Trophy hunting vs sport hunting

No good bucks seen til gun season. Only one over 120". Never got a shot at him so smoked a little 100" 8 pt 2nd to last day.
Smaller ones do taste better IMHO.
I'll try for the 140" next yr (hopefully stick him in bow season).
Fair chase, all legal.................if a person wants to put their tag on a big one, or a small one.............why should anybody else care?

An able bodied person using an X bow in archery condemning vertical bow shooters of smaller bucks................that would probably get me to speak up.
There's more to killing than just the shot. Maybe a person hasn't gotten much time afield due to work, family, medical.............maybe the gear he is using has some sentimental value. My dad always said he'd deer hunt if they had a handgun season, well my state did open that up yrs ago..............and he never went.
LOL....he's kinda squeamish. Offered to set him up, clean his critter................still no go.
He's old and can't get around well now, so I took his old Python out and blasted a small 8 pt with it.
The minimum was not inches, but points..............I wanted an 8 with my dad's gun.
So I did it. Euro mount sits on shelf in back room.
It's not a trophy IMHO.............but it is a cool deer. What and how do matter.
Used to have a dynamite spot, bigger/better. Now I don't.................that too is of influence.View attachment 228223

Got a cool rifle...............8 pt is our self imposed "restriction" where my bud and I hunt.
Next to last day an 8 comes by. So I shot him.
I want straps for the grill. So got some.
Not a trophy. Cool rifle. Pic came out sweet too IMHO. Deer also had a mane, visible as he came in.
View attachment 228224

I will try to hold out for the big dude this yr. Hopefully w recurve. M back/shoulder gives me fits so I dropped
700 bucks to get a compound for backup...............just to shoot him.
Not enough does anymore. If I take one in bow someplace else.............I can hold out for the 200# dressed 10 pt.

Doesn't bother me one bit to not get a buck.

Does if I don't pop a doe..........because I like to eat venison. And I prefer my does by archery tackle. Shooting slicks with gun is just grocery shopping with a bullet for me.
Did it a few yrs ago, try a new gun/cartridge..........had't taken one w gun for almost 20 yrs. It was OK but kinda bothered me.

My bud and I allow each other a doe in early part of early archery. End of Oct they (does) all get a pass.
Once we buck out (both) then doe are on the hit list if we haven't taken one in early bow.
One doe,one buck...........max per yr per hunter (2 guys).
We don't have the deer numbers to blast more than that, even though our DNR says our county does.
Zip a doe and hold out for a bruiser. That's the plan (usually is but this yr I think I might try harder to follow it LOL).

I have mentioned this before. I left my old .338 Mag. behind for Big game and mean bears some years ago. I use a Sharps Gemmer with a Malcolm 6X Power scope. It is chambered for the largest round Sharps produced. The .45-110-550 Black Powder.
Regardless of the Game or what you hunt? Making a clean and human shot is what we should all pursue.

I can't stand TV hunting shows.
Only DVDs I watch are "Whitetail Adrenaline".
Public land, no sponsors.

Pop a beer and watch this one

I bought "out of bullets" a while back, then the "reckoning"..............so was familiar with personalities.
Good stuff (IMHO).
The "reckoning" round 1 was bow and long and while enjoyable, I much preferred "round 2"...............the gun video.
Some stuff in there folks might take issue with, but cameras don't tell the full story so while possibly questionable..........I was content to let it slide.
Did make for heightened entertainment LOL

Proly play that disk and this new one (defiance round 2), pizza and beer night the week before the gun opener this yr. Have a couple buds over.

Im very much a meat hunter, i dont generaly shoot bucks or spikes unless i cant get a shot on a doe.
This really comes from growing up where i could hunt every day if i wanted, and had the freezer space. For the first few years i really, REALLY, wanted a big buck, eventually i just kinda stopped caring. Now as long as the coolers are full im happy.

Same goes for sheep and goats. Pigs I'm usually doing eradication so we shoot sows first if possible, then as many as we can.

