There is always room for 1 more

Is there always another spot on the wall?

We find ourselves halfway through the rifle deer season in this great state. Pictures of deer with exquisite antlers continue to flood social media. At this point, many hunters are presented with the question, “Is there enough room for one more on the wall?” That is one more deer worthy enough to be enshrined on your wall forever.

Recently, a friend posted a beautiful white-tailed buck on social media. Better yet, the deer was in velvet and he shot it with his compound bow. His mother told him there was no room left on the wall for another deer. He gave the classical response that any avid hunter would give. “There is always room for one more.” I couldn’t agree more with this statement. 

It was instilled in me that a deer with large antlers deserves to have a spot on the wall. That mature buck represents the ability to persevere in rough times. That perseverance is the same thing hunters have to possess in order to have a successful hunt. At first glance it may seem difficult to find a place for that buck, but all it takes is a bit of rearranging.

It goes without saying that not every deer can be shoulder mounted. That is unless you have a huge house, loads of money and only hunt for the wrong reasons. Therefore, set certain criteria before adding another animal to the trophy room.

The criteria you set in place is a stepping stone to help define what you consider a trophy animal. A trophy can be harvesting a new species for the first time. My dad and I recently went on an elk hunt in Idaho. We were just a couple flatlanders that intended to work hard and pack an elk out of the mountains. We spent a whole week chasing those creatures in steep terrain and the last day it finally paid off. The elk only boasted a small pair of antlers, but it felt like the biggest elk in Idaho. A trophy can be based on the story of how you harvested the animal.

Two years ago, I searched several miles and five hours for a deer I had injured, until I found him and was able to come away with my biggest trophy. A trophy can be an animal that you have seen grow for several years. A trophy can be defined by the people you were with when you shot it. I will never forget how it felt when my dad helped me take my first mule deer. Finally, the typical view of a trophy would be how big the antlers are. With these criteria in mind a spot on the wall will always be available.