Let them walk.

[asd9055]

We have enough people in our life telling us what we can and cannot do. We don't need any more. I am no longer a trophy hunter, I said it before, I can not eat antlers, they keep chipping my teeth. I harvest in Texas and hunt for the experience and adventure elsewhere.
If I am hunting public land I only have to follow the State rules and my own.
If I am hunting private land, I have to follow the strictest for the State and Land owner rules.
The rest, it is everybody's own concience. You don't have to asnwer to me and I don't have to answer to you. Plain and simple. If this earns my an ignore, so be it!

 

[Grumpy old man]

There's quite a few of you that will read this post and you'll just get mad and try to tell me how it is. Cool, you do that. I will hit "ignore" on every one of you without hesitation. If you want to disagree, you better do so in a manner befitting a Christian. Fact is, I have almost nothing in common with most "hunters" these days, and I'd rather be disliked by all of them than be "popular" among that crowd.

This post is for the rest of you. The guys that are trying to be good responsible sportsmen that know how to manage our resources.

My request is this: Learn how to score on the hoof. Stop shooting immature animals. If you want food and the joy of the hunt... do it with a doe. They taste better.

That is all.

I'm out scouting for pronghorn, as I usually do this time of year. Some areas of the country you see massive pronghorn regularly. Tags are hard to get in those areas. Permission to hunt, even harder to get. They grow big there, because most hunters are kept out.

That's not true of my area. Here, there isn't much for sizable pronghorn. Fewer and fewer sizable anything, actually.

It's a sad reality when in order to foster trophy animals, hunters must be kept away. Yet, despite how sad, that is very true of many hunters. We're suppose to care... not just look for instant gratification of a kill on our vacation from our life, wife, and job.

Took this guys picture 15 minutes ago... and I know the majority of hunters would blast him if given the opportunity. Sure, he's a "nice" goat. He's got decent cutters, decent length, decent mass, and there's even some ivory there.

Though he sure doesn't have much of a curl does he? I bet he's 3yrs old is all. Next year he'll be nice. Two years, he'll be a STUD! What do you think he scores?

Now compare what you see above, to a real trophy pronghorn. Here's a 90" goat from pronghornguideservice instagram page:

Now what do you think that first goat I posted scored?

I'm talking about pronghorn here, but the same applies to every species. Just let them walk. What is the big deal? Shoot a doe for as many years as you need to foster some proper management of the species. Teach this restraint to the younger generation. If you don't, then $10,000+ per hunt guides will be the only place any of us get to hunt a real trophy. You can very likely still do all the things that are important to you on your hunt without shooting an immature buck.


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I agree most people with guns are not hunters and k ow

There's quite a few of you that will read this post and you'll just get mad and try to tell me how it is. Cool, you do that. I will hit "ignore" on every one of you without hesitation. If you want to disagree, you better do so in a manner befitting a Christian. Fact is, I have almost nothing in common with most "hunters" these days, and I'd rather be disliked by all of them than be "popular" among that crowd.

This post is for the rest of you. The guys that are trying to be good responsible sportsmen that know how to manage our resources.

My request is this: Learn how to score on the hoof. Stop shooting immature animals. If you want food and the joy of the hunt... do it with a doe. They taste better.

That is all.

I'm out scouting for pronghorn, as I usually do this time of year. Some areas of the country you see massive pronghorn regularly. Tags are hard to get in those areas. Permission to hunt, even harder to get. They grow big there, because most hunters are kept out.

That's not true of my area. Here, there isn't much for sizable pronghorn. Fewer and fewer sizable anything, actually.

It's a sad reality when in order to foster trophy animals, hunters must be kept away. Yet, despite how sad, that is very true of many hunters. We're suppose to care... not just look for instant gratification of a kill on our vacation from our life, wife, and job.

Took this guys picture 15 minutes ago... and I know the majority of hunters would blast him if given the opportunity. Sure, he's a "nice" goat. He's got decent cutters, decent length, decent mass, and there's even some ivory there.

Though he sure doesn't have much of a curl does he? I bet he's 3yrs old is all. Next year he'll be nice. Two years, he'll be a STUD! What do you think he scores?

