Trophy Status is in the Eye of the Beholder

Chuck Adams beat me in a game of poker last fall. It pains me to admit that, because I beat him a few years ago in a grueling game where we played 13.5 hours straight. So, we are now tied, and I am of course hoping to come out ahead on the next one.

Whenever I see Chuck, we like to tease each other and always have a great time. Chuck is next level when it comes to hardcore bowhunting, sometimes operating a month or more from a tent camp to try and tag the trophy animal he is after. If he isn’t successful, Chuck is fine feasting on tag soup. It’s that willingness to challenge himself — not to mention the self-discipline to hold out for the one animal he is after — that has propelled Chuck to more bowhunting world records than anyone else in history. But what’s great about Chuck is that despite his drive to take older, mature, trophy animals, I know he still believes any animal is a trophy. An example of this is that while Chuck was after another world record this past fall, passing many animals most would love to take, he was among the first to congratulate me on taking a spike bull elk (pictured on the next page) with my recurve. That, to me, is what bowhunting should be about. It’s “dealer’s choice,” and each of us as bowhunters are the dealers who make our own decisions in the field. What may be a trophy to one may not be regarded as a trophy to another, and that’s OK.

Chuck and I talked a lot when he was here, and one of the discussions we had was about Fred Bear. We were both fortunate to have met him, and we both had the same impression of what a great guy he was. We also agreed Fred wanted to grow the sport he loved and never ridiculed anyone for harvesting anything with a bow. That segued into a discussion of what I refer to as “anti-hunting hunters.” I explained to Chuck that I managed an archery shop years ago, and I used to get so disappointed when I would hear a bowhunter disrespect another bowhunter’s animal by saying things such as, “You only got a spike?” or “Why did you shoot a doe?” Chuck said he also has experienced bowhunters making negative comments to fellow hunters. Sadly, this hurts our sport more than most realize.

I grew up bowhunting pressured public land, and I still really enjoy hunting public land. Last fall, I was hunting public land in Kansas, where I had two other treestands within sight of mine. It was a great hunt, and although I saw some deer in the few days I had to hunt, I didn’t come home with a deer. Had I taken a doe or buck, no matter the size, I would have been proud as a peacock.

I don’t have a problem with hunters who want to hold out for the biggest buck or bull on the mountain. I do have a problem with any hunter looking down their nose at other hunters who harvest any animal, no matter how big or how small, if they took it legally and ethically. In fact, I once offended a hunter who was ridiculing a mature doe I harvested, because we were in the same camp and he had harvested a mature, rutted-up buck. I congratulated him and was excited for him until he started telling me I should have held out for a big buck. The best part of his story, to me, was that the doe his buck was following had spotted him when he drew his compound, but the sex-crazed buck just stood there after the doe spooked, allowing him to shoot. I explained the doe I shot with my recurve never spotted me, and that a doe is often harder to take than a rut-crazed buck.

I know you may be thinking I broke my own rule of never belittling another hunter, but in my defense, I feel I didn’t. If you recall, I mentioned I had been complimentary until he had to insult my deer. I was always taught not to throw the first punch, but if someone does, make yours harder and throw two! I am not going to delve into whether a doe or buck is more difficult to take, because that all depends on a lot of variables. However, I will say shame on us if we as bowhunters don’t all stand together and support each other, as opposed to tearing someone else or their accomplishments down. Social media often causes the worst in hunters to come out. I prefer to just compliment people or hold my tongue. Many others would benefit from the same attitude.

I will end by admitting I am a work in progress when it comes to not insulting fellow hunters, as I feel I am a better poker player and recurve shot than Chuck. I feel he was just lucky when he outshot me at aerial targets using a borrowed Bear recurve. So, I plan on kicking his butt at both poker and archery next time our paths cross.

For more information, visit fredeichler.com, and don’t miss Fred’s new show, “Everything Eichler,” every Sunday at 12:30 p.m. on Sportsman Channel.

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