This might be my trophy for the Year

[sheepguide]

the guy with a 160" buck every year beats a lucky 2 big deer for me.

but what if that guy with the two big deer has turned down a bunch of 160"- 170" deer waiting for bigger ones? or if the guy with all the 155-160's has missed 2 190" deer?
You get what im saying!

[nube]

The words Better hunter are something that you can't judge in some ways and I agree.  I can tell you what impresses me more and that is a guy that is consistent in killing trophy quality or consistent in killing something like a ram or having even the opportunity every year impresses me. 
Also a guy that can consistently kill a few different types of animals that are decent quality impresses me.  I was impressed by WILDMEATS post about him killing all of the critters he did in 4 days.  That tells me the guy knows a few things.  If I were to try and kill and elk every year I know it would take me a bit of work.  Never done much of it and would love to start but too busy hunting other things for now.  I think anyone that can whack a moose and an elk and a decent whitetail in 4 days deserves a pat on the back. 

[Paul]

I fully agree with you on Wildmeats success in 4 days, awesome, that's far more impressive to me than a guy that shoots a big buck every year, clearly it takes hard work to produce 3 different and respectable species in 4 days.

[ishootbambi]

about the only thing i can add from here is to say i dont view hunting as a competition.  i dont think im better than thenext guy, or that the next guy might be better than me.   i have goals that i strive for,and if i can achieve them, then thats the biggest success i am after.  these days, just seeing a giant buck is the goal.  taking him of course is the idea, but just finding him and laying eyes on a buck like that is worth the price of admission.  like nube said, a guy that has consistent success has worked his arse off, and i appreciate the work he has done.

for those saying time matters.....i believe its the most important thing.  not everyone gets all the time in the world to pursue their goals.  my job keeps me busy as heck through the early season, so archery success has suffered for a couple years.....but im in the early stages of a 24 day strecth of hunting.  that gives me a better chance than the guy who only gets weekends. 

and darcy....definitely.....this topic has remained civil.  thats the difference between the guys here and a certain other place.  proof positive of who the real donkeys are starting wars in every damn thread, and who can have a gentlemenly discussion.  more and more im liking this place and losing enthusiasm elsewhere.

[nube]

Good points Bambi.  One of them I really like and that was about just finding a big buck.  That is the biggest reason I love what I do with the trail camera thing.  To me even just finding one with the camera is a thrill for me.  Whether I bait them or not I could care less.  I spend a ton of time doing it in past years and I have learnt so much while doing it and watching them it has made me a better hunter and I enjoy it so much.  Just getting one on camera is alomost as much of a high as killing him. 

[diamonddave]

I stayed out of this thread just to watch where it went. I agree with points you all have made and I loved reading it. THIS is the way a forum is supposed to go boys, Gotta love it.
My .02 cents....... I have hunted my entire life, and hunted my  ass off for the last 5 years every chance I get, and my biggest is last years 150 ish buck. I have only ever seen one better and I could have shot him but i wanted momma bear to shoot him, so I held off. We never did see him again, and it still haunts me to this day but I would do the same thing tomorrow. For me the biggest reward from hunting is taking my familly out and enjoying the hunt with me.
One day I will figure out where the big deer live, it just hasn't happened yet. But it keeps me coming back and planning every year.

[nube]

One thing also I just thought of if it has not been mentioned is area you hunt.  I know a lot of you guys may put time in but you also might not be in the best area.  I used to hunt for years with my dad out in the Vermillion area and although there are some good whitetail out there later on in life I found that there are way more better areas to hunt then that open prairie type land.  The deer population was good but it was not as good as other areas and the chance for a deer to grow up was not the greatest as it could have been.  Find the right areas that will grow big bucks and then put your time in.  Learn an area well.  It takes me about 4 years to start feeling like I know an area well enough to be comfortable in it. 

