This is kinda a funny post. There are alot of things ro rhink about before saying trophy hunter, horn hunter,meat hunter or whatever.
My opinion is this. I dont agree the scoring of a buck with a net score. It should be gross. Give the animal what it deserves. I have wondered what the buck went threw in life and how many hunters it has eluded. Every big buck I see. To be big he had to be smart. I talked to a guy last week that when they skinned a big buck they found copper and plastic from ballistic tips off a small caliber rifle in the meat of the hind quarter. They also found several different shot from shotguns. So the buck could of been poached.
As for score. Its a easy way to describe a buck or bull. Most people know scores. Have you ever talked to golfers? Same thing with them. They say there handicap is blah blah blah. There last game they where 10 under par or whatever. Hound hunters, Oh we treed x amount of cats or bears this year. Coin collectors I have x amount of coins with some dated back to Blah blah. I could go on.
Another thing is this. It all depends on where you live or what the population of big bucks are at what you will shoot. I hunt strictly for horns for mule deer. Archery hunt them though. I have done alot of work finding them and spend more money on doing it than alot of others do that just go hunt. My bucks cost me time and money. But I live in a area where if you do your work you can find a decent number of good bucks. I know some guys that live in good elk country. They hold out for a good bull. So if you have a good area to hunt with good bucks and you knew it would you shoot a small one if YOU wanted some on the wall? If you havent been in the position of hunting mature bucks and bulls then it is hard to understand this. I know there are other hunters out there that can realte to this. I also believe there are hunters out there that have seen more big bucks than most hunters combined have seen in a lifetime. I know a guy and saw some video of some bucks last week from a guy that would make most hunters cry. Almost made me. They where huge. I am not talking just a little huge. I am talking huge. There where several that go huge. But like I said if you had some good area's then you would know. That is why people hire a guide service or whatever. The guide will tell the client to hold off there is bigger.
I have shot several that would make book but have yet to enter any of them. I will not enter them. My son said when he gets them when I am gone he will enter them. I said whatever. I told him it is not about a score in a book. It is about the hunt.
But that is why when I post I always post gross scores as I dont ask and dont care what net score is. As for looking down on any buck that anyone shot I have not done that. I think maybe that is there best yet or the best in that area. Some people dont have the luxury of spending alot of time afield so they dont have the time to hold off.I have yet to condemn a hunter for doing or taking any animal.
But again a score is just a reference point to conversations as there is always some that know scores and it easy to visualize a number.I have guys that know me that havent seen my pics ask me about my buck and they ask width and score. Just easy to point out score.
These are just my thoughts.
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