Starting out as a humble bedroom, our hunting room was created at my urging when I convinced my husband we didn’t need three guest bedrooms—our children are all grown with families of their own. He finally agreed this particular room would make a great hunting room: My love for hunting was not going away anytime soon, and the walk-in closet would be large enough for my expansive Prois hunting wardrobe and gear.
Trippett was fortunate to travel on three African safaris with his parents during his teenage years, and kept many game mounts in our storage unit. But the majority of the mounts from his trips had been donated to the Museum of York County, specifically the Stans African animal collection inRock Hill, South Carolina, many years ago.
Keep in mind that these mounts were more than 50 years old, and I wasn’t sure what condition they were in.We have both Euro and skin mounts- the Euro is a skull and horns with all skin and flesh removed, a common practice in Europe for centuries. One big advantage is that Euro mounts last forever; another is they are much less costly to prepare than skin mounts.
Close Up Sable Horns
As we inventoried the mounts, we realized most were in excellent condition—except for the once-magnificent sable antelope and the Cape buffalo. Both mounts were in pretty bad shape, so I insisted on finding a taxidermist who could remove the horns and create mounts that would enable us to showcase them proudly in our hunting room.
Close Up Cape Buffalo
The Cape buffalo made a fantastic table mount, and the sable was perfect as a centerpiece on the African wall.
All the mounts needed quite a bit of TLC, so I first set about airing them out and carefully cleaning them. A couple of them didn’t make the cut for various reasons, such as the hartebeest, which was too large for the space, and the elephant ear table, for the same reason. To finish off the room, we hung a pith helmet and vintage photos from the trips, along with an authentic bow and quiver, carefully mounted on the wall, minus the poisoned arrows the local Africans were eager to share (we have those safely hidden away).
Vintage Photos and Shelves for Hand Carved Animal Figures
Finally I added two shelves, purposely placing one of them low enough so the grandchildren can reach it. I encourage them to explore and enjoy the room, without worrying about the breakable pieces displayed on the higher shelf.
I was proud to contribute my first turkey mount and many of the whitetail Euro mounts. However, I am saving space for wild hog and bear mounts.
I felt so proud to repurpose the imported desk and furnishings from other rooms in our home, and the only purchase was the leather couch, to complete the look. I’m thrilled with the room now, and it may be my favorite room in our home.
Dotsy Celebrating Trippett’s Elephant
I love and respect family history, and instead of storing away these intriguing souvenirs and trophies, I wanted to celebrate and share them with family and friends. My late mother-in-law, world traveler and historian Dotsy Boineau, was especially thrilled that I was able to capture the African safaris and celebrate this wonderful time in her life, and was grateful for the stories I posted on this blog about those adventures. We have a wonderful collection of treasured hunting books in our library.
As a proud hunter and conservationist, I am thrilled to have a room where memories of exciting hunts can be shared and celebrated. Trophy room or hunting room—it doesn’t matter what you call it. For me, it is the perfect place to enjoy a cocktail and conversation. Many hunters mix their mounts in with fireplace mantels, in their dens, and in their bedrooms, and I have one friend who found the perfect spot for her wild hog . . . in her dining room! Just as animal prints will never go out of fashion in clothing, animal mounts will continue to hang on walls.
click here: opening door to our hunting roon
CLICK ON PHOTOS FOR BEST VIEWING
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- Hunting Room
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- Warthog Euro Mount
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- Elephant Foot Table
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- Geranuk, Sable, Impalas
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- Maggie’s First Turkey
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- Bowl of Antler Sheds
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- View from Hunting Room
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- African Wall
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- Cape Buffalo Mount on Desk
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- Deer Euro Mounts
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- Leopard
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- African Mounts are 50 years old
Maggie–Truly lovely, but I guess that my status as a hopelessly addicted sporting bibliophile has one niggling concern. Where are the books or bookshelves? I see exactly four books present, but some of the finest sporting literature ever offered has its setting in Africa. Think 19th century greats such as Baker and Selous; our own “big name” as an African hunter, Theodore Roosevelt; and wonderfully talented writers including Hemingway and arguably the greatest of all, Ruark. Then there’s the storytelling (admittedly gussied up a bit and perhaps based more on barroom stool experience than days afield) of Peter Capstick, and you can throw women in the mix of the ilk of Capstick’s widow, Fiona, along with classic era Diana hunter-explorers including Kingsley, Sheldon, Lady Baker, etc. Mind you, my knowledge of interior decorating is precisely zero, but I would counter that there’s comfort to be found in books in any setting including a trophy room.
I know you’ll take great joy in the room, and I much be doing one thing right since there are African animal carvings such as the ones you show scattered all over bookshelves in my home.
Keep up the interesting posts.
Jim Casada
Hello Jim! Thanks for your important question about our books. We have a library where the majority of our books can be found. I didn’t have any room for bookshelves in this small room. Will send you a photo of the library, and I am a proud collector of several of your books.
I’m glad you created a space for your love of the outdoors!
Thank you Tarra!!!One day I would love to sit on the sofa and hang out with you. Oh, the stories that would be told!
I love this room! Especially the shelf with the animals for the grandkids to explore – love every corner of this space and the history behind it!!
Thanks so much! It is very inviting, I think… especially if you love hunting! Trying to pass down the tradition to the sweet grands!
Time for us to go back!!!
What a trip that would be! With your experience, and love for Africa, it would be incredible!