RE: does killing a deer mean success?
Well, kinda. I love the meat. So it is a big deal. I love making jerky and lots of it, eating deersgetti, deer burgers, deer stroganoff, mushroom deer stew. Things I enjoy cooking with deer meat that doesnt taste as good with greasy beef. Also as a person acustomed to eating it most of thier life, sometimes the fat in beef is harder to digest than lean deer.
So yes, its important to me to harvest 3 deer a year, but also imporatant to hunt a nice rack. Fortuantely in the last few years, I have been able to do both. From what I could tell from the older hunters (55+)I know, its not that they want more challenge, but most get lazy says its not worth it for meat or horns. There are exceptions.
But mostly from what I have seen, trophy hunting in Canada or US is a middle age man game, and not young or old.
For instance, I have a bunch of friends from NorthernAlberta that used to work for me and they still work for my company. Back about 10 years ago, if they couldnt' take off for hunting (they work in the US in Telecom work), they would quit, bottom line. It was that important to them. But now, the ones 50 or older, says its not that important anymore. I was kinda shocked. Hope I don't lose that thrill.