“Celebration over Aggravation: .... choose to react to other hunter’s harvests with celebration, not aggravation. Don’t get jealous that someone else killed a monster buck, or a toad of a bull. On the other hand, don’t assume that everyone must meet your standards of what “a shooter” is. I know a guy that shot a buck that he was absolutely thrilled with. He was all excited to show his friends, which he did, and then one idiot in the group exclaimed, “I guess he’s alright, but I would have given him another year.” Okay, jerk, that’s fine for you – but you didn’t shoot this deer. Whether big or small, celebrate other hunter’s success!” - SoleAdventure.com http://soleadventure.com/2013/08/hunting-is-worthless-and-4-other-things-you-need-to-know/
I opened my thoughts with Mark's. I had a brief, but awesome conversation with him after I read his blog. I asked him if I may “piggy back” on his article, and thus here we are.
I can relate. Read "The UGLY of my KS Hunt" blog.
Let me first share with you the B&C Club MISSION STATEMENT:
It is the mission of the Boone and Crockett Club to promote the conservation and management of wildlife, especially big game, and its habitat, to preserve and encourage hunting and to maintain the highest ethical standards of fair chase and sportsmanship in North America.
NEVER DOES THE CLUB MENTION SCORES, GROSS, NET, DEDUCTIONS! I understand what their mission is. I believe in it. Like Mark and I both agreed..., IT IS THE HUNTERS who have skewed this mission. Let me be more specific: it is the “jerks”, the arrogant hunters, the so called experts, and “scoring trophy hunters”. These “bucket dippers” just love to rain on other people's parade. I am sharing my opinion here, my feelings.
IMO, the trophy is in the eye of the beholder. I recently shared a post on public land hunting. I noted that even when I kill a doe, it feels like as if I killed a "P&Y" caliber. It's a trophy to ME. It's the accomplishment. It's the experience. It's the connection I have with nature, the animal, me, and God!
The buck I killed in KS is big. The experience of killing that buck was big. It's rack is big, but like in “the ugly of my KS hunt”, I was reminded how sad it could be to a young hunter, or a first time hunter to hear other hunters downplay their kill. I am pretty level headed, so my self esteem was not bruised at any given point. As a matter of fact, with “the glass half full” thought, and with the likes of Mark, the #loucrew brotherhood, and DeerPassion, to name a few, I know how special my hunt was. So many of the people cheered for my buck, my hunt - NOT it's score.
To all of you "b&c" hunters that celebrate the hunt and kill of a fellow hunter without placing importance to scores, power to you and congratulations!
To all you boneheads placing the importance on size, bones, and NET, and downplaying someone's individual accomplishment – God bless you, but I choose not to be like you.
I tell you what I do choose: I choose to maybe stand alone, and take a chance to be wrong by opting out of the B&C record books. I choose to always celebrate someone's small or big kill. I choose to celebrate hunting, not scores. I want to contribute my humble, possibly cynical effort to protect a mission, BECAUSE I choose to and will promote “...the conservation and management of wildlife, especially big game, and its habitat. To preserve and encourage hunting and to maintain the highest ethical standards of fair chase and sportsmanship in North America”.
Happy hunting, may your freezer be filled with backstraps, and your homes with joy.
Your thoughts?
Nicely said. The focus on size so many hunters have promoted, at times, reduces the level of respect for the animal they killed.
ReplyDeleteAuthor and hunter, Ted Kerasote once remarked that B&C, P&Y, SCI and others, continue to publish scores, but omit the names of hunters. Interesting. Thanks.