I shot any buck with horns till I was 19 years old,why?My farther told me never pass up a leagle deer.When I was 19 I went to work for my uncle who is/was a trure trophy hunter,said" Big bucks come from small ones,and small ones come from big ones" .There is nothing wrong with meat hunting,but if all you wan' t is meat then shoot a doe,why shoot a fork horn or a " Dink" opening day,shoot for horns and all it is is bragging rights " I shot a buck" ,so why not shoot a BIG " UN" I can understand a 1st timer we all start some where or biggest buck of you life,just try to better him the next year.I have one mulie buck that is 26 in wide and scores 150 B&C,great deer,4 years a go I shot a 189 7/8 mulie 31 1/2 wide,I had him mounted.He will be the biggest buck in my life,unless by a fluke I find another,I have not shot another mulie since,why?He don' t beat the one on the wall.I have a freind thet every year shoots mulie bucks in the 25-27 in. range,he is mad at him self for not finding a good honest 30 incher,I told him the last time I caught him gauking at my buck" You don' t consider the deer you shot a throphy,but in the eyes of some one else they may never see a 26 in mulie" ,granted he shoots only the old bucks on his place,dose not hunt them in the rut(he deams it unfair) he harvests the old and losing their peak.All they ever will be is a 26 in. buck.

Their is nothing wrong with trophy hunting aslong as you harvest a trophy and let the little ones go,shoot a doe on the last day for meat.

Elk are diffrent thats my meat for the year and any leagle elk,cow or bull is fair game,I dont have a 300 class bull on the wall either,when I do I will pass up spikes and raghorn' s,why? Cause they don' t beat the one wall.