For the record...

Each and every deer taken by a youngster this weekend will be a trophy.

And what perfect weather for them.

Some kids have already killed trophies in their lives and know they will be killing Management bucks, culls and does this weekend.

Its a scary weekend... so many gut shot deer lol

That's like saying there's no Santa!

Its a different world we live in these days. There are lots of kids out there shooting giant deer every year and they are very aware of what is and isn't a trophy to them. The average child though yes I agree any deer will be a trophy to them especially if its their first.

No doubt there are those who want to teach them as early as possible what matters most.

Which is, of course, that one measures hunting satisfaction with a measuring tape.


j/k

I plan to star my son from the bottom up. Hogs, doe, cull, nice buck. I don't want him shooting the biggest buck of his youth for his first deer and then becoming bored with hunting. He is coming along nicely with his shooting but not quite where I want him to be for shooting an animal. He is only 5 1/2 so there is plenty time left.

This is true. Some guys might be offended if you refer to the doe their kid just killed as being a "trophy."

But it’s true. Any deer a child kills is a trophy. Hell I still think every deer I am able to fool and kill with my bow is a trophy. It’s the hunt not the kill that’s fun.

I was 8 when I took my first deer but it was a way of life and not a game. My kids didn't have to go through that so I let them decide when they were ready. If every deer doesn't mean something to you then you might consider another hobby. Hunting for game and killing for sport are not the same.

I suspect most of those who read my original post recognized my intention was to encourage everyone to sincerely applaud ANY youngster who takes ANY deer over the coming weekend. We all know how the competitive aspect of the sport oftens become most important as they grow older.

I understood what you meant and totally agree. Hopefully many of these trophies will be taken this season.

yep, every deer I killed the first 10 years or so of my hunting career were trophies to me ... I'm not that mad at them any more

good luck to all the kiddos hunting this weekend ... and might want to bundle up a bit more too!!!

We had a young (13-14) man out to our place a couple of years ago. He was extremely frustrated that only does and non-shooter bucks (not legal size) showed up. He spent much of his hunt on his phone, while his grandfather was watching for deer. He eventually shot a doe. Was he proud? No, he sat around the dinner table grousing and pouting that no legal bucks showed up, and didn't even thank my father for the free hunt. Pretty sad.

sad indeed ... when my son and I took my son in law hunting in his mid 20s for the first time, he was like a kid in a candy store excited killing his first deer and it wasn't much of a deer even. He wasn't raised with the opportunities I or my children were being able to hunt and being around guns since birth ... so it was a big deal to him.