Now compare what you see above, to a real trophy pronghorn. Here's a 90" goat from pronghornguideservice instagram page:

Now what do you think that first goat I posted scored?

I'm talking about pronghorn here, but the same applies to every species. Just let them walk. What is the big deal? Shoot a doe for as many years as you need to foster some proper management of the species. Teach this restraint to the younger generation. If you don't, then $10,000+ per hunt guides will be the only place any of us get to hunt a real trophy. You can very likely still do all the things that are important to you on your hunt without shooting an immature buck.


-----------
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I live in pennsylvania mountains and with letting herds replenish allows me to see these everyday

 

[Grumpy old man]

Conservation works pennsylvania mountains these are my projects

 

[Hugnot]

I buy meat wrapped in plastic at supermarkets but like to shoot inedible destructive rodents to benefit mankind.

 

[orkan]

I am not a trophy hunter, my people were here long before the white man came to our land. We hunt for meat for our family. Not for the horns or antlers. If we killed one that had them, we did not hang them on a wall, we used them for tools. When and where legal I will shoot a doe over big horns. I do not understand trophy hunting, but from what I see a trophy is in the eyes of the hunter, not a measuring tape. We would like to get a big one only because there is more meat. Ignore if you like, but we will hunt the ways of the Shoshone. We do Save the big Horns for the white man to guild them to for money.

Ignore if you like

I will certainly agree to your request, just as I have every other person that wanted an ignore. I don't approve of people that use skin color to categorize people the way you have, nor will I approve of your hypocritical nature of claiming horns don't matter but you'll happily take "the white man" on a horn hunt for money. Your capitalist tendencies running headlong into your proclaimed heritage in the same paragraph. Impressive.

 

[Tuffcountry]

There's quite a few of you that will read this post and you'll just get mad and try to tell me how it is. Cool, you do that. I will hit "ignore" on every one of you without hesitation. If you want to disagree, you better do so in a manner befitting a Christian. Fact is, I have almost nothing in common with most "hunters" these days, and I'd rather be disliked by all of them than be "popular" among that crowd.

This post is for the rest of you. The guys that are trying to be good responsible sportsmen that know how to manage our resources.

My request is this: Learn how to score on the hoof. Stop shooting immature animals. If you want food and the joy of the hunt... do it with a doe. They taste better.

That is all.

I'm out scouting for pronghorn, as I usually do this time of year. Some areas of the country you see massive pronghorn regularly. Tags are hard to get in those areas. Permission to hunt, even harder to get. They grow big there, because most hunters are kept out.

That's not true of my area. Here, there isn't much for sizable pronghorn. Fewer and fewer sizable anything, actually.

It's a sad reality when in order to foster trophy animals, hunters must be kept away. Yet, despite how sad, that is very true of many hunters. We're suppose to care... not just look for instant gratification of a kill on our vacation from our life, wife, and job.

Took this guys picture 15 minutes ago... and I know the majority of hunters would blast him if given the opportunity. Sure, he's a "nice" goat. He's got decent cutters, decent length, decent mass, and there's even some ivory there.

Though he sure doesn't have much of a curl does he? I bet he's 3yrs old is all. Next year he'll be nice. Two years, he'll be a STUD! What do you think he scores?

Now compare what you see above, to a real trophy pronghorn. Here's a 90" goat from pronghornguideservice instagram page:

Now what do you think that first goat I posted scored?

I'm talking about pronghorn here, but the same applies to every species. Just let them walk. What is the big deal? Shoot a doe for as many years as you need to foster some proper management of the species. Teach this restraint to the younger generation. If you don't, then $10,000+ per hunt guides will be the only place any of us get to hunt a real trophy. You can very likely still do all the things that are important to you on your hunt without shooting an immature buck.


-----------
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Horn growth has a lot to do with the year's weather. So I have to disagree with you on field judging based upon age

 

[Lapuatom]

Just what the hunting/ shooting community needs, not!

 

[Huntz]

Well everyone has their opinion,and you know what opinions are like.

