What is a trophy deer to you?

Randy Levingston’s 8-point buck taken with a bow on public land was greatly admired. Would it still have been considered a trophy in other parts of the state?

Hunters speak from their hearts on the subject

What do you consider a trophy deer?

What a provocative question. One that is debated by deer hunters in hunting camps every season. My research into this article revealed a multitude of very thoughtful, insightful opinions on this subject.

Here are a few of the responses I got from hunters:

Nelson Dupre: “A deer that is special to me.”

John Dykes: “The first deer that I shot with a bow.”

George Blanchard: “The first 8-pointer that I shot.”

Torrey Harris: “Whatever makes that individual happy. I don’t hunt for anybody but myself. Putting size requirements causes stress and I am trying to remove that.”

David Simoneaux: “My thought is that a trophy deer is a deer that you are proud to take. If you have a 150 class buck on the wall, I feel that you should try to harvest a buck better than your best one.”

Casey Louis, Brian Eaton and many more hunters opined that any mature deer taken on public land should be considered a trophy.

Fond memories

Sam Allen: “I consider a trophy deer to be any deer with a great story or fond memory behind it. A couple of years ago, a 10-point buck stepped out 15 yards from my box stand. We made eye contact. In a flash the buck was on a dead run straight away from me. In my mind there was no way that I could get my scope on the fleeing buck. Suddenly, my 13-year-old son hollered out several “Waaaaa’s” and at 150 yards the buck stopped broadside. I was able to make the shot and harvested my first racked buck. Without my son’s quick thinking, there would have been no trophy. It was awesome!”

Erik Aucoin: “A rack with character is way more interesting and will always be a unique conversation piece. Asymmetrical antlers look very cool and makes one wonder how the buck wound up with such an off configuration. Was it genetic, an injury in a fight or what other possibility? But if I am being truthful, “I LIKE BIG BUCKS AND I CANNOT LIE!!!”

Hopefully a few of you will get that joke!

Don’t try this at home

I do not consider myself a “trophy hunter.” My lovely wife disagrees. I will shoot a smaller buck or a spike with my first buck tag and if late enough in the season with my second tag as well. However, I will hold my either sex tag for what I consider to be a nice buck. This method has insured that I have never shot the legal limit of six deer in any of my 41 deer seasons. My wife is looking to fill the freezer, and as she has often reminded me, “I have no recipe for deer antlers!” Hmmm, as usual she has a point!

Don’t buy into the hype!

Social media and TV deer hunting shows have hyped gigantic racked bucks to the detriment of the sport. Bucks that are fenced in and fed specifically to enhance antler growth are all the rage now. How can you compare those deer with the ones taken on public land? Sort of like real life compared to plastic, airbrushed, soft filtered Hollywood.

I have heard this statement, “I never measure a deer in inches, but only by the smiling hunter’s face in the photo.”

That rings very true to me.

Hunters each seek many different things from hunting. Every deer harvested represents an effort made by the hunter, time spent with loved ones, time out in nature and so on. We should celebrate all of these things and not just dwell on antler size and numbers.

In my opinion, there are no wrong answers to this question.

A trophy deer is in the eye of the beholder. There is no magic number, size or description.

Now you know my take and the opinions of some other hardcore deer hunters.

Only one thing matters.

“What do YOU consider a trophy deer?”

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