[walleyes]

Awesome discussion boys some real good points on both sides. Personally I have done and still continue to do both style hunts trophy and at times meat hunt just depends on the situation and game in pursuit. As far as whitetail in the last 20 years I have pretty much been a trophy hunter with the odd meat buck taken. Just depends on what has transpired that fall. Take 2 falls ago I never made it out moose hunting I stayed south and did some local hunting,, filled my Antelope tag and a Muly tag that was burning a hole in my pocket. The oldest boy had his Muly tag as well. We hunted pretty hard that fall I put in probably close to 20 solid days on the trail put on quite a few miles on the boots. Early on in the hunt we passed on a couple in the 150 - 160 mark looking for a bigger deer. For us it never happened so on the last day we went out and filled our tags on a couple meat bucks. We put some dandy meat in the freezer and we couldn't of been happier. They were young tender awesome table fare. There have been times over the years I have done the same with whitetail. We had only 1 moose in moose camp to go around 2 or 3 families so I went out and got early an whitetail buck and a doe,, no qualms about it.. I had a young family at home that loved wild meat and not a lot of money in the bank.. Believe it or not but when the wife and I were younger and had 3 boys at home we depened quite heavily on wild meat for the table. Trophy hunt for that I don't think so..

When you think about it fellows the good Lord never put those animals on this earth so we could hang a set of horns on the wall. He put them here so we could eat. Now in this day and age we certainly don't need it but there is no doubt in my mind there are a lot of folk that have lost focus on the real goal of a hunt,, and thats to put meat on the table.. Anything other than that and its just a sport and to cheapin a hunt and call it a sport,, well thats not for me.. And I said thats for me I cast no judgement on the next man each to his own. Now those years that I meat hunted rather than trophy hunted was I less a hunter or less skilled ?? don't think so I just did what had to be done. I know this,, I was born and raised in whitetail country hard core whiteail country and have been for the most part in the last 20 years a trophy hunter. There are very few men that have spent as much time as I have have out in the woods in prime  whitetail country and probly very few as in tune with the wild as I am in that country very few and I know this my wall isn't full of trophies. Yah I have a couple nice deer. 1 in the 80's couple in the 60's and a couple in the 50's. Luck boys is a very big part of the equation a very big part..

There are a few of us on here that are solid hunters and when one tries to stick his neck out as being a little better just cause his wall has a couple more sets of bone on it than the next,, well you can expect a bit of pushing and shoving cause boys this is a pretty tough crowd to start that in..

[sheepguide]

Well said Walleyes! I do beleive many have lost the true sense of the hunt by trying to up the score value of trophies. Like I said im glad others have had good"Luck" on some big deer but they best not think to fast that that makes one person better than another because down the road a big dish of humble pie will be served to them guaranteed.
One day I may put a gagger buck on the wall and I will always look for one but until that time and after that time im just gunna live in the moments and just enjoy the hunt and the fine table fair!
SG

[nube]

Your calling it "Luck" sheepguide?  Anyone that can produce on a regular basis has a little more than "luck"

[sheepguide]

Never said it was all luck now did I? As it does take skill for sure but there also has to have that luck factor also. I know guys that are awesome hunters, have put endless days in the field and have yet to kill a "big" deer . Why because they arent as good of hunters? No, because they seem to run a stretch of bad luck!!  Coyotes screwing them up, other hunters, a twig that was unseen or weather that moved in.  Are you a better hunter because you have some big deer on the wall. Id put alott of money that you arent, but luck went your way on them days but it wasnt 100% because you were a "Better Hunter"!

Sure it takes skill to harvest big deer regularly but you guys seem to try and put the guys with the most and biggest trophies on some pedastal!!!!  That shows a guy is dedicated but doesnt mean a guy is a better or more dedicated hunter than the next guy.


So to answer your question... yes it does take a certain amount of luck!!!!!!!!!!!!

