Thread: What constitutes a trophy???

Originally Posted by deer243

Hunting to me is a personal experience. No one should dictate to you what to shoot, when to shoot it or tell you thats not a trophy or it is etc. Its all in the eye of the beholder.
Like the above,shooting soft velvet stags ""is a waste"".
Thats your personal opinion, and thats fine but if im after prime meat and i want to shoot a velvet stag, no ones going to dictate to me that its wrong, and shouldnt do it.
Its no waste to me , cant eat antlers, they are prime eating and i shoot them all day long if i wish and i be happy about it.
People hunt for different reasons, and we all have some different opinions on whats right, and whats not but thats fine. Doesnt mean you right, doesnt mean you wrong, as long as you happy
with the outcome and had a good hunt for you that what matters.

Yes, a trophy can be a certain definition ie got to score a certain score etc but a real trophy is all in the eye of the beholder and is purely a personal choice that you are proud of.

A scrubby 8 pointer in thick bush hands down is more of a trophy to me than spotlighting a escapee in a paddocck that is 16. If you want shoot a velvet stag because meat is your aim, go for it, i
someones elses opinion means nothing but they are more than welcome to have it

Sounds like a bullshit excuse to me to justify shooting velvet stags , “prime eating “ maybe if they have 1 point on each side lol , best is no points at all such as a yearling hind preferably a fallow one if your talking “prime” , stags get fat over summer but that’s about it there not overly tasty & certainly not tender compared with a decent table animal , it’s like saying a cockys stud bull that’s been put in a fattening paddock over the summer to fatten before it go,s to the works is “prime” or worse ...an old dairy cow �� just because it’s got 2 inches of fat on it , I cut 460 of the fuckers in half every day , you can see what is prime & what is not , Id rather just keep walking or go home empty handed vs shooting something that’s not fit for purpose , when the family sit around to a feed of veni & the kids start to suck the juice out & regurgitate the rest back out onto the plate...not prime

Originally Posted by Hunteast

A great stalk onto a red stag during the roar can be retold again and again, doesn't really matter about how many points on the antlers.

But can't really say that when hunting velvet stags of any species - they are hunted before their prime? More and more people appear to target them saying they are after prime veni which is true but looking at FB seem to take the big velvet head out too - then ask what to do with it - is it worth getting mounted?? Can i sell it etc. How times have changed.

Depends mate just shooting the first roaring stag dumb enough to come to you because it's young I don't feel has reached its prime as much as an old mature stag shot it hard velvet. Age I think is more trophy worthy. I agree soft velvet is a bit of a waste as not many get them out in good enough nick to preserve them.

4 Days of sneaking around in the frost with my nephew before we came across this fallow. It's never going to win a trophy contest, getting the lad to take point for stalking in and picking the shooting position is worth it.
He will remember the hunt for a long time, that photo is worth more to me than a head.

what constitutes a trophy?
anything you are proud off, first kill, weirdest antlers, strangest tusks, or even your childs first bunny

Interesting podcast by Brian Call/Gritty Bowmen about crossbow hunting. He ends up getting in to personal hunter value etc.

yip agree about velvety for the freezer....I have however lined up stag and seen big velvet antler poke out from behind the tree and taken finger off trigger...I would hate to shoot stag in velvet and find it was possibly going to be a cracker high scoring head that might be someones "once in a life time" wall hanger......I do agree they taste good,but wouldnt personally shoot what looked like a good head.....thats personal.not right or wrong,just what I do...or dont do as it were.

as my cowboy mate says "opinions are like armpits and arseholes,everyone has them and some just stink"

If you are happy with it then it is a trophy in your eyes. A lot of the time when you shoot a smaller stag under exciting circumstances or after a great stalk the memory of the hunt is the trophy the antlers will remind you of the hunt.
No one has the right to tell people what they can and can't shoot especially as most people who do have been there and done that, so why stop other people doing the same.

Yes a trophy is in the eye of the beholder, everyone hunts and sucures there success in different ways an circumstances hence they are only special to the person/people that were present on the hunt. But there are a handful of great heads that are taken every year that stand above the rest regardless of the circumstances they were taken. I guess that's where a scoring system like the Douglas score sorts them all out on an even playing field regardless of how they were taken.

