameless Range's post reminded me of two animals that had the opportunity but didn't want to shoot:

On a hunt in Mozambique, we were hunting Sable antelope along a river that had dried to a trickle but had some large pools. My Professional Hunter knew of a large crocodile in one area, and asked if I wanted to shoot him. I saw him one day, but didn't want to shoot him. A hunter after I came home shot him and my PH sent me a picture of him, and he was definately a big croc, and I have no regrets in not shooting him.

One year I was hunting pronghorn antelope in eastern Montana I saw a large turtle in the small outlet pond below a large stock bond. I thought that it looked like a snapping turtle, but I didn't think that we had them in Montana. The next year when I was checking in with the FWP biologist for the Block Management area that I hunted, I told him about the turtle and he said it was a snapping turtle. He said that I could have shot it, but I still didn't want to.

Two animals that would be on my bucket list but aren't because USFWS won't allow any part of them to be brought home are an African lion and elephant. Actually there are some instances where they can be brought home, but those hunts would cost about as much as I paid for my home.

 

[SC Living Outdoors]

I’ve been invited 3 times to come to Florida and hunt a gator for free but it doesn’t move me.

You need to take them up on that offer. Gator hunting is a good time. The meat is good too.

 

[rjthehunter]

Two animals that would be on my bucket list but aren't because USFWS won't allow any part of them to be brought home are an African lion and elephant. Actually there are some instances where they can be brought home, but those hunts would cost about as much as I paid for my home.

How long ago did they stop letting you bring lions in? I have a full body African Lion mount from my Grandpa. He shot it in the early 2000's if I remember right.

 

[Fire_9]

I have a full body African Lion mount from my Grandpa. He shot it in the early 2000's if I remember right.

Cecil?

 

[Fire_9]

Swans and paddlefish are the first ones that come to mind for me. I'd be all about paddlefish if you didn't have to snag them

 

[rjthehunter]

Did you not grow up shooting gophers, woodchuck, starlings ? Pretty much anything that could walk or fly?

Man I shot a lot of striped gophers and chipmunks when I was a kid. Used to get $5 a piece from my grandpa to shoot them. They dug holes all over in their yard. I would go to their house with my pellet gun and have a hay day!

 

[rjthehunter]

Cecil?

I wish. That was a good looking lion!

 

[buffybr]

How long ago did they stop letting you bring lions in? I have a full body African Lion mount from my Grandpa. He shot it in the early 2000's if I remember right.

In 2015 the USFWS listed the African lion under the Endangered Species Act which banned the importation of lion trophies into the US from the countries of South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. I donit the status of Botswana and Tanzania.

They have since partially lifted the importation ban if the country hunted can provide "clear evidence showing a demonstrable conservation benefit to the long-term survival of the species in the wild." As far as I know, only South Africa has provided that evidence, but it only applies to totally wild populations of lions.

 

[Stifler]

Man I shot a lot of striped gophers and chipmunks when I was a kid. Used to get $5 a piece from my grandpa to shoot them. They dug holes all over in their yard. I would go to their house with my pellet gun and have a hay day!

Right my grandpa used to give me 25 cents a gopher, and 2 bucks for the rock chucks. Would send me out in the field with a 22 and couple boxes of ammo and call it babysitting for the day.

 

[Sheltowee]

the turkey slam. travelling state to state to shoot turkeys has no appeal. I usually do shoot a turkey every spring in Idaho but we are infested in my area. Its more of a depredation hunt Every year I have less desire to even shoot one around where I live. Second is coues deer. Basically a basket buck whitetail IF you get a huge one . Third is waterfowl, I might hunt some ducks with my son but rarely. I am a little different than most posts. I have Been to Africa and NZ (both one time) Both were a bucket list hunt and awesome experience for me. I also love hunting all predators and do so often. Lions, bears, bobcat, coyotes and wolves. We eat the lions and bears. Bobcats are ground into bait and the rest feeds something in the woods.

Well, drop a pin if you need any help knocking back those turkey numbers

 

[Deleted member 52098]

You need to take them up on that offer. Gator hunting is a good time. The meat is good too.

