Record Books and Mule Deer
I’m sorry, but I have a problem with animals being taken out of or put into the record books based on something done or not done by the hunter/owner. As far as I am concerned, record books are about animals, not about people. If the animal was taken illegally (or whatever), then, in my opinion, the record book can say so, but I am interested in seeing trophy animals regardless of how they were obtained.
Some will probably say that using this approach would encourage illegal activity, but I don’t think so. Besides the negative publicity that a person would receive, there is the legal system to deal with. I don’t think too many hunters are willing to be fined and/or have their hunting priviledges taken away just to have a mule deer in the record books.
The situation with Kirt Darner is a good example. His record book animals were already in the books, very good animals at that, and now they have been removed because of something questionable about the man who entered them.
I’m going to start a new record book. It will be called the “Carter and Baxter Record book of Mule Deer”, and will include all those “iffers” that Mike Eastman has been talking about for years. We won’t care much about the person, but we will care about where the deer was taken.
As far as scoring is concerned, we will double the points for width and will count outside spread. We will measure largest circumference instead of smallest, and will not subtract for lack of symmetry.
Who wants to submit the first entry?
I’ll be the first to disagree with you…
The first of Kirt’s deer to be removed was pulled because he submitted photos of a deer that was first shot, and entered into the record books, almost 50 years ago by a different hunter in a different state. That deer is still on the books.
When he was informed that his other records would be reviewed as well, he told them to pull them all. To me, that indicates he may have had reason to be concerned about what they would find.
I agree completely that a beautiful trophy is a beautiful trophy regardless of a sketchy hunter. In Darner’s case, the one record the organization removed was a fraud. Were they all? The only one who knows is Darner, and apparently he was unwilling to face what may have been the truth.
yes……..Enter all bucks that qualify. If they are poached, lable them so with the name of the poacher.