While I agree a trophy is in the eye of the beholder I do have an issue with people shooting every animals they see with antlers. After you have about 30 piddly little racks hanging up they don't mean the same as a few selected. Like the odd one might mean more due to the experience behind it but not all.

I don't like soft velvet stags shot but I get it although I think if you hunt any of the renowned herds it's a bit shit. I know you can do what you like here but we have no shortage of deer so females should be on the list for meat. It's more that by shooting the young stags it's not that you personally don't care its that it comes at the expense of others ability to gain their trophy. Im with Micky Duck that personally I don't feel good about shooting young animals now as it could be the old mature stag in a few years for myself or someone else.

To me my best nz trophies are my first solo public red stag which was a young 10 then I shot a slightly older 10 last year with my partner who was a vegetarian when we met. Those and my first chamois and the 10inch buck I took earlier this year as I worked my ass of for them. I have passed on easily 50 stags and quite a few bucks over the last year. To me now when I look for a trophy I look for an old animal but I'd struggle to not shoot a middle aged animal that would clearly be a pb. There are obviously standards for size (like a 10 Inch cham or 300" red) but I think a mature animal that's a good representation of the species is what I'm looking for.

While hunting in Montana this season knowing I only had one deer tag and one elk tag I was picky. I decided an elk meant a lot to me and I wanted a mature bull. I saw a monster opening bay but couldn't get close in a snow storm by the afternoon I had seen a few other 6 point bulls that were middle aged that I could have shot. The picture below is taken off my phone at 85 yards. But I had set myself a challenge. I ended up trying for a big mature 8 point that snapped one antler off mid beam so only had 3 point on that side because he was clearly mature and would have meant more to me than a younger more even 6. I ended up going home without a bull but with multiple opportunities on great bulls. The deer tag I wasn't as picky with and decided that I wanted the first mature buck I saw muley or whitetail and it happened to be a fairly nice whitetail buck that aged at 6 which in the US is fairly old. The whitetail is a huge trophy to me as it represents my 6 months overseas guiding and hunting in North America even though it was an elk I really wanted.

So in summary I think a trophy is dependent on the person but while I can't tell people what to do I like to see people take a first of any species without a care for maturity but then it's nice to see some selectivity as if you don't care about trophies be considerate of others that might and shoot some females or yearlings for meat and if you do care then those young animals (sometime miscalled scrubbers) are your big stags down the line they might not all end up big 300s but they do grow into impressive heavy antlers animals that I feel have a more prestigious presence in the Bush and on the wall.

Some people above use the word 'dictate' - on what they say they can shoot? Some people take comments right out of context? That's the way some hunters justify how they can shoot what others would think otherwise? Opinions are just that - opinions. Don't read too much into it! Relax mate.

Originally Posted by Hunteast

Some people above use the word 'dictate' - on what they say they can shoot? Some people take comments right out of context? That's the way some hunters justify how they can shoot what others would think otherwise? Opinions are just that - opinions. Don't read too much into it! Relax mate.

I'm assuming that was to me. I'm plenty relaxed it's mot meant to be pointed just expressing my opinion as you did. Like I said I just expressed what I think and what I'd like to see. Not what I as the all knowing and hunting law determining presence have dictated.

Yes, i agree theres a difference with renowned herds etc. Places like Fiordland where alot of effort is being done to have a great Wapiti herd and have great trophys isnt really a place
where you go to hunt for a meat animal and shoot whatever you like. Some other places in NZ could be the same and areas as such some restraint is required and thats fair enough.
But generally in other areas the animals out there are for anyone and we all have the right to cull what we see fit for the purpose we want.
As already stated, we all have our own opinions.
Some think shooting a stag in velvet is a waste...waste why? Only because of some antlers that someone else might miss out on as clearly it didnt worry the shooter.
Some on the other hand shoot stags in the roar and only take the antlers and leave the meat as its 'so called crap a stinky stag in the roar""
I personally have a strong opinion whats a waste.. and its not shooting a young or velvet stag over taking just antlers or back steaks...now thats a darn waste.

