Today, certain aspects of our hunting culture remain somewhat competitive; we find it in the dove field, with the friendly horse-play associated with the hunter who puts a limit of birds in the bag versus the hunter who does not. We see it with the escalating emphasis placed on long range  shooting. And of course, many big game hunters are hyper-focused on wanting to shoot an animal that "out-scores" the next guy, hence many hunters' fixation with scores. Personally, I think that some hunters do place too much emphasis on score, allowing this metrics of inches to overshadow the other features of the hunt. We occasionally blame this score fixation on the Boone & Crockett measuring system and how this 100+ year old record keeping system has shaped this part of our hunting appetite, but let's not forget that the B&C Club never intended for their measuring system to be a competition. Rather, the spirit of the B&C records were essentially intended to serve a means of documenting North America's charismatic large mammals that were headed toward extirpation in the late 1800s...it was a way to commemorate these great beasts that many felt were on the verge of being something of the past. However, along the way, people being people, we began to rely on the B&C scoring system as a measure of the "success" of the hunt, and over time, this game of inches created its own competitive aspect of the hunt and many hunters' fixation with the score of an animal is often extremely compulsive.

  

Scoring systems, such as B&C, certainly have their place within the ranks of our hunting community. Scores are a great way of communication with others in giving them a perspective of the character or size of an animal that may be in question. Also, the size of antlers can often be so

mewhat of a product of habitat quality, and this creates a nice platform for promoting and celebrating the benefits of habitat management relative to antler size and antler score. But, once again, people being people, these scoring systems can also incentivize intensive "cutting edge" practices that are highly artificial, encouraging us to use high-tech and controversial approaches in growing bigger and bigger antlers, some that are so large that we are seeing animals that cannot properly hold their head erect and animals that are experiencing fractures of pedicels and frontal bones. The edge of intensity can often cut both ways, some of which may be unintended. This begs many questions, including, "Are we turning our wildlife diamonds into cubic zirconias?" In some ways, and in some instances, I think that is exactly what we are doing, but that's fodder for a different discussion.

  

Bottom line, the spirit of this editorial is to shine the light on the importance of not allowing the fixation of inches of antler to overshadow and mute the other fine features of the hunt that makes hunting fun, exciting, and relaxing. The mystery and magic of hunting has less to do with a score sheet, and more to do with things such as the challenge of the hunt, the fellowship with family and friends, connecting with our natural world, the splendor and natural beauty of the animal, enjoying the bounty of meat, and the spiritual nurturing of our mind, body, and soul. Yes, using scores and scoring systems for various purposes does have its functional place in our hunting community, but let's not allow ourselves to become so engulfed in that simple metrics that it takes away from the whole of the hunt. Most of us, including me, are indeed enamored with antler size and in some ways we are driven by antler size, but it's so important that we maintain some appropriate balance in our hunting motives....otherwise, the retention qualities  of hunting are diminished, and that's not a good thing for the long-term viability of hunting and it's also not good for sustainable conservation funding.

  

Speaking of antler size and wildlife health, as you'll see below, the great rains that we are receiving this year in Texas are a boon for wildlife, and the outlook for our upcoming fall hunting seasons is looking great. Please let us know if we can do anything for you with your future hunting plans.