The Deer

The other day I sent this to Margadant because he knows way more about 280 pound whitetail deer and how to kill them efficiently than I care to. I

also like the photo, the lolling tongue, the Xs for eyes look, and the pride in the young man's face, proud to have been a passenger on the bus of death.

James,

The conversation at breakfast centered around The Deer. Returning from a basketball game the Rushford-Peterson team bus wacked a buck. Not just a Bambi, it was a 22" spread, 10 point, Lord of the Woods. Country boys being what they are, they loaded it on the bus. There was some discussion at Nancy's on whether they would have gutted it first. I thought not. The place where I differed from the other yayhoos was in terminology. They insisted on referring to it as a "trophy buck", "a real trophy". Nay say I. My point was, that although it was a magnificent beast, it could not be considered a "trophy" unless the kill was intentional. And even then I doubt Boone & Crockett have a School Bus category. In general I was shouted down. Eventually I gave up, finished my coffee, folded my paper and went to the bank, still maintaining an animal has to be hunted, and taken fairly, to be a trophy.