There is a difference in being selective,and a trophy hunter that feels no obligation to take care of the meat..I will never get tired of shooting a nice buck,but I will always make sure it's ate..I HATE working deer but I always do,and we give more away than we use,and I even freeze bags of scrappy meat,and lower forearm,and lowerer leg meat for the dogs. .I think most people that are picky,and only shoot good bucks use the meat,so I don't consider that a bad thing at all,in fact it's bound to be good for the population..I don't like the idea of people hunting human dependant animals on payed guided hunts ,To me that's just buying an animal ,Why not just shoot a black Angus,and get your picture took with it..I also have never figured out why people want to go to Africa,and shoot animals that run in herds,strictly for sport,and trophys.

In Africa the meat is used. Logistics and proly legal.........only thing they can bring back is the trophy.

For many years in Texas, no shooting of does. Then, a limited permit system of one doe per fifty acres. So, most of us stayed with bucks-only.

Big horns or little horns, everything I shot was eaten. I didn't go berserk in looking for an "Ol' Biggie", but I never turned one down.

Not enough mule deer in west Texas to allow doe hunting. That would be like spending the capital; bucks are the interest and are "spendable". Bigger buck = more meat. I've never had a problem turning one into good-tasting yummy.

Michigan DNR has been on a kill them all agenda for years. Unlimited doe permits has decimated the does in my area. We have some antler point restrictions but the big horn people are not satisfied. Being like a farmer I do not kill my breeding stock seeing they have been shot off already. I have been ridiculed by some of the big horn guys because I will shoot any legal buck that I see instead of shooting off my breeding stock. We are allowed two bucks a year if you buy a combo tag. I only buy a single buck tag that allows the taking of a buck with one antler being 3 inches or longer. Even when I shoot a legal buck under these parameters it ticks the big horn guys off and they get nasty if the know it.

The sportsmen of Michigan are their own worst enemy. When they should be joining to protect out hunting rights it is nothing but fighting amongst themselves.

"Trophy hunting" is a bit of a loaded term nowadays. It has a different connotation depending on who you talk to.

I love hunting. At the end of the day it's about the adventure, the chase, the 9 lbs of elk summer sausage going in my smoker tomorrow, the jerky my family enjoys so much, the smoked backstrap we eat while reliving stories of our time in the field...and if I'm lucky a big buck or bull.

Some will see me as a monster who hurts animals. Others will call me a bloodthirsty idiot who is one of the dreaded "trophy hunters" who leaves the meat and kills only for horns and ego. They'll all be wrong. None of them understand me or my way of life, nor do they aspire to.

I hunt, I live, I respect the animal, and I'm thankful for what it has given me...which is far more than just sustenance.

I mostly lurk, (sorry, I'm just an introvert) but I'd like to join this conversation if I may.

I'm 61 and have been hunting only 5 years. I'd like to take a buck, especially a big buck, but I rarely seen them. I'm mostly a meat hunter. I became that way after my first kill, a young nubbin. The nubs were so small I couldn't see them until I started butchering. I butchered it my self, no one to teach me, just watched a couple of You Tube videos on field dressing and went for it.

Venison is fantastic eating. A different flavor than beef and my family really likes it. My wife says it is the way I process the meat. I spend upwards of 10 hours just butchering. Meticulous about removing the "silver skin" and sinews. Meat sits in ice and sea salt until butchered. Usually over a three or four days. I do so much mental work for a living that putting food on the table with my own hands is very enjoyable. Geez, that is good meat. Best roast I've ever had is one my wife made this year. Moist, juicy and just fell apart with a fork. Not sure what she seasoned it with. So while I'd like to get a buck, any year I get a doe, especially a big doe, is a good year.

I'd like to get a buck but they rarely show during the day on my 40 acres. The trail cameras show a nice wide 8 point and a really tall 10 point. Not monsters but ones that I think any one of us would like to shoot. But they so rarely show during the day. And the real big ones don't show on the game cams at all. A neighbor to the south of me (we're separated by a 30 acre wood, that 30 acres needs a thread of its own) showed me pictures of two bucks he had taken off his side of the 30 acres. Made the biggest in my pictures look light runts. I may have crossed paths with one of those this season. I didn't get a good look at the antlers but it was the biggest bodied deer I have ever seen. If it hadn't had that white tail as it bounded into the 30 acres, I would have thought it was a horse. Geez, it had a big ass. Still it's a dream and I really like it when I get a big doe. They at least show somewhat regularly during shooting hours here. And they taste amazing. Plus my wife always has a big smile when I do bring one home.

