The Psychology Behind the Quest For Trophy Racks

[growalot]

Actually the two small 6 were way harder to kill then. The 8's and 9...one I had 6 eyes out in front of me as he came in from behind..having to move for the shot undetected...the second came in when I was literally sitting in a flock of roosted turkey. I had to position for the shot with out spooking them and him. The nine just ran by. I believe running from another hunter. One 8 jumped my fence then ran by. The bow 8 I spooked under my stand and I called back in the dark 3 times..he then did what I expected. He circled around and came back during hunting hours right to the stsnd for a 3 yrd from tre shot.  Several of my other 8s,just doing what deer do not any big deal.

Edited July 8, 2017 by growalot

[wolc123]

3 hours ago, Four Season Whitetails said:

. Guys that hunt for meat fill their tags at the first chance the get at and legal deer.

That may go for some, but not for all of us.   I have been passing the smaller 1-1/2's early in the seasons for the last 5 years or so.   More often than not, that has resulted in a larger antlered deer later, that also had a significantly larger body, and more meat for the freezer.   For example, last archery season, I held off on a small-racked, small-body, 1-1/2 year old 3 point, and less than 5 minutes later, a much larger-bodied, 2-1/2 year old, busted up 5 point (was an 8 before the rut) presented me a nice shot, which I did not pass.   That buck put about double the pounds of boneless venison in the freezer than the little guy would have added.   

I recognize the importance of killing does, and have killed about the same number of them as I have bucks.  I always have some regret when I do it, thinking about the loss of the bucks she may have produced.   In 36 years of deer hunting, I have not had any regret after killing a buck, regardless of how big it's antlers were.   I will admit to not hunting as hard, after my buck tag is filled, but I still get out there if I have antlerless tags.  Each time I have filled a buck tag, I have not seen a larger one later while hunting (antlers or body size).  If and when it happens, I probably would regret the taking of the smaller buck.   

I have not shot a button buck in 5 years, which is my longest streak without doing that.  Fortunately, my buddy shot one for us last season.  We just enjoyed an awesome roast from it.  Man, does that stuff just about melt in your mouth.  It had the texture of the finest kobe fillet-mignon, and excellent flavor to go along with it.   If I see a doe with a button buck this fall, I might just break from tradition and shoot the button buck first.  If the doe don't stay around for the second shot, no big deal, for she can go make more of those tasty treats.  Also, it is going to be very unlikely that we will have finished up all of the vacuum sealed venison leftover in the freezer from last season, so the lack of "quantity" should be a non-issue.                      

[stubby68]

4 hours ago, Four Season Whitetails said:

4 hours ago, Four Season Whitetails said:

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!

          

       Yes that is correct. If it is down to the end and I have not taken a younger buck I will take anote older on to make sure the tag gets used. Never has it been a buck that I have been waiting for. The buck gets donated and I am out the meat bUT it gets used as does the tag I paid for.

           I would like to see the regular season tag made an either sex tag. I would never shoot another buck. Or just let us chose between it being a buck tag or a doe tag. I can and always do get 4 doe tags every year I would love to be able to use my buck tag for a doe. I know it becomes an either sex tag during late muzzle season but I can not always have the time to get out for that seeing as it is such a short season.

           Even with 8 tags I would probably run out of venison to eat even if every deer gave my 200 pounds of meat. As long as I have venison in the freezer that all I use for meat 3 meals a day every day. I prefer venison to any other meat and would like to have it every day all year. I buy 2 beef cows every year and even adding the deer I get it does not last a full year. The venison cost me nearly nothing all the other meat is ridiculous in price.

       Again this thread is not about trophy racks. It is about what drives a person to pursue only trophy racks. Nothing was asked about the bone at all only what makes a hunter want it.You can not wrap your head around that because you are someone who always needs that so called trophy bone  in his hands, you need the praise that comes from getting that big old buck. That is what drives you and you just do not see how anyone can not want the same things. That's fine but do not try to make me or anyone else out a lier just because you do not understand what drives them. Why do you have such a problem believing that there are hunters who do not care about big racks? Is it because your business depends on everyone wanting big racked deer?  Just asking not a knock at you. It is like you actually hate people who do not care about the size or age of the buck they kill. Stop thinking all hunters want the same things as you out of their hunt.Hunting means different things to each of us. Except that and you might understand why we all do not need a big old buck with a big rack to be happy. We are not losing out on anything because we have different goals and as long as we are happy with that then just let it be.

