What is a trophy to you?

The memories and experiences!

 

A nice rack

 

My grandfather never saw a deer until he was 40 years old. My dad was 20. I've never known a world without an abundance of white tails. To me, any deer I harvest is one that gave me an experience much of my family never had a chance to.

I like big racked bucks as much as anyone, but any animal I take is a trophy. Plus they taste good.

 

I personally don't consider any animal a trophy . It's more about the personal challenge the perticular animal offers me . Last year I had a mature doe that wrecked me every time she came around . We had a long season of cat and mouse until I finally harvested her with a muzzleloader in December. I honestly consider her one of the best challenges I've had . I also recall one mature ruffed grouse that held in the same area for several years . My dogs pointed him several times in the same spot and I tried several different approaches to get an open shot on him but it never happened .

 

I get excited shooting a doe with my bow but wouldn’t consider it a trophy. I would not consider a young buck a trophy because they are too common and easier to kill. I want to get a buck with a big or unique rack and be mature. It doesn’t necessarily have to score really high. Every kill may be a different situation.

I killed a buck this year that was 138 but was 6.5 or older. Heavy and wide but didn’t have the long points. Still a trophy. He was old an smart and definitely not common.

 

A trophy to me is a special memory of ANYTHING I out foxed. Accidentally, or coincidentally killing anything don't count as a trophy for me.. it's just meat at that point.

 

Whatever I decide to pull the trigger on (bow or gun) is my trophy.

 

At this point for me I would say anything 130 class or better. But I certainly don't condone anyone with lower standards. If its got them smiling ear to ear its a trophy!!!

 

I’m with Meador. I shot a doe on my farm this year. I cooked about five different dishes for my little lady before she realized it was deer. I finally got her to agree that deer was good and that she couldn’t tell the difference between it and beef. She even asked me to make venison chili to bring down to TN for her family to eat at Christmas. That whole experience was the “trophy” for me.

 

X3. If I was fortunate enough to harvest it and consume it with family and friends, it's a trophy.

 

I've got trophies all over the house and all over deer camp. One is nothing more than a Satellite Titan broadhead embedded in a section of beech sapling. That's all I have to show for 1996. However, I did manage to get a shot at a massive 8 point monster. That was enough.

I've got The Big One hanging over the mantle. It's the biggest deer I've ever shot. It may be the biggest deer I'm ever going to shoot. Bagging him 10 years ago changed my life.

However, my first buck is mounted on the opposite wall. He's special, because each of my kids got treated to getting to pet him every day when I got home from work. I'd lift them up and we'd learn our body parts. "Where's Mister Deer's nose?" "Where's your nose?" "Where's my nose?"

Down at camp there are a bunch of nice racks, and whole wall of spikes in the dining room. If you shoot a spike at our camp, his rack goes up where everyone can see. #2 son, for whatever reason, can't seem to let a 4 inch forker past his stand. Most of them are his, but we all have a couple up there.

Back in the corner is the rack of Spike the Wonder Buck. I'd just acquired the farm in 2001, and nearly every time I went out, I'd have Spike come visit. He was a tight little 8-pointer. He had an uncanny habit of sneaking up on me , and feeding just off my right side, so I would invariably get busted trying to turn to get the shot. I moved my stand 100 yards to surprise him on the Rifle Opener, had him dead-to-rights, and for once in all of nearly 40 years, I had a bad primer.

However, on the second weekend of rifle season, I had my #2 son up in the stand with me for his first rifle hunt. Spike showed up chasing a herd of doe.



See: Spike the Wonder Buck

 

For me any deer I take with my bow. By far the hardest deer to get is a mature Doe, especially with the bow.

 

My very first deer was a button buck and was a trophy that I
have never forgotten.Ive hunted for many years and all the deer Ive
been lucky enough to take, have all been trophies to me.