Just by reading the title of this article, I know what you are thinking, “Here comes another article were someone is trying to tell me how to hunt and what size of buck I should harvest, but that is not the case here. I know there are many answers to the question that I am about to ask; the problem is who has the right one. This is a very touchy subject for most hunters, and some folks get offended quite easily on this subject. Don't get me wrong; I am not here to try and offend anyone, but I do not walk on egg shells for anyone; I am just not built that way. I am one of those folks that has to speak what is on their mind especially if I believe I am in the right, but I also believe as hunters we should stay as professional as possible at all times. There are a lot of negative eyes watching us and waiting on us to mess up. So, let me say I am writing this not to step on any toes or point fingers but to try to bring out some good and a lot of different opinions people have. So PLEASE read this with an open mind and try not to feel that anyone is pointing fingers at you. We all are different in this world, that is what makes each of us special in God's eyes. So first off  I know  you have got to be wondering what in the world made me even want to speak on such a touchy subject. Well, I will share that with you. I have been told more than once “I was a brave soul” for taking on this article, but I have good reasons.

I know a person…..we will just call him “man” that is a hard core hunter, and I have known him for a long time. Last year some friends and I carried some youth hunting to try and help them bag their first deer. One of these young guys was the nephew of the man I am going to speak of. This “man” was also going hunting, but he was going to the stand by himself but on the same farm. To get to the point one of our young hunters harvested a cow-horned spike and was tickled pink. When we all met back up later in the morning to share our "trophies" and stories over a sandwich, the “man” came over to have a look. Needless to say he did not see a trophy that morning and was very upset at everyone that did and was really upset at the young fellow that harvested a deer that he had seen many times and had let walk. So he felt the need to unleash a lot of negative comments to the young fellow and ruined his happy moment.  I was hunting with the owners of the property and this “man” being in their family was put in his place real quick. The funny thing is not too many weeks before this, the “man” shot a small buck that had just lost its spots and felt it was OK.  All I have to say is looking a 9 year old in the face and cleaning up a mess that this jerk just made was not easy. What you have is someone that just got the wrong idea of what hunting is all about. In his mind and heart he had a trophy that he could not wait to tell his friends and family about, and this “man” just crushed all that because he had a different opinion. That made me think. Hunting is supposed to be fun, where lifetime memories are made, and education of the outdoors is to be taught. With that being said that has what has lead me to this to the question.

What Makes a Trophy.....A True Trophy?

Now lets take it to another level. Let's just say you are hunting on some land that is joined by a piece of property that is hunted by fellow hunters. You are sitting in your stand and a buck walks in on you. You may look at the buck and say to your self, “He is too small, and I think he needs to grow a couple more years.” So the buck moves on but walks over to the neighboring property, where the hunter there sees the same buck and says “Wow that is a good one; I think I will take him.” Now you just let this deer walk so it can grow more and become an older mature deer, and the hunter on the joining property just took him out. Well does that make your neighboring hunter wrong? Did he just ruin a good potential trophy? Who is in the right? Those are good questions. Personally, I have let bucks walk, and someone shoot them as soon as they got out of my site. Not only that but I have had a few cars take out some nice deer that I was watching grow. Was I upset? Sure I was, but I am not going shoot a deer in fear of someone else doing it first or fear of a car hitting it. That is wrong in my book and will never solve anything. That is a risk I take when I make the decision. I have asked a few people their opinions on this subject, and I have heard all kinds of answers. Some I wish I had never heard because they were just unprofessional and would have been better off unsaid. I can see were some people pick up on these types of opinions. Hunting shows that come on T.V. make it easy for us to loose sight of what the hunting way of life is all about. Don’t get me wrong; I love watching them myself and have favorites that I don’t miss. They don’t always show the hard work put in to finding that big buck or waiting on him to come in. They jump straight to the shot and skip over all the important things, like the educational parts. I know they are pushing for time for the T.V. but a hunter new to the sport can get the wrong idea fast, and then they start to think that is the way they are supposed to hunt. Sitting there and shooting the first thing you see and heading back to the house is one opinion, so it is up to us all as hunters to make sure we are doing our part to start newcomers off on the right foot.

