I hate hearing people say... " there isnt any big bucks in my area" we used to think the same thing. Until we decided to start letting the little ones go. It has been 5 eyars now and it is paying off in a very large way. I tell them, if you have little ones, if you didnt shoot them there would be big ones. I tell ya though it was hard passing up bucks for a while, but now just seeing them and knowing they have a chance at being someones trophy in a few years is real excitement.

Kevin, you live in WISCONSIN, it' s known for trophy bucks. Come to the deep South and I' ll show you camps where guys have been practicing QDM for 15+yrs and still the best you can hope for is 140 class animal.

Good job on the big buck! Let' s see some photo' s!!

i·ro·ny ( P ) Pronunciation Key (r-n, r-)
n. pl. i·ro·nies

The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning.
An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning.
A literary style employing such contrasts for humorous or rhetorical effect. See Synonyms at wit1.

Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs: “Hyde noted the irony of Ireland' s copying the nation she most hated” (Richard Kain).
An occurrence, result, or circumstance notable for such incongruity. See Usage Note at ironic.
Dramatic irony.
Socratic irony.

tro·phy ( P ) Pronunciation Key (trf)
n. pl. tro·phies

A prize or memento, such as a cup or plaque, received as a symbol of victory, especially in sports.
A specimen or part, such as a lion' s head, preserved as a token of a successful hunt.
A memento, as of one' s personal achievements.
The spoils of war, dedicated in classical antiquity with an inscription to a deity and set up as a temporary monument on or near a battlefield, placed in an existing temple, or housed in a permanent, new structure.
Architecture. An ornamental marble carving or bronze casting depicting a group of weapons or armor placed upon a square or circular base.

The trophy is definitely in the eye of the holder, If its a trophy to you then its a trophy. Any animal taken under fair chase and legal hunting is a trophy to start. The different challenges of that particular hunt or special things about the hunt or animal just makes the trophy more special. I took a budding bowhunter out on my land several years ago and we set up 75 yards apart to do some rattling. He took a little six pointer in a hunt that you couldnt have made up any better. His first bowkill, came in to horns at a run, stopped right under his stand and bristled up like e was king of the woods, good shot. You would think it was a B/C and it is still his most treasured trophy, all because of how the hunt unfolded.

I posted it here for you guys to see but the mods moved it into the gun forum (even though I already had it there also) I know more people in here so I figured I would give it a shot.

Here is the link to the thread

http://forum.hunting.net/asppg/tm.as...mode=1&smode=1

I think I need to clarify a couple things. #1 I am not trying to say anyone' s trophy is better then anyone elses. I am the LAST guy who would pretend to be an expert on trophies. LOL.......My racks up until this boy would all fall under the wonderful category known as " scrub" bucks

It' s just funny to me that I got into a couple threads this year and argued that killing a big deer would be so much sweeter if he was one in a million.......not a dime a dozen..........Then I go out and do it.......and it' s every bit as sweet as I could have imagined. (irony)

I guess I was wondering if people would rather take a 130" buck where no one has even seen a buck like that in decades or a 170" deer where they are seen every year.

I know every deer is a trophy......believe me, in the battlefields I hunt you are thankful just to see a deer and taking one is pure gravy.

Actually to me a full freezer beats horns any day...........but both is a cool bonus.

I hope my question wasn' t misinterpreted.

Agreed...........and I know we went back and forth on this in your tag draw thread. BTW did you ever go there and kill one?

Again, I hope people don' t misread what I wrote and think I am looking for justification of my deer as a trophy or that it' s better then someone elses........I couldn' t care less. This deer is a trophy so far above and beyond anything that I ever dreamed would walk in front of me where I was hunting that nothing could ever decrease the emotions I feel about him.

I wish every hunter on this board could feel like I did when I came to the end of that blood trail and found this buck.........I was brought to my knees in an open field by a rush of nearly every emotion possible at levels off the charts. 17 years of beating the bush for countless hours and there he was. Finally.

That is the funny part.........like I said you CAN' T be a trophy hunter where I hunt even if you tried. You may as well be hunting white elephants........they just aren' t there.

I am the first person to tell someone that ANY deer is one to be proud of. I don' t even know why the heck I got into all these trophy debates this year........and that is why this is so ironic.

Trust me dude........I am not obssessed with the subject or debating it. I just voiced my opinion a few times and it snowballed a little.

My brother killed a button buck he thought was a doe this year and I was jealous...........probably cause I hadn' t even seen a deer in a week.

I wish I had worded this thread a little differently because by no means am I looking for approval or justification by others..........I really thoguht people would just answer " I' ll take a buck like no one has ever seen vs a run of the mill big boy 7 out of 10 guys get every year" or vice versa.