🦌 The Trophy Trap — And Why Nobody Entered Our Giveaway

Straight talk from the field — no fluff, no filters, just the hunt and the headlines.

The biggest deer you’ll ever kill means a lot — but not if you spent more time planning the photo than the stalk.

And yeah — we should take photos. That grip-and-grin might be how your kids remember your favorite hunt. A blurry trail cam pic might be the only image you ever get of a buck you chased for three seasons. Photos matter.

But if the only thing you’re chasing is a photo worth posting, not the hunt itself… you missed the whole point.

Outdoor Life just brought back a hard-hitting Jim Zumbo piece called Why Trophy Deer Hunting Is a Trap, and it nails what’s been creeping into the culture for years:
This idea that if it’s not giant, it’s not worth it.

I guided full-time for over a decade, and I’ve seen that mindset take over.
Guys would show up wanting a 40+ lb salmon — and if they didn’t get it, they were miserable.
Or they’d say, “If it’s not a 320-class bull, I’m not pulling the trigger.”

That’s just bad sportsmanship. It’s not what the outdoors is about.

Sure, chasing a trophy is part of the fun. We all dream of that buck, that bull.
But when it becomes the only thing that matters, you miss everything else — the laughs, the learning, the firelight, the stories.
The memories shift from “Remember that trip with my son?” to “I didn’t kill a giant, so it sucked.”

And now that same mindset is creeping into everyday hunting:

That’s garbage.

The sounds of crows. The frost on your bootlaces. The quiet hum of adrenaline before a shot — all of it matters.

And if a spike or a forkhorn walks in, and it’s legal, and it’s right — take the shot. Own it. That’s a real hunt.

Your challenge this week:
If you tag a deer — any legal deer — post the photo with pride.
Don’t crop it. Don’t add a disclaimer. Just tell the story: the wind, the stalk, the drag, the memory.

👉 Read the full Outdoor Life article →
👉 Forward this newsletter to someone who needs to hear it →

We’re giving away a brand-new Outdoor Edge RazorLite EDC hunting knife this month, and so far not a single reader has entered.
That’s right — zero.

If you refer even one person to Western Vantage this week, you’re basically the only name in the hat.

Just have them reply to their welcome email with your name so we know who sent them.
🗓️ Drawing closes November 30. If you like free gear and crazy-good odds, this is your shot.

🔗 Share Western Vantage →

We just picked up the ICOtec 320+ Predator Call & Decoy Combo, and later this winter we’re putting it head-to-head against a budget e-caller that costs under $100.

We’ll test both in real-world conditions: sound clarity, remote range, decoy function, cold-weather reliability — no fluff, just what matters in the field.

👉 Check out the ICOtec 320+ here →

Got a favorite predator call that’s worked for you? Hit reply and let us know — we’ll include some reader picks in the final review.

I’m heading out next week (if the weather ever gets cold enough) to test a new mountain coat in real conditions — wind slicing sideways, long days in the field. I’ll let you know if it actually keeps me sane after Day 2 or if it’s just more overbuilt gear that photographs well but performs soft.

Back at home, I’ve been messing with a little pellet grill test:
Cheap vs. premium pellets on a 3-hour rib cook.

Same deal with gear: budget can work, but the cleanup, frustration, and reliability might cost you more than the money you saved. We plan on testing plenty of different gear with different price points. Winter is coming and this is the time to test.

More on that next week.

Until next time — keep your boots dry, your shot true, and your stories real.
Matt
Western Vantage