Last fall when I was at the local archery shop looking to get back into traditional archery,a fellow archer made a comment that has linger on in mind ever since."I don't know many traditionalist that consistantly kill trophy animals".Now he made this commet knowing that I try to harvest mature animals when ever I can.I have killed big and I have killed small,but my best trophys was a cow elk that took me 5 years of hard hunting on a tough unit and 2x2 mule deer I harvested just after surgerey(still had a drain tube in).I know what a trophy means to me what dose it mean to you?or do you always get the big one?

I tell ya what. I was having trouble connecting last year and didn't get this one till Oct 20th. I was bouncing off the walls for a week cause I had straps in the freezer. Frying pan trophies!!!!         I have taken a ton of doe, a few young bucks and two nice ones but I don't think they are any more important than this small doe. The small doe taste way better!!

anything taken with a stick and string is a trophy to me.

I think most on here would agree that anything you worked your tail off to put a tag on is a trophy, and that mixing family in with anything is a trophy.

I have unsuccessful hunts that rank up there with those where I punched my tag on a good critter, but because of the exertion and limits I pushed the unsuccessful hunt was more "memorable".  Of course that is of no disrespect to the animal, but I tend to weigh the effort and blood, sweat, and tears as heavily as the outcome of the hunt.

I got plenty of tag soup the last few years marinated in effort, blood, sweat, and tears.  This Fall is going to be my year!

No matter the weapon of choice, if a hunter takes any game and they are proud of it then it's a "Trophy". I can't tell you what a trophy is, just as you can't tell me what one is. A trophy varies from hunter to hunter.

I've been hunting for 32 years now and my idea of a trophy has changed in my own mind three times. Folks that think or say stuff like that are trying to bestow their idea of a trophy on others in my opinion.

QuoteNo matter the weapon of choice, if a hunter takes any game and they are proud of it then it's a "Trophy". I can't tell you what a trophy is, just as you can't tell me what one is. A trophy varies from hunter to hunter.

I've been hunting for 32 years now and my idea of a trophy has changed in my own mind three times. Folks that think or say stuff like that are trying to bestow their idea of a trophy on others in my opinion.

Hear. Hear!

I have been hunting 39 years and have taken deer with every weapon that I have used. I have not taken a large mature buck in all those years. I have seen 3 P&Y class deer and only one close enough to shoot at. This is not the fault of the weapon.

The best trophys you can have are the memories that make you smile.

Taking up the challenge of trad hunting your own definitions of a trophy may change, the only insight i can give as a hunter who made the change recently myself (this will be my 5th year)...your first animal will be a rush like no other bar none, and i have found that i actually have had more encounters with the mature bucks that i hunt because my equipment has forced and taught me how to become a better bowhunter

Like Arwin said.
I usually respond with something to the effect of "you cant eat them horns" or "while your gnawing on those antlers all winter this young and tender will be melting in my mouth."

and I forgot. around here seems like everybody has these huge tower blinds and 300yrd shooting lanes/food plots.

so sometimes i respond that i am a hunter not a sniper.

I guess I'm one of the odd ones,
I haven't killed a deer in 4 or 5 seasons,trying to get one to get 3 1/2 years or better.Plenty of oppurtunities to kill.Been there and done that.Also been trying to kill a big blackbear w/out a baitsite.Have passed on a few 200/300lbers.I know there's better bear in there.Took 5 years to kill my last bull elk and believe me,I had plenty oppurtunity to kill before then.
As you see,
I don't kill much but I sure hunt more

Trophys, like beauty, is in the mind and eyes of the beholder.

What makes you happy and proud and content is all that really matters in this equation.  What everybody else thinks is, frankly... only what they think.
ChuckC

A "trophy" is different to everyone and I don't think there is a right or wrong anwser. I use to shoot the first deer I saw within range and was happy to do so. Now there are alot more deer in the areas I hunt seeing deer is not uncommon every single hunt now it was not like that 20+ years ago. I tend to hold out for mature bucks notice I said mature he can have 6 pts and be mature and on doe's I just arrow one if I am hungry at the time. The main reason I don't shoot every small buck I see still is if I did I would be tagged out within a week of opening day and have nothing to do while my buddies all hunted for another 3+ months of deer season. I guess for me I would rather spend 3.5 months in the woods hunting and go home without a deer vs tagging out first week its the time in the woods that keeps me returning year after year mother nature is the best theater on the planet.

