If you are a big game hunter living in the US or Canada, you have probably heard of the Super Slam, heck most of you are probably working towards it. For those of you that haven’t, this is the quest to take all 29 North American Big Game animals.
I learned about this quest about 5 years ago and instantly started looking into what it would take to complete. While there have been those lucky hunters who have been able to complete the slam at an early age, for most of us it will be a lifetime achievement spanning 2-3 decades. We are most likely to have grey hair, grandkids, and arthritis when we drop #29. The dedication to fitness, financials, time away from family and work to achieve this is no joke and anyone that has completed the NA29, you have my total respect.
After learning about the Super Slam through the GSCO website, I set out to go after the smaller challenge, the Super 10. This is the quest of 10 animals, 1 from each category – Bears, Caribou, Deer, Elk, Antelope, Bison, Cougar, Mountain Goat, Sheep, and Moose. Just finishing this is an amazing achievement for any hunter. I figured to go after the NA29, I would be looking at approximately $450-$500K to complete that. That number does not fit my budget with two young kids that I’ll eventually be putting through school and buying a home for down the road. This is the biggest reason I’m focusing solely on the Super 10. That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop at 10, and who knows, with a little luck from the draws over the next 25 years, maybe I can start chipping away at it.
I have been blessed to have a wife that understands the importance of this feat for me and a job that has allowed me to take a few trips over the past 5 years. You can follow my quest to the Super 10 by checking out the hunting page on this site. Each hunt holds a special place in my heart and I’m very excited to share them with everyone and answer any questions.
This year I was fortunate enough to draw a bison tag in South Dakota this fall and that has brought me to 7 animals in just 6 seasons. The final 3 are the cougar, caribou, and the ever intimidating bighorn sheep. Getting so close I can taste it!
How far along to the Slam are you guys? Any tips or ideas we can all share among one another to help us reach our goals faster?
Thanks for reading and happy hunting!
For more information on the Super Slam, check out the GSCO website http://www.superslam.org
Last modified: December 14, 2018
