Rod,

Unfortunately some of those monsters that we drool over only exist because of intense herd management, season-long nutrition, etc and other components that cost $$$. Whether you invest the time and effort or money, or the outfitter does is a separate thing altogether. Public land aside, how do you differentiate the hunter traveling out of state to hunt an outfitters' concession (unguided), access to your neighbor's property, or from a hunter hunting their own property (leased or owned)?

I rarely hunt on public land in my area from a safety perspective, because I like to know who I'm hunting with, and where the other hunters are located. That being said, I have hunted public ground in the West and in the Southeast, on a DIY-basis. The majority of the time I hunt small private land tracts or leases in my area, that I've obtained through lease payment, asking permission, or just a Christmas ham. However, I hunt there for a piece of mind, not a piece of the record books. From your point of view, should animals killed on a family farm be included in the books, should they qualify? Or what about a group of guys that join together as a hunt club to lease a tract to manage as they see fit? I know that I have to factor that expense in to my hunt budget every year, and if it means less "toys" or prioritizing my expenses, so be it. Fortunately, my leased properties are extremely reasonable! The trophy quality is not at all different from surrounding lands, but I can assume that when I want to go hunt my favorite oak flat or food plot, I'm the only one hunting it.

I hope that the biggest and the best aren't taken by only those that can afford it - and certainly wish that the bull in the article was taken by an archer or primitive hunter that had drawn a tag to that game zone. But I celebrate all of those who choose to hunt by legal means, and Lord knows we'll need this hunters' money versus those who want to take our rights away from us!

Just food for thought...