            

[Doc]

2 hours ago, stubby68 said:

        Again this thread is not about trophy racks. It is about what drives a person to pursue only trophy racks. Nothing was asked about the bone at all only what makes a hunter want it.             

Perhaps a glimmer of hope that this thread will get back on track. Although I will say that it has had some pretty interesting side-trips.

[Four Season Whitetail's]

6 hours ago, stubby68 said:

       Yes that is correct. If it is down to the end and I have not taken a younger buck I will take anote older on to make sure the tag gets used. Never has it been a buck that I have been waiting for. The buck gets donated and I am out the meat bUT it gets used as does the tag I paid for.

           I would like to see the regular season tag made an either sex tag. I would never shoot another buck. Or just let us chose between it being a buck tag or a doe tag. I can and always do get 4 doe tags every year I would love to be able to use my buck tag for a doe. I know it becomes an either sex tag during late muzzle season but I can not always have the time to get out for that seeing as it is such a short season.

           Even with 8 tags I would probably run out of venison to eat even if every deer gave my 200 pounds of meat. As long as I have venison in the freezer that all I use for meat 3 meals a day every day. I prefer venison to any other meat and would like to have it every day all year. I buy 2 beef cows every year and even adding the deer I get it does not last a full year. The venison cost me nearly nothing all the other meat is ridiculous in price.

       Again this thread is not about trophy racks. It is about what drives a person to pursue only trophy racks. Nothing was asked about the bone at all only what makes a hunter want it.You can not wrap your head around that because you are someone who always needs that so called trophy bone  in his hands, you need the praise that comes from getting that big old buck. That is what drives you and you just do not see how anyone can not want the same things. That's fine but do not try to make me or anyone else out a lier just because you do not understand what drives them. Why do you have such a problem believing that there are hunters who do not care about big racks? Is it because your business depends on everyone wanting big racked deer?  Just asking not a knock at you. It is like you actually hate people who do not care about the size or age of the buck they kill. Stop thinking all hunters want the same things as you out of their hunt.Hunting means different things to each of us. Except that and you might understand why we all do not need a big old buck with a big rack to be happy. We are not losing out on anything because we have different goals and as long as we are happy with that then just let it be.

            

This was side tracked long ago and o did say what drives me to only kill real deer. It's way to easy to just kill any deer and that's not much of so called hunting. Iike you said.  Sitting in the woods watching shite fly by and skitter by and then whenever you want lift the gun and kill a deer !   That's what you call hunting?  Try taking on the biggest smartest beast in the woods and watch them make you look like a joke time after time until you finally get it right and hold your trophy that.,. You found, located and went and killed him!  In order to talk about what drives a person to go after only trophy racks you have to know and talk about what makes you go after that special deer that carries that special set of bones one is getting driving to have. The bone is just the trophy you get for killing the smartest animal in the woods!       People say they hunt for all kinds of different reasons but the bottom line is that 99% of them wake up at 4am every morning with the hope the biggest set of bone in the woods strolls by them this morning!                                     You sit here saying others are taking this thread off track and you are replying that you sit in the woods and watch the world go by?  How can you guys reply to a thread why a person wants a trophy whitetail rack when it's obvious that it's a subject you know nothing about?

Edited July 8, 2017 by Four Season Whitetails

[growalot]

That was some image you just left me with..

Chest thumping,fist pumping ,Hercules!, Hercules!, Hercules!...Oh what that was an Eddie Murphy movie..lol

Yep real hunters real men...measured by the amount  of bone they carry...hahaha...The opitime of stereotypical male ego.

[stubby68]

38 minutes ago, Four Season Whitetails said:

This was side tracked long ago and o did say what drives me to only kill real deer. It's way to easy to just kill any deer and that's not much of so called hunting. Iike you said.  Sitting in the woods watching shite fly by and skitter by and then whenever you want lift the gun and kill a deer !   That's what you call hunting?  Try taking on the biggest smartest beast in the woods and watch them make you look like a joke time after time until you finally get it right and hold your trophy that.,. You found, located and went and killed him!  In order to talk about what drives a person to go after only trophy racks you have to know and talk about what makes you go after that special deer that carries that special set of bones one is getting driving to have. The bone is just the trophy you get for killing the smartest animal in the woods!       People say they hunt for all kinds of different reasons but the bottom line is that 99% of them wake up at 4am every morning with the hope the biggest set of bone in the woods strolls by them this morning!                                     You sit here saying others are taking this thread off track and you are replying that you sit in the woods and watch the world go by?  How can you guys reply to a thread why a person wants a trophy whitetail rack when it's obvious that it's a subject you know nothing about?

