This article is completely self-indulgent. I’ll just get that out of the way up front.
I developed a hunting “bucket list” to give myself some hunting goals to work toward over the next decade or so. It would be impossible to accomplish all of this in one year or even ten years. Instead, this is a list of the hunting accomplishments I hope to have checked off my list by the time I am too old to hunt anymore. If I don’t get to them all, so be it; it isn’t that important. But my hope is that having them written down will motivate me to try and make as many happen as possible. Some of these when added together comprise the Super 10. Of those species that comprise the Super 10, I would like to take all of those with my Xpedition bow. A lofty goal, but that’s the point – set goals that we would be proud to achieve.
Here is my hunting bucket list:
- Bull Moose – Any Species
- Caribou – Any Species
- Whitetail SLAM (Harvest 4 of 8 whitetail subspecies)
- Halfway there – I have harvested a Coues whitetail and a Central Plains whitetail
- Whitetail Deer in Kansas
- 4×4 Mule Deer Buck
- 6×6 Bull Elk
- As a subpoint, I want to hunt elk in every state that has a huntable population of elk at least once.
- 70″ Pronghorn Buck (This is my goal for 2016)
- Sheep – Any Species
- Mountain Goat
- Black Bear
- Bison with a Bow
- Cougar
- Pheasant in South Dakota or Nebraska
Now, this is a pretty crazy list and I will need to do some side jobs to afford all of it, but with planning, discipline, and a little luck, most (if not all) of these should be possible. Honestly, I would be happy to do just a few of these in my lifetime. No matter what I can or cannot do, I will always be thankful for the opportunities God allows me to have.
Do you have a hunting bucket list? What is on yours?
That’s a great list… but no African species???
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Africa has always been unattainable for me due to cost. If I can knock all of these off my list, then I will make an African species list. Unless you know of a cheaper alternative. 🙂
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Well, it’s definitely not cheap by any means. But, I do know of some money-saving tips.
Firstly, Dip and Pack everything back to the US- you will save a lot on shipping costs as it is volumetric weight you get charged by, so mounts take up more room thus costing (a lot) more. Secondly, don’t hunt with anyone from a big show- book by word of mouth. ‘Big-time outfitters’ are at the big shows, because they charge the big bucks on everything, and then pawn their clients off on every other part of the system to those who will give them a commission- thus costing the client even more.
Booking with a small-time outfitter usually results in cheaper daily rates and trophy fees, and they truly care about their client as a person, not as a money bag.
This is a bit harsh… but I have been intimately involved in the hunting industry here for quite some time, and unfortunately have personally seen (and interacted with) some questionable business practices many times, including today… so that may be why i’m a bit temper-mental about this subject at the moment.
If you work closely with a reasonable outfitter, there are many ways to save yourself a lot of money. 🙂
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Good to know! I might just have to look in to that. I would love to go someday.
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