TROPHY TAKERS
RULES OF FAIR CHASE

To be eligible for rating and membership in the Trophy Takers system trophies must be taken in complete compliance with the game laws of the state where taken and the Rules of Fair Chase. These rules are internationally recognised in bowhunting of game and it is therefore essential that all game taken and submitted as application for Trophy Takers recognition be consistent with these guidelines. A sworn affidavit is included on each rating application form and any falsification is grounds for dismissal for the member applicant and the sponsor member of that applicant. Falsification will cause the current entry to be rejected, no future entries to be accepted and all past entries dropped from the Trophy Takers listings.

The term Fair Chase shall not be held to include the taking of animals under the following conditions.

OPEN RANGE

1. Helpless in, or because of deep snow, water, mud or helpless on ice.

2. While swimming

3. Helpless in a trap, restricted by fences, or any man made object.

4. While confined behind fences as on a game farm etc.

5. In defiance of game laws or out of season

6. By Spotlighting or shining at night.

7. From any power vehicle or power boat.

8. By the use of any power vehicle for herding or driving any animals, including the use of aircraft fro landing alongside any animal or herd or to communicate with or direct a hunter on the ground.

9. By use of dogs to track, locate, herd or restrict game.

10. By the use of any tranquillisers, poison or firearms.

11. Any other method considered by the Board of Directors as unsportsmanlike.

CLOSED RANGE

Same rules as Open Range with the following additions:

1. Game Ranches or Estates to be eligible must have and minimum inclosed area of 1000 acres, with no internal deer fencing to impede, divert or reduce the 1000 acre minimum area the deer can move in.

2. Game must not be taken within 100 meters of a game fence or man made device designed to restrict game to any area.

3. Guides shall not participate in the hunt, locating, assisting location, herding or directing game to the hunter.

4. Trophy Takers are responsible sportspersons and only harvest a trophy animal for the utilisation of the trophy, for food or the hide. All game must be entirely killed by means of bow and arrow and a photograph taken of the trophy (whole animal) which also includes the Trophy Taker.

5. No picked up or found are eligible for application to Trophy Takers listings. Trophies are considered found when recovered and given to a hunter after the hunter has abandoned the search.

MEASURING FOR RATING APPLICATION

The Douglas Scoring system of measuring trophies is the basis of the Trophy Takers Computer Rating System. Like the Rules of Fair Chase, trophy measuring and recording has a definite set of guidelines which the hunter applicant must observe.

1. All trophies to be measured must have the horns set back on the original skull or top part thereof, so as to give a correct and accurate spread (Buffalo optional).

2. Measurements submitted on the Rating Application form must be accurate and rechecked several times. A current Certified Measurer must measure in the absence of the Ratings Director.

3. All trophies must be made available for re-measurement on the request of the Rating Director.

4. Incorrect or misleading measurements will cause the entry to be rejected.

5. All measurements to be taken with a flexible steel tape or fibreglass tape which has been checked against a steel tape for accuracy.

6. Record all measurements in inches to the nearest eighth or sixteenth of an inch (depending on species). Measurements that are over (even marginally) are increased to the next highest eighth or sixteenth. The eight of an inch rule applies, measurements are to the nearest 1/8 or 1/16 of an inch without reduction.

7. Trophies rated in the top ten will require compulsory re-measurement. Trophy Takers will accept official measurements certified by other organisations however, these measurements must be set out on the Rating Application form as specified and the applicant aware that the trophy be available for re-measurement if requested by the Rating Director.

8. All game must be entirely killed by means of bow and arrow and a photograph taken of the trophy (whole animal) which also includes the Trophy Taker and submitted with the rating form/s, no photo may result in the rating being rejected or removed.

UNOFFICAL GAME RATINGS 2016.

At the 2016 Dubbo AGM there were decisions made with regard to the formation of an 'unofficial' rating category with unanimous support.
A number of potential trophies fall in this category:

- trophies shot by existing members that have been mounted;

- trophies shot by existing members where the sculls have been cut (this is a popular way to get overseas trophies home);

- trophies shot by existing members that have been shot and recovered some time later (between 7-30 days).
With regard to trophies that are shot and recovered some time later, the following time bounds apply.

- trophies that are shot and recovered within 7 days will be accepted as an official rating. this gives hunters that shoot an animal late one weekend, a chance to get back there at the next reasonable opportunity to recover the animal (likely the next weekend for most if shot a distance from home).

- trophies that are shot and recovered between 7 -30 days later can be rated as 'unofficial' trophies as long as there is fair evidence that it is the same animal (arrow still in the animal, live photos of the animal etc). This decision will be at the discretion of the ratings director.

- trophies that are shot but not recovered within 30 days will not be accepted into the ratings.

Unofficial ratings will be marked with UNOFFICIAL next to the trophy rating in our ratings records.

For members that wish to rate a trophy that falls into this category, please mark this clearly on the score sheet so the ratings director is aware of it when they process the rating.