         This was side tracked to what you wanted?  Wow all this time you have been saying it was about bone from the start. You said that the op was about the trophy or bone as you changed the word to from the start.  Now you are saying it got side tracked. You are the one who side tracked it to be about the bone and not about why guys go after it. So was it side tracked or fid it start out that way make up your mind. Everyone here posted why they do or do not hunt for the biggest baddest trophy in the woods. Why do you have to attack those who do not feel the same way as you. Nobody attacked you about wanting the trophy. 

           You say try going after the biggest baddest only to have him make a fool out of you time and time again until that one time you get it right . That is called luck. Do it over and over until you get lucky. Try going after that buck and getting him the first time. Say you are going out and I'll such and such buck at such and such time and do it. That would be something to brag about. Not keep chasing him until you get lucky. You say they are the oldest smartest in the woods yet it seems they are harder to get when they are middle age and after they get a few years on them and are older is when the slip up and bang.

              For some people the trophy at the end of anything we do is not important. At least not the type of trophy you are talking about. For some it is what we get out of the experience that counts. Life is bot passing me by I am missing out on nothing. I have had these biggest baddest bucks ,you speek of in front of me more then once. I chose not to shoot for my own reasons as you always shoot them for your reasons. These or any other deer do not excite me. Turkey an grow big beards bucks can grow huge bone big deal. All animals have a special trait that sets them apart in there world it is part of nature. It is absolute nothing to get excited about for me.

          I and others are not missing out any anything by not having the need to get that huge set of bones. The way you put down my experience when in the woods it almost sounds like it makes you feel like you are the one missing out and that is what passes you off. Hunting is not a game for some it is an experience and that experience is our trophy. You like hunting for the bone it is a game to you. Fine hunt for what you want I and others will hunt for the reasons we want. The problem with this whole thing is the attitude you have with non trophy hunters and the way you treat them. News flash we all do not want or need the same things you do out of hunting or life.that is something you just do not understand.

         I think grow just hit the nail on the head.

        Respond as you like I am no longer going to defend my way of hunting to you. You will never understand why others do not need the trophy in life to be happy and that is your lose.

[Four Season Whitetail's]

19 minutes ago, stubby68 said:

         This was side tracked to what you wanted?  Wow all this time you have been saying it was about bone from the start. You said that the op was about the trophy or bone as you changed the word to from the start.  Now you are saying it got side tracked. You are the one who side tracked it to be about the bone and not about why guys go after it. So was it side tracked or fid it start out that way make up your mind. Everyone here posted why they do or do not hunt for the biggest baddest trophy in the woods. Why do you have to attack those who do not feel the same way as you. Nobody attacked you about wanting the trophy. 

           You say try going after the biggest baddest only to have him make a fool out of you time and time again until that one time you get it right . That is called luck. Do it over and over until you get lucky. Try going after that buck and getting him the first time. Say you are going out and I'll such and such buck at such and such time and do it. That would be something to brag about. Not keep chasing him until you get lucky. You say they are the oldest smartest in the woods yet it seems they are harder to get when they are middle age and after they get a few years on them and are older is when the slip up and bang.

              For some people the trophy at the end of anything we do is not important. At least not the type of trophy you are talking about. For some it is what we get out of the experience that counts. Life is bot passing me by I am missing out on nothing. I have had these biggest baddest bucks ,you speek of in front of me more then once. I chose not to shoot for my own reasons as you always shoot them for your reasons. These or any other deer do not excite me. Turkey an grow big beards bucks can grow huge bone big deal. All animals have a special trait that sets them apart in there world it is part of nature. It is absolute nothing to get excited about for me.

          I and others are not missing out any anything by not having the need to get that huge set of bones. The way you put down my experience when in the woods it almost sounds like it makes you feel like you are the one missing out and that is what passes you off. Hunting is not a game for some it is an experience and that experience is our trophy. You like hunting for the bone it is a game to you. Fine hunt for what you want I and others will hunt for the reasons we want. The problem with this whole thing is the attitude you have with non trophy hunters and the way you treat them. News flash we all do not want or need the same things you do out of hunting or life.that is something you just do not understand.

         I think grow just hit the nail on the head.

        Respond as you like I am no longer going to defend my way of hunting to you. You will never understand why others do not need the trophy in life to be happy and that is your lose.

