For myself I like to hunt and the trophy is of lower priority.

I like to take at least representative mature trophies and in the case of cape buffalo that means a hard boss. I think that if a taxidermist needs to add putty (or whatever) to a soft bossed bull to make it look good, that is no different to adding a few inches to a deer antler or some other falsehood.

My one and only cape buffalo I have never measured. It has good hard bosses and is probably only about 34 inches and was probablt eleven to thirteen years old. It was smaller than I wished but I had two on quota, and seeing the problems on that safari with warvet invasions etc I was happy to take him. The second animal never happened.

My trip last year I looked for a cape buffalo again with a minimum of hard bosses, but the main target was elephant. We saw a good number of long soft bossed bulls the PH said he would probably usually get the client to shoot. Looked nice and tempting in the scope but not trophies in my opinion.

I do not have a tape measure to measure horns or antlers. The only lengths I know was if the PH or taxidermist did them unrequested.

I don't mind a worn old warrior but 500grains "scrumcaps" are way too extreme to me, and I would only shoot one as a free cull.

But everyone to their own as long as it is done sportingly. No back of bakkie "shooting" for example.