Who’s working on the NA Super 40?
General Topic
Only need 40 of the 44!
Only need 40 of the 44!
Since so many have the Superslam NA29, might as well start working on the Super 40!
Not sure when the First Archery Super 40 of NA will be done but that would be quite the accomplishment!
My goal is to kill everything, everywhere. So far, I've killed very little, in a few places.
Always working on more adventures in life but do I have to join a club and register stuff I kill just to be cool? I say no!
I’d probably go broke just on the Wolverine lol
So we add the following wildcard options dealer choice add 11 of these to the 29 and you’re in business
Wolverine
Two colors for brocket deer whatever the hell they are
A different geography Mulie
Island caribou
A color phase glacier black bear
Different geography grizzly
Aoudad
A different geography moose
Alligator
Walrus
Different color fannin fall sheep
Lynx
Different geography bighorn
It seems like they stopped too soon you could’ve gone for the 48 state deer slam for Whitetail and bring this thing to the super 86
I can also see guys carrying cards like those paint sample cards you get it Sherwin-Williams so you can compare the animal you’re looking at color phase to a club standard to see if it’s different enough to count as another box to check
Never heard of a Brocket Deer, let alone a red and gray brown one. Learn something new every day I guess. Looks like 20 hunters have done it. I wonder how many Tom Miranda has on this list?
Treeman is. Whether he knows it or not.
As far as I know the Walrus is currently not legal to bow kill. So for all intents and purposes it is impossible with a bow. So I have no interest….
—Jim
I'm after Rocky Mountain Walrus, but they are hard to find
While I am not sure about several of these, I have thought that Pope and Young should have included the two brocket deer species for a long time. If the Super Slam is about experiencing all of North American environments then the Mexican Jungle should be included. The Red brocket particularly is a denizen of the high jungle and generally considered a tough species to bag.
I could even bring a walrus home (Canada) but you can't bowhunt them.
Gonna petition GSCO to start the Jim Treeman Super 39 then!
Very Interesting.
WIth that little card you carry, do they punch it each time that you get a new animal? And after every 10, do you get a free cup of coffee like at Cumberland Farms?
I'm curious: Why Lynx but not Bobcat, And Aoudad but not ibex and Oryx? And as long as they're adding exotics, let's not forget about Sika, Fallow and Axis, not to mention Black Buck Antelope, Hogs, Sambar ... OH Never mind.
Stick bow days b/4 compounds.
Stick bow days b/4 compounds.
I started bowhunting in 1956 & though not a rich man, managed many an adventure in my bowhunting journey. Not once have I ever thought of making a list. I spent way to many years chasing Elk & Mule Deer for one (at least 30 trips). These were pretty big hunts for me living in the midwest & traveling to Co. & N. Mexico. Another 15 trips after Black Bears in Canada + a few in Mn. & Wisconsin. Couple real biggies for me were Quebec Caribou & taking my teen age son along.. Anyway, I have done what I wanted & thank God I was never interested in "Sheep" hunting. That's a bank buster for cost.. I have managed a few Exotic Deer bowhunts & Marylands Sikas (twice) . I did treat myself to some day lease HF, no guarantee bowhunts a few years back. Fallow & Axis fell to my arrows on 4 & 5000 acre places. I've manage 15 States for various biggame & 95% DIY in a tent. 2 Canadian provinces & a few trips b/4 requiring a guide/passport. One of the advantages of being old now. For those who seek to fill these lists, enjoy, as you are probably financially much better off than most. Good luck & when you head out, be safe
Maybe allow blowgun and spear in the archery category. Call it the Pointed Stick Slam. Then you could get a walrus, plus open it up to trophy iguana. Imagine the ever changing color variations there!!
Ambush- I have iguanas with a blow gun and a bow, do I get to count that as 2? And green and orange. Can I count that as 2 more!?!?
Getting closer to 40 already!
—jim
I honestly am pretty surprised brockett deer aren’t included in the original slam.
There are 44 listed and only need 40- so there is room for the ones you can’t legally bowhunt like the walrus
In the description above, it states the animal must be legally taken free range. Free range? What does that mean? I am wondering how that differs from B&C and P&Y fair chase because they are not the same. Can someone explain the difference and what is allowed for entry? And what isn't.
I will never get close to 29 let alone 40, i but have a couple questions that will apply to those who may..........
Where is the line of demarcation for eastern and western Canada moose? I noted the scientific name was "andersoni" so maybe anything west of Anderson, IN is western. Not sure on that one.
I there a minimum non-white hair count for the Fannin ram? Is there a hair root test to confirm that a dall has note been dyed?
What constitutes a glacier phase black bear. Is it color or geography and what is the color needed if it is color? What is the boundary line if it is geography?
