Every Deer Taken With Archery Equipment A Trophy?

Heck us midwest guys have fawns with spots that gross in the 120's.....

 

.....and yet I only have 3 weeks of hunting season left, and no deer to show for it. Hmmm


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I miss the days at times when every deer was a trophy. Any glimpse of a deer put me on the edge of my seat. I'm not a great hunter but I've had some success, now at first glimpse first thought is how big. If its a small buck or doe its fun, but the rush isn't there. Those still in the early stages, enjoy it. The progression is naturally towards big buck and mature deer for most of us but at times I wonder when was it more fun.

 

It is till fun for me but the intensity is off the charts, I have shortened my time spent in the stand and increased the results. I am stuck between enjoying venison and the next buck I only get 1 tag a year. I must spend 100's of hours prepping for 1 shot a year, don't get me wrong I enjoy the prepping and the work that goes into letting 1 arrow a year go but it seems so anticlimactic when the tag is filled. All that time for 20 minutes of intensity, I love it but it is all so predictable, every deer I kill is first degree murder premeditated and planned.

 

The size of the deer does not determine to me whether it is a trophy or not. One of the smallest bucks I have killed means more to me than one of my largest due to the circumstances and the story of the hunt. Trophy means different things to different people although now it does take a fairly large deer for me to get that feeling of hearing your heart beat in your eardrums.

 

I have that attitude towards others and the deer they take, I know several people who bow hunt and I always love getting the calls and going to see the deer they shoot, I love to hear stories they tell of leading up to the shot and the recovery, I am more than willing to help drag or help track a deer. It seems like the innocence is gone once you get a few big bucks under your belt, I love to see and hear people talk about the biggest deer they shot or their first deer doesn't matter.

 

Last year i shot my first deer with my bow. 3 pt 1 1/2 year old buck at 30 yds. he is a trophy to me! I got his antlers mounted on a plaque that has the date and says first bow kill. It is a matter of personal opinion if it is a trophy or not. To me every deer taken with a bow is a trophy. Yea, there are all these advances and such that you speak of, but yet every year you still see so many people miss/bad shot/lose deer. granted some are taking shots they shouldnt but a lot of them are doing everything right. If it was so easy, everybody would be doing it

 

Im glad I could care less about what other people think about the deer I shoot.

 

I guess I feel like they're all still a trophy. I hunt to put meat on the table. Sure I would love to kill a big'un. But I grew up hunting public land hearing that you couldn't eat antlers. Now I have 130 acres and find myself leaning more towards looking for the big ones, but I'll take what I can get. I've hunted muzzleloader season for 8 years now and have taken 2 deer. Could mean I'm a bad hunter, I don't know. Right now I'm hoping that I can take my bow out starting next year and shoot deer reliably. I figure I have a few more years of hunting primarily for myself then it will be time to get serious about the kids hunting. Hopefully between what I shoot and they shoot in the future, a deer is always a trophy. Personally I feel like if I ever lose that appreciation for each harvested deer then I shouldn't be doing it.

 

In my mind the "trophy" isn't always the deer. It's listening to the woods wake up, watching Bald Eagles and sparrows. Having that same dang squirrel get my heart pumping when he stirs up the leaves.....
I get to leave stress at the truck and climb up a tree.
I enjoy every part of the hunt, not just the official score of the bone on top of a buck's head.

 

dhd nailed it.

 

I think it is all relative to location and overall quality of deer hunting in a given area... around here... any buck is a "trophy" with the bow in most areas. I think many people from other areas of the country would agree with me if they came out here to hunt for a bow season...
Although, there are certain areas that are very good hunting... but most people cannot hunt these places.

 

Try going blind into pressured public land without any stands ,cameras or rangefinders when you can only hunt once every 12 days.

 

We can run cameras on our public here with obvious risk of theft....if I was limited I know full well I'd be hanging some high to scout when I can be there. Public is tough but I know many a guy who does well, definitely a different animal!

 

"...even using the old throwback equipment a deer can be expected every year. "

An interesting statement and maybe for where you hunt, that may be true. Here in RI, last year, 20,000 deer tags were issued to hunters. A total of 2,502 deer were taken during the season. That works out to a success ratio of 26%. Single deer harvest was 90% of the total. Only 10% took more than 1 deer. Of the ones who took more than 1 deer, only 1% took 3 or more. In RI we are allowed to take a total of 8 deer. Archers took 907 deer, for a success ratio of 33%. Based on these numbers, most hunters cannot and do not expect a deer every year. Like the term "beauty", trophy is in the eye of the beholder.

I'm glad the OP can expect a deer every year. I'm thankful for whatever deer I get to see and put in the freezer and each one is a trophy in their own right. Enjoy the rest of the hunting season.

 

My comment was not based on deer numbers, it was based on equipment, habitat and tactics making it easier to take a deer.

 

Not every deer I shoot is a trophy. I do enjoy any deer I take and am proud of it but still not a trophy. Now I plan on picking up a trad bow and my goal is to shoot any deer with it and that will be one of my best trophies doe, fawn, or buck