Every Deer Taken With Archery Equipment A Trophy?

I have read and heard that every deer taken with archery equipment is a trophy. I imagine that is used to be true but I feel with advances in equipment it no longer is. Don't get me wrong I would never belittle and will always say congrats to first deer, first buck etc but I am not impressed with grown experienced men or women taking a deer. It really is not difficult to shoot just any deer, most of it is being at the right place at the right time. Heck even using the old throwback equipment a deer can be expected every year.

 

Many people only have access to crappy public or postage stamp sized parcels it still is the case in many instances.

 

A trophy is in the eyes of the beholder. I personally believe in being proud of any and all kills, regardless of antlers, age of the deer, age of the person, weapon used, or any other factors.

 

Lots of factors. It is safe to say it is more difficult to kill a deer with a longbow/recurve than a compound which is more difficult than a crossbow which is > than a open sighted old school muzzleoader or smoothbore shotgun which is > than any modern rifled or scoped firearm.

Trophy has more to do with the elements of the hunt, story and personal feelings of the hunter successful.

 

It all depends on where you hunt. Some places it is easy. Many places it is not easy.

Far more people fail to shoot a deer with their bow than do every year. That is just fact. I think your post is a bunch of hooey.

 

Any post using the word "hooey" is worth a like !

 

I am not ripping on anyone or discounting anyones success at all, like I said I say congrats to anyone who takes a deer, just don't see it being so difficult that every single deer is a trophy or rare either.

 

meh.....

 

Maybe "trophy" isn't the word, but Pride comes to mind. Taking any deer with archery tackle is far and away more difficult than using a gun. I think you should be proud of it.

I killed my biggest buck to date this season in Missouri and yes, it was a trophy and you bet I was unbelievably proud. Two days later, I arrowed a doe to close out my season and I was very proud to take that doe. Heck I even get pictures taken of me with every doe I take as well.

Regardless of your position, there is absolutely no shame in harvesting any deer with a bow and arrow. Yes, technology has made things easier, but if its that easy, why are all these states letting you use a crossbow now? Thats nothing against those guys either.

 

Depends on your definition of a trophy.

It's always an amazing thing to me that something as big and durable as a deer can be killed with a stick and a string so on some fundamental level to me, all archery deer are personal trophies that I'm proud of. That doesn't mean I hang every one of them on a wall.

 

I think it's a case to case basis. Me shooting a doe with my compound isn't much of an accomplishment. I still get the rush of shooting a deer, but it isn't that difficult for me to go find and kill deer with my bow. Even on public ground around here, I can go kill a deer pretty easily. If I were to use a recurve though, a doe might mean a little more to me.

 

I guess with crossbows, range finders, comfortable stands, trail cameras, food plots etc, these devices have done nothing but make it easier to take deer, heck I see kids as young as 6 taking a deer with cross bows, how hard can it be?

 

That's for you to decide. If you feel it's "easy" and they aren't trophies then they aren't trophies to you.

Personally, I wouldn't think it an easy thing to drag a kid out and kill a deer with a rifle or whatever but that's my opinion. All about POV.

 

I use a 19 yr old compound (in my sig), are my little deer more impressive to you? I also use a really old loggy bayou climber and most of my other equipment is the same, old and tired. Yaaay Im a trophy hunter!

 

All my deer have been spot and stalk mule deer. My farthest shot to date has been 30 yards. This year's was 25 yards. My nephew's was 15 yards. To get that close to an Alberta Mule Deer is exciting, then to actually kill the animal, is indeed an accomplishment to celebrate. That's why my deer are all personal trophies to me.

 

Any deer with a bow is a trophy to me. But it is harder to take an old doe then an old buck.

 

The only doe I have ever shot with a bow was the old bully doe, the old blister had not had a fawn in 2 years and was brutal to other does. I watched one time where a young 6 point came up and gave her a whiff in the crotch, that doe turned around and smacked the buck in the face with her hoof, it sounded like a bar fight punch in the jaw. I shot her last year with a bonus tag, she was the reason I bought the tag. Old does are careful but not smarter than the average deer.

 

Then go into a place blind, hunt from the ground, using only the available sign to locate and stalk your prize.

To some extent you are right but the great thing about archery is it's wide range of difficulty levels. You can make it relatively easy if you only are looking for meat or are a beginner or you can make it almost impossibly hard if you are looking for a challenge. The circumstances in relation to each individual's skill set will determine the status of the kill as a trophy or not.

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Very true, it is the reason I don't care for Wisconsin gun hunting I feel like I am sitting at a slot machine when I am sitting in a stand. I don't have the time to spend weeks scouting and when gun season starts there is no pattern.

 

It all boils down to why we are out there. Personally, killing a button, spike, forky or basket rack is not my goal, so the I don't even consider pulling the bow off the hook when one walks in. I'm looking for a more mature deer than that. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I hold out for a 5.5 year stud because I'd probably be eating tag soup every year. A quality 3.5 year old or better will probably get my attention enough to take the shot. I don't shoot a lot of doe either as I don't feel like the doe population is really out of balance on my place.

Other people have different goals. Some folks are strictly meat hunters, or their hunting time is limited so they shoot the first thing they see. I'm not sure that constitutes a trophy though. It's a dead deer and it's an accomplishment, but I don't really consider it a trophy. A trophy is something people covet, something they work to achieve, something other people would like to have.

I don't want to take anything away from a hunter that hunts differently than me, these are just how I see it for myself. Other people are dealing with different situations or circumstances than me.