On arctic grizzly vs. normal run of the mill common everyday grizzly what is the line that separates one from the other. Is a grizzly killed near Coldfoot the same or different than one near Prudhoe Bay? How is this defined?
Are the only Bighorns that count for California classification the one's in California or is there spill over into any other states?
how is a desert mulie segregated from a rocky mountain mulie. Is that an elevation criteria or is there an annual rainfall metric or something that is used?
For those that have a solid understanding of the rules your input would be appreciated.
Don't know about the "glacier phase" black bear and how they've drawn a line of demarcation around that. Everything else seems to more align with SCI. I mentioned the World Hunting Awards on another thread. You can look at the field journal at the link and see the awards and the species that comprise them. If you want more detail on characteristics that distinguish one species from another, I'm sure it's on the SCI site somewhere.
Yes GSCO is very aligned with SCI.
I do wonder why the Aoudad is on there as a non-native species- that is a can of worms considering all the other possibilities.
I would have broken the Desert Bighorns instead to two categorys, Nelson’s as one, and then the rest - Mexicana, weemsi, cremnobates etc as one.
Also the Bison can be Plains and Woods categories.
Not sure why Wolverine is there either, doesn’t seem like big game.
The Rex Baker Super 40 milestone has been a great success for conservation. The additional species added on top of the Super Slam list have added a tremendous conservation value to some of the less popular species.
To address the caribou issue as well as the Walrus(for bow hunters) The GSCO committee (including Mr. Baker) will soon announce 2 additional hunting opportunities to the list (making the total 46). Updates will be available on our site very soon.
I am very interested in hearing everyones comments and suggestions...
-Jason Price Executive Director, Grand Slam Club/Ovis
I’m with treeman…if I can’t kill a walrus with a bow I’m out hahahahah!
I just saw an ad from Canada North Outfitting saying they add more musk ox options to that Super 40
Jason— good to see you on Bowsite!
Out of curiosity do you know if there are any bowhunters actively working on the 40? I personally know some super slammers who have mentioned it, but don’t know that any of them are actually in pursuit.
I personally will never get to 29, so have a personal interest in something half way between 10 and 29. There is another thread currently on BS about this. Has there ever been any talk in the club of this possibility?
—Jim
I’ll throw in my two cents too. If we’re talking about milestones and awards, I agree with Treeman that it’d be great if there were more options between 10, 25, and 29. Perhaps recognizing slams by species (deer, caribou, etc) as an option. I like how SCI has structured some of their awards like the inner circles…but I don’t necessarily like the price tag to register them.
Think about a path like this..............
Maybe two of each of some of the subspecies not just one. That would add a second species of moose, caribou, elk, and sheep. Require 4 deer vs just 1. Require both bison and muskox not just one of the two.
That would take it to 18 species and would be much harder than the 10, but much easier than the 29.
That would omit the requirement for getting your choice of 2 big bear sub-species, a moose sub-species, an elk sub-species, and 7 deer and caribou sub-species.
That would have it at 18 taken, and 11 missing from the 29, but you'd need a bear besides a black, a second sheep, a tougher moose than just a Canadian, and the ox or bison as well. You'd also need to get some deer besides the more readily available local sub-species
That seems better than creating new categories that are defined by an arbitrary line somewhere ( eastern and western Canadian moose) or adding color varieties as separate categories ( glacier phase black bear).
Brocket deer is obviously any deer that scores just short of Boone & Crocket
This is starting to sound like "Everybody Gets a Ribbon".
Why not just make a list of all the animals you already have, declare that a Goal, then award yourself the prize.
I agree that the audad seems like perhaps the strangest addition, considering that I think it's the only non-native exotic on the list. Seems totally random to include it above all the other exotics. Javelina would probably even be a more logical choice, since they are considered a big game animal in every state that has them, and they're a native species.
JTreeman
At this point there is no discussion about adding a milestone between the 10 and 25. I do appreciate and enjoy reading the suggestions though.
I am currently unaware of any specific person in pursuit of the Rex Baker Super 40 (Archery). I assume the lack of archery-guys/girls would have to do with the Q-L Caribou, Walrus and Gray Wolf. I suspect with the new additions there will be some added interest in pursuing.
As you all know our milestones are not meant to be easy. They present different challenges for each individual in pursuit of them. However it is safe to say that an Archery Super Slam would be at the very top of the difficulty list! Congrats to all you guys here that have acheived this incredible accomplishment and good luck to those of you in pursuit of any personal hunting goal or GSCO milestone.
I think aoudad is a good add on. They maybe a non native but at this point they're pretty prolific across a lot of the old desert bighorn areas. It's the closest to a desert bighorn hunt that I'll ever get to do unless I hit the lotto or a lucky raffle tag.
