WHAT IS A TROPHY?

We’ve all heard the term “trophy hunter”. This usually refers to the
sportsman who passes on lesser animals in order to have the opportunity to
take a more impressive specimen. But what measure do we use to determine if an animal should be considered a “trophy”?

ONE MAN’S TRASH IS ANOTHER MAN’S TREASURE

When I was in the elementary grades, we had a thing called “church school”.
If we chose to, we could get out of school on Wednesday mornings to attend
a nearby church for a couple hours of bible lessons.
One day, our church school teacher told us that we could win a pen if we
were able to recite the books of the bible in order. After a couple weeks
of intense study, I gave it a go. I failed on my first attempt and I
actually remember crying. I really wanted that pen. Thankfully, I was
successful the following week.
To anyone else, the prize I so sought after was nothing special…it was
simply a pen. But to me it was a trophy that showed I had completed a significant accomplishment.

IT JUST DOESN’T MATTER

It doesn’t matter if the prize you seek is a monster buck or the first
legal animal to come within range, when you decide to take a specific
animal it should, at that moment, become your trophy. As hunters, we put
too much time and effort in to a hunt to come full draw on an animal that
we aren’t sure we want.

I’M A MEAT HUNTER!

I remember at deer camp one year when a small group of us were cutting up a deer I had taken the day before. It wasn’t a big deer. In fact, it wasn’t
even a buck. But I had done my homework, found my own stand location, took time out of my schedule, and spent my own money in order to harvest that deer. One of the older camp members was helping out. Looking at the size of the deer I had taken, he commented that I was “just a meat hunter”.
At the time, I was hurt. He had belittled my hunting skills by saying that
my deer was beneath him…that he would never lower himself to shoot a deer of that quality. But when I looked back on that deer later on, I was proud
of myself for being able to outwit it and place myself in a position to
take it.
Darn right I’m a meat hunter!!!
And guess what? That older hunter did not get a deer that year. In fact, a
couple of years later, he shot a deer that was MUCH smaller than mine.

CONCLUSION

It’s all a matter of perspective. If you are content with the animal that
you have decided to take a shot at, then it’s a trophy. It may not make the
record books, the sports section of the local paper, or even the
conversation around hunting camp but it’s still a trophy to you. Be proud
of your accomplishments!
And in case you are wondering…I can still recite the books of the bible in
order.

Check out my blog, videos, and lots of other stuff at www.thinkarchery.com.
If you would like to discuss this or any other archery topic with me
directly, please feel free to email me at todd@thinkarchery.com