Why do you hunt for trophies?

[CBeck]

This was asked of me today and I thought it would make for an interesting discussion. The question is simple, the answer may not be. Folks understand hunting for food, but perhaps not trophies. So, a very simple question, why do you hunt for trophies?

 

[Sarg]

Yes easy question hard to answer, like my old girlfriends daughter asked me why I was so mad at animals that I wanted to kill them all ?

I don’t in fact like killing animals but love hunting them & eating some of them.

If you trophy hunt, you hunt a Lot & don’t kill that much if you keep to a standard.

 

[flatwater bill]

I always respond that I hunt for meat........I just chose to honor a few of the best ones on my wall. But there is nothing up there that we did not eat..................just my opinion............FWB

 

[CBeck]

I always respond that I hunt for meat........I just chose to honor a few of the best ones on my wall. But there is nothing up there that we did not eat..................just my opinion............FWB

Playing devils advocate….you may make a meal of an animal harvested in Africa, but you didn’t go there to feed your family.

 

[flatwater bill]

You are quite right. When asked about that i usually tell about the hungry farm workers. In fact, 2 years ago I hunted with one of the sponsors of this site. My friend shot a zebra in a hell-hole canyon (Hartmanns) and it took us 5 hours to pack it out. The owner said his workers had not had meat for 2 weeks............just an anecdote that usually pacifies the Greenies......while they eat their beef burritos and shuffle in their leather shoes.........FWB

 

[Boyd Brooks]

Playing devils advocate….you may make a meal of an animal harvested in Africa, but you didn’t go there to feed your family.

I tell everyone that asks, I did eat everything I shot in Africa, and so did the camp staff their families and orphans in town. It also put money into a few families pockets as well. I hunt for meat at home as you can’t eat horns, l like doe meat and bears. My buddy tans the hides and make leather goods from skins and fur. We haven’t started to clean the intestines yet for sausage, so I guess we waste a little bit.

 

[JimP]

When I asked that question about my African trophies I just tell them the truth. I hunted them for the trophy value to me and that since I couldn't bring any of the meat home the trophy is why I shot them.

But I also explain that on my first hunt the meat was processed by my outfitter and then distributed to his farm hands and the locals who attended his father's church and the local school.

On my second hunt I hunted mostly on other farms besides my outfitters. The animals there were dropped off at the owners skinning shed for them to deal with the meat and I took my trophy. A couple were taken to a local meat market.

Here in the US, I hunt for the horns, but I also butcher the meat myself for myself and friends. Quite often I'll go a number of years between killing a elk or a deer because of my standards.

 

[CBeck]

I don’t in fact like killing animals but love hunting them & eating some of them

Many years ago in Forestry school I read, I can’t remember where, Aldo Leopoldo maybe, that a good hunter should always have a sense of gratitude and remorse after the taking of an animal and the moment they stop having those feelings, it’s probably time to stop hunting….I agree

 

[dchum]

It’s a burning passion in me that I can’t explain.
It just feels natural to me

I don’t try and convince people anymore

The hunting for meat excuse is lame because we know that’s not why we do it.

 

[CBeck]

When I asked that question about my African trophies I just tell them the truth. I hunted them for the trophy value to me and that since I couldn't bring any of the meat home the trophy is why I shot them.

ok so now we are getting close, but not quite there….you hunted for the trophy value, but what is that value?

I know all the justification for the hunt, and the conservation argument and providing meat for the hungry people are all good but is that why you did it?

Accomplishment, pride, dominance, challenge, thrill, because you can, because it’s there……

 

[CBeck]

It’s a burning passion in me that I can’t explain.
It just feels natural to me

I don’t try and convince people anymore

The hunting for meat excuse is lame because we know that’s not why we do it.

Good answer…I can’t explain it either. I guess it’s nostalgia, mixed with challenge and a bit of accomplishment thrown in.

