What makes a trophy hunter?

I'm a wannabe trophy hunter. I think to be a successful trophy hunter takes A LOT more than just hunting alot and passing up small bucks. I've hunted A LOT and passed up small bucks now since 95!!! BUT, haven't killed a big one yet, and have only seen a couple.

I am getting closer though and I think next year might be better. A trophy for me will be a 160ish buck, as the biggest I've taken yet is about a 110 BUCK!! :0(

Same story with elk, but I have come real close with elk the last 3 years. A trophy there for me is 300+.
 
don't ya watch the huntin' channel? it takes a million bucks and a corn flinger that tosses out supplemental enriched food. and you have to be dressed in head to toe cammo while you're in an air conditioned blind with lazy boy chairs in it. and you have to have a stainless steel, synthetic stocked, megamagnum, custom made rifle with a laser rangefinder scope for shooting 80 yards. i'm just a hunter. hell with "trophies". long as i have fun. only cap i busted this year was on a dink 3x3 muley. but i had fun doin' it. my ol' man shot a forkhorn and i think it's his greatest trophy. just because o' the way the hunt went down. last year he shot a big 4x4 and he wasn't near as impressed with it.
 
Anyone that passes on smaller animals because they wan't bigger horns for the wall is a trophy hunter in my opinion. Just because someone is a trophy hunter doesn't mean that they are a better hunter. There are many trophy hunters that only go hunting once or twice a year and don't put much work into the hunt. Those trophy hunters aren't nearly as good of hunters as the guys out there trying to fill their freezer.

I wouldn't consider myself a true trophy hunter. I pass on smaller bucks because I don't want my season to end. I enjoy the hunt and learning how to be a better hunter more than staring at antlers on the wall.
 
Some one who goe's three years with out shooting a single shot, looking for the right buck, and doesn't cry when he just drove 1800 miles round trip........thats just one point of course.........
 
if you are looking for anything bigger than you shot previously, think it would be considered a trophy. thats only how i define it though. i can see how others would define trophy hunting differently. i believe the goal is to get to where you are truly hunting serious hogs, but we must walk before we run.
nk
 
Trophy hunting demands skill, restraint, judgment, confidence and sacrifices. It means getting up earlier, hiking back farther and staying out longer. It means being in good enough shape to do this day after day and then being content to return to camp often empty handed. The disappointments are tempered with the satisfaction that you've hunted your hardest and didn't sell out your principles just to make a kill.
 
Very well said DK. I guess I have taken more than my fair share of good bucks and still wouldnt consider myself a trophy hunter. I've had access to some great property to hunt and been lucky really.

My defenition of a trophy hunter would have to be a guy I know that I look up to more than almost anyone. He frequents this board and alot of folks dont know his story. I'm not gonna tell his story other than he has a handicap. He is in a wheelchair and still has such a great love of Mule Deer that few can compare.

His passion is finding sheds of large deer and filming them and taking pictures. Of course he needs help in doing this and has some very dedicated friends who enjoy helping him.

Dont feel sorry for him because he dont want you to and there is no need. He lives a very productive life and has somehow found the courage to even adopt two sons who have a troubled past. None of this would be possible without his lovely wife, who also hunts and shares his love of the outdoors.

He is a true trophy hunter and I'm glad I know him.
 
Trophy hunters are just plain sick bastards. The enjoy pain. Having their lungs jump out of their chests and calves burn to the point of cramping and still pressing on for more. They are out doing it day in and day out. They normally start hiking 2 hours before legal light and hit the truck 2 hours after dark at the end of the day. They sustain themselves on the occasional granola bar. Many times they forget to even eat that because they are too busy hunting. They are not satisfied with just a decent buck, they want "THE" buck. Just passing up bucks isn't really the issue. They pass up what most guys call big bucks to get a Much Bigger Buck. Show a mid 170 class buck to the average hunter and he'll be pulling the trigger. Show that same buck, even on the last day of the season, to a trophy hunter and he'll pass because you just never know what's around the next corner.
 

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