What is World Class
General Topic
What qualifies in your mind as world class? is it an absolute number in relation to the world record, i.e top 10? is is a certain percentile, i.e 90th percentile. any BC level trophy, etc. This is about specimen rarity and uniqueness for the species relative to the norm. It’s not about how happy it makes you or if it was killed with a slingshot vs a sniper rifle.
Anything that is exceptionally big for the area it was killed in. Whitetails anything that is typical and over 180"s and NT over 200"s. Shawn
I give weight to the circumstances of pursuit...a 360” bull (B&C minimum) taken with a $20K Deseret tag holds little sway with me, it’s an exercise in your pocket book, not your merit. That same bull taken on an OTC tag is an entirely different level of difficulty that commands my respect. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with land owner tags, but you gotta take into account the circumstances. Public land B&C with a bow is pretty impressive to me and a very high bar to clear. Perhaps not “World Class”, but knocking on the door in my opinion.
What it is and how I killed it. I like big horns. I will shoot them quicker no doubt. But, the horns don’t define the trophy. It’s the hunt, the people I’m with, etc... that do that.
The definition of world-class is being of the highest caliber in the world and I’ve never really thought of it differently.
In hunting and animals anything scoring B&C I’d prob say is world class.
Doesn’t mean I need a world class animal to have world class experiences or world class smiles though
To me..... A world class animal has nothing to do with how it was harvested. A deer could get hit by a car and killed and be considered a world class buck.
I think B&C minimums are a fair starting point in my mind to be considered world class. P&Y minimum animals are fairly common. B&C not so much.
If referring to dead animals, I don't think "world class" has anything to do with the hunter or how or where an animal was killed. In the context of antlers of dead animals, "world class" means "among the best in the world". How you define "best in the world" would be determined by whatever scoring system you believe in.
World Class is defined by the overall experience and how you feel about your adventure.
Really has nothing to do with the size of the critter or the head gear they wear.
You can have a world class outing without shooting anything.
World Class in my mind refers to how long it takes from field to freezer. The less the time it takes me the closer it is to "world class"..
Brotsky is a world class bullshitter. I think everyone could agree on that.
"World class" to me is anything that makes you feel like there's no where else you'd rather be at that moment in time. It has nothing to do with dead animals, or inches of antlers. It's all about experiences that leave you completely happy, satisfied, and content.
Matt
last year offshore fishing found a big mat of sargasso weed with a palm tree floating along with it & cought 2 blue marlin 1 white marlin 17 big gaffer mahi & a bunch of trigger fish. this happened off the VA coast & was absolutely a world class day of fishing
Brotsky is not in TBM’s or Bowriter’s league, but certainly in the next tier! Probably from all the specialized training he does. That and a strict diet of Dot’s pretzels and Grain Belt Premuim.
Brotsky, Midwest and t-roy are all "World Class" bullshitters. :)
World Class animal means just one thing to me....rare large size. To put a number on it for North American game, I'd say roughly in the top 5% of all officially scored and recognized, either by B&C or P&Y. Let's say typical whitetail over 190 net, typical elk over 380 net, bighorn sheep over 190, and etc.
World Class experience means something different, but that's a separate question from the one asked by the OP, who said "specimen rarity".
I would be a bit more and say top 10% of the the curve. Just like in school if you are in the top 10% that's an A!
I have been told that some of the guys I hunt with are world class funny.....personally I don't find them so amusing most of the time.
I'd say if you had to put a number on it, 10 or even 5% is high when you are talking truly WORLD CLASS! THink about world class athletes.............................are they 5% of the population? Not even close!
Been with a few chicks that I thought were "World Class" and that definition is different from one Bowsiter to another too....
I do heed my calling boys! :-)
I've seen quite a few PA whitetails in the 120" range called world class.
Corey Jacobsen winning the RMEF elk calling contest...again!
Never thought about it, as I’m not an “inches” guy. Brotsky comment works for me
Sticksender identified the distinction:
1. World class animal (which is apparently what the OP was asking) 2. World class experience (or the hunt itself)
These are different, possibly related and possibly unrelated things.
1. As for #1, based on the answers given, there is a obviously series of very subjective answers based on a variety of factors (including the wide and varied opinions of those asked). I am inclined to agree with Big Bear and say method of take (including car accident) is irrelevant, since we are not talking about hunting experience but rather about the animal. Further, I would suggest "world class" implies that it should not be geographically dependant. So, a good working definition may be something like, "A world class animal is one that represents the highest caliber of animal (based on some generally agreed upon criteria or standard), for that species, naturally occurring across the entirety of its historic range." In our case the generally agreed upon standard maybe be B&C. Naturally occurring eliminates genetically modified/bred animals, and historic range means its not reared in captivity in some pen filled with corn and injected with antibiotics and hormones.
There are no moral or ethical implications in the above definition (relating to high fence hunting, etc.). It is simply what I would consider a working definition of "world class animal."
2. I would probably say a "world class" hunt is one that provides the most realistic opportunity at seeing and / or killing a world class animal. A person's favourite hunt may have nothing to do with either, and that is essentially subjective. I live a stone's throw away from the Canadian Rockies, and only have to drive an hour to see moose, elk, mule and whitetail deer, sheep, etc. but I find myself more and more thinking longingly about how fun it would be to bluegill fish, cane pole in hand, with my young daughters in a small NC farm pond like I did growing up.
