London gunmaker John Rigby & Co. proudly announces the return of the Rigby Dagga Boy Award for 2025. Following the inaugural launch, the award continues to uphold its mission: to champion ethical hunting and scientific insight into African buffalo populations. Emphasising buffalo age over trophies, this initiative strives to foster healthier African buffalo populations.
Hunters worldwide are invited to participate by electronically submitting a detailed hunt report and photos of eligible buffalo bulls, hunted between January 2022 and the end of the 2024 hunting season, to daggaboy@johnrigbyandco.com.
Eligibility criteria include the requirement that only buffalo bulls from self-sustaining herds hunted using ethical, fair chase, track, walk-and-stalk methods can be considered. Bulls from ranched, captive-bred, artificially managed, handled, sold, or traded populations, regardless of geographical location, size, or fencing will not be considered. The emphasis will be on ‘old’ and ‘broken-horned’ bulls who have surpassed breeding age.
Entries will undergo rigorous evaluation by a distinguished panel of judges, including Dr. Kevin ‘Doctari’ Robertson, Professional Hunter Robin Hurt, Professional Hunter Buzz Charlton, and Rigby’s managing director, Marc Newton. The judges will assess the difficulty of the hunt and the age of the buffalo.
The winner will receive a Rigby .416 Big Game rifle, and the Professional Hunter who guided them will receive a Rigby .450 PH rifle. The winner will be announced on the Rigby booth during the 2025 Dallas Safari Club Convention.
All entries must include high-quality photos of the hunter and their buffalo, along with available photos of the buffalo’s ears, teeth, and body. Entrants must provide the Professional Hunter and outfitter’s name, contact details, and a detailed description of the hunt. The hunt’s narrative will be an integral part of the application and judging process. Entrants consent to the use of their photos and stories to be printed in magazine, book and online format. Winners agree not to sell their prizes and to use them for their intended purpose.
Join us in promoting ethical hunting and buffalo conservation by entering the Rigby Dagga Boy Award. Submissions should be sent to daggaboy@johnrigbyandco.com before Friday 13 December 2024.