The meat is VERY good. Like a chicken. One of my favorite foods when I visit Florida

 

[rjthehunter]

In 2015 the USFWS listed the African lion under the Endangered Species Act which banned the importation of lion trophies into the US from the countries of South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. I donit the status of Botswana and Tanzania.

They have since partially lifted the importation ban if the country hunted can provide "clear evidence showing a demonstrable conservation benefit to the long-term survival of the species in the wild." As far as I know, only South Africa has provided that evidence, but it only applies to totally wild populations of lions.

It's crazy that the US government decides what's "endangered" in other countries.

 

[geetar]

No interest in hunting a zebra or a giraffe.

Second this. Nothing against others doing it. I just have no desire to shoot one.

 

[Hawk Tuah]

How long ago did they stop letting you bring lions in? I have a full body African Lion mount from my Grandpa. He shot it in the early 2000's if I remember right.

Late December 2015 it hit the federal register, but had to sit for 30 days before becoming effective. I killed mine late January 2016, two days before it had to be killed to get imported. The hunt was about 85%-off. Got really lucky and got him back successfully.

USFWS is slowly letting some in currently, but it is not a sure thing by any means. It is considered case by case.

 

[rjthehunter]

Late December 2015 it hit the federal register, but had to sit for 30 days before becoming effective. I killed mine late January 2016, two days before it had to be killed to get imported. The hunt was about 85%-off. Got really lucky and got him back successfully.

USFWS is slowly letting some in currently, but it is not a sure thing by any means. It is considered case by case.

It's super interesting to me that the US gov thinks they know more than the country that allowed the hunt to take place. My grandpa had a hell of a time getting his polar bear back. Took him years...

 

[BuzzH]

It's super interesting to me that the US gov thinks they know more than the country that allowed the hunt to take place. My grandpa had a hell of a time getting his polar bear back. Took him years...

Not really. The trouble is, there are American hunters, and plenty of them, that are more than willing to exploit wildlife resources of other countries.

The money, ego, lists, etc. will drive some to kill the last one of about anything to cross something off a list or make some money.

Combine that with some countries just not having the resources, knowledge, data, or will to manage a resource correctly...the last stop-gap is our government taking action.

I get it, many times hunting can actually help in conservation efforts for some species. Where practical and when supported correctly, great, good, fantastic. That's just not reality everywhere, far from it.

The trick and tough part is finding the balance, and right people/governments to cooperate enough to find consensus that works. Hunt to support conservation without over doing it. Exploitation is very easy to accommodate...wasn't all that long ago, in our own past in the U.S. that we hunted stuff down to about nothing. Maybe we did learn from our own exploitation of wildlife and are positioned to limit it elsewhere.

It's not as simple as "gubmint over reach".

 

[Mallardsx2]

I may never understand why my dad flew halfway around the world to shoot a striped horse. Then he put it in his Livingroom.....lol

 

[rjthehunter]

Not really. The trouble is, there are American hunters, and plenty of them, that are more than willing to exploit wildlife resources of other countries.

The money, ego, lists, etc. will drive some to kill the last one of about anything to cross something off a list or make some money.

Combine that with some countries just not having the resources, knowledge, data, or will to manage a resource correctly...the last stop-gap is our government taking action.

I get it, many times hunting can actually help in conservation efforts for some species. Where practical and when supported correctly, great, good, fantastic. That's just not reality everywhere, far from it.

The trick and tough part is finding the balance, and right people/governments to cooperate enough to find consensus that works. Hunt to support conservation without over doing it. Exploitation is very easy to accommodate...wasn't all that long ago, in our own past in the U.S. that we hunted stuff down to about nothing. Maybe we did learn from our own exploitation of wildlife and are positioned to limit it elsewhere.

It's not as simple as "gubmint over reach".

I can understand that. Money talks, always has, always will.

I think of a recent walrus hunt I was told about. I was told there are more than enough walrus to support more than 1000's being taken every year. But you cannot take any piece of it back to the US with you, because the US deemed them endangered.

To put a halt to importing lions to the US that were legally hunted is interesting. It would be like NZ saying hey sorry residents, you're not allowed to bring any elk back that you shoot in WY because I don't think there's enough... Is the US monitoring wildlife populations in Africa?