Wonderful story and thoughts. I wish all would look at how they percieve why they hunt. What is it they consider a trophy. For my family and myself we are meat hunters. The "Trophy" is an added bonus. But then all deer that we harvest are trophies. We respect the deer for what they are, and we are thankful for the opportunity to hunt.

Yeah great story trophy is what you remember and enjoy.

Excellent article, well put. I see/hear all too often those hunters who feel the only thing worth shooting is a big buck. Many also don't feel the intense emotion/ gratitude/reverence that should come with killing an animal. The guys on the hunting shows who go up to the downed animal, hoot and holler, then talk to the couch sitter about the size of the antlers are particularly annoying. I rarely watch these programs for this and other reasons.

I'm not trying to come off as a holier-than-thou hunter, but rather, as the the author of the article states, someone who respects the game we hunt, and is thankful for the opportunity to provide for myself and my family, and enjoys the time outdoors.

Thanks for this article.

I shot a bear two weeks ago....it turned out to be a lot smaller than it seemed when I first spotted it. I got back the meat from the butcher the other day. Also, we're having the hide made into a rug.

It's meat will be appreciated at our table. The bear will be remembered among family & friends as we swap hunting stories. He truly was a much appreciated GIFT, small or not.

Fantastic!

That is a great article. One of my favorite pictures of deer that BGH members posted this season was of a doe. I don't remember who posted it but I can clearly see that doe in my minds eye as I type this. One of my favorite mounts that I have at home is also a doe......She is beutiful

Hunter I also have a doe mount ane your right she is beautiful . IMO it a lot nicer than a buck .

great article, thats why i dont like to show some of those shows, to ppl that i try to explain the art of hunting to. sometimes those host seem like they are just jaded. in all my hunts i have not harvested many birds, 2 pheasants and maybe 5 quail, and some squirrel, but those were all good times spent with my best friend, my brother, and my dad. when it all comes down sometimes thats the most important part, then when when you harvest the game you desire, you appreciate it that much more.

i have yet to hunt deer, elk, or any other big game but believe me its only a matter of time.

This article emphasizes greatly my sentiments regarding this issue! I grew up hunting the 'thickets' of North Louisiana; back when a spike buck would have been a trophy! It was a buck....so be proud that I got to see one! Back at that time.....1950....one would go to jail quicker for shooting a doe than if they had murdered a human being....such was the mindset during those years! I have been totally 'turned off' by the hunting videos/shows that come on the Dish Network because it's really obvious that all of these shows are pushing the latest new fad or gadget and that it's really all about MONEY!! ,) ,) And.....the emphasis is totally upon what constitues a trophy as being nothing but a huge set of 'harns' and whether or not it will score 190+!! It's gotten to where a young kid can't go out and shoot a small spike or a 4 pt. and feel good about their accomplishment because all they see on the 'boob-tube' on the hunting shows is what was mentioned above!! Frankly.....I don't waste my time with those 'shows' anymore! My time is better spent on the range or in the loading room when I'm not hunting!!

Take a kid hunting.....and convey to him/her.......that whatever they decide to shoot.....is a real accomplishment and trophy....horns or not!!

I read this article with reverence for the author. He obviously has a grasp of the fact that any animal harvested is worthy of respect. He understands that any animal taken during the hunt is a Gift of nature. He truly brelieves that the best part of the hunt is the companionship of our fellow hunters and the oneness we obtain with the wild things around us. You hear in his voice the pride of having supplied his family with a wonderful gift of food, yet you also feel the reverence in his voice as he talks of the life he has taken. He understands that he has taken an animal the Creator has given him in order to sustain the lives of himself and his family. For him, killing an animal is not the sport of obtaining a trophy set of horns, it is a way of living life as the Creator intended; for us to be a part of this great cycle of life. For him, the Trophy is not the mounted animal that hangs on his family room wall. The Trohpy is the memory of the Hunt. The mount on the wall is only a symbol to frequently remind him of those memories. The fact that we have been given a mind capable of remembering that feeling and sense of reverence & compassion for the animals we have taken is what sets us apart from the wild predators of the world. When human society looses that ability, then we truly become nothing more than wild predators.

If more parents taught their sons and daughters these things, I firmly believe our world would be a better and safer place. I genuinely believe we have so many predatory killings of young people on our streets today because we as parents have failed to teach our chidren these things and how precious a life really is. Take the time to teach a young person the truth of what it means to hunt & fish. You might just be saving his/her life.