For me, the most important part of the hunt is the actual experience. The trophy is simply something concrete to attach the memory of that experience to. The size of the animal, the length of the horns, the number of points of the antlers, the weight of the tusks all pale in comparison to the recollection of a once in a lifetime opportunity successfully exploited, the unexpected opportunity taken advantage of, the perfect execution of a difficult shot.

That's what I think of when I look at the lesser kudu which hangs in my library, not the length of his horns (which missed the record book by an inch).

We were hunting for elephant, not kudu, and had given up for the day and were walking back to the hunting car, when one of the gunbearers stopped and pointed.

I can still see him, silhouetted against the evening sunset, with only his head and horns exposed. It was the shot of a lifetime, taken standing, unsupported, at 150 yards, aiming only at where I thought his body must be, and the flavor of that shot lingers still, almost 40 years later.