{"id":11174,"date":"2015-01-16T17:18:35","date_gmt":"2015-01-16T17:18:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/?p=11174"},"modified":"2015-11-16T17:24:15","modified_gmt":"2015-11-16T17:24:15","slug":"size-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/size-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Size Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"D-1\"<\/a>
If this is what your hunt is reduced to, you’re very likely missing out on what really matters.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Really? I guess it depends on which women\u2019s magazine you read. As far as guys are concerned – at least most guys – they do like big things. They like big trucks with big tires, cars with big engines, and lots of guys like big guns. They like big boobs and big butts but they don\u2019t like big women, even if they have big boobs and big butts.<\/p>\n

Mostly guys who\u00a0hunt like critters with big head-gear. I don\u2019t think there is anything wrong with any of that but it bothers me when the tape measure comes out. I realize that this notion of measuring trophies came about as a way to honor the animal but I\u2019m convinced the animals don\u2019t really give a shit. As a matter of fact, I\u2019m sure of it.<\/p>\n

A few years ago I was visiting a friend and several nice bucks were eating at a feeder in his pasture. One was a big and wide 12 pointer some folks would have sacrificed their little toe, first-born or 401K for. After a bit, a modest sized eight-point eased out of the woods and walked over to the feeder, stiff-legged and head down. All the other bucks, including the 12-point, backed away from the feeder. In fact, they did not eat at all until that eight point left.<\/p>\n

When I was growing up antlers were never measured. We counted the number of points. That\u2019s it. Easterners counted the points on one side and added that number to the points on the other side. Westerners counted the points on each side and left it that way. I\u2019ve always assumed this is because addition is not something westerners excel at.<\/p>\n

\"D-2\"<\/a>
No idea what this buck scores in inches but in my book he scored big. That’s why I shot him.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Either way seemed sufficient but now days if you tell someone you shot an 11-point, that\u2019s not enough information. They want to know how it scored, how wide it was, and need details on things like G1s, G2s, and G3s. Look, I like a big rack \u2013 all kinds of big racks \u2013 just as much as the next guy. But, I don\u2019t need a tape measure to help me make a decision or appreciate what I have my hands on.<\/p>\n

If you are hunting and a deer, elk, kudu or anything else walks up and you decide to pull the trigger, nothing else should matter. If you shoot a five point and your buddy shoots a seven, good for him and good<\/em> for you. You\u2019ve both had a successful hunt. If you feel jealous you should have never pulled the trigger to start with.<\/p>\n

Hunting in Montana last November my host, my guide and me were watching three different whitetails, in three different locations. All were nice; two were 10s and one was an eight. The guide asked which one I wanted. I thought about it, thought about the hunt required for all three and how I would remember each as part of my Montana adventure. I decided on the eight. (My guide called it a 4X4.)<\/p>\n

We made the stalk, I made the shot and when we were\u00a0standing over the buck I remarked, \u201cI believe he\u2019ll go 180 or more.\u201d Neither companion said a word. In fact, both turned and walked away.\u201d I thought, that was rude, so I repeated myself.<\/p>\n

The guide said, \u201cI don\u2019t mean to offend you but he\u2019ll be lucky to break 130.\u201d This got me wondering if this might be the first dead deer this guy had ever seen. However, neither he nor my host had been privy to a conversation I\u2019d had with the ranch operator about the size \u2013 weight \u2013 of the whitetails there, compared to those back in West Virginia.<\/p>\n

\"D-7\"<\/a>
Sometimes you need a tape measure. For a buck to be legal in West Virginia the antlers must be three inches long. These measured 3.5 inches. This makes absolutely no sense either.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I said, \u201cDude, if you think that deer only weighs 130 pounds you need to go back to guide school.\u201d<\/p>\n

At that remark my host and guide both started laughing and said, \u201cWe thought you were talking about his antler score. We thought you were nuts.\u201d Well, if I’d shot that deer and been disappointed with how he scored, I would’ve been nuts. When I decided to pull the trigger, I was happy with the deer.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what really matters. If you want to brag about your hunt \u2013 and that\u2019s OK as far as I\u2019m concerned \u2013 brag about the stalk you managed, the cold you endured, the mountain you climbed, and even the shot you made. Heck, even brag about how good it tasted when you ate it.<\/p>\n

