ORIGINAL: spaniel


Well, my elk hunting buddy is good friends with a pro hunter who I will not name. What sets him apart is not skill or knowledge; it is connections which have allowed him to secure sponsorships and paid hunts which enable him to leave his paying job for 6 months out of the year to shoot trophy after trophy in areas that are intensively pre-scouted for him. In return he takes plenty of pictures with his sponsors' gear displayed with these trophies. He does not experiment extensively with his equipment; he shoots whatever his sponsors what to advertise that season.

This is why I look more to the in-the-trenches Joe Schmoe knowledgable "amateurs" on sites like this for their opinions -- they aren't selling me anything. When Sabotloader tells me Noslers are great and I should try them, I listen. He isn't making a dime off them. People like this are just normal guys who like to tinker and are willing to share.

Jim may be a great guy. He may even know a lot. The point is I don't know him, but I do know that based on his livelihood he is pushing an agenda and likely to promote anything if they are paying him to do so. So I take my advice elsewhere. Anyone can shoot trophies with enough time, money and help. I've scored two nice bucks off a property I've hunted a total of 3 days in the past 2 years, both bigger than the landowner that has hunted the land for years has ever shot there. Now they may not make Boone and Crockett, but I think that makes me pretty decent given my time limitations. There are monsters on that property, I know they are there, and if I got to hunt more than 2-3 days per year I'm sure I could take some trophy photos like Jim too but I have to keep my day job.