I guess I got on a bit of a rant there.

If I was to say that a trophy buck that I paid to shoot wouldn't carry an asterisk in my mind, I'd be lying. Don't get me wrong, I'd go on a guided, pay-hunt, and I'd get a deer and be proud of it. I just think it strikes a nerve, in essence, you're getting the glory for somebody else's legwork.

I equate it to hunting livestock. On a pay-to-hunt ranch, wild game is de-facto livestock, bred to be big, protected from outside hunting pressure, nutritionally sound, etc. I just think that such animals, in my eyes, lend themselves more toward the majesty and growth potential of the animal and less as a testimony to the hunter's skill and cunning.

I won't be going on any pay-hunts anytime soon.