The Psychology Behind the Quest For Trophy Racks

[grampy]

20 minutes ago, Belo said:

I'd be lying if i told you I've never had bad or tough venison. To expect kobe beef quality venison from every part and every deer so all that's needed is salt and pepper is also a little unrealistic.

However, if you told me that every 2.5 and older buck you shot (using this example because you said you'd shoot the 4 pointer) was bad then I would tell you that you're doing something wrong.

90% of how a deer tastes on the table is how it was harvested. I've heart shot with a broadhead some deer and had them pump themselves dry. They are always the best tasting. Late season deer allow me more time to skin and butcher because of the temp. Early season bucks are more fatty and less stressed. Gut shot deer or poorly hit deer that take a while to die can end up tasting less than ideal. And this includes deer that sat too long after they died. Making a mistake during the gut process can cause issues. Hanging by the head and not the feet will allow blood to pool in the hind quarters. heck, some guys dont hang at all before they drop it off at the butchers. Not properly trimming wound hemorrhaging, leaving hair on the meat or silverskin can cause poor venison. 

And lets not forget taking your deer to a butcher who may not refrigerate the deer or take proper care of your deer can lead to poor tasting venison. There are lots of things a hunter can do to make sure his venison tastes good. Most of this applies to steaks and roasts. I can't think of a single rutty old buck I've eaten that had bad tenderloins and/or backstraps. And if you're that sensitive to the occasional tough or gamy piece of meat, call up Costanzas. You'll be lighter in the wallet but happier in the mouth.

www.costanzasausage.com/home.htm

I agree 100% with this post Belo!  You took the words right off my fingertips! Though I've never used Costanza's. 

[stubby68]

Never gut shot a deer, never had to track more then 100 yards, never had a mistake while gutting, not any taken to a butcher. Every deer hangs a minimum of 4 days , not by the head. 

      I do not expect any meat to be perfect but I would rather taste the meat then the seasoning. Seasoning was originally  used to cover the taste of rotten meat. It is like spraying air fresheners in you house to so very bad smell instead of cleaning. Why should I cover up the taste of the meat. Yes it may cost a little more for good meat but it is worth it. There might just be a good taste in big old buck out there but I prefer not to take the chance on getting bad meat. Just like I will not spend money on meat that looks like it might be bad.

    We all have different tastes, I like eating certain things other people hate and they most likely like eating things I hate. If you guys like the meat from older then fine.

        Maybe not all older bucks are nasty to eat but I would rather take a deer I have better odds of getting good meat out of. Why shoot a deer or any animal if the meat might taste good. If you bought a beef cow that was tough and bad tastein  would you want another one?  If so have at it. I don't like throwing good money after bad and I do not like throwing a good tag after a bad one. You guys eat your old bucks not me. If I end up taking an older buck just to fill a tag I will donate it as I always have.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I can't say I have not had bad or tough venison but I can say, I have never had "bad" or tough venison from any deer I have handled and cut up myself. 

Edited July 7, 2017 by Culvercreek hunt club

[LET EM GROW]

To me a Trophy is an older age class deer, regardless of what they grow on top of their heads. I like the big bucks that carry ugly, and smaller than "normal" headgear for their age class. Guess cause i like to be slightly different with things. But idk what drives people to chase the rack, i think it varies between individual. The uniqueness of one rack over another, even if there is 3 or 4 years difference between the 2. Some are out to just beat everyone and anyone in anyway they possibly can for bragging rights. Not being one that wants to kill the biggest rack buck in the woods, its hard to tell what drives their gears. The biggest rack buck in my woods is actually 3rd on my hitlist, just for the fact of a couple bucks that are slightly smaller and younger have better patterns for me to follow .. 

[growalot]

I can tell you and I showed the heart, that buck was heart shot and I've been processing deer ,I bet longer then you've been alive. I do not know Costanza's but I do know Wilsons and can say with out ANY hesitation...they would not have let that deer past their foyer. As I said, he smelled as I walked up to him in the field 15 mins after the shot. Now I raised goats and any one that's been near a rutty old male goat knows the smell I speak of...That buck  smelled and literally tasted, back straps and all exactly like he smelled. Just like a nasty old goat.

[Four Season Whitetail's]

My question would be to the guys that want the best meat and shoot the first legal buck that comes by..How are you in the woods longer than say the first week?  More like weekend but will give the benefit. Deer rich lands in deer rich counties you should never even have to worry about seeing to many old rutted up trophies to have to worry about killing them?