On a side note, I wish I had started hunting when I was much younger.

I'm not a particularly experienced hunter, so I'm content to just get some meat in the freezer. But when a very-nice-for-NC buck passed my crosshairs earlier this season, I didn't to pass the shot up.

It'll make a nice mount, and the sausage from it is good, but to be honest, the only tenderloin I ate from it so far was quite tough & gristly, so won't have any regrets if/when my next deer is another tender doe.

Much of it depends on the individual's idea of what constitutes a "trophy". They represent different things to different people. Is it solely for score or it is more personal? For me, it's strictly personal. Sure, it'd be great to be in the record books. I like to hang trophies on the wall but it's not what I'm about. What I consider to be a trophy might be just average for a score hunter. I hunt my own property and for me, the trophy represents the hunt itself and the victory I experience every day having finally reached the point in my life where I'm able to have enough land to hunt on. You can't quantify that with SCI score or point count. I also like hunting other places and when I do, trophy size is a consideration.

What I take issue with is the in-fighting. We all hunt for different reasons and with different goals. We should also respect the choices of others. As long as you're abiding the law and not wasting wildlife, I don't care why you hunt and neither should anybody else. If all you want is meat, there is plenty to go around. If all you care about is score or point count, may your name be added to the record books. What I abhor is hunters judging other hunters because they hunt for different reasons. Some look down their noses at trophy hunting, others deride high fence ranches and some pass judgement for the use of bait. I'm sure some trophy hunters look down on meat hunters but it usually seems to be the other way around. There's a lot of hunting I want to do before I'm too old to get around. Some of it will involve trophies. Some of it won't. Some of it will involve bringing meat home, others will involve donating it. I think we could use a lot less judgement because there are a lot of people who think we shouldn't be able to hunt at all.

There seems to be a misconception among hunters and non-hunters alike that "trophy hunting" involves wasting wildlife. I don't know of any jurisdiction where it's legal to waste wildlife, other than certain pests. I'm sure folks do and if they get caught, I hope they are prosecuted. Seems that a lot of folks assume that it's what happens in Africa, where it's actually less true than it is here. Nothing gets wasted in Africa, they eat and utilize more of their game animals than we do.

Speaking of high fence ranches, I know I've been judged for doing it. I'm 42yrs old and I've done it exactly three times in my life. Two of those times, it really was shooting fish in a barrel and I have little desire to repeat the experience. The third was NOT shooting fish in a barrel. It was fun, it was a learning experience and it was as close as you can get to chasing Cape buffalo through the bush for $2000 and a 14hr drive. Which is part of the appeal. Some folks will never get to go to Africa, New Zealand, Alaska, Canada, etc.. They'll never see a wild kudu or red stag in their native habitat. A high fence ranch is the only opportunity they'll ever have to hunt some species. Some folks simply don't have the time to spend two weeks in Africa but they can spend a couple days at a high fence ranch in the US. Some folks are unable to hunt as they did in their youth due to health issues. One of the fish-in-a-barrel ranches I visited, I wouldn't take anything for the experience because of a man named Dale who I got to meet. I never met a more passionate hunter but due to a stroke and other health problems, he was no longer able to hunt as he did in his younger days. If those places are not for you, don't go but afford others the same choice.

MrBorland said:

I'm not a particularly experienced hunter, so I'm content to just get some meat in the freezer. But when a very-nice-for-NC buck passed my crosshairs earlier this season, I didn't to pass the shot up.

It'll make a nice mount, and the sausage from it is good, but to be honest, the only tenderloin I ate from it so far was quite tough & gristly, so won't have any regrets if/when my next deer is another tender doe.

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We always call the backstrap tenderloin,and on some deer it's the only part I don't grind.It always gets cut into steaks.I lay my knife flat once I cut into the tenderloin(backstaps),and then kinda skin off all that big wde strip of tendon all in one piece.They are pure grissle free meat that way.I cut them about half an inch thick..If you don't already have one you should get one of those meat tenderizing hammers with the teeth on them to pound the steaks with.They get thinner,and the diamater of then increase.Lightly flour both sides,and fry them for a few minutes they are really good,and they are tender,of course you will season them to your taste.I only like salt,and pepper on mine,but the wife likes garlic.They are good with fried eggs like this too.The actual tenderloin inside the stomach cavity on even a huge whitetail is not really worth trying to to cut tiny steaks from.I usualy grind them too.