 

[orkan]

Horn growth has a lot to do with the year's weather. So I have to disagree with you on field judging based upon age

I agree with you, it's not just about age, and I never said it was... but they don't start getting smaller until they are VERY old. Frankly, I've never seen a pronghorn get smaller. Maybe they just get killed too early... but I've never seen it, so I wouldn't know when or if it happens. How sad is that? So far, I've only been able to effectively track a goat for 4 years. Always bigger each year.

How much more they put on is directly tied to the kind of year... but every 2 year old I've seen was bigger at 3. Same for a 3 to 4, and 4 to 5. Over 5yrs old, I wouldn't really know because I've never seen one here that lasted that long.

I love pronghornguideservice instagram account because he shows the age of the goats in his slides... and you can see almost universally the older they are the bigger they are. It's not drastic changes most of the time, but bigger is bigger.

Still, you must realize that's not entirely what this thread was about at this point my friend.

 

[Chas1]

I shoot trophy Paper

 

[Quintus]

Conservation works pennsylvania mountains these are my projects

Dats a big'olbar!

 

[MSURunner]

I have spent a lot of my life in the classroom as both a student and instructor, and there is one thing that I've learned with trying to teach people: if someone knows your making a statement based from religious or political preferences, you are far less likely to have them approach it with an open mind. In fact, when trying to actually debate something, politics and religious views entering into the equation often mean that you have failed. I am extremely devote in my faith, but it is MY faith and is not something that I will cast upon others as by which the standard we need to have a discussion. In fact, if the history of my religion is any measuring stick for which to carry on a discussion, then I think we've actually become quite civil!

Regardless, there is Biblical context for slaughtering young animals for consumption, and nothing that states proper stewardship and domain over the animals requires a certain arbitrary score to be met to allow for ethical kills. Our society has added such constraints, and so long as they are followed, I believe we are best served keeping our personal judgment to ourselves. Killing only "trophy" animals is, by definition, trophy hunting. The history of hunting, from indigenous peoples to now, has always celebrated trophies, but not made them the measuring stick by which a kill can or cannot be made. The animal is a reflection of the hunt and I would rather see efforts put to use in trying to increase education and opportunity around hunting, rather than casting airs of moral supremacy over others for legal kills. I don't consider myself a road hunter, but if a giant deer happens to stand up 50 yards from me getting out of the truck, does that mean I shouldn't take it? Should I then chastise someone else for taking an animal near a road? Likewise, animal size and definition of trophy status is subjective and requires too many inputs to make that determination for someone else.

 

[COBrad]

I will say you are most certainly consistent… consistently self righteous.

 

[Lapuatom]

I have spent a lot of my life in the classroom as both a student and instructor, and there is one thing that I've learned with trying to teach people: if someone knows your making a statement based from religious or political preferences, you are far less likely to have them approach it with an open mind. In fact, when trying to actually debate something, politics and religious views entering into the equation often mean that you have failed. I am extremely devote in my faith, but it is MY faith and is not something that I will cast upon others as by which the standard we need to have a discussion. In fact, if the history of my religion is any measuring stick for which to carry on a discussion, then I think we've actually become quite civil!

Regardless, there is Biblical context for slaughtering young animals for consumption, and nothing that states proper stewardship and domain over the animals requires a certain arbitrary score to be met to allow for ethical kills. Our society has added such constraints, and so long as they are followed, I believe we are best served keeping our personal judgment to ourselves. Killing only "trophy" animals is, by definition, trophy hunting. The history of hunting, from indigenous peoples to now, has always celebrated trophies, but not made them the measuring stick by which a kill can or cannot be made. The animal is a reflection of the hunt and I would rather see efforts put to use in trying to increase education and opportunity around hunting, rather than casting airs of moral supremacy over others for legal kills. I don't consider myself a road hunter, but if a giant deer happens to stand up 50 yards from me getting out of the truck, does that mean I shouldn't take it? Should I then chastise someone else for taking an animal near a road? Likewise, animal size and definition of trophy status is subjective and requires too many inputs to make that determination for someone else.

Thank you sir.