But if some guy asks you, "I feel like I have one chance left in life to take a world class elk, where would you suggest I go on a world class hunt?" you are probably not going to tell him, "the best world class hunt is shooting doves with your buddies in a VA cornfield."
That dove hunt may very well prove to be more meaningful in the long run, but it is not what he is asking.
rut nut makes a great point on the % being much smaller than 5 or 10% for world class. Not even close.
I saw where in 2010 10 million hunters killed 6 million deer in the US (and spent 6 billion in the efforts). 5% of 6M is 300K "world" class deer annually. Way too many to be world class threshold. 1/10th of a percent would be 6,000 WC deer. Not even sure that is too high, saying 99.9 % of deer are not world class.
1/100th of a percent of the annual kill would be 600 WC deer a year meaning only the top 0.01% of the deer killed would qualify.
Bou,
Your statistics are for all deer taken; I believe Sticksender said 5% of all deer entered into the record books, i.e. B&C. Those are two very different sample sets. According to sources such as those provided at the link provided (I'm assuming they are somewhat accurate) the percentage of deer in the overall population (let's say whitetail across their entire range) that qualify for B&C is already well below 1%. The top 5% of that number is a small pool.
To continue the comparison to human athletics. No one would say "the top 5% of all humans are world class runners." They may very well say "the top 5% of all Olympic runners are world class runners."
How many deer on average are entered into B&C every year ?? I’m talking the all time B&C... not the honorable mention......
My sage Internet advice ;?
Boone and Crockett caliber is “world class” in my mind
Have been lucky enough to have had more than a few world class hunts and have had opportunities on some truly world class animals over my years of hunting.
Pretty sure I have missed at least three different critters that would have scratched the top rungs of B&C with my longbow.
Hope to at least see a few more of those class animals in my lifetime.
Awesome when a Bowhunter successfully takes one of those unicorns and hope to see a couple of the guys and gals on Bowsite get to hang their tag on one.
Still have yet to get one of those elusive top, top end critters but it won’t stop me from trying!
Good luck guys and gals!
Bou, Not trying to be a world class smart ass but-
"World class" is an adjective. What is the noun you wish to fill in the blank?
World class _______________. I've seen a lot of different types of world class in my life.
I'm assuming you are talking about a "world class" animal. I think Sticksender mirrors my opinion. It has to be above B&C minimums and something that you might only see once in your lifetime. This depends on where you live and have access to hunt. I've been bowhunting for 40 years and have taken what I believe is only 1 world class animal. I've seen 2, 400" elk, which I consider "world class" and maybe a 200" muley. I'm hoping to find a 115" Sitka in a couple of weeks. All of those are world class in my opinion. If you're talking about "world class" hunts, I have one of those about every other year. Way more than I deserve.
Any mature buck shot on TV by a Professional hunter
The first and last one taken in a long span of a lifetime.
My opinion, whitetails typical netting over 200" and non-typicals netting over 300"... There is only a few and that to me makes them world class... All the rest are just pups...8^)
Here's an example:
My buddy just received his two archery mule deer pedestal mounts from the taxidermist killed about 4 years apart. Each was a public land buck from northeast Montana taken by spot and stalk. General tag area that everyone had access to. Each buck is 200 inches gross and way above what is normally taken in the area even by rifle hunters.
I generally agree with what Sticksender and JSW have said, perhaps something in the range of the top 5-10% in the world records. I disagree with JSW that I don't think the area you live or have access to hunt plays into what is "world" class. No part of "world" class implies that it varies by area. There just may be states that don't produce world class animals of a particular species. I have been fortunate to take more than my share of "world class" and "state class (lol)" animals with my bow, and I'm very thankful.
I personally feel that it's more than the animal killed one can definitely have that rare world class experience whatever it may be that is unusual for that area. making a truly world class experience
I agree that there can be world class experiences, but the OP appears in both of his comments to be speaking of quality of animals taken, not experiences. So, that is the topic of the thread.
World class bulls. But that’s just my 2 bit opinion
World class bulls. But that’s just my 2 bit opinion
As an B&C OM I refer to a world class animal as any that meet the All time record book minimums for B&C. Holding a record class animal in one's hand you can see why one would call it world class.
That’s a world class bear in my book.
I dunno if the buck is “world class” but its a cool photo.
He has enough class for me, Rob
“World Class” is a term of art which usually means a fully mature specimen that exhibits truly exceptional (very rarely seen) development of the most exalted characteristics of the species. The record books - B&C, P&Y, SCI, Roland Ward, etc were invented to establish reference-standards to compare and differentiate mature/impressive through truly exceptional / biggest on record.
Having started archery/bowhunting in 1956 I have been in the company of many world class Archers & bowhunters. None of which you have read about or considered famous..
Spiral. The minimum in the book is not world class for any species
Never said record book minimum was “World Class” — said Record books “establish reference-standards to compare and differentiate mature/impressive through truly exceptional / biggest on record.” Big difference between P&Y minimum and B&C all-time (World Class) or SCI minimum vs SCI Top Ten.
Anything I take with my bow...the second it hits my grill it becomes world class!-)
To me world class is used when it's almost unbelievable how impressive the animal is. When one hunts a certain species for years and is in the presence of a special world class animal you know it the minute you see it. To me there is a difference in very big and world class. I personally think that the phrase gets thrown around way too much to bring extra attention.