My state has "wanton waste" laws...........and I bet most do.............so I'm not getting today's "trophy hunter" just "dumping the meat".
I do know guys that take old big racked bucks, and don't want them for their freezer...........so they just donate the meat to the "Hunters for the Hungry".
Proly all of that ground up anyway.
They pop a couple does and then hold out for a monster.

BTW, my hunting bud got his deer from a couple yrs ago officially scored, said it netted 154.
Bigger than we thought.

Which means the big 10 we saw this yr.............must also be bigger !

Have a hunting preserve not far from me. I got out of my Jeep, and watched 3 bucks within 50 yards.....all of them over 140". About 75 yards down the fence a 170" was sitting earlier.
This was at the start of MZ season, a week after gun. Beautiful deer....but anybody hunting them is not hunting.
4K for a 140", A grand for every 10" above that (gross). They have over 200" deer too, but you gotta call to get a price on those.

No thanks.

Was looking for an offseason pig hunt. Like the Rusiian boards best for looks. Found a place with old school cabin, not far from where my ol lady spent some of her childhood.
Figured we'd kill a pig or two, enjoy the cabin....have a little get away. They said they hunt on a 100 acre spot.

WTH?

No thanks.

Did find a place with a couple K acres, own breeding population. A trophy boar there was gonna cost about 6K.

Craig, thanks for an interesting, thoughtful response and insight. I'm a limited experience hunter but I've heard of high fence hunting where some encompass thousands of acres and are multiple square miles in area. Indeed it strikes me that the ones mentioned are very large areas where it would take a hunter more than a day to go from one side to the other on foot. I'll never be able to hunt Africa but maybe some day I might be able to hunt a large ranch in Texas. I used to work for a guy who hunted Africa yearly. He was so pampered in the field that they weren't brutal, hard hunts. Not that they didn't hunt hard, it is just they were waited on. He carried his rifle but others carried supplies, built blinds, set bait and made it relatively easy for him to take shots. I'm guessing he would never set foot on a multiple thousand fence ranch but he loved to brag about going to Argentina and "slaughter" game birds by the hundreds. And while I have contemplated my own diminishing stamina, the thought of accomodating an impaired hunter hadn't crossed my mind. As you point out, it is too easy, to look at one factor and criticize. Seems a bit more like snobbery than real critique.

kbbailey said:

Now wait just a minute....that's the first thing we eat from a deer.
Carefully remove those loins and slice about an inch thick medallions, pop them on the grill until medium rare. Serve with creamy horseradish sauce, and a celebratory beer.

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Drool!! And I don't even use horseradish. A celebratory beer or a single malt of one's preference. Either is good but the venison is great! Drool!

JackSprat said:

We always call the backstrap tenderloin,and on some deer it's the only part I don't grind.It always gets cut into steaks.I lay my knife flat once I cut into the tenderloin(backstaps),and then kinda skin off all that big wde strip of tendon all in one piece.They are pure grissle free meat that way.I cut them about half an inch thick..If you don't already have one you should get one of those meat tenderizing hammers with the teeth on them to pound the steaks with.They get thinner,and the diamater of then increase.Lightly flour both sides,and fry them for a few minutes they are really good,and they are tender,of course you will season them to your taste.I only like salt,and pepper on mine,but the wife likes garlic.They are good with fried eggs like this too.The actual tenderloin inside the stomach cavity on even a huge whitetail is not really worth trying to to cut tiny steaks from.I usualy grind them too.

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Surely you jest. Inner loin is done the night of the kill, w mushrooms. Woody ales also on the menu.
I'd prefer to just take the backstraps and back legs..........cut into steaks.
Ground venison to me sucks. No way I could eat that much taco, spaghetti stuff...........even then the taste is just off.
Tolerable in summer sausage or when made into jerky.
Personally, don't need that many stew chunks off the front end either.
Blast 'em through the shoulders and straps and back legs is good enough for me.
I intend to switch to that sometime..........for now, if I take a deer into a processor...........I give away most of the burgerfest.
Keep just a few packs for the kids to make jerky.

Grinding the inner loin...........is akin to shooting hen pheasants on the ground around these parts LOL