just a thought

[flyfish1]

From time to time I occasionaly see a thread posted here or even an article in TBM telling a successful hunting story that includes " not the biggest", or "only a doe", or any number of similar statements. Ladies and Gentleman, remember what a gift/trophy any harvest is, especially doing it the way we choose, what a real accomplishment it is and do not reduce the moment to antler size etc..If you take a spike buck, or a doe show it as proudly as if it were a booner. Just sayin. Just a thought.

[Elkchaser]

Well said flyfish1.        

[Stumpkiller]

I have always said: "No matter what you think that deer gave all it had.  Don't belittle it."

[stevewills]

i dont feel the limitations of a recurve only limits us to shooting only smaller anything,i shoot a recurve cause i love getting close to my game,and really having to figure them out..i love shooting does and i never say just a doe,but just because i shoot a recurve doesnt mean im shooting anything other than big mature animals.i hate it when i started hunting some property and this one fella said there is a little six pointer that would be an awesome recurve buck,i passed on that deer 7 or 8 times and had it on video,i also knew there was a huge 10 on the property and didnt want to shoot anything other than that deer.....poacher got it...long story short just because i shoot trad doesnt mean i dont like the big boys and girls..

[flyfish1]

not saying that a recurve limits me at all, and i feel in the right hands trad equipment has many advantages, but shooting a six point in my eyes is nothing to sneeze at and I like big
antlers as much as anybody

[Doc Nock]

Trophy size is also a factor of where you live and/or hunt!  What one man might see regularly and consider "lesser" might be seldom seen and less seldom present a shot opportunity to someone living elsewhere.

This year, I had no less that 8 spikes and fork horns with "almost" legal brows...but not quite, within easy bow range.  No other shot opportunities presented themselves.

Some of the "spikes" would come in at 140# easy and had very long, heavy, bladed spikes I'd guess around 12" long...

I'd consider them a trophy... yes, I like deer a bit closer with my stick bows than when I shot compounds for a decade years ago, but back then, my eyes were better to see small deflecting twigs and such...that and I could bust nocks all day at 30 yards... I can with my stick bows, but not with the same consistency.

As stated, I just LIKE being extra close...but in the areas I hunt...SEEING deer is a momentous occasion in recent years, and getting one in bow range, that meets antler restrictions, is a double feat so any deer is a trophy if there are few trophy-size deer in the area you hunt.

[JamesKerr]

Well said!

[Knawbone]

We all like to have a pretty set of antlers to hang on our wall,but to me HOW I HARVEST THEM is more OF a proper def. of TROPHY.My proudest traditional kill was a button buck I snuck up on after spoting him and his mother from 40 yds. away. I shot him threw the heart at around 22 yds. It took me 45min. to close the distance and not get busted by those two deer in those open woods. I crawled on my hands and knees to close the distance. shot him while on my knees. That to me is a TROPHY.

[YORNOC]

This is what I teach my kids. No more respect goes to the life of a bruiser buck than a doe. Now, there is naturally a bit more admiration to a huge critter, thats natural and okay. Belittling something less is not so okay in my house.

[Kc kreger]

Well stated.  It is not necessarily the equipment we choose to use as much as it is our attitude of what we harvest.  Personally I feel honored to take any mature white tale and am thankful for the opportunity to do so.

I also agree that we see it all too often that this or that deer is not the giant I was hoping for BUT...

For me when I made the decision to go traditional only it made me a better hunter.  Any more for me it is more about the hunt than it is about the harvest.  I think for those that are still hung up on only harvesting a trophy deer or else they feel they don't measure up they just have not realized that the opportunity to be out there and enjoy Gods creation is more important than getting an animal like they do on T.V.

Just my two cents.

K.C.

[D. Key]

Well said.  This year has been extremely difficult in East Texas; wwaaaaaayy too many acorns afield.  I've set on stand about 12-14 times this year and have yet to even see a deer.  I love being in the woods but it is very trying when you only see rabbits and squirrels.

[eflanders]

Very well spoken.  This year in elk camp we had 5 guys that I had never had the pleasure to hunt with previously.  Only two guys in camp got an animal and both were smaller 6x6 bulls.  (The two successful guys were the ones I knew.)  Both animals were found dead within a few hundred yards of where they were shot and within minutes!  Neither of these guys had ever shot an elk before with a bow.  It truly was a dream come true for all three of us!  Interestingly both bulls were shot early in the hunt. Towards the end of the week, several of the other guys were less than excited for them saying that they wouldn't have shot these smaller bulls.  All 5 of those guys fired arrows all week at various bulls and yet none killed and fortunately none were seriously wounded.  These same guys were bragging about how good of shots they were at 50+ yards and were demonstrating their skill in camp on a target.  Well those same 5 guys ate tag soup and we 3 are sharing the rewards of all of the meat taken.  Needless to say, we 3 won't be hunting with those other guys again.

[black velvet]

I have heard that reply before and my question to it is if you are not happy why did you shoot it? I have always felt any deer taken with a stick and string is a trophy. If it makes you happy drop the string if not don't.

[Craig Schoneberg]

[Terry Green]

Yes...folks ouoght not talk down their kills...

Curt and I both took does at Solana last year only two minutes apart and both of us were using some of Late Chris Surtees equipment.....trophys people!!!

I just killed my biggest doe.....a matriarch.....on the ground.......heart shot with HOPE....on a hunt with Charlie Lamb....Trophy PEOPLE!!!

[GRINCH]

Thats an excellant question black velvet,any deer to me is a trophy,sure I'd love a large rack to mount but that doe is mighty tasty and a great advasery at that,I've never considered any animal unworthy of my respect.

[Stinger]

I shot my first deer with a bow when I was 15 years old, some 44 years ago.  That button buck dressed out at a whopping 38 pounds.  I remember when we took it to the check-in station a bunch of guys hanging around were bad mouthing it for being so little.  The warden walked up and congratulated me, looked at the guys making the comments and said, "So, where is your deer?  Besides, when they are that small, they are a lot harder to hit - nice shot, son."  That deer was a trophy to me then and a trophy to me now.

[Plumber]

doe or 12 pointer what we do is hard.these deer are outside 365 days a year.super hot to super cold.shooting the type bows we shoot takes alot of pratice.I hunt low to the ground an take shots of 15 yds or less,to be that close to a wild animal is not easy an takes skill, then you have to draw shoot an kill it.when you pull that off on any deer its a trophy in my book.I like a big ol buck as much as the next guy.the trophy to me is pulling off the whole hunt with successe. good post thanks.

[b.glass]

Have any of ya'll ever considered having your doe kill mounted? I would love to have a doe mount beside my buck mount. I think that would look soooo cool. My first Indiana deer will be mounted. I don't care how big it is.

[kadbow]

I don't mind people describing "their" trophy anyway ""they" want and I don't think stating a fact is belittling.  They are all trophies.