StrutnBPS

Many hunters would frown and get denfensive if given the lable "trophy hunter".

What is a "trophy hunter"?

-If a hunter passes up a smaller buck because he knows there are bigger bucks in the area, is he a trophy hunter?

-If a hunter passes up the oppturnity to shoot a doe in hopes that a buck will come out, does this make him a trophy hunter?

-A hunter selects the biggest buck or doe out of a group, trophy hunter?

-How about a hunter that doesn't care for the taste of deer meat, but still loves hunting and donates his meat to a local kitchen that cooks deer meat for the needy or gives it to a friend that likes deer met. Trophy hunter?

-If a hunter pays $3,000 for a hunting trip to the mid west in hopes of bagging oneof the many 150''-160'' class deer there b/c his state's avg. buck is 100''? Trophy hunter?

-If a hunter hunts a 30,000ac high fence ranch. Trophy hunter?

-If a hunter hunts a 30,000ac low fence ranch. Does this make him a trophy hunter?

-If a hunter has no reguard for the meat, so he capes out his kill and leaves or disposes of the rest of the animal?

-What if a hunter mounts what he/she kills?

-If a hunter only shoots animals that he/she will mount?

-How about a person that hunts just for a rack? But does this person even exsist? If you don't like the aspects of hunting or the challenge, wouldn't you just buy a rack off of ebay?

Many people say that they hunt not b/c of the kill, but b/c of this and that and they would still go hunting if they didn't kill anything. But, if that person would go say three years w/o shooting a deer. How many do you think would still hunt as much or if at all?

A little about myself:

I love hunting for a lot of reasons, but if I said that the hopes of taking a record book deer wasn't one of the reasons I spend countlesshours planting, scouting, preparing, and hunting, not to mention all of the money, I would be lieing. Does this make me a trophy hunter?

Most of the time I do pass up smaller bucks in hopes that a larger one will appear and to let this deer mature. Most of the time I pass up does. I like to keep them around for the rut. Trophy hunter?

I eat the meat from my kills, but I aso give some to friends that don't hunt, but still like to eat deer meat.

I mount the bucks that I think I would like to see on my wall. Trophy hunter?

I haven't done it yet, but soon I plan on mounting a doe. I have never hunted in the med west, but I do plan to. For one, the change of scenery will be good. Second, to get a chance to hunt a place where 150''-160'' class deer are very common. Trophy hunter?


My conclusion:

In today's soceity, there are very few hunters that have to hunt to survive. I very seriously doubt there is anyone reading this that can't afford beef, pork, fish, or chicken. If so, I would hope that you would cut out your ISP, take the money and put some food on the table.

So in my opinion, unless you depend soley on hunting for a source of meat. In some shape, way, or form, we all are "trophy hunters".


I would like to read some views from others?

il coyote

First, you are right. none of us here NEED the meat to survive, or else we wouldn't be here at all. Yes, i like it, but no, would not starve without it.

I've killed all kinds of deer by my 22 yrs. of age. big, small, old young, buck, doe. I personally find that shooting a young buck iseasier than shooting an adult doe or mature buck, the young guys just don't seem as 'aware'. so, I like to challenge myself of waiting it out for a mature animal, male or female(any doe really), actually coming to draw without being busted, making the right shot, and takingthe animalfor a truck ride.

If the animal is worthy of a wall mount(and i have the money) it goes there.

People have the right to be proud of any animal they kill. IMO a trophy hunter is the guy who pays for the canned hunt just to have the mount in his office,den, living room, to show his buddies,"look what I shot" And with that same guy, i don't think that donating the meat makes it any different. if it helps him sleep thats fine i just don't get it.

and before this turns into a 5 page contest of who wants to use more quotes, let me say that everyone has the right to do what they want, but some people's motivation just makes me wonder sometimes.

let's ride

PABowhntr

Interesting comments and definitely food for thought. I wonder how warmly it is going to be received by others though.

skinnerdawg

personaly speaking i also would not go hungry if i could not hunt.

