Every year I receive a text, email or visit from a fellow hunting friend wanting to show me their most recent harvest. Now don’t get me wrong about all that I’m about to say; it’s each hunter prerogative as to what they consider a trophy…but how we react to their “trophy” can cause quite the impact.
Some of us have our set antler restrictions and for good reasons. We view going a year without harvesting a buck better than shooting that little fork-horn running around. Others though just want a buck and do not care of what caliber; others yet just want meat in the freezer. I’m blessed to have friends and family members from every group which at times can be a curse as well. You see I’m in the group of “Eight points and wide as ears” type of guy for a buck to touch dirt…so when a hunting buddy (who claims to be after solid bucks) shoots me a picture or worse yet a text like this, “Just downed a big buck…pic will be sent soon” I’m absolutely devastated once the picture comes through and it’s a tiny 6-pointer that isn’t even as wide as a bic lighter. However, I’ve learned something over the years; pick your battle educational moments wisely.
At this moment your fellow hunting buddy is on cloud 9, I mean shoot I’m pumped whenever I put an arrow in a deer or slide some hot lead through their boiler room. Don’t make even the slightest comments that could offend or hurt the other hunter’s feelings.
I can remember being 15 and bringing my first buck, scored just shy of 145, to the local sporting goods store to check it in. Guys from everywhere in the store was coming out to see this buck I’d shot. Congrats were coming from every single mouth and slaps on the back were common place. I then remember going back to this place about two weeks later with my dad because I believe he had some bow work getting done. While we were there a truck pulled up and out hopped from the passenger side the happiest little boy I’ve ever seen. The kid maybe weighed 80 pounds and probably couldn’t have been older than 9. You just knew in the back of dad’s truck was his first deer. It didn’t take long for the little kid’s excitement to grab some attention and as dad lowered the tailgate to show us all his son’s first buck (a fork-horn) his son sounded like Stan Potts explaining exactly how the hunt went and was so excited he had to slow down and repeat himself once. We were all congratulating him and then walked up this middle-aged guy, probably in his late 30’s, who glanced in at the buck looked at the boy and said, “Wouldn’t have wasted a bullet on him.” This comment froze everyone, and as the gentleman walked away there was a moment where no one said a word; even the boy’s dad was shocked at the comment. Soon you heard someone say, “He’s probably not shot a buck in his life yet and just jealous”. The boy laughed with the comment, but it was forced and the damage had been done. Now granted that’s an extreme situation, and I would hope all the people reading this have the understanding that a first buck no matter the size is an absolute trophy and a feeling that is hard to top no matter what you get in following years. The same idea though applies to anyone seeking congratulations from you. They obviously wouldn’t have wanted you to see if they weren’t proud, so that moment is not when you have a lecture on why harvesting only mature bucks is proper game management or any other similar conversation. Just simply congratulate the hunter and be done.
(both above picture from http://www.odorfreeproducts.com/trophy_room.htm)
You tell me which of these 3 photos shows a better trophy to the hunter? The correct answer is none, to each of these hunters what they got are all trophies!
A great example of this has occured to me before. I've gotten pictures sent to my email or phone to only see what appeared to be a deer that still had it's spots on it. Yes it's true, this happens and understand sometimes guys shoot does only to see a fawn coming up they hadn't seen and now out of mercy shooting the fawn. No matter what the case this is about as extreme as it gets for me, and I’d be lying if the conservation minded hunter in me isn’t shooting off alarms left and right, but it isn’t the time nor was I asked for my opinion on the harvesting of such a young deer. That is the key, if you aren’t asked what you think FOR HEAVEN SAKES DON’T SAY IT! You have to remember we as hunters are a fraternity (sorority for you ladies) of sorts and you shouldn’t waste time making enemies or causing problems with other hunters simply because of the size of their deer or deer's rack. We’ve got other bad apples in the bunch that deserves that type of treatment (like those illegally hunting, trespassing…).
Just always remember and keep in mind the kind of hunter you want to be and stick to it. If you’re a freezer hunter, expect others to not get as excited about your spikes and forks; but that shouldn’t mean you are any less excited. On the other side of the coin remember if you’re a hunter unwilling to shoot little bucks, there will be times when everyone else is sending you photos of their bucks and you’re coming up empty…don’t let that affect you either.
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