HaHA.  You need to get back on the...why do we hunt thread!  Not anything that has the word Trophy in it!  It's obvious between you and grow there is not a lot of knowledge there to know anything about a trophy rack or the trophy carting that rack!  You two are the minority. The rest of us have killed enough baby deer when we were young in the sport and have grown to take on the best of the best.  Can't wait for the next thread that you two can show the same old pic's of those trophies you speak of!

[stubby68]

When do we every say any of the pictures we posted were of our trophies? You called them our trophies.

[Doc]

1 hour ago, growalot said:

That was some image you just left me with..

Chest thumping,fist pumping ,Hercules!, Hercules!, Hercules!...Oh what that was an Eddie Murphy movie..lol

Yep real hunters real men...measured by the amount  of bone they carry...hahaha...The opitime of stereotypical male ego.

Ha-ha-ha..... there sure is a lot of that going on in this thread, but that is about as blatant an example as I have ever read. I have never heard it expressed so directly and clearly. But it does kind of fit into the theme of this thread. At least it clears up what at least one member needs antlers for, and his needed connection between antlers and trophies and self-aggrandizement ......lol.

[Four Season Whitetail's]

1 hour ago, Doc said:

Ha-ha-ha..... there sure is a lot of that going on in this thread, but that is about as blatant an example as I have ever read. I have never heard it expressed so directly and clearly. But it does kind of fit into the theme of this thread. At least it clears up what at least one member needs antlers for, and his needed connection between antlers and trophies and self-aggrandizement ......lol.

That's because most people are fakes and full of shit. 99% of hunters that scout, plant food lots , lease land and every other aspect of hunting do it for one reason and that is to try and kill the biggest racked whitetail buck in the woods. Period. Some have a hard time admitting that because they end up failing and settling for a lesser beast but deer hunting is all about the bone and only a few can call ourselves trophy hunters and it's a very small elite group in the big picture!

[TreeGuy]

Says " gonna go after this or that cause they will be EASIER to pattern"

Then says "they gotta be smart and give me a challenge"


Then tries to justify the reason it's sensible to answer the OP from the opposite end of the question

Then makes the comment at the " typical male ego"

Say X, then say Y, then throw jabs, then contradict, more jabs, then jab at others because they are throwing jabs.... contradict again and use the " you just won't understand" line, when the reality is YOU don't and won't understand, so maybe it's time to sit back and just read, so you can learn about THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND THE QUEST FOR TROPHY RACKS, instead of teaching us about your quest, which is clearly not what the OP was geared toward.

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[Doc]

2 hours ago, Four Season Whitetails said:

That's because most people are fakes and full of shit. 99% of hunters that scout, plant food lots , lease land and every other aspect of hunting do it for one reason and that is to try and kill the biggest racked whitetail buck in the woods. Period. Some have a hard time admitting that because they end up failing and settling for a lesser beast but deer hunting is all about the bone and only a few can call ourselves trophy hunters and it's a very small elite group in the big picture!

Yeah, I know. You are one of those brilliant hunters that are in that elite few. I know it's true because I have heard you say it so many times....lol. Hey look, it's alright. Whatever gets you through the day. If self-aggrandizement floats your boat, that's alright. After all, if you don't toot your own horn obnoxiously to the point where it's sickening, who in world will ever do it for you. Some people get all disgusted and repulsed with a braggadocios personality that is always telling people how great they are whether anyone wants to hear it or not. Imagine that! 

[Four Season Whitetail's]

33 minutes ago, Doc said:

Yeah, I know. You are one of those brilliant hunters that are in that elite few. I know it's true because I have heard you say it so many times....lol. Hey look, it's alright. Whatever gets you through the day. If self-aggrandizement floats your boat, that's alright. After all, if you don't toot your own horn obnoxiously to the point where it's sickening, who in world will ever do it for you. Some people get all disgusted and repulsed with a braggadocios personality that is always telling people how great they are whether anyone wants to hear it or not. Imagine that! 

Yeah I guess you see pics of my trophies all over this site every year huh?  I don't need back slapping and the truth still stands that the ones that don't have what it takes to be one of the elite few that does go after the best and be successful like to cry about the few that do!  Cry On!

[Doc]

Look, I understand that I am not going to change your personality. You have a pathological need to constantly boast about what you perceive in your own mind as your "hunting perfection" (to the point of being obnoxious), and I nor anyone else will ever change that trait. So just forget I even brought it up.

