MY FAB FIVE–A HUNTER’S LIST OF FAVORITES AND WHY
By Dave Fulson • Nov 17, 2025
Hunters seem like categories. We cubbyhole game species designations in particular–the Big Five, Grand Slam, Dangerous Seven, Super Slam, and the list goes on and on. In fact, it can become ridiculous when taken to the extreme.
Hunting different game, locations, countries, and even continents can be fun, exciting and rewarding. If you do it over many years, hunt a wide variety of game and experience different countries, you will develop your own list of “favorite game.” I sure have, and here are my favorites and why I love them so much.
Now, compared to many, my own list of hunting experience is somewhat limited. The Weatherby Award will never bear my name–a cross I must somehow bear. I currently have somewhere in the neighborhood of 70-something different species I have taken with rifle or bow. Throw in another 20 or so I have filmed, and that makes up my resume. The possibility of my list changing as my career expands is great; yet until that day, here is my personal list of my five favorite game animals. Each one, I have hunted multiple times, sometimes as the hunter, and in some cases as a guide. In each case, I have hunted the critter discussed even more as a cameraman.
No. 1: Leopard
There’s no animal that I have cursed, waited on, frozen or sweated for, been outsmarted by, and eventually thrilled at the sight of more than the great spotted cat of Africa. I think of him as a chess player’s ultimate nightmare. He will make moves that blindside you, and he will make you wait an eternity as he carefully plans his next move. Your goal is to lure him to a place of your choosing, to meat he did not kill, and to have him come in at a time you can legally take him. That is a lot to ask of a cat that hunts at night, is cunning even in his most unguarded moments, and is suspicious by nature. Over my career with both gun and camera, I have experienced a few leopards who came easy, many who came with the greatest difficulty, and many, many more that never came at all. There are no certainties with this animal. But when he does come, stepping out of your dreams and onto your bait branch, there is for me no greater thrill in the hunting world. That is until you let out that breath you have been holding for an hour or so and finally run your hands over his perfect, breathtakingly beautiful pelt. Yep, spot No. 1 goes to Mr. Spots himself.
No. 2: Brown Bear
I have hunted the big coastal grizzlies quite a bit over the last 15 or so years. I have observed him up close even more by guiding fishermen in Alaska, and I have videoed him countless times. He has scared the living hell out of me on occasion, just as he has caused me countless wet, freezing, boring hours sitting on some rain-soaked hill or river bank waiting for him. I have also slogged up snow-and ice-covered mountains in spectacularly stupid attempts to outwalk these great, shaggy walking machines. I have had dreams dashed more than once after stalking truly big boars only to find that they had rubbed their coats raw after emerging from their winter dens. For sheer physical misery, mostly due to the wet and rugged habitat where they live, brown bears can supply it faster than any other animal I have hunted. But once again, when it all goes right, it's an adrenaline dose that puts this great game animal at No. 2 for me. I'm at 50 percent on my hunts for brownies, but even the misses have been wonderful. Get sloppy and he gets away. Get stupid or unlucky, and he can kill you. Maybe it is that very real risk that makes going in on a big brownie such a memorable event in a hunter's life. I know it has been in mine.
No. 3: Nile Crocodile
Yep, a big flat dog is an unusual choice on most safari veterans' lists, but for sheer fun, a big bull croc is hard to beat. Not that this hunt, especially the shot, comes without liberal doses of pressure. When you settle into your scope and line up on that all-important first shot, you will know exactly how a field kicker feels before his foot hits the ball for a last-second field goal with the Super Bowl on the line. Veeeery lonely!
Crocs may be baited, or by employing my favorite technique, spotted and stalked. The crocodile is astonishing in its ability to detect danger. His eyesight is equal to an eagle’s, his hearing beyond belief, and his underrated sense of smell will save his scaly hide if you do not watch your wind. This is a rifleman’s game, and pinpoint shot placement is a must. There will be no tracking a wounded croc. Screw it up (and yes, I have) and you will hear a tremendous and very expensive splash. Done. Hunt over.
I have shot several and filmed many, many more, and of all the African hunts I really look forward to being involved in, the hunt for croc is, without any doubt, my personal favorite. He makes an interesting mount, guaranteed to generate lots of talk at house parties. And in all seriousness, I rate him as the most underestimated big game trophy in the world, not just Africa.
No. 4: Whitetail Deer
The fact that I have spent so much of my life hunting and guiding for him might make overfamiliarity the reason this iconic species lands in my fourth spot. But Top Five? You bet. North American hunters have long crowned a big whitetail buck the king, and how could so many be wrong? He won’t kill you, but he will fascinate, frustrate, and delight you each fall when the season rolls around.
Certainly, I have spent more time after him than any other critter on my list, by a long shot, and I have loved every moment of it. He has outwitted me from South Texas to North Alberta, but he never bores me. Along the way, he has provided me both income and entertainment, and like most kids from Texas, he was my introduction into the world of big game hunting. For that reason alone, he makes my list. I still feel the rush when a good buck ghosts into view, as they tend to do. It is a unique feeling, and when you run your hands over the hard antlers of a really good buck, well, my friend, you will have earned that special moment. Appreciate that gift that fate, Lady Luck, and hard hunting have allowed you. Whitetails never, ever get old.
No. 5: Bull Elephant
The world's largest land mammal brings the BIG to big game. His is a story misunderstood by the great majority of the world. And for that fact alone, well-meaning but woefully misinformed masses may soon seal his tribe's death warrant. He is under threat from human expansion, habitat loss, and the stupidity and political leanings of both the White House and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Yet his numbers support sustainable harvest in several African countries, and they are even expanding far beyond capacity in countries like Zimbabwe and Botswana.
The hunt for elephant bull is a classic tracking affair. You will earn the chance to finally see him, and the price will be sweat, blisters, and blood. Walking up behind your first bull in heavy cover is, and you can trust me on this, sensory overwhelm. Any bravado you left the Land Cruiser with will evaporate like mist as you close in. And if your PH gives you the nod, you will now receive, like a slap in the face, the sudden understanding that your life, and that of others around you, may depend on how you handle the moment and your rifle.
This creature can deal death in a sudden and horrifying manner. He has killed my friends, and I know he can kill me. He has tried. Do I hate him for it? Never. No creature instills the awe and wonder of creation like this living miracle of nature. I feel blessed to have been in his presence so many times over the years.
To hunt an elephant bull ethically, following him on foot into his thorny fortresses is the essence of dangerous game hunting. And I thank God that I can say I have done so.
Well, that's my list, and the reasons that make them my favorites. It may change over the years, and you know what? That will be just fine with me.
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