Taking a trophy deer is a challenge. I can easily take deer, but not a trophy. Would you rather catch a big fish or a small one? If I sit all season and just see lots of animals and take none, that is OK with me. Like any sport or hobby, most strive to improve their skill. With deer hunting, this means seeking trophies. Most deer hunters never even see one. Taking a few over the years is a real challenge. Managing the deer population and having fresh meat is a bonus. We have never had a deer butchered by anyone else unless we were giving the carcass away (mostly to needy families). Having antlers hanging on the porch is a reminder of a successful hunt. Sport hunting has a long tradition, and is the basis of American hunting. When hunting for meat was unregulated, deer disappeared from the wild in many places. Our population has long surpassed the ability of wild animals to fill all of our freezers. I appreciate the privilege to hunt. I have only hunted on my own land, and my wife and I worked hard to buy it and transform it into wildlife habitat (and we are still working on it).
