Blasts from the past and trophies without racks
Bruce Plate bagged this nice whitetail doe with his .50-caliber White Mountain carbine during the 2008 Custer State Park deer season.
By KW
What do horns and antlers have to do with trophy hunting?
Not much, if it’s the hunt and not the rack that interests you.
That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with blasting a bragging-sized buck or bull or ram. There isn’t. It can be the outdoor moment of a lifetime, as Laura Sever shows down below.
But defining trophies only by their tape-measurer score or a hunt only by the rack it produces sets standards that are far too narrow for such a grand outdoor sport.
Sever certainly didn’t take such a view when she raved about the hunt experience as much as the big bull she shot. And Bruce Plate finds a trophy hunter’s thrill in every big-game adventure - antlered or not.
Plate, a regular commentator on Take It Outside, literally headed for the hills late last week to join other hunters for the opening of the Black Hills rifle deer season. Haven’t heard how he did.
But I did get Plate to send a photo of himself, his whitetail doe and his muzzleloader from the 2008 Custer State Park deer season.
A trophy? I think Plate would say so, especially given the gorgeous surroundings and the close-up hunting style of the muzzleloader.
Plate will be back this year for the park season, with the White Mountain and also, perhaps, his T/C Hawken flintlock - another blast from the past.
“The thing about the flintlock rifle is being able to use patience and slow down,” Plate says. “I like my shots to be no farther than 75 yards. With the abundance of whitetails in South Dakota, it is not too difficult to find an antlerless at that range.”
Plate has filled two Custer State Park tags in each of the last two years with the White Mountain. And he seems ever bit as excited about this year’s antlerless hunt as he would if he were going after a monster buck.
Clearly, the guy knows his trophies.
November 4th, 2009 at 8:53 am
I will buy into your theory about this being a trophy when you show me this deer’s head, mounted and hung on the wall.
Why is it we need to hang things on the wall? Tell me, I’ve forgotten.
rd: You ask an interesting question. K.W.
November 4th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
I like that question RD. I have met many hunters where the mount is all about ego and they do not necessarily hunt legally to get that trophy, it is so important for bragging rights. I always amazes me how few of these guys would even think of shooting a doe.
I am both, a meat hunter and a trophy hunter. I give all sorts of reasons why I meat hunt or trophy hunt but the bottom line is I love to hunt, no matter what or how I am hunting.
I have a trophy room in my office. Very few people see it because it is mainly for me. It is about reliving the hunt. I will tell a story or two if asked however. Some of those trophies I worked very hard for and some of them I got lucky.
My latest trophy………my daughter filled her cow elk tag last Thursday. It was a big old cow and man did we work hard for it. I am guessing we walked over 40 miles in 6 differant trips. I can not wait to give my daughter the jewlery made from the ivories.
What a joy to have elk meat in the freezer also.
Every animal is a trophy. The harder you worked for it, the more the trophy.
Another cliche………..the trophy is in the eye of the beholder
Jeff: Rob Skjonsberg was kind enough to share some of his Utah elk with me and Mary. I can tell you now that one of my definitions of “trophy” is: elk burgers! MMMmmmmmmmm-mmmmmm. K.W.
November 5th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
I agree with Jeff. I don’t have much on the wall, but I do have a couple european mounts and one fish. Every time I see those it instantly brings back a memory for me about the time. I love that! I don’t specifically look for things to hang on the wall, but if luck has, why not?
November 5th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Good answers guys!
Why not keep a couple of the outsides of the toes on the does, for a remembrance? When I was bow hunting , anything would have been a trophy. It sure ruined gun hunting for me.
November 6th, 2009 at 10:49 am
rd, I kept the fan of a fall hunted hen turkey, no beard, no spurs. It was my first turkey. I also tanned the hide of a friend’s calf elk for her to remember. Trophies come in all shapes and sizes, anything can be a personal trophy!
And yes, anything shot with a bow is awesome. I also thought guns were ‘cheating’ (not really) after achieving my first bow kill.
November 6th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
I get out the collection every once in awhile and remember the hunts of the last 25 years and I can’t believe how many hunts I remember. You bet - memories are a huge part of it.
I also believe that it is a fitting end to a trophy animals life. Personally, I don’t like seeing the rack of a majestic whitetail nailed on the side of a barn or thrown in a box to sit on the shelves. To me, it takes away a little dignity from a great animal. There is a certain honor that I give to an animal that has survived gun shots, predators, and my wife’s minivan for 4 or 5 years. It’s an honor to take an animal of that caliber and I see fitting to return that honor.
On that note - to all reading this…when transporting game this season, please refrain from strapping a deer on those hitch platforms without covering it up; or throwing a buck over the front of your jeep for the world to see. Not only is this sort of transporting of game hard on the meat, it really sends a bad message to those who don’t see the sport as we do. Take care of your game from field to freezer.
November 10th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
I just now returned from my trip to the Black Hills. Great hunts! Bagged a 4+5 whitetail on Wednesday, Nov4 on my property outside Pringle. Opening day of the Custer Park season I took a year and a half old whitetail doe. On Sunday the White Mountain carbine helped me take the second doe. A two year old. Sorry, no photos of the does. Will send a photo of the buck if you are interested, Kevin.
Before I forget, there are two hen turkeys in the freezer. They just happened to wander through the pasture at the right time. Like I said before, “isn’t South Dakota great”. For those that may think I am taking too many game animals. The does were donated to the Sportsman Against Hunger program. And a big thank you to Guys With Knives in Custer!
Bruce: Sounds like a great hunt. I’m definitely interested in the buck shot. K.W.
November 11th, 2009 at 10:23 am
I forgot to include an important item in my blog entry. The reason for no photos of the does: Do not leave your digital camera outside in your vehicle when it gets below 35 degrees. Especially when you have a low battery. Another lesson learned.
November 13th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Another trophy without a rack is the doe that my 13-year-old great nephew shot in the Black Hills using the new youth licenses. We sat in a blind for two hours and I had the chance to teach him about this style of hunting. We saw no deer but enjoyed the sounds of the forest and tried to call him some coyotes. Later we were foothunting and saw some does grazing. After sneaking to within 100 yards, he missed his first shot and they ran around a ridge. We crept around the other direction, waited and caught them coming up a small ravine. 50-yard shot right through the heart! What a fun hunting learning experience with my great nephew. Maybe next year he can actually get drawn for a resident buck tag and we can get a real trophy (sarcasm).
Dale: Good story. Thanks. Do you have a picture of the great nephew? K.W.