SCI...How They Have Hurt Hunting

[ishootbambi]

I won't say they have done nothing good for our heritage, but in my opinion they have done more to hurt it. They originated as a few wealthy Americans whose goal largely was pattinghemselves on the back for their trophies. Now I have no issue with trophy shows as most of them are, but the majority follow the scoring system set out by B&C. They were the first conservation group and the pioneers in scoring animals for comparison. Their system might not be perfect, but it IS the best available.

The folks at SCI seemed to want to make it easier. They created their own system....based loosely on B&C but with lower minimums to make up for what they were lacking. Rich guys making their own rules when they couldn't succeed at the game already in existence.

Take it a step further...they then started farming animals to grow trophies they couldn't obtain any other way. In my mind it isn't a stretch to think that if their "estate" category for pet shoot farms didn't exist, game farming wouldn't exist....and therefore CWD might not be spreading across the continent like it has including here in Alberta.

Without derailing another thread, some even want to redefine boundaries on what animal lives where. The only reason for it.....make something sound bigger than it is. There are no Shiras moose in Alberta. B&C named them and laid out boundaries years ago.

Originally Posted by KyleSS

It actually depends on what organization you belong to. For some reason Pope & Young / Boone & Crockett only accept moose from the USofA as the Shiras but Safari Club International will accept any moose south of Highway 1 here in Alberta as a Shiras. To my understanding and knowledge there is no genetic difference and geographic location is the only deciding factor.

Now I maybe wrong in all of this as that has been known to happen a time or two.

You're absolutely correct Kyle. B&C was the first conservation group and the guys that created scoring heads. A moose from Wyoming and a moose from the Yukon carry the same DNA. The Yukon bull will be bigger and B&C realized it's not a fair comparison. They got it right. But along came SCI...a bunch of dudes with plenty of money but lacking in hunting skill. Roosevelt warned of men willing to buy but they couldn't acquire through hard hunting. They made their own rules because they couldn't meet the requirements of the real guys. It's the " participants" who couldn't actually win that tried to change the rules. If you're ok with rearranging the rules so you can win then sure...Shiras are in Canada....but me, I golf from the lack tees too. Moose in Canada are Canadians.

The regular few can feel free to call me an idiot...I don't care. This crap makes the hardcore guys shake their heads in disgust. It's like the dudes all over the Internet stretching their arms out for pics, posting ridiculous inflated measurements and the like. If you shot an animal you're proud of them by all means smile big and show him off. Just don't lie about what it is.