Talon, call me crazy, but some of us do not hunt to become rich, get endorsements or anything else. Some of us actually hunt because we love to hunt and are looking for no outside people to tell us how great our accomplishments are.
I don't either. I'm not a pro and I don't have any deer the size of half the guys on this board. BUT although I'm not looking to get rich, I do recognize the opportunity to realize a dream. If I could make money doing something that I like a lot and have the ability to increase my free time to hunt as much as I want, why shouldn't I exploit that opportunity? Call me pragmatic but the reality is there whether you recognize it before you shoot or after. Ask kcison, he shot a state record and notoriaty came to him whether he wanted it or not. If you check in a deer of that caliber, people will seek you out and you will be in the limelight. How you deal with that is up to you. I would not mind taking advantage of the opportunities available to me to increase my ability to provide for my family, improve my lifestyle, and increase opportunities to hunt.
Having said that: I wouldn't shoot the deer BECAUSE of the money. I would because that is what I'm looking for, the deer of many lifetimes. It would be that trophy you dream of. I wouldn't have mercenary motives. But afterwards you can bet I would capitalize on my opportunities. That is no worse than Chuck Adams, Myles Keller, Fred Bear, or any of the video hunters out there today. It's kind of insane but that's the nature of the beast and the level of enthusiasm hunting produces. At the same time I also wouldn't NOT shoot the deer BECAUSE of the money.