My dad always told me “Son you have got to walk on your on two feet. The decisions you make today, you will have to sleep with tonight. It's not only that, you will answer to God one day, so make a decision you will be proud of. Because once it’s made you can’t change it, you can only do better next time, but the damage has already been done. "Well back then I thought my dad was nuts, but I see things differently now. I have been thinking on how to face this right or wrong that is thrown at every hunter at some point in their career, and this is what I have decided. The good Lord made each of us different. No two people see everything eye to eye or think the same. We all have our own way of doing things so in so many words  I don’t think there is a correct answer.......Yea, you read it correctly, There is NO correct answer,  It is up to us to judge our own decisions made and nobody else’s.

A trophy is in the heart of each of us as hunters, and they are all different and come in all shapes and sizes.  I don’t know about everyone else, but hunting to me is special, and I take it very seriously and from the heart. What I see as a trophy you may not. Being rude or unsportsmanlike like to someone because of a decision they made on taking a deer that was a trophy to them will never get you anywhere but looked down on. The next time you let that 2 ½ year old six point walk, and your neighbor shoots it; try not to get mad. I know it will be hard, but remember you did what you thought was right, and you made your decision to let him walk. Swallow your pride and go over with a smile and congratulate your neighbor on their harvest and let them know that you had been watching that buck for a while, and you're glad to see that it became a nice trophy for someone else, and leave it a that. If we don’t set examples for each other, who will? Some people get caught up in the competition of who can get the biggest buck or who can harvest the most deer. Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with filling the freezer, but we should never take more than what we need and none of us should ever shoot a deer or any animal just to be shooting something or to get notch ahead on a friend. If you fall into that category you’re just killing to be killing and that means you have lost sight of what hunting is all about. Don’t go to the woods always looking for a deer to harvest or to take a trophy. Take the time and look at all the beautiful things the Good Lord has put before you and let it all soak in. Look for a deer that you will be happy to take back home in the truck no matter how big it is.......It's YOUR TROPHY.  Always hunt from the heart, that way all your harvests will be trophies. Isn't that what hunting is all about?  A big old bodied mature buck with a big set of massive horns is AWESOME, but it is just icing on the cake. It's all about the memories that are made and the events the Good Lord blessed you with that day while you were hunting. Those are the True Trophy's and no one can ever top those.

Thanks to everyone out there who took the time to read this issue of Talk Hunting Magazine. Please feel free to comment and give me some feedback on my article. I would love to hear the different opinions of each of you.

Until then I hope all your adventures into OUR Great Outdoors are safe and full of Good memories, God Bless You all!

Joey "BOGO" Bogus

By Joey Bogus

TalkHunting Staff Writer Joey "Bogo" Bogus started hunting as soon as he was able to put on his on boots. He started tagging along with his dad hunting squirrels and rabbits at the age of 6 with a .410 single shot shot gun, that he still has now 24 years later. He was introduced to hunting whitetail deer as a teenager and he has been hunting and studying them ever since. He gradually worked his way up to what is now his passion......Bow hunting whitetails. In the past five years he has picked up his second passion turkey hunting. But when the seasons don't allow him bow hunt whitetails or chase long beards he is back to his roots, of hunting squirrels with his Jack Russel's that he and his dad still raise and train themselves.

Joey has been hunting gritters in the hills and swamps of North Alabama and Southern Tennessee for 25 years. Although he has just started hunting turkey in Alabama and Tennessee in the past 5 years he has already called in a number of gobblers for fellow hunters and him self. He plans to head to South Alabama and to Missouri this spring to try his luck in new territory.

When Joey can not be in the woods he enjoys traveling with his wife Laura were ever the road takes them. He also enjoys camping, fishing, spending time with friends and training his squirrel dogs with his dad. "pretty much anything outside and he is there". Joey and his wife are also HUGE Alabama Crimson Tide Football fans. They enjoy going to the games and cheering on the Tide. Joey is a active member of the NRA and the NWTF. He also volunteers to teach the hunter safety course and takes children hunting through out the hunting season. But when it comes to reality Joey is the General Mananger for Crystal Mountain Water in the Birmingham Region.

Comments(2):

1. Very True!

   A true trophy is in the eye of the beholder. Great article

   Friday, September 10, 2010 Robert

2. What makes a trophy?

   Very good article, Bogo. Enjoyed reading it and agree completely.

   Thursday, September 23, 2010 Scott