 

[growalot]

[Four Season Whitetail's]

6 hours ago, Doc said:

Look, I understand that I am not going to change your personality. You have a pathological need to constantly boast about what you perceive in your own mind as your "hunting perfection" (to the point of being obnoxious), and I nor anyone else will ever change that trait. So just forget I even brought it up.

 

Facts are facts.  No need to boast. If so you would see my pics of those great bucks on this site.  No Need!  Some have it!  Most Don't!

[GreeneHunter]

I could care less about the size of the Rack , I don't eat that part ! ( we're still talking about Deer right ? )

[Larry]

Take a look at the latest Outdoor News to see the nasty side of the quest for trophy racks. People have lost marriages, families, friends, jobs and have even ended up in jail over antlers.

I wonder how many of us would still hunt if we had to turn in the racks of all the bucks we harvested. Remember our job as hunters is primarily population control not antler colleting.   

[Doc]

One thing that cannot be denied is that there is something about antlers that seriously attracts people to deer hunting and it becomes their yardstick to try to measure how successful they are at hunting. And that was the purpose of this thread, to discuss what the attraction is and why. I believe that the reason that antlers have become the standard as the measurement of success for so many is primarily a cultural thing inherited from those that came before us. Back when I was a youngster, it was all about the number of points. No one that I knew bothered with, or even knew about some crazy arbitrary scoring system. It was all about the 12 point that someone shot in the next valley over, or the 10 pointer that hangs around up on the hill, etc. Now we get out the tape measures and fill out some official looking form and get our kicks out of the total "score" and maybe even some official recognition to make hunting have some meaning to us. But it is all still the same thing. It's all about antlers. That is how we pat ourselves on the back and declare ourselves hunter-heroes. To me it all seems kind of arbitrary and conjured up, but man has some deep need to compete, even at something as personal as hunting. So I guess it is one of those "to each, their own" kind of things. But I still find it an interesting subject. When someone asks you why you hunt, this stuff all becomes a part of the answer.

[Five Seasons]

On 7/8/2017 at 1:09 AM, stubby68 said:

Is it because your business depends on everyone wanting big racked deer?  

I don't think anyone has a problem with those who meat hunt. Although it seems only meat hunters are offended by trophy hunters, but that's another subject.

The issue with your stance is that you will actively pursue the smaller easier to kill deer. And you MIGHT actually do that, who am I to say? But it's a head scratcher for a lot of us. If we a bb standing next to a 120+... we're shooting the 120+. Because yes the rack. But from a meat perspective it's not worse if taken care of properly and there's a lot more of it.

[Five Seasons]

5 hours ago, Doc said:

One thing that cannot be denied is that there is something about antlers that seriously attracts people to deer hunting and it becomes their yardstick to try to measure how successful they are at hunting. And that was the purpose of this thread, to discuss what the attraction is and why. I believe that the reason that antlers have become the standard as the measurement of success for so many is primarily a cultural thing inherited from those that came before us. Back when I was a youngster, it was all about the number of points. No one that I knew bothered with, or even knew about some crazy arbitrary scoring system. It was all about the 12 point that someone shot in the next valley over, or the 10 pointer that hangs around up on the hill, etc. Now we get out the tape measures and fill out some official looking form and get our kicks out of the total "score" and maybe even some official recognition to make hunting have some meaning to us. But it is all still the same thing. It's all about antlers. That is how we pat ourselves on the back and declare ourselves hunter-heroes. To me it all seems kind of arbitrary and conjured up, but man has some deep need to compete, even at something as personal as hunting. So I guess it is one of those "to each, their own" kind of things. But I still find it an interesting subject. When someone asks you why you hunt, this stuff all becomes a part of the answer.

I think you can go back to caveman and native american times. The chief always wore the biggest head dress, or wore the largest animal skin or had the biggest skull on top of his walking stick lol. It's a sign of strength, it's that simple.

[Five Seasons]

On 7/7/2017 at 9:48 AM, stubby68 said:

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.    

wow. you're an elite hunter to have essentially never had a bad shot.

[Five Seasons]

On 7/7/2017 at 10:31 AM, growalot said:

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.

I'm not calling you a liar. There are exceptions to every rule. There's a good chance this buck was sick or something. These things happen sometimes. But generally speaking and from reading this thread it's clear that many of us have shot older bucks and had them taste just fine. So there's not a rule that they don't. 

[Five Seasons]

On 7/7/2017 at 9:07 PM, Buckmaster7600 said:

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


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a dressed deer tipping 200 lbs. will undoubtedly be a trophy though