[stubby68]

1 hour ago, Four Season Whitetails said:

My question would be to the guys that want the best meat and shoot the first legal buck that comes by..How are you in the woods longer than say the first week?  More like weekend but will give the benefit. Deer rich lands in deer rich counties you should never even have to worry about seeing to many old rutted up trophies to have to worry about killing them?

I for one do not shoot the first thing that walks by. I am in the woods a lot. I like watching nature wake up and unfold its wonders. I sit in the woods watching everything many days a year not jus hunting season. I treat hunting season the same as I do any other day in the woods. With the bonus of being able to put food on the table. I watch a lot of deer walk by, not because I am hoping for a bigger on but just to enjoy the show. When I get the urge I raise the gun and kill one. Even if I filled all my tags in one day I would still be out there.

[growalot]

So you assume that because huge racked deer aren't killed  that a nice 6 or 8 point is the first deer seen? I see lots and lots of buck..wish I was seeing lots and lots of doe ..something I say every single year...I choose my kills not on size. I choose as to what that kill has, as an appeal to me, be it a big deer or small.  I see many big deer..not all in range, not all in what personal goals I set and some I would probably have shot, but a different experience caused me to  use my tag early.

Now here's where I can say, yep I'm a happy hunter. Having done that more than once, I never walk away going SOB if I'd just waited ,I screwed up .ect,ect,ect..I never leave the woods with those types of foolish regrets.  I read had hear so so many that do and that's sad.

Edited July 7, 2017 by growalot

[Four Season Whitetail's]

So it's all about getting great meat to eat but some may just sit and let that great meat walk by very well knowing they will not kill a mature deer because it tastes like crap? Right. One can bird watch all day long everyday in the woods without a gun in their hand. If it were truly all about the meat for whitetails it would be bang,bang,bang. Tags filled and my great meat is in the freezer!  Now I can go sit in the woods and watch the world go by knowing I did my duty. 

[Doc]

I seldom use trophy and deer in the same sentence. To me a deer is big or little, or I might refer to them by the number of points, but trophy? To me a trophy is that wood and silver or gold-plated thing that sits up on a shelf after winning some tournament or other noteworthy competitive event. Yeah, I understand that the term has been co-opted by hunters, but I just don't really refer to prey in that way. To me that term just doesn't make any sense when used to describe deer harvests.

[growalot]

4SW.. See because you can't comprehend people setting personal goals other then meat or huge racks, you will never understand how someone can think other then the way you think they should. You can not phantom how they derive their own personal enjoyment out of hunting... 

[fasteddie]

In light of what Doc posted , I will settle for a "participation trophy" . If a doe come by and I have a shot , I will fill a tag and she will be in the freezer . I don't "age the meat" and don't have a problem with taste by not doing so . Would I like to shoot a buck with a big rack ? You betcha ! But I am not by any means obsessed with getting a "Trophy Rack" !  Send those tasty does my way ! 

[stubby68]

4 hours ago, Four Season Whitetails said:

So it's all about getting great meat to eat but some may just sit and let that great meat walk by very well knowing they will not kill a mature deer because it tastes like crap? Right. One can bird watch all day long everyday in the woods without a gun in their hand. If it were truly all about the meat for whitetails it would be bang,bang,bang. Tags filled and my great meat is in the freezer!  Now I can go sit in the woods and watch the world go by knowing I did my duty. 

          Try actually sitting in the woods a few days a year knowing u will kill nothing. Listen and learn from them. Watch the animals and how they interact. You will see it is far from bird watching. Just because a guy hunts for meat does not mean they will shoot up the woods. The bang bang bang guys you are talking about are in it for killing something,anything they are not hunting they are killing. Big difference.

      But sence u just want to fight. Joe Dirt called and wants his hair back. 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

6 minutes ago, stubby68 said:

          Try actually sitting in the woods a few days a year knowing u will kill nothing. Listen and learn from them. Watch the animals and how they interact. You will see it is far from bird watching. Just because a guy hunts for meat does not mean they will shoot up the woods. The bang bang bang guys you are talking about are in it for killing something,anything they are not hunting they are killing. Big difference.

      But sence u just want to fight. Joe Dirt called and wants his hair back. 