SG

[HarvestMaster]

I would put everything I have, which isn't much, on the fact that Fred Eichler from 10 years ago would run a clinic on everyone on this forum. His animals were all small, but he also spots and stalks turkeys. What I'm saying is simple rack size smack size, I don't want to hear about what you have done. I want to SEE what you can do right now. Antlers won't tell me how good you are, but 50 km into the Yukon back country sure will.

Regards,
Adam

[sheepguide]

Exactly Adam!  The only way to truely see how skilled a hunter is, is by spending time with them in the bush. Like you said Antlers on the wall in general show you nothing on how good that hunter truely is in my opinion.

SG

[walleyes]

The focus on the hunt has really changed over the last 20 years and rightly so. Our fathers and grandfathers hunted in the true sense of necessity. There are very few people in our world that hunt with the same intent. Today we hunt because we want to not because we have to. Now in this realm some choose to pursue the larger of the species they are pursuing some are content with having the meat to enjoy. There are many like myself that differ from animal to animal their priorities as whether its a meat hunt or trophy hunt in the end it really doesn't matter just as long as we do it legally and ethically. Personally I have met more than one hunter that has a couple nice trophies on the wall in his home but after talking with the fellow I wouldn't let him chop wood for my camp let alone consider him a good hunter. Now if we start to judge a hunter by the size of the horns on his wall indeed we are stooping to a new low, we are cheapening the hunt taking away from the true essence of it. But I certainly wouldn't call those that do trophy hunt cheap or low,, no way.. Its their choice have at it. But in turn anyone of them that would consider themselves a better hunter than some because they have a couple more big racks than the next guy,, well what can be said about them ?? It would just go to show how truly intelligence said person is.

I blame a lot of this trophy size, best hunter attitude bull shit on the media we have today. 95% of the coverage we see is about bigger is better. Its all a competition to get the most and biggest in the books. Truly they should take them damn books and burn them. What a disgrace to an animal to put a number on it. If thats all that animal is to you is a bigger number than truly its a sad day..

In the end as long as we respect the animal we pursue and we respect each other and don't judge then all is good.

[Decker]

When I took it the Skull and Horns in to the F&W I was nervous as I heard alot of different story's. But I got the permit for it as well they plugged it and it's registered, not really the way I wanted my first registered ram to be.

[Springer]

Cool find Decker. I am always keeping an eye out for Bone while hunting as well. I know a guy who picked up a 186 winterkill years ago. He put his tag on it ,took it to the C.O's his story checked out and they gave him another tag to continue hunting. Man i was surprised how heavy it was.
Sheepguide has an eye for antler as well, finds an Elk shed ...i find the match , he says Oh yeah...if you want to find a Moose shed you look from an elevation point into the valley and ....there's one right there. He finds a Big Moose shed. Nothing to it.

[ishootbambi]

well oddly enough, here i go.  i took a head into F&W yesterday for a permit.  its onkly the second time i have ever founf something i would like to keep.  turns out the first time i applied for a permit that someone else already had an application going.  anyway, i was told it would be ready today.  when i went to get it...nope.  i was told it isnt ready as some supervisor needed to approve it?  hmmm.  im hoping this doesnt get silly......

[sheepguide]

Cool find Decker. I am always keeping an eye out for Bone while hunting as well. I know a guy who picked up a 186 winterkill years ago. He put his tag on it ,took it to the C.O's his story checked out and they gave him another tag to continue hunting. Man i was surprised how heavy it was.
Sheepguide has an eye for antler as well, finds an Elk shed ...i find the match , he says Oh yeah...if you want to find a Moose shed you look from an elevation point into the valley and ....there's one right there. He finds a Big Moose shed. Nothing to it.

Them sheds we found Springer were in the same general valley as Deckers ram was found.
SG

[Springer]

SG ,Its to bad we couldnt access that trail in until July ,with atvs anyway. I already am planning Shed hunting for Spring.

[sheepguide]

Phil I found a spot loaded with moose yesterday to look for sheds. We saw 12 moose in one muskeg!
SG