huh?? What in the world are you talking about? Measure the racks I dont' give a crap! Measure em 3 or 4 times if ya want. Hip Hip Horray.
I guess I should put it in its simplest form..... IMO there's a lot more to hunting than a score. It's not a basketball game it's hunting (to me). I just feel like the general hunting population is leaning more and more into hunting a number than an animal.
You want to hunt a particular # rack then knock your socks off...best of luck to ya.
Myself like I've said before... I will hunt a mature buck. Of course a hunter wants to shoot a mature buck rather than a spike. At the same time they are both trophies and the same exhileration seeing them in the woods to me. The diffence is I'm not going to be distraught if he scores 5 1/8 below what I wanted.

and that's just weird.

What in the world are you talking about?

For the last time.........scoring a buck is one thing. Being obsessed with that said score as some kind of indication of the quality of the deer seems odd. With so many people DYING to know what that buck will score before they even get it field dressed it is obvious that it is a high priority for them.........I was simply asking why.

One more thing.

The comments you quoted Straightarrow are seen as negative because you don't agree with them.

They are no different then all the comments about how it is no accomplishment to shoot small bucks and/or "meat hunter" label for anyone who doesn't trophy hunt.


I noticed you conveniently left those out of your "negative" comments list



This thread was never intended for that debate anyways.............just thought I would point out the irony though.

Congrats atlasman for coming up with a topic for the lively exchange of words.

I don't know what you're talking about. This thread has nothing to do with that and those comments are not to be found in it. Besides, I was responding directly to your question of:
You were asking a question that I answered. Why would I include something you weren't asking about?

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NY bowhunter said:
Maybe this is the big difference between us. Myself, I get much more excited by a large racked mature buck, than a spike. I see dozens of juvenile bucks each year and do not consider them especially difficult to kill. Killing them is not as exciting as getting a shot at a mature buck. The exhileration and the sense of accomplishment is much greater with the mature buck. Somehow I don't think I'm odd or unique in having that feeling. They are not all trophies to me. I doubt I will ever mount a spike or a 4 point, but I'm relatively sure that every larger antlered mature buck I take, will have a place on my wall. I'm not saying that I don't enjoy hunting does or small bucks, but it's a long way from being equal to taking a large antlered mature buck in my eyes. The mature buck is much, much less common and a vastly more difficult animal to kill. That is why it's a greater trophy in my eyes.

Whatever the difference betwen us, there is no reason to assume that anyone gets "distraught if he scores 5 1/8 below what I wanted". That isn't what is happening and has nothing to do with why we want to measure the antlers. I personally don't care if it makes a particular score. I'm just curious where it falls in comparisons to others I've taken and seen.

I hunt because I like deer meat period . sure I'd love to harvest a trophy buck but the first legal one goes in the freezer . around here if you let a small one go the next guy blasts it

No you could never tell by the debate over buckeybuckhntrs' buck [:-].

neither do I but I still think they are cool to have 10 yards away from ya.

They are to me and somehow I don't think I'm odd or unique in having that feeling.


Thanks for clearing that up for me.

This is what I said and exactly how I said it.
You responded:
So, you get the same excitement and sense of accomplishment from a spike as mature buck? You must have far more small deer with full shoulder mounts than large deer, if this is true. I don't know a single hunter doing that. That indeed makes you odd.

So the only way for it to be a trophy is if you have it mounted?

I've never measured or scored any of the bucks I've killed.

Hey if it's a wall hanger, I'll hang it, if not, I'm just as happy.