I love the things that that are being said by everyone,to me it is the act of hunting not the product.

Years ago during the original tradional (before compound) days I stopped hunting with a couple of guys who disparaged small bucks I shot.  Now where we hunted you had to kill two does before you could even shoot a buck.  I resented their elitist attitudes and basically stopped hunting with them.

Well, your "fellow archer" has no clue about the world of traditional bowhunting.  Perhaps you should enlighten him about guys like Roger Rothhaar, Gene Wensel and his brother, and myriad others who have done such consistently.

I would also remind him that not all of us are on testosterone overload, and need to have huge animals to sate our lust.  Some of us hunt for the love of hunting with the real bow.

George, ya beat me to it.....AGAIN!

That said, I kinda wonder sometimes about how pretty much all trad hunters downgrade the typical standards of the word "trophy".  It's almost like outcome based education where if you lower your standards, they are more likely to be met.

But hold off with the flame throwers....

I'm really nitpicking semantics.  

To me, a trophy of any given species is several things.  By definition, it means that it is a mature, healthy animal  at or near the top in size or quality for either the species or the region.  It is the sort of animal that, if there was a picture of it with zero information about the hunt or the equipment, you would still say, now THAT'S a trophy animal.

The cool thing about hunting with trad gear is that the difficulty and extra effort required makes ANY animal taken more cherished, special or memorable in the hunters mind than animals that come easy or from a great distance.  But that does NOT qualify it for "trophy" status.  

Pulling a bow, aiming and loosing an arrow at an animal is such a personal act, doing it successfully is a very special moment.  There are intense emotions involved whether the outcome is positive or negative.  The natural tendency is to transfer those emotions and memories to the animal after it is down in the form of psychological value.  That is not the same as the animal being a trophy animal.  It is however, equally pleasing to the hunter.  To me, it's just an improper use of the word trophy.  Trad hunting makes every hunt and kill a little bit more special.  It doesn't turn a spike into a "trophy".  Nothing can.  But it does make me value it just as much.  

It's a fine line but the animal is what it is.  It's as big or as small as it is.  Every life taken should be valued equally as the life of any other animal.  Honestly, I've never shot a game animal with any weapon that I wasn't proud of regardless of distance, ease, difficulty or size.  If I ever do, it'll be time to stop hunting.

Well said Dave!      

I haven't killed a "trophy" animal yet. I tend to hunt like Fred Eichler. I like the meat and can't seem to not shoot a nice fat doe if the opportunity offers itself. I wouldn't pass on a trophy buck, but I don't feel I'm any less of a hunter for taking does either.

Contrary to what the TV "hunters" would like you to believe, not all of Iowa is teaming with trophy bucks. Actually there is a relatively small area that naturally produces big bucks. Many of the ones you see on TV are "managed" bucks. Not necessarily high fence areas, but posted and access limited areas.

In the area I hunt, a 120 class buck is a real trophy. Some 150s show up occasionally. Anything bigger is VERY unusual. I have seen one, but didn't have a shot opportunity. That is in 40 plus years of hunting this area. So trophy can mean different things in different areas of the country as well.

A Trophy animal is in the eye of the beholder.

I set my standard, and no one else, if I want to harvest a doe, sow or cow, that's my choice.

Now if you do harvest the doe, sow or cow and you start to make excuses for your choice, I don't think your hunting for you.

Some people make excuses for harvesting small or immature animals, if that's what you want and it's legal, that's your choice.

For me, I like to harvest old, wise animals, a true Representative of a mature animal, it's flat out more of a challenge to me, and one of the reasons I shoot a stick Bow, is, it's more of a challenge and I must increase my hunting skills to get closer, I have to practices more and all of the other things that a Trad-bow brings to the table.

It would stand to reason that after you have harvested several animals that you would want to raise your challenge level, say, from a button buck to a fork or any other goal you would want to challenge your self with.

Testosterone overload.

   


Big time lust.

   


For the love of the hunt.