What is a Trophy?

It is that time of year when many of us may be getting back our treasured trophies from our local taxidermist, bringing back memories of that special hunt.

What defines a trophy?

The Pope and Young Club, an organization generally accepted by bow hunters as the standard for holding the bow hunting record book for trophy animals states that to be eligible into the Pope and Young Record Book a Typical American Elk must meet the minimum antler score of 260”, while the typical white-tailed deer must meet the score of 125.” Typical Mule Deer must measure 145” or better. These scores have become part of hunters’ vocabulary. We talk about the animals we see on our game cameras, while out scouting, or from previous hunt as “that 320 Bull” or “that 140 buck.”

Growing up I would listen to my father talking to his friends about “a 6 point” or “that five-by-five” “spike” or “cow.” Spikes and cows were preferred by some as they were considered better table fare. Deer were labeled as “fat does” or “four points”,” five points” and so on. Growing as a hunter I have adopted talking about big game bucks or bulls by the total combined length of antler. I know there can be many different dimensions to a five-point bull that could be less than 200” or greater than 300.” Because of these discrepancies I realize that talking in inches provides your audience a much better description of the animal you’re talking about.

I appreciate the growth and changes in the hunting community. I see positive role models in what can be described as “the industry” and I feel that this growth has not only accepted women like me but encourage younger women to participate and learn from the natural cycle of life. That is what hunting is to me: actively participating in the natural process of life. For that matter, I would not be writing this article if women were not accepted.

While we describe big game by the number of inches of antler they grow on their heads that is only a part of what makes up a trophy hunt. For me a trophy hunt includes who I get the chance to hunt with, the location of where I get to explore and hunt, the physical demands and expenditure required, as well as taking in the entire tactics of locating, communicating and getting close enough to the animal to make a high percentage shot. While it is often joked about, there would not be much satisfaction in killing and animal tied to a tree.

Theodore Roosevelt was quoted as saying, “Nothing worth having was ever achieved without effort.” I believe this is true for hunting. I believe the amount of effort is going to be variable between hunters.

I want to be clear about what a trophy is to me. It is the PROCESS, the entire work put in, that makes up a trophy in my mind. If a hunter is lucky enough to draw a limited tag to an area where there are large bulls or bucks, then trying to find a record book animal adds to the amount of work needed to find such an animal and that work makes for the trophy. If a hunter has a disability or other limitations then hunting private areas or farms may be needed to accommodate a hunter. I do not want to judge other hunters on how or where (providing they are legally taking their animals) they are taking their animals but what I want to express is that the trophy status is more than the antlers on their head. For that matter farms have proven that antlers can be grown into any size you want.

Don’t’ get me wrong. I love to pursue the “big boys” as much as the next person.

What a privilege to grow as a hunter and person though hunting experiences. As a miner’s daughter, I witnessed cows and doe’s become trophies for my father as they were feeding his family with the best meat we could have. As we got older I watched as he and my brothers were able to be selective and take animals with large head gear. Then as I became a mother I could see the cycle repeat when my son killed his first spike buck (gross score of 6”) and acted like it was the greatest trophy ever taken.

As hunters we often talk about big game by the gross amount of inches of antler and sometimes it can appear that the antlers are all that matter. Antlers are trophies. They are permanent relics or mementos that serve as a reminder of memories made during the hunt. Memories of setting camp and sleeping under the stars, memories of your hunting partner playing the drums in the local bar on the night you went into town, or memories of those elk bugles under a blue and orange sunset in the mountains. For me the trophy is in all of the combined efforts of all of those who I hunt with. Gross score of antlers is a way of describing the trophy that carried those antlers.

Thank you for taking time to read this article.

I would LOVE to hear your thoughts!

How do you define a trophy?

Shellie

#BackcountryBoss #Hunting #Trohpy #ShellieMcCarthy