i hunt to put extra meat into the freezer(treat) so i do not try to count points before i shoot... unless it is called for by law.

i also would never condem another hunter who feels that only the largest rack will do.... as long as he/she is hunting in a legal manner....

this is a question that seems to pop up in all areas year after year. i may not agree with another hunters idea of a sucsesful hunt but as i tell my buddies and co workers... if you try to hang one type of hunter... in the end you hang us all

bighorns35

trophy hunter!! i believe is in the eyes of the boholder. in my years of hunting.i was fortunate enough to be born into a family that starts hunting at a young age.i was able to start at age 12,im only 35 now. so been at it a few years.when i was younger any deer was a trophy to me. as ive been more succesful my thinking has changed. before us kids were able to hunt. dad and mother were true meat hunters. it was a way to help cut the feed bill down. when i started hunting the first thing he told me was fill the freezer then you can hunt horns. but since those times are thinking has changed. we have been fortunate enough to kill some deer with scores from 120-175inches. trophys yes. but last year on thanksgiving day with my 2 sisters and my brother,mom and dad. we did a small push on are farm like we do every year. i killed a buck bout 100 inches. with 1 shot running. to me that buck is a trophy just like my 175 inch 13 pt. just different reasons as to why!!

TomFromTheShade

Every hunter would like to take a giant buck if the opportunity presented itself. No one here would say, whew, I'm glad I shot that little four pointer! No having to drag some mature 12 pointer out of the woods this year!

As far as hunting "high fence" areas. If you are on a 30,000 acre piece of land, do you really think that the deer would leave a perfectly managed 30,000 acre piece of land if you took the fences down? Hell no. 30,000 acres is fair chase as far as I'm cocerned!

As long as the meat gets eaten by someone, I don't care what the hunter hangs on his wall. Even if he used the meat to feed his dogs, its not going to waste. I just don't like to see animals wasted.

TXhighrack

Quote:

Many hunters would frown and get denfensive if given the lable "trophy hunter".

Why the hell would somebody get mad about being called a trophy hunter?

I'm a trophy hunter, all my buddies are trophy hunters.Our main goal each time we step out in the brush is to bring home the biggest mature buck that we can find. We wack the heck out of does and cull bucks, and do what we can to help improve the average size of bucks. The "if its brown its down" menatality doesent fly around here. If a hunter has that typeof attitude chances are he isint going to get to hunt much around here....................

StrutnBPS

This post isn'tto step on any toes. I was just thinking thismorning on the way to school of how many times I've heard the term "trophy hunter" used. And how many different situations it was used in. And how most of the time I have heard it used, it was used negatively. Theres no right or wrong answer here. Good responses so far. Keep them coming.

HuntinGUS

Quote:

The "if its brown its down" menatality doesent fly around here. If a hunter has that typeof attitude chances are he isint going to get to hunt much around here....................

Why not? I understand your point and how you do it, but why would this type of hunting not be accepted in your area?

Back to the subject, I eat the meat.....a lot, and I try to fill my freezer throughout the season. I also like to take a few bucks every year. Size? Not that imporntant, but if I know there is a bigun runnin around, I may pass a few smaller ones for a chance. If after a few weeks I have no encounter withhim,I'll go ahead and take the smaller buck.

A trophy hunter to me is any hunter that will "only" take a buck that scores high B/C or P/Y. The guys that pass on 135 inch bucks and have to consider taking a150 inch deer. To me, that's a trophy hunter.

Th guy who goes to a game farm and shoots exiotics and fenced in animals I do not even consider a hunter. He is no more than an extirminator! What's the point really.
(the 30,000 acre ranch however is a little different. That could be considered free ranging considering the normal travel area of a whitetail.)

Above all...............ya still have look at it as................... to each his own.

WVBowhunter10

I think you have all valid points. Some people will respond one way while others will respond the opposite. Some others said that it is in the eyes of the beholder which is true. To each his own is exactly how I look at it. As long as the game is respected and none of it is wasted, then I have no complaints one way or the other.