Trophy Elk Hunting Articles

What is a Trophy?
 

Quinton Hill, a Colorado resident and bow hunter asked, “What is considered a trophy elk? Is it a 300, 350, or maybe a 400 inch class bull? I just feel that with all the hype on hunting shows and hunting magazines, the 400+ inch class bulls are what people view as a true trophy.”

Quinton goes on to say that he personally feels that taking a 300 inch class bull on public land is getting tougher and tougher with any weapon. He knows that Utah has been producing some truly giant bull elk over the last several years along with Arizona, New Mexico, and Montana (and other states that a few are taken in every year,) but he views a trophy as a personal measurement and should be based individually by each and every hunter, as in the eye of the beholder.

Although I agree with him, let’s talk about the hype. Is it justified? Is there too much buzz about only the true monsters animals harvested out there?

Like most competitive sports, winning is the objective, and usually there is an associated prize or trophy. Hunting (at the competitive sport level) has its ultimate prize – the record books.  If you were to look at the overall population of hunters hitting the field every year, only a select few in that total group search for those super big trophy animals and are willing to pass on lots of big game in their quest of a record book animal.

This level of hunting is equal to a professional baseball player with the quest of winning the World Series. Yet if you look at every "Little League" baseball player out there with that same dream, their progression in their sport will give them trophies along the way. These trophies don't match a World Series ring, but are just as meaningful and important to the individual on that journey.

In many ways, hunting also provides many trophies along the way. These trophies include: your first animal, your first buck, your biggest buck, an animal harvested with a bow, a record book entry animal etc. All of these are just as meaningful and play an important role as you grow within the sport of hunting.

But what drives this hype?  Let’s face it, hunting is big business, and people don’t want to pick up a hunting magazine filled with pictures of average or small animals. They want to see “dream” animals and the monster bulls and bucks taken each year. Every hunter dreams about bagging one of these trophy animals sometime in his lifetime. It makes crawling out of a warm sleeping bag worthwhile in the dark, early hours of the morning to get ready to hunt.

But are these animals the only true trophies out there? No.  This year I joined my old friend, Charlie, on his archery elk hunt as he harvested a 318 inch bull.  Although this hunt unit produces bigger bulls, this was his biggest elk ever harvested and it truly was a beautiful trophy.  Taking the bull was no small feat as Charlie was a 69 year old gent shooting a relatively old technology bow.  We were all so excited when he killed his elk, as he had passed on numerous smaller bulls throughout his hunt.  With all the dedication of his pre-season scouting, and the energy he put into the hunt each day, his efforts finally paid off with a truly great bull.

To each hunter, trophy hunting has a different meaning and a different inherent set of rules and values. For example, some are "do-it-yourself" hunters like myself, who choose not to use the services of hunting guides. Some hunters choose a primitive weapon, such as only shooting archery or muzzle loader. As a result, these rules are different to each hunter, but don't necessarily affect their quest for the overall objective of bringing home the prize.

So the next time you look at the hunting magazines and television programs, smile and dream. Someday, that might be you on the cover. 

James Kavanaugh, Author and founder of Hunt Tek LLC

www.trophyelk.com, www.coueswhitetaildeer.com, www.trophymuleys.com.