I guess I can see the logic in his question. if it is about the meet and young meat so the quality is there. It would seem the logical thing to do would be not to pass a deer up. Fill you tags with the young deer as soon as the opportunity presented itself and be done with it. If you want to be in the woods observing and observing the woods then a deer gun is not required to do that. You could actually be carrying a different gun and small game hunting or just sitting, enjoying and observing. There is no benefit in dragging out the season. 

[Four Season Whitetail's]

11 minutes ago, stubby68 said:

          Try actually sitting in the woods a few days a year knowing u will kill nothing. Listen and learn from them. Watch the animals and how they interact. You will see it is far from bird watching. Just because a guy hunts for meat does not mean they will shoot up the woods. The bang bang bang guys you are talking about are in it for killing something,anything they are not hunting they are killing. Big difference.

      But sence u just want to fight. Joe Dirt called and wants his hair back. 

Oh must be another bald guy huh well at least you know what real deer look like now!  As far as what you said you are full of it. Guys that hunt for meat fill their tags at the first chance the get at and legal deer. As far as sitting and watching things..Trust me. Us that hunt the king of the species and not the babies watch, learn and know more than the meat hunters. You can spout off this and that but everyone on here knows you try to talk out both sides of your face. No mature deer this and only young deer that. Whatever!

[Four Season Whitetail's]

1 hour ago, growalot said:

4SW.. See because you can't comprehend people setting personal goals other then meat or huge racks, you will never understand how someone can think other then the way you think they should. You can not phantom how they derive their own personal enjoyment out of hunting... 

Personal goals?  Deer Hunting?  Now please do tell what a person that has hunted 40 plus years has killed about every size whitetail available in Ny state would have for a goal if not meat or a trophy? This has nothing to do with freaking bird watching or butterflies getting their groove on! Do try to stick to what the Op started and run with that. So what's your personal goal when you step in the woods opening day of deer hunting?  Let me guess. You will say something about staying alive or a nice sunrise??

[growalot]

No ..do you see me mentioning sun rises often..this year my personal goal will be to. Shoot a split brow or a drop tine..but thats not my first goal.. my first goal every bow opener is a nice big doe.

[Four Season Whitetail's]

16 minutes ago, growalot said:

No ..do you see me mentioning sun rises often..this year my personal goal will be to. Shoot a split brow or a drop tine..but thats not my first goal.. my first goal every bow opener is a nice big doe.

So you are after meat!  This thread is about trophies?  I can't see how half you people can even reply to a thread that you even admit yourself you know nothing about??  If you don't have a goal which is size of a deer,which in Ny state would be considered a Trophy animal and you either take that size animal or you swallow your tag then you are clueless to what a real trophy whitetail is!  Yes any kids eyes might show a spike as a trophy which my first 4pt did but if we are in Ny and we are talking trophy class for this state one would have to say roughly 120 inch buck and up. Well it's obvious that many that reply have never hit that mark so how can they say?

[Four Season Whitetail's]

I honestly don't know why someone that has hunted say 10-15 years and has been fairly successful killing bucks would even think about filling that buck tag with a lesser animal?  The only time that would happen is in the rough parts of the state and any able body hunter can go 2 hours either way and fix that problem

[stubby68]

24 minutes ago, Four Season Whitetails said:

So you are after meat!  This thread is about trophies?  I can't see how half you people can even reply to a thread that you even admit yourself you know nothing about??  If you don't have a goal which is size of a deer,which in Ny state would be considered a Trophy animal and you either take that size animal or you swallow your tag then you are clueless to what a real trophy whitetail is!  Yes any kids eyes might show a spike as a trophy which my first 4pt did but if we are in Ny and we are talking trophy class for this state one would have to say roughly 120 inch buck and up. Well it's obvious that many that reply have never hit that mark so how can they say?

Actually this thread is not about trophies. Once again u miss the point and do not know what you are talking about. The opening asked what made a person want trophy racks. Thus asking for our opinion it.

     I gave my opinion. And stated why I do not go after the trophy racks. Nothing more nothing less as did others. The fact that you can not understand why we do not have goals of getting big racked deer is your lose.

       You do not want to believe it but I have gotten few 120 and bigger. They were deer of opportunity not ones I sought out. Racks (at least on deer ) do not impress nor excite me. Never will no matter how big. I would gladly trade my buck tag for a doe every year. But as I have stated I paid for it I'm making sure it is used.