And the above post about a bullshit excuse for shooting a velvet stag.. Its no excuse mate, i think they are prime eating and im telling everyone i dont give a rats arse what you think, i shoot what i like and you are more than welcome to have your opinion, and thats fine but just because you might think its wrong i dont and thats that.
PS all stags i shoot in the roar i take the meat and love it all. I dont mind if its a little tough or whatever, i find them all tasty. Maybe some need cooking lessons lol.

And for people like the above post, i hunt in a area thats renown for crap heads and im just bush stalking. No stags getting to trophy level in the bush around here generally (even if you left them) so when you hunting for meat you shoot what you like.
Yes, if i was hunting the divide or somewhere else that took a effort to get to and open country i prob would leave young and velvet stags and look for something else if meat hunting as
thats a little different but it be my choice, not anyones else what i do

Originally Posted by deer243

Yes, i agree theres a difference with renowned herds etc. Places like Fiordland where alot of effort is being done to have a great Wapiti herd and have great trophys isnt really a place
where you go to hunt for a meat animal and shoot whatever you like. Some other places in NZ could be the same and areas as such some restraint is required and thats fair enough.
But generally in other areas the animals out there are for anyone and we all have the right to cull what we see fit for the purpose we want.
As already stated, we all have our own opinions.
Some think shooting a stag in velvet is a waste...waste why? Only because of some antlers that someone else might miss out on as clearly it didnt worry the shooter.
Some on the other hand shoot stags in the roar and only take the antlers and leave the meat as its 'so called crap a stinky stag in the roar""
I personally have a strong opinion whats a waste.. and its not shooting a young or velvet stag over taking just antlers or back steaks...now thats a darn waste.

And the above post about a bullshit excuse for shooting a velvet stag.. Its no excuse mate, i think they are prime eating and im telling everyone i dont give a rats arse what you think, i shoot what i like and you are more than welcome to have your opinion, and thats fine but just because you might think its wrong i dont and thats that.
PS all stags i shoot in the roar i take the meat and love it all. I dont mind if its a little tough or whatever, i find them all tasty. Maybe some need cooking lessons lol

There's a middle ground. Hunting for mature animals doesn't mean wasted meat. And also in some places in NZ it's not possible to get all the meat out by foot. Some of the West Coast catchments and places I hunt You are a legend or full of shit if you say you can get everything out solo. I agree shooting stags and leaving the meat is a waste and I don't buy into rutting stags being bad. I think that you have to be super careful butchering that the oils and piss from the hind doesn't touch the meat at all ie split the cape down the spine not the pissy chest and if you cut the pissy bit not to use that blade on the animal.

I think you will find both sides of the coin agree on 90% of things. And you won't find many guys targeting big stags leaving meat if its possible to get it out but you will find tonnes of guys that just hunt the roar shooting young stags and just taking the heads because like you said they have been told the meat is bad. Its situational as to what can and can't be taken. In a few areas that they are looking at doing a heli cull of deer. I have considered the area maybe needs a bit of selective culling and the prime bits taken to reduce numbers and not introduce choppers into one of the few areas they haven't affected deer habits yet. Its all a balance we can disagree but as long as there's a discussion I'm happy.

I let the best red stag I have ever seen go on the last day of my roar trip last year.Why you ask? well I had already roared up and shot an 11 pointer that pretty well filled my meat quoter for this trip home on the plane to the winterless north.I was sitting on the edge of a big clearing just before daybreak when this majestic stag and his group of hinds appeared out of the mist about 40 or 50m away from me feeding on the way back to the bush the head on this stag was very impressive with at least 16 or more points a very even large set of antlers what I would consider a trophy of a lifetime for a novice like me. i watched them for about10 minutes before they winded me and crashed off into the bush.
So was I pissed off I never pilled the trigger no because my bags were already full and I felt privileged to just be able have this close encounter that will inspire to never stop

Thats awesome 57ji. I do the same, apart from last weekend thats the first time ive shot two deer on the same day. One deer is plenty for me on one hunt and you can carry only so much .
Now when the wrist is healed i just target a stag and prob turn down a meat animal for this roar and as stated previously our area in DOC its very unlikely a trophy stag (scoring system) will be seen bush stalking.

I be happy with anything, but the standard around here i target for a good one with be this.
8 points or more, over 30 inches and /or over 200ds. If you get a stag that has that standard i class it a trophy around here lol.