INTERNATIONAL AWARDS PROGRAM May, 2012
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INTERNATIONAL AWARDS PROGRAM May, 2012 Dear Mountain Hunters and Conservationists, WSF is a conservation organization made up primarily of hunters…hunters who have a passion for wild sheep and goats and the mountains they inhabit. These hunters are a special breed and are willing to travel farther, climb higher and hunt harder often under extremely harsh climatic, altitude and even political conditions. These dedicated hunters are also keen conservationists and contribute considerable resources of both money and time to ensure that their efforts help “Put and Keep Sheep on the Mountain™.” Our awards program not only recognizes hunting accomplishments, but also the conservation contributions of the mountain hunter as naturalists and conservationists. A critical component of our new awards program is the decade-long work of our international conservation part- ner, the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC), and in particular, WSF Life Members, and CIC leaders, Nicolas Franco and Gerhard Damm who collaborated with sheep scientists, biologists, and sheep and goats experts from throughout the globe to create the CIC Phenotype List Caprinae© which is one of the most comprehensive and accurate listings of Caprinae Phenotypes in the world. By Memorandum of Understand- ing with CIC, the CIC Phenotype List Caprinae© is the WSF endorsed official listing of Caprinae for our International Award Program. WSF is also pleased to partner with CIC to assist in the printing and worldwide distribution in mid 2013 of the CIC Caprinae Atlas of the World© which we are confident will become the go-to reference guide for the mountain hunter and Caprinae enthusiast. With CIC permission, WSF will periodically include excepts, distribu- tion maps and other data from the CIC Caprinae Atlas of the World© in our publications and on our website to help educate our membership and help promote sales of the Atlas. We want to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to our International Awards Committee, and our CIC partners, for their work to develop a new WSF International Awards Program that not only recognizes the hunting accomplishments of the WSF membership, but also the conservation efforts that help our Foundation achieve our purpose and mission. We hope you will enjoy this new program. Please note that WSF members who have previously submitted WSF Hunt Reports or other reporting forms for sheep and goats taken do not need to resubmit data to be included in the new Awards program. Should you have any questions please contact our office in Cody, Wyoming. Good hunting, Jack Atcheson Jr. Marc Hansen Gray N. Thornton Chairman Director & Chairman President & CEO International Awards Committee INTERNATIONAL AWARDS PROGRAM PURPOSE of the International Council for Game WSF and Wildlife Conservation (CIC). 1. Recognize the hunting accomplish- WSF, through formal agreement with INTERNATIONAL ments of our members CIC, has been given approval to use AWARDS this comprehensive list. Hunters 2. Promote ethical hunting and ethical from different areas use a variety of MOUNTAIN behavior as it relates to WSF colloquial names for the species and MONARCHS subspecies identified as phenotypes in the CIC Phenotype List Caprinae©. 3. Entice members to participate more These awards are intended to rec- Furthermore, there are incidents of in WSF activities ognize outstanding international successful introductions, for instance trophies harvested by our members the Alpine Chamois and Tahr in New 4. Entice non-members to join WSF – during the previous hunting season. Zealand and the Aoudad in Spain and special focus on the younger generation The WSF endorsed CIC Phenotype southwestern United States. In many List Caprinae© has been categorized places these introduced animals now 5. Enhance WSF status in the conser- into the following phenotypes: vation and hunting communities exist in numbers which can be sustain- ably hunted. Many hunting communi- a. Argali ties include local variations as addi- b. Mouflons AWARD tional categories and/or as different c. Urials CATEGORIES animals for award purposes. In order d. Mouflon & Urial Hybrids to make the user of the CIC list aware e. North American Thin 1. Mountain Monarchs of different colloquial names and local & Bighorn Sheep 2. International Guide of the Year considerations, we have included these f. Northeastern Asian 3. International Outfitter of the Year as “aka” (also known as) in the CIC list. 4. Mountain Hunter Hall of Fame Thinhorn Sheep g. Pseudo Sheep GENERAL h. Wild Goats i. Markhors REQUIREMENTS j. Ibex & Relatives k. Serows Entries for any award which involves l. Gorals harvesting animals should be submit- m. Mountain Goats ted using the WSF Hunting Report n. Chamois form included in this package. At a o. Tahrs minimum, the hunter must sign