Thanks for bringing up a great topic - I' ve enjoyed reading it. For what it' s worth, I' m a meat hunter, but am thrilled with large antlers - it' s just that I don' t wait for them.

RE the above statement of yours. I totally agree with you that there' s nothing wrong with setting your sights high (what ever the height is). But I disagree that there' s any thing " moral" about your philosophy. Morals have to do with right and wrong. By using the word moral, to me you' re saying yours is the right way to hunt and therefore us meat hunters are wrong. Are you saying I' m an imoral hunter and you aren' t. I suspect that you aren' t saying this, but I disagree with this at any rate. I fully support and totally respect the framework you hunt in - outsmarting and waiting for the big one and not compromising that, but it' s not more moral than hunting for meat only and shooting any legal animal you get a chance at. Also, for some " the true challenge" might be enough just getting some good healthy meat out of the field and into their freezer, depending on the habitat, and the amount of time they have to spend.

Thanks again for bringing up a good discussion - zeke