By Greg Wagner
The deer harvested by a hunter prompted celebration but other hunters on social media certainly did not think so.
You see, it was a smaller, younger white-tailed buck. It was a beautiful animal and a great photo of the proud hunter and the deer.
I was one of the initial people to “like” the post on Facebook.
However, it did not take long for the naysayers to chastise and ridicule the individual for shooting a smaller, younger “button” buck.
Seriously?
A trophy deer is what the hunter wants it to be. It is personal, very personal.
As long as that deer was legally acquired and the hunter adhered to the wishes of the landowner, I have no problem with what a licensed deer hunter harvests. It is up to the hunter. And, by the way, let’s leave the overall deer management to the wildlife professionals.
You should feel the same way. How much of a deer expert are you? Are you a wildlife biologist specializing in deer research? What if all hunters checked in the same or nearly the same gender and age of deer, huh?
Hmmm … Ponder those questions.
What has deer hunting become? Is it all about huge trophy antlers? Maybe we should place some blame on the outdoor media industry where notable hunters are constantly shooting massive-antlered bucks. Sure, most of us like big bucks and I will shoot one during Nebraska’s firearm, archery or muzzleloader deer hunting seasons if it presents itself. I am an opportunist though and may take that nub, spike, forked or basket-racked buck on the farm I hunt, if my permit allows.
Just remember, the intrinsic worth of antlers or a hide (cape) in no way reduces the intrinsic worth of the meat, heart, liver or any other facet of the animal’s life. It is just one portion of the whole, what I call “the broad perspective.” We should remember that.
A friend of mine once said, “I never measure a deer in inches, only the smiling hunter’s face with the deer in a photo.”
That statement could not be more accurate.
Look, I have heard all of the arguments about what a hunter should or should not take.
“You shouldn’t have shot that buck; imagine what he could have been next year!”
“Why didn’t you let that deer walk so it could have grown another year!”
“If you wanted meat, why the heck didn’t you just shoot a doe?”
Deer hunting is not about lines like those. Not at all!
Everyone seeks something different from hunting. Every harvest represents effort made by a hunter, time with loved ones, time outdoors … those are the successes we should celebrate.
Consider this. You do not know the background information of the hunter, the hunting scenario or the hunting experience.
Perhaps the hunter only had access to a small piece of property. Perhaps they only had a couple days to hunt. Maybe the hunter was on public land and not seeing many deer. Perhaps the hunter, who cuts up their own deer, needs to feed a large family and was not concerned with mounting a trophy buck on the wall. Perhaps the individual hunter had a physical challenge and that particular deer was nearest for a safe, quick, clean, humane kill. The hunter’s freezer may have been empty and they were looking for healthy protein to eat. Perhaps the deer shot was the gender and age that the landowner stipulated. Perhaps the individual is a newcomer to the lifestyle of deer hunting.
I have witnessed newbies drop out of deer hunting altogether or never fully embrace it, because they cannot live up to the expectations or standards of what other hunters have expressed to them about what they should shoot. Garbage!
Asking young or new hunters to pass up on smaller, younger bucks or does is a sure way to turn them off to deer hunting. Preventing the harvest of young bucks has a direct link to the declining number of hunters, according to the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. To a good number of deer hunters I know, whether experienced or not, a 3 by 3 or 4 by 4 basket-racked yearling buck walking on a trail under a stand through the woods translates to a nice buck to harvest.
Let me tell you something. I have been with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission for more than 45 years. In that span, I have seen some longtime hunters, who profess only to take big-antlered mature bucks, check in immature bucks for years in prior hunts. Hypocrites!
I really like what Kip Adams of the Quality Deer Management Association has written about deer hunting and harvest. He stated, “Take a moment to remember why we hunt. Your reason may differ from your neighbor’s, so don’t be critical of what they shoot legally or chooses to pass, and never apologize for what you shoot.”
When it comes right down to it, a trophy deer is an animal legally acquired, in compliance with what the landowner preferred or required and the hunter desired. Who knows? The harvest may have been a deer that a hunter pursued for a few seasons. Or maybe a deer that he or she outsmarted in the woods with a call or rattling antlers. Going deeper, for many of us who deer hunt, it is not what the animal looks like. Rather, it is the memorable experience of an enjoyable hunt with a family member or friend. That is the measure of success and the lasting trophy.