When A Hunter Says Nothing At All

Most of you reading this know some of my background. Some may not and for those who do, I’ll give you the cliffs notes. Union Parish native, girl dad, certified Buckmasters Whitetail Trophy Record Book scorer, and former outdoor writer dabbling in the craft once again. 

In the time since getting certified to score deer, I’ve met all kinds of people. You can’t really fit them into categories but you can also get a gauge for some within the first few sentences they’ll speak about the buck they’re wanting me to score. Those first few sentences can tell you a lot about a person. 

Some are shy, some are loud, and some refuse to talk. All of them intrigue me however. That’s their personality and that’s where they most feel comfortable. Either talking or not. But that’s not what I’m gauging them on. I’m not sizing them up on how they speak but actually by what they say (or don’t say) about their trophy. That’s the true measure of what drove this person to the woods. What motivated this person to pursue this animal or at least be in an area where this animal would eventually pass through. 

I love first time bucks, I love personal bests, and I love the story of the chase for an animal that was seemingly a ghost. They all excite me for the hunter and their passion. 

But this year, I’ve seen something that bothers me. And maybe I’m taking this a little too far with my assessment, but I’ve seen it twice and from hunters who hunt the same way, the same area, and they both said something about their trophy that still bothers me. They never said a word. 

They never said a word because they weren’t there. They drove to K&M in Farmerville La early in the day where we score on Thursday nights, dropped off their antlers, and left. They didn’t send them by someone to stand guard because they had to work or anything like that. They left their “trophy” with absolute strangers to watch and be responsible for. That may not sound like much to you, but it resonates with me. 

Why the lack of respect for the animal? Why the lack of concern for what you’ve worked hard for? I mean, neither of these were babies. They are HAMMERS and what some would call “Once in a Lifetime” deer. 

To keep it in perspective, let me break it down for you. We do the scoring for 16 weeks from 6pm-8pm pending a scheduling conflict on my end. There’s plenty of time to plan to come. There’s a diner in the store where we score, so the hunters can even grab dinner while they wait. The excuses are small. Heck even a kid has had his birthday party at the store and he brought his whole family, Mamaw and Pawpaw included, so it can be done. 

Some people will send family or friends with their deer if they can’t come and I totally respect that aspect. They at least have someone they trust handling their prize. But to just drop it off with people you, at best, barely know? Blows my mind. 

This past Thursday I walked in a saw a guy who’s a straight big buck hunter. The man has a passion for chasing big bucks and big bass. He was eating and laughing with his family. His wife was there, his daughter and her husband were there, and even the grandkids were running around. He brought them all and they all wanted to come. He brought 3 deer in and they all were dandies. One local buck and two from out of state. He stopped, came over to show me his deer, and gave me a rundown on all three. Then as quickly as he made sure I knew their stories, he was back with his family. As I gathered my scoring tools to get started, I looked over in their direction and I felt good about that night. My thoughts were this; “He loves his family, he loves the pursuit, and he loves what he’s pursuing. My kinda guy”.