 

[thi9elsp]

For Africa I hunt for trophies to secure habitat, reduce / eliminate poaching, provide jobs and to visit remote areas where few people have visited and to challenge myself. Anyone who challenges me on killing and not bringing the meat back I ask a couple questions back


do you eat meat? If yes then you’re ok with animals dying. If they get uppity I tell them they’re just leaving the dirty work to someone else. If truly interested they usually start asking more questions and the conversation ends with them saying I didn’t realize or didn’t think of that

How many people did you directly out of your own pocket and efforts feed in your lifetime? They usually hang their heads and move on

How much have your spent or what time have you put in to reduce poaching and protect wild areas? Another hanging head or possibly some discussion and they change their view.

I had one sierra club woman think I was horrible. We interacted in multiple social events about the third time she begrudgingly said we have more in common than different

 

[CBeck]

For Africa I hunt for trophies to secure habitat, reduce / eliminate poaching, provide jobs and to visit remote areas where few people have visited and to challenge myself. Anyone who challenges me on killing and not bringing the meat back I ask a couple questions back


do you eat meat? If yes then you’re ok with animals dying. If they get uppity I tell them they’re just leaving the dirty work to someone else. If truly interested they usually start asking more questions and the conversation ends with them saying I didn’t realize or didn’t think of that

How many people did you directly out of your own pocket and efforts feed in your lifetime? They usually hang their heads and move on

How much have your spent or what time have you put in to reduce poaching and protect wild areas? Another hanging head or possibly some discussion and they change their view.

I had one sierra club woman think I was horrible. We interacted in multiple social events about the third time she begrudgingly said we have more in common than different

No disrespect, perhaps you're missing the point of the question or perhaps you’re the noble one but did you pack your bags and rifle to save wildlife or was that just an added benefit. To me it’s a great and wonderful side effect to the hunt but not the reason most of us do it.

 

[Tom Leoni]

First, always ask them to define their terms: what do they mean by "trophy hunting"? If the person is at all open minded and genuinely curious, this question will jumble them up enough to realize how little they truly know.

The curve of the Dunning-Kruger effect can be quite a shocker once someone realizes they're so near the Y axis.

 

[K-man]

Part of hunting is matching wits with an animal that either stays hidden to survive or a predator that is cunning and stealthy. Hunting a trophy animal means that animal is of an older age class and therefore is better at hiding/hunting by simply surviving. The payment of the fee to hunt them goes directly to the preservation of the land and protection of the rest of the animals on it. And yes, the body parts are all utilized in Africa, allowing me to bring the non-meat items home with me.

 

[flatwater bill]

Damn, I hate being lame.
But then, I don't feel the obligation to answer ANY question.
And many questions are implicitly accusatory....
"why do you kill defenseless animals?"
etc.
FWB

 

[375Fox]

I want a goal that’s lets me really explore and experience the outdoors. If you shoot the first cull animal you see you miss out on the experience. Being selective makes you really observe and take in a lot of the things you’d otherwise miss.

 

[dchum]

Good answer…I can’t explain it either. I guess it’s nostalgia, mixed with challenge and a bit of accomplishment thrown in.

I think nostalgia is mixed in with me too.

I see old black and whites and I say “man that is cool”
I feel apart of something or of some tradition.

Just being out on the hunt apart of a group. I don’t even pull the trigger much at all. But being there when an old trophy animal hits the ground. The celebration and smiles and hand shakes - the pictures to preserve memories are a big deal for me.

 

[dchum]

Damn, I hate being lame.
But then, I don't feel the obligation to answer ANY question.
And many questions are implicitly accusatory....
"why do you kill defenseless animals?"
etc.
FWB

I didn’t mean you personally!
just that defense many hunters use.

You flew all the way to Africa to hunt for meat? I don’t think so right?

It’s a lame excuse is all I meant. In the most polite way

 

[thi9elsp]

No disrespect, perhaps you're missing the point of the question or perhaps you’re the noble one but did you pack your bags and rifle to save wildlife or was that just an added benefit. To me it’s a great and wonderful side effect to the hunt but not the reason most of us do it.

It seems that with some of your other answers, you have a preconceived notion of what the answer should be. If you read my full first sentence I included my desire to challenge myself and go where few have been.