I've come to the conclusion that the term "trophy hunter" is being used to mean something it doesn't actually mean. I do not know, have never known, a "trophy hunter". I do not know anybody who only hunts the one single very largest deer on their property, or has some unrealistic expectation of only shooting "5yr old" bucks that "score" a certain minimum.

I am not a "trophy" hunter, but I'm a "rack" hunter. That term makes more sense to me and is realistic in Alabama. I don't have specifics, and even if I did it would vary based on where I am. I often say "I don't kill something I wouldn't mount". Some people talk about "don't kill anythin you aren't going to eat" (as in you are wasteful and irresponsible if you killed a deer and just threw away the carcass or otherwise made no use of the meat) Well I feel the EXACT same way about a buck's antlers. If I'm just going to discard (not treasure) the rack, then why the @#$#@ did I shoot him????? Am I that immature and irresponsible?? I just couldn't control my foolish excitement, so I shot a 12" pencil-horned 6pt and simply cut his skull plate off and threw it in the shed. That's just like shooting a doe and dumping her in the ditch as you leave the club.

On Choccolocco WMA I'd probably kill a 14" wide 8pt. However I wouldn't kill that deer on Barbour WMA. On the military base I hunt it would have to be a legit "mounter" (my arbitrary rules are 16" with better than average mass and tine length). But then again there are some hunts where it happens so fast and exciting that I kill a 15-1/4" unimpressive 8pt. But it's basically a grown deer with a rack that would satisfy 98% of Alabama hunters. I hope that makes sense.