“Trophy Class Isn’t Always World Class”
By: Braden Arp

What is the true measure of a trophy whitetail? This is a question I have asked myself for years. Is it measured by the technical data driven scoring system that is used for the standard of the class of the animal? Could it be the dominant nature of the animal that was harvested? I believe, as do many others, that a true trophy animal is in the eyes of the beholder. A trophy class deer doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to be world class. Now sure, I think every outdoorsman would jump at the opportunity to hunt on the world class operations in Texas and New Mexico and other places that offer a chance at a record book buck. However, the fact of the matter is, that is just not the reality for most of us, yet I still find outdoorsman that end up frustrated and distraught because their trophy class bucks don’t measure up to the world class standard.
I had a guy tell me one time, “I won’t pull the trigger on anything less than a 140 class deer. My response to that was, “Wow, you must not shoot much”.
The fact of the matter is, if we only hunt to take a world class animal, we will likely burn out long before the satisfaction of a trophy harvest comes.
Now don’t get me wrong. I believe heavily in management programs and am very much involved in the program we have set up for our lease. I also believe that if you let a deer grow, you will produce mature animals, in which the odds will increase drastically for taking a trophy deer. The fact of the matter is, allot of hunters are harvesting mature whitetails that don’t have the gene pool to reach a world class standard. Being from north Georgia, I can attest to that. I think it is common that hunters alike would choose to harvest a four and a half year old buck over a two and a half year old buck. I think that would go unsaid. However, I have hunted several areas that produced sixteen inch eight pointers at four and a half years old.
I harvested a really nice nine pointer a few years ago in archery season that was a true trophy in every sense of the term. A friend of mine looked at his structure and said, as you have all heard, “That would have been a great deer next year.” In my eyes, it was a great deer for this year. I put in the hours it takes of scouting and preparation and harvested a four and a half old mature whitetail buck.
I was fortunate enough to hunt with Fred Law at the Enon Plantation some years back. As we were unpacking and getting introduced to the staff and my personal saviors, the cooks, I asked Fred, “Have you harvested any 140-150 class deer here?”
He said, “Sure. We have taken some really nice bucks, but I want to tell you how we run our operation here. You are paying for the experience of a lifetime, not a world class mount. If you are fortunate to harvest a trophy deer, I want it to simply put the icing on the cake.”
Instantly, my idea of a true trophy was changed. You see, Fred understood that there was something to be said for the opportunity to be relieved of the everyday nine to five and take a few days to relax and breathe in a breath of fresh air and hunt such an awesome creature. Let’s face it; time is of a higher priority now than it used to be. Don’t simply judge your trophy by the numbers. Judge the class of a trophy by the total hunt. Ten years down the road, that is what you will remember.