I'm proud of my bongo, and I believe other hunters who have taken bongo with dogs should be proud of their animals. But But let's face it, in some parts of the hunting world today, patience, skill and stamina are not as important as having the money to get into the right hunting area at the right time. On top of that, compromises are being made in hunting techniques in some parts of the world that reduce the role of patience, stamina and skill in taking a large trophy. Witness the use of dogs to hunt bongo and other forest game in West Africa.
Not to worry. Here at The Hunting Report, we are not going soft on trophy hunting. I understand, accept and support the role of trophy hunting in international hunting. I salute Safari Club International for its record book, and I plan to continue our own web-based Trophy Gallery where we proudly display exceptional, subscriber-taken trophies from around the world. All I want to do is run a new, parallel idea up the flagpole of public opinion and see what you think about it.
Just suppose there was an award available for hunters who successfully take certain animals in the hard, old-fashioned way. Suppose it was called something like Exceptional Sportsman's Award. And just suppose it consisted of a plaque that could be hung in your trophy room underneath any trophy of any size that was taken according to certain exacting standards of sportsmanship.
Now, here comes the zinger. Suppose the first of a series of Exceptional Sportsman's Awards was made available to African hunters who eschew the use of a dog (or dogs) in taking a........(continued)
