Outdoors With Kevin Fox: More Thoughts About Trophies

If you have not yet filled your deer tag, there is still plenty of time. As a matter of fact, when you think about antlerless and alternative‑methods seasons, deer hunters will be hunting into next year. But as always, check the Missouri Whitetail Deer Digest on seasons and methods. Congratulations to all of you successful hunters. A whitetail deer is truly evidence of God’s handiwork. This past opening weekend was perhaps one of my favorites ever. I never saw what most would consider a “shooter” buck. I was happy about that— hard as that is to believe. My grandson and I sat on the deck of our cabin snacking, drinking pop and watching videos on my phone. We did watch a couple of smaller bucks come out, posture and try to intimidate each other, and we heard them even grunting at each other. My grandson said, “Let’s let them go, Papa.” The reason I was happy about not dropping the hammer on a huge buck was a financial one, for the most part. Currently, my family has six African animals at the taxidermist, so the last thing we needed was a monster buck. For that matter, we have not eaten all our deer‑summer sausage from last fall yet, so it wasn’t even a matter of filling the freezer. Instead, we camped out and watched movies the night before and just enjoyed being at the farm, where hunting began for me.

My idea for a story this week was going to be on crow hunting. I even ran it past my daughter, who does my proofreading. I even had a file picture selected that I was going to use. But she told me a couple of stories that really hit home. If my thoughts offend, just attribute them to me being a grumpy old man and forgive me. I mentioned being at the farm the night before the deer‑season opener. In those days, sleep was impossible. I dreamed of sitting with my back against a tree with my Model 1894 Winchester in .30‑30 lying across my lap. A deer would walk out and I would be a deer hunter finally after taking the deer. Sure, I dreamed about the bucks I saw in Outdoor Life and Field & Stream. But a deer—any deer— would have made me happy. I never took a deer with that .30‑30, and my first deer was with a Remington Model 788 in .243. Then I hunted with a Marlin lever‑action in .357. I took some small bucks and some does that were bigger than my bucks. But I was thrilled no matter what I took. I remember how excited I used to be just to go out in the woods. I had two Saturdays to hunt and I would take off the first Sunday. It was just fun. I miss those days when the kid in me had trouble sleeping because he was so anxious just to get out there. The first five or six years of deer hunting I served as a driver, and if I were lucky I would see a tail in front of me and then perhaps a dead deer at the end of the drive. But it was always fun and a family thing. I miss those days every year when I lie down in my bunk or cot and think about the next day.

So there you have my story. But the rest of the story is what my daughter told me this very morning. She had a couple of stories to share and the first one was about a young woman who had one or two days to hunt and took a smaller deer (which I think was a doe, but that doesn’t matter). Anyway, she caught a lot of grief about taking a young deer. I wish I knew who the young woman was, as I would call her up and congratulate her. Your deer is just that—your deer. Not everyone is looking for the same thing in the woods. Heck, for that matter, not everyone is looking for the same thing in life. Thank God someone out there finds a pudgy, bald old man fun to share their life with. If your thing is not to shoot a buck less than 170 inches, I’m happy for you. But that’s your business. I have enough to do just worrying about me to care about what size deer you want to shoot. And if you are taking a couple deer, and/or one to be used to feed you and your family— fantastic. That takes us back to our hunting history in this nation. On the tree that Daniel Boone killed a bear in 1760, it reads: “D. Boon cilled A. Bar on this tree in the year 1760.” It didn’t say anything about how big the bear was! I’m sure they ate the bear. I’m sure they used the hide for clothing and the bear lard for baking or cooking. Boone didn’t say that because he figured whoever read the message would understand why he shot the bear!

The other story was about a young student — I think a girl, but I do not need to know that because it doesn’t matter. Anyway, this young person didn’t share the picture of their deer for the same reason: it was a young deer. When I was in elementary school, I never dreamed of hunting deer, much less getting a shot at one and actually hitting it. That is so sad that we put that kind of pressure on a person.

Here is what we must always remember: People matter. The man or woman who does not hunt, does, however, vote. Surveys show they understand hunting for food better than hunting for a trophy. They do not appreciate your wall or my wall, nor do they understand the effort and patience it may have taken to get that trophy. And who knows—it may not have taken either. Some buck trailing a doe stopped in front of your stand and “boom”—you’re a trophy hunter. But that young lady who took that young deer to eat and cut back on expenses by serving venison in her chili also votes. She does not have a very warm feeling of being embraced by her fellow hunters. Lord knows we need more women in the outdoors. That young person who may have felt a little ashamed by taking a young deer and then ridiculed by fellow students will grow up, and they will also vote. Who knows—they may get into politics and may be the deciding vote that determines if sport hunting continues.

There is nothing wrong with wanting or even pursuing a trophy deer. I’m happy for anyone who gets a deer regardless of size. Deer hunting is big business in America. You cannot hunt them without a tower blind or a side‑by‑side or even think about using that iron‑sighted .30‑30 any more. All those things are to entice you and me into believing that is what it takes to get a trophy. I suppose it works. Even if they don’t get a trophy, they got us believing that it would. I have taken deer with everything from a .357 to a .300 Win Mag, and I have yet to see a deer outrun any of my rifles. I have a good friend who wouldn’t allow his grandkids to even shoot a buck until they had taken at least one doe. It is his belief that it made them appreciate the buck more. Perhaps what we need is one advertisement showing a housewife with a doe or even small buck—or who knows—a single dad making chili after opening a package of venison, or a young person with their grandma or grandpa with a young deer with the caption “Thanks, for the memories.”