I was the guy lucky enough to share the stage with the great Gene Fleming last Sunday in Nashville. I was also lucky enough to be included in the picture with Gene and the two future Super Slammers, Jim and Lee in another thread. I am grateful to GSCO for providing a means to document the big game animals that a hunter takes over the course of his or her hunting career. I think that establishing the Super 10 and the Super 25 categories were a stroke of genius on GSCO's part and I know for a fact that in doing so it has spurred many hunters to pursue additional adventures that they may otherwise have not thought of or pursued. I never set out with a goal to complete the archery Super Slam. My journey started by chasing different animals that were not found in my home state of Pennsylvania. When I got to about 20 animals, I started getting more and more questions from people asking me if I was trying for the Super Slam. At some point, probably around 25 animals, I decided that I would try to take all 29 animals. The last couple of animals took a lot of effort. My last animal, the barren ground caribou, required five hunts to get it done. I am proud to have done it and be recognized by GSCO as the 45 person to have done it. Having said that, getting the recognition was not my primary motivation. I set the goal and I wanted to see if I could do it. I know most of the archery super slammers. They are self motivated and goal driven individuals. Getting the recognition associated with completing the Super Slam is not what drove them across the finish line. I encourage everybody to join and support GSCO. You will meet some great people and gain a wealth of knowledge from individuals who "have been there and done that." Having said that, you don't need an organization to set your goals. Tom Miranda often speaks of "goal driven" bowhunting. You can set your own goals. Maybe it is taking a deer that is bigger than your last one. Maybe you can chase a deer slam (or several - like Zackman). I don't think that GSCO needs to create a Super 15 or a Super 18, etc. If an organization's list is your primary motivator, you are missing out in a lot. I met so many great people along the way. I could not have completed it without the great guides, outfitters, and friends (many Bowsiters) who helped me along the way. Frankly, I don't think that I would have ultimately pursued the Super Slam without the contacts and friendships that I made through Bowsite. Thank you Pat. You are the reason that I don't have the money to buy that acreage in Ohio! The mantra that carried me through all my hunts was "One Good Arrow". I even taped it on my riser for a time. Thought about writing a book about my quest, but I don't know what I could say that has not already been said by Chuck Adams and Tom Miranda and who would read it anyway. As to the Super 40, who knows. I think I have a couple of the additional animals already. I plan to do more hunts with friends and family. Thanks to everybody who have helped me and participated in my journey. You know who you are. I look forward to drinking a cold one or sharing a camp with you in the future. Straight arrows.
Wonderful post Tom. Well done on the 29
Many years ago, I was genuinely interested in bowhunting for walrus, as was Brad Pritz (Waterfowler). If you watch the videos of how they are hunted, it reminds me of a Mountain Lion hunt in that the shot itself is somewhat anticlimatic, When hunting Mt Lion, it is all about the dogs and the chase. For Walrus, it is about how the animal is recovered and processed. I have watched some vintage videos on YouTube and I imagine it is somewhat similar breaking down an elephant (albeit on a smaller scale). I would have done a lot of filming of the recovery/processing. I am also surprised that wolverine is now on the list (a 40 pound animal), and yet the Wood Bison is not (a 2,000+ pound animal).....??
My goal is to get it in FEMALE!
Mad Trapper,
Congrats again on your Archery Super Slam...truly an incredible accomplishment!
Fantastic post, Tom. Congratulations on your SS. Well deserved.
A well said post above here from Mad Trapper. Also from Jason of GSCO. But too many negative and/or silly comments from others. Think about it for a moment as it's been said before, most hunters are goal oriented. Maybe it is taking a buck this year instead of a doe. Maybe a bigger buck than your last one or bigger that your biggest buck. Maybe it is to fill that doe tag or the freezer. Or wanting to get off the back forty and hunt another area or state. They are all goals. Most of us are "goal driven" in hunting and throughout most things in life. You set your own goals. Just because the Super Whatever isn't in your mindset or one of your goals that's okay. Perhaps then you should get off these particular Super or goal threads and go read and post elsewhere. It is nice to see and read positive thoughts and comments. Even suggestive criticism comments, but don't slam the Slammers or the hunters trying to become one. Don't be jealous. I tip my hat (and would like to shake each hand) to every Slammer that accomplished their huge achievements!! Perhaps one day maybe I can become a Super whatever Slammer! Happy Hunting in whatever each of you enjoy pursuing.
The list does seem a bit arbitrary. So many bears, caribou, even sheep that are basically identical in their categories except for location, a couple of deer many have never heard of, an exotic, and then leaving out wood bison. While I agree that setting goals can be fun and motivating, it seems that they would be better based on some definitive criteria other than just setting an arbitrary number and then just filling it up. Or at least some consistency in the selection.
