What is a trophy?

[treeroot]

I like many got roped into the it's gotta be "x" size to shoot. Having kids and a business forced me to rethink how I hunt for the limited time I have. Which leads me to what is a trophy?


With the antler restrictions imposed now in many places does that change what a trophy is? Now you have theoretically more 3 1/2 year old 8 points are they anymore of a trophy then shooting the spike?

What is a trophy to you? Why do you place it above other deer you could've shot?

[stash59]

Like beauty... it's in the eyes of the beholder.

On a side note most AR programs don't increase the number of 3YO's by very much. 2YO's yes!

[Edcyclopedia]

Living within my means, hunting means that is.

Every hunting day changes for me in the woods of NH...
-Confidence in your spot(s)
-How many tags
-Camera intel, if I have any
-Time available per season, sometimes life gets in the way

2019 season went this way...
Passed 4-Deer and a Bear, none of them seemed too big, as I never laid sight on their heads and some distance between us too.
I gratefully shot a yearling towards the last few weeks of the season, I never saw another deer after that and still had 4-more tags...

I believe I have to travel if I want my wall hanger, but that's not so important to me as it was when I was younger.
Time in the field, walking and dreaming, breathing fresh air, solitude all equates to therapy for me.
So it's in the eye of the beholder...!!!

[Jdw]

In the past a trophy has been a certain number of inches at times a certain weight or age at other times and there have been times when only a single buck will trip my trigger.
The last couple years I have been after the experience and the memories more than a size.
It has added a lot of enjoyment to my hunting experiences.

[milkweed-militia]

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[Jackson Marsh]

I shoot what makes me happy. Sometimes that's a small buck, sometimes a fair-to-middling buck and rarely a good buck....bigger is definitely better .....but I like them all.

[mipubbucks24]

I believe all bucks are trophy’s but for my own standards My goal is a mature buck which where I hunt would be a 3.5 year old or older. Don’t care about score or size of the rack, a mature buck would be a trophy.

[Racks&Beards]

I don't have a set in stone minimum requirement of age or antler size. Missouri says I can't shoot one (in most counties I hunt) unless it has at least 4 points on one side, so that narrows it down a bit. I'm probably shooting at the first legal buck that walks by, unless I have some intel on a specific one in the area that I want to hunt for.

As for turkeys...in the spring, if I can see a beard I'll take it. In the fall, it doesn't matter. If it's a turkey and it's in range, I'm shooting.

[Maverick1]

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/trophy

[may21581]

I start out each and every season with goals and expectations. Now of course I would love to shoot a booner every year but this just isn't a realistic goal with the time, resources, money, ect I have to put forth. Not to mention the rarity of even finding them on places I can hunt. A trophy to me is a deer that falls into a realistic goal you have set for yourself. Yes even a doe can fall into this category if that was my goal for the hunt. A trophy is a more in the memory of the hunt and the chase to me. I was getting caught up in the whole measuring and inches thing and it was ruining the sport for me. I shot plenty of heavy big body bucks with smaller racks and have seen big racked bucks with smaller bodies that would run from a fight. I've come to enjoy the sport. Sometimes the trophy doesnt even involve an animal.

[brancher147]

Why does it need to be a trophy at all? The trophy is the thrill of the chase and the memories and the time spent outdoors enjoying the wild and having adventures.

[Dewey]

I consider any deer taking with archery equipment to be a trophy. Every one has a special meaning.

Having killed plenty of bucks over the years of all sizes I tend to be a bit more choosy these days with what I kill. Basically if the buck gets me excited when I first see him that’s all it takes for me. The size may change drastically depending on the year and sometimes by the day. One day I might shoot a 110” buck if it’s a memorable hunt and other days I might pass on a 130” buck because I know bigger ones are around. These days if I see a buck and he makes my heart race a bit I’m shooting with no regrets.

One thing I know for sure is if I release an arrow I will always be completely happy with what I kill. Breaks my heart seeing a guy kill a buck and then downplays it totally disrespecting the animal. Don’t kill just to say you did. Kill what makes you happy and screw whatever others think of you as a hunter.

[Grizzlyadam]

They are all trophies to me. I put them all on the wall. Sometimes the smallest racks have the biggest memories and stories to go along with them. After all what it boils down to is that they are really only up there for me anyway.

[A5BLASTER]

I kill what I like and what's legal in my state. I don't give two turds what anyone thinks of it. They are free too hunt and try to kill what makes them happy.

Heck I killed a 110 pound doe this year, she was a very tasty trophy. Killed a good ole southwest Louisiana 2 year old swamp stag and couldn't have had more pride if it had been a 200 inch 16 point.

Hunt and kill what makes you happy, antler score is over rated and overhyped to keep company's and tv faces making money.

[Boogieman1]

As a rule of thumb a trophy for me its generally an equation of... effort+overall experience+personal satisfaction=trophy.

Was a time when that was any legal deer for me. Then my first buck, first bow kill, first trad bow kill etc... All trophies to me and put a smile on my face when I think back.

I think with each passing year it takes a little more to keep that feeling. Though it’s measured in many diff ways other than antler. Maybe time restriction, new tactic, special buck or just something out of the ordinary. But I know the diff between a trophy for me and just settling to fill a tag. So if I loose an arrow the buck is going to be a personal trophy. I like the feeling of walking up to a trophy and have no problem eating a tag to get it.