You got no business bragging about body parts that are not yours.<\/p>\n

Last November my wife shot her first whitetail buck. She did it all by herself. It was a spike and she was damned proud. I was too. Most will say, \u201cFor a first whitetail buck a spike is fine.\u201d Listen, if you want to shoot a spike its fine I don\u2019t care if it\u2019s your 150th<\/sup> whitetail. That\u2019s exactly what I did the next week after a brutal eight days of hunting, even after passing on a spike the first week. I found him, I shot him and you know what? Now I\u2019m going to eat him.<\/p>\n

If you shoot a deer and you are mad because his G2 is an inch shorter than you thought, or if you\u2019re depressed because he has a broken tine, I\u2019m not so sure you had any business pulling that trigger to start with.<\/p>\n

According to Google, Kate Upton<\/a> is a 34DD. I assume someone, somewhere, at sometime used a tape measure to figure that out. (Why anyone would stand around Kate Upton fiddling\u00a0with a tape measure is beyond me.) Do you think there are any guys, anywhere, who actually care about that measurement?<\/p>\n

Does size matter? Undeniably so. But, if you waste your life playing with a tape measure you\u2019ll miss out on things that are a lot more important. Small, medium, large and extra-large are terms all humans are intimately familiar with. Go much beyond that and the math takes all the fun out of it. Just ask any western deer hunter.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Really? I guess it depends on which women\u2019s magazine you read. As far as guys are concerned – at least most guys – they do like big things. They like big trucks with big tires, cars with big engines, and lots of guys like big guns. They like big boobs and big butts but they don\u2019t like big women, even …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2522],"tags":[2382,459,2381],"class_list":["post-11174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hunt","tag-antler-measurement","tag-hunting-trophies","tag-rack-size"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5hujZ-2Ue","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12586,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/a-two-deer-hunt\/","url_meta":{"origin":11174,"position":0},"title":"A TWO DEER HUNT","author":"gunwriter","date":"November 12, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"About a week ago I returned from a hunt with Hornady and Trophies Plus Outfitters in Alzada, Montana. It was one of the best hunts I\u2019ve had. Partially because I got to take two deer \u2013 a mule deer and a whitetail. And partially because I got to do some\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HUNTING"","block_context":{"text":"HUNTING","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/hunt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12090,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/the-empty-cases-guide-to-big-game-hunting\/","url_meta":{"origin":11174,"position":1},"title":"The Empty Cases’ Guide to Big Game Hunting","author":"gunwriter","date":"September 8, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Big game hunting is really a very simple endeavor. One we have complicated with gear and boundless minutia. You find an animal, work yourself into a shot, take it, and then the work starts. 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If you\u2019d hunted all over the world, for all sorts of big critters, with all sorts of rifles, you\u2019d have the experience\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "EDITORIAL"","block_context":{"text":"EDITORIAL","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/editorial\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"BGB-6","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/BGB-6.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/BGB-6.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/BGB-6.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/BGB-6.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13446,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/enough-gun-is-not-as-much-as-you-think\/","url_meta":{"origin":11174,"position":3},"title":"“Enough Gun” is not as much as you think!","author":"gunwriter","date":"June 3, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I got no problem with folks who like to hunt with big guns. I have a .35 Whelen and a .45\/70 I like to use and both - appropriately loaded \u2013 will near cross your eyes when you pull the trigger. 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Remington's new model 783 was engineered in a deer camp by real hunters who just happen to work for Remington. That's kind of like asking Delta Force to design a new combat rifle. I just\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HUNTING"","block_context":{"text":"HUNTING","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/hunt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"783-1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/783-1-200x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14679,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/gun-guy-gifts-from-free-to-a-grand\/","url_meta":{"origin":11174,"position":5},"title":"Gun Guy Gifts from FREE to a Grand","author":"gunwriter","date":"December 13, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Yes, its hard to buy for gun guys and hunters and get it right. This partly because they are a picky lot, and partly because its hard to know what kind of gear and guns work if you have no experience with them. Well, I'm here to help. 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