Your missing my point CharlieP.

What I'm saying is if someone approached one of these "public land only because I feel I accomplish so much more" hunters and said...

"We would like for you to come hunt on the King Ranch and it won't cost you anything" they would jump on the chance. None of them would say, "no thanks, that's not really hunting".

Sorry for the confusion. I hope this clarifies the point I was trying to make.

Don't wager too much - you would loose your shirt with me...................

I would never post pictures of my deer.........LOL..........

King Ranch - they would have to pay me to hunt it.

Thats what its all about to me........................The only reason I hunt...........and "marginal" has different levels

If no barriers a mature buck is a formidable opponent regardless of his home base.

The trophy isn't in just the antler it is the experience that get you there!!!! I consider myself a trophy hunter and went several years without notching a tag on a buck. In those years I had just as much fun, rewards as years where I put an animal on the dirt. The meat and horns are an absolute bonus, being able to chase them all over hells acre is the true trophy experience to me. I vividly remember being outsmarted more than when I won the battle of wits, the day I stop learning is probably the last day I will ever hunt! Oh and BTW I do it for the meat, we eat venision more than any other meat product we run through 3-4 deer and some moose or elk every year. 1 month till hunting season I need to finally breakdown and buy some beef if i want steak. I certainly agree it ain't b/c it is cheap but it is the best and like a steak when I buy one it is not going to be the round that is on sale but striploin baby!

King Ranch or any other fenced hunt it no thanks...give me wide open spaces, rubs and let me go make my own trophy experience. However I won't diss those who do, I fully understand and am absolutely grantful of my opportunities each fall.

Do it for yourself and you'll be more successful, find it relaxing/enjoyabe and the rewards are what you experience not what you may hang on the wall or dunk in the freezer.

Honestly I wouldn't jump at the chance at hunting one of these ranches. I hunt all most exclusively on priviate property and have a do it your self mentalty. I really don't get as much enjoyment going on an invited hunt because I didn't scout and hang my own stand.

Heck I'd use the $5,500 to $20,000 these folks want and use it for a down payment on a piece of land close to home that I could enjoy every year.

If a buck has little hunting pressure and a good deal of human contact. Is a big rack a good indicatator of a trophy?

Why would the larger older deer be as leery of man as a deer on heavily hunted piece of property?

So what's the big deal if your shooting older bucks on a managed property if they aren't any smarter then a 2.5 yr old on public land?

So what's your answer to any of these questions spey?

I'm with Rack on this one you might be surprised. Shooting a big rack that someone else put me on don't get my heart a pumping.

If I get the one I'was hunting last year you'll see it on here that's for sure. Why I've put a lot of sweat and time into trying to figure him out, not just plunked down $15,000 dollars.

My answer: Would you please donate that hunt to a disabled or sick child. I'll hunt NY.

I've been reading and shaking my head but I can't hold it any longer. The above mentioned ranch, dose it by chance have an "outclosure"[:'(]

Keep digging. I hunt public and private land but not highfences. Not if you paid me. The reason I prefer private land to public is I don't have to worry about someone strolling thru a perfectly planned hunt. This often occures on public land. But in bolth cases you do the work.

For me hunting it a total experience. From the 1st day after the season ends to the day I let an arrow fly. I love the woods, I love nature and it seems right I should have to pay my dues to get a crack at a quality animal. Paying to kill an animal in an inclosure is an injustice to the animal you kill IMO. Above all other aspects of bow hunting the relationship between hunter and hunted is what I love most. Whitetails are whittey creatures. They are more than capable of giving me the slip and often do and this is what makes hunting so great. I respect my opponents and a violations of fair chase is something I take personal. An animal taken in violation of fair chase is not a trophy in my eye at least.

So Charlie,
To answer your original question, What do I feel is a trophy? A trophy to me is an animal I take by means of fair chase that is bigger than my best. I never got him measured and probably never will but a deer in the 120" range is a trophy to me where I hunt.

What exactly is an outclosure?

http://forum.hunting.net/asppg/tm.as...key=outclosure

Read and see. It's a fancy name for high fence. You know, an inclosure keeps animals in but and outclosure keeps animals out[:'(]

I went several years passing up younger deer waiting for that one good one. I got impatient and caved in for a freak horn (harvesting inferior deer) year before, but I got me a 4 1/2 (Not optimal, but better than 2 or 3) and a good ol rascal that finally made one silly mistake. . . . The proliferation of the video camera has made it more fun. You can 'get em' without cutting short their growth potential. I have video of 3 yeard before of the big buck I got last year. (I think it;s the same buck?!?!?) That is really cool. I have some from the year before that I know is him and he was a shooter then, but is was raining cats and dogs and he wouldn't give me a decent shot. I got him a year later with a little extra mass in his rack.

Now, what will this season hold? hmmm.... There is another bog boy out there, I seen him. He crossed right in front about 5 minutes before I got Ol Gutshot. Yup, he's a year older and on top of the list. Itf he was half a notch less than this one I got, then with a year, he may be half a notch better. Here's hoping