a p. Takins statement that indicates the animal q. Musk Ox was taken free range, ethically, and r. Chiru legally. A photograph is required, preferably a field photograph. Gold, Silver, Bronze & Honorable Mention Awards will be given, if Animals considered for the awards can applicable, for each category. Trophy be found on the WSF endorsed list of owners can also apply for the CIC Caprinae animals – the CIC Pheno- international award certificate and type List Caprinae©. This list has medal (subject to the regulations of been developed by and is the property the CIC - www.cic-wildlife.org). To be considered for a Mountain mals harvested to be considered. If, in INTERNATIONAL Monarch, some form of a score sheet a given year, no animals of a category GUIDE AWARD and a WSF Hunt Report Form must fall in the top 20% - no awards in that be provided, as well as, a photograph category will be given. In addition, This award is reserved for those Inter- or photographs which clearly show the number of Honorable Mentions national Guides who are recognized as the size of the animal. For this award, will be limited. In general, no more icons within the international hunting WSF will accept various scoring than three (3) honorable mentions per community. To be considered for the systems, but at a minimum the length category will be awarded. Timelines award a guide must be recommended and four circumference measurements associated with these awards are as by a member of the WSF and cannot of each horn must be provided for follows. The deadline for submit- be an outfitter. In selection of a win- sheep and the length and base circum- tal will be two months prior to the ner the following will be considered: ference of each horn must be provided convention. The animal must have for other species. The score must be been scored within 12 months of the 1. A commitment to high ethical certified by the hunter’s signature; it is deadline and the animals must have standards and sportsmanship desirable that an official measurer also been taken within 18 months of the certify the score. deadline. This timing allows for some 2. The esteem in which the guide is These awards will only be given for delay after harvesting the animal to held by the hunting community and outstanding trophies. The Interna- obtain a proper measurement. his/her peers tional Awards Committee will, on a As part of the Mountain Monarch yearly basis, determine the minimum Awards, any Caprinae taken that is truly 3. The willingness to go the last mile sizes to be considered. In general, an exceptional, may qualify for a Mountain to ensure a quality hunting experi- animal must be in the top 20% of ani- Monarch Award of Excellence. ence for his/her clients 4. Knowledge of the country that he/ This award will only be given if war- contact the person to ensure they will she hunts and the wild game animals ranted. No more than one award will attend and to make alternate plans if in habiting that country be given in a year. The selection pro- they will not. cess and timelines associated with this 5. An unfailing sense of humor award are as follows. Nominations MOUNTAIN HUNTER will be solicited from the WSF mem- HALL OF FAME 6. A high work ethic and dedication bership and provided to the Interna- to the health, safety, and well being of tional Awards Committee no later The Mountain Hunter Hall of Fame his/her clients. than four (4) months prior to the con- Award is WSF’s most prestigious vention. The International Awards award. The award is reserved for those This award will only be given if war- Committee will select a winner and select few who are truly considered ranted. No more than one award will will forward their recommendation icons for the hunting community. To be given in a year. The selection pro- to the Board for final approval. The be considered for the award, a mem- cess and timelines associated with this selection and Board approval is to be ber must: award are as follows. Nominations completed three (3) months prior to will be solicited from the WSF mem- the convention. In general, we will re- a. Be an accomplished mountain bership and provided to the Interna- quire the awardee to be present at the hunter. tional Awards Committee no later convention to receive the award. This than four (4) months prior to the con- timeline gives us three (3) months to b. Have contributed significantly to vention. The International Awards WSF, hunting, and conservation. Committee will select a winner and will forward their recommendation c. Have a sterling reputation within to the Board for final approval. The the hunting community. selection and Board approval is to be completed three (3) months prior to This award will only be given if war- the convention. In general, we will re- ranted. In general, one award will be quire the awardee to be present at the given yearly, however there is no limit convention to receive the award.