Not necessarily a challenge , but rewarding YES! The big buck (trophy) thing is also a primal instincts trait or whatever you want to call it (testosterone?). It's our nature to be competetive against one another which is what I consider the trophy buck syndrome to be , competitiveness. We all have it. If I go out and kill the biggest sabre tooth tiger then I can pound my chest and have any woman of the tribe I want. I'm not setting out to do it for a challenge , I'm setting out to do it for bragging rights.
Killing a big buck is a challenge that you look forwar to and accept you just don't quantify the challenge as one of the reasons that you hunt. However, I hope after re-examining this conversation you would surely agree that it plays a role.
Straightarrow,
I hear the reasons you listed but all that tells me is that it may be easier to see deer during bow season. But, that's the whole point is that you can see 50 big ones within 50 yards before you ever get a shot bowhunting where you would have gotten a shot at everyone gun hunting. How does your resume read when it comes to big deer? How many and how big with a gun and how many and how big with a bow?