 

2 hours ago, Culvercreek hunt club said:

I guess I can see the logic in his question. if it is about the meet and young meat so the quality is there. It would seem the logical thing to do would be not to pass a deer up. Fill you tags with the young deer as soon as the opportunity presented itself and be done with it. If you want to be in the woods observing and observing the woods then a deer gun is not required to do that. You could actually be carrying a different gun and small game hunting or just sitting, enjoying and observing. There is no benefit in dragging out the season. 

        I am in the woods regardless. I would not be dragging out the season. As I said even if I filled all my tags in one day I would still be out there. Therefore I see no reason to kill everything I see. Our land has gotten to a point where I can see deer every sit so why would I rush things. I have sit many days during season and not even taken a gun.

 

 

[Four Season Whitetail's]

So let's see here. You are a self spoken meat hunter that will not kill any old deer because they taste like road apples yet you have shot 120's. Huh. Strange!  Yearling 120's?  So you say you mist fill the tag because you have it? You also say the rack means sh!te to you? You get the chance to get what 6-8 doe tags in your area on top of your buck tag late season? So again. Coming out both sides!   The thread is about trophy racks!  Which are the only trophies in whitetail hunting!  Less you want to start measuring other things. It's all about the Bone for the majority of hunters!  Period!

[growalot]

Actuly as with most post we all end addressing each other and not the original  post. I was answering you specific question. Of course Im after meat and trophies as I see them. Now as hard as you may find this,you'll have a difficult time calling me a liar when I say the following. For me a big old doe is a trophy. You'll have that hard time because...I have said this several times on here over the years. A deer does not have to have a rack to be a trophy animal for me. It needs to be a tough, smart animal and give me a good hunt. It surely will never ever have to measure up to anyones standards other than my own standards. I'd say sorry this apparently upsets you,but to be honest I do not care one way or the other who that bothers. I dont hunt for anyone then myself. This is one reasonwhy I dont like trophy hunters trying to dictate what they personally believe the herd should "look" like or what others should hunt. Hunting is an experence that each person doing it should experience on their own terms. Not what others feel it should be manipulated towards.

[Four Season Whitetail's]

11 minutes ago, growalot said:

Actuly as with most post we all end addressing each other and not the original  post. I was answering you specific question. Of course Im after meat and trophies as I see them. Now as hard as you may find this,you'll have a difficult time calling me a liar when I say the following. For me a big old doe is a trophy. You'll have that hard time because...I have said this several times on here over the years. A deer does not have to have a rack to be a trophy animal for me. It needs to be a tough, smart animal and give me a good hunt. It surely will never ever have to measure up to anyones standards other than my own standards. I'd say sorry this apparently upsets you,but to be honest I do not care one way or the other who that bothers. I dont hunt for anyone then myself. This is one reasonwhy I dont like trophy hunters trying to dictate what they personally believe the herd should "look" like or what others should hunt. Hunting is an experence that each person doing it should experience on their own terms. Not what others feel it should be manipulated towards.

That's all sweet and fine that's makes you feel fuzzy. I sure would be interested in how hard or tough or interesting it was to kill a few of those bucks you posted today if a smart old doe is your thing. And as far as this thread started everyone very well knew when he said trophy he said BONE!  And as has been said. A few on here really don't have a clue what a trophy hunter is all about.  Shooting Buttons and baby bucks for the freezer is their thing. 

[Buckmaster7600]

So let's see here. You are a self spoken meat hunter that will not kill any old deer because they taste like road apples yet you have shot 120's. Huh. Strange!  Yearling 120's?  So you say you mist fill the tag because you have it? You also say the rack means sh!te to you? You get the chance to get what 6-8 doe tags in your area on top of your buck tag late season? So again. Coming out both sides!   The thread is about trophy racks!  Which are the only trophies in whitetail hunting!  Less you want to start measuring other things. It's all about the Bone for the majority of hunters!  Period!

Bone means nothing for me. My "trophy" is the scale tipping 200lbs.


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[Four Season Whitetail's]

2 minutes ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

Bone means nothing for me. My "trophy" is the scale tipping 200lbs.


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True That. But you are still a minority in the big picture. Anybody can call anything a trophy but In the real world that is bone. The part I don't get about the trophy haters is that even though things can be done to improve that part of it there will still be plenty of the little guys around for them to shoot.