I can't believe how fricken petty people can be. Yes sir ree bob I said fricken. Some of you jealous children act like little school kids playing tattle tale on the other kids on the play ground. For God's sake have some self respect and respect for others in the industry who have put the time, money, and effort into raising big deer.
As someone who has raised big bucks and paid big money to antler replicators and head mounters just to have the damn thing come out looking like crap I can attest to the fact mounts don't always turn out they way they should. As deer growers we put pressure on the antler replicators and head mounters to get the work done in very short time frames. Ours isn't the only work they have to do and at times it comes back in less than expected form despite how much you paid or what you gave them for measurements. Is that the growers, the deers, or the display farms fault? NO IT IS NOT!
And about scoring of these big deer. As someone who has had big bucks laying on the ground and having the nerves running full steam through my head just hoping the deer gets back up and lives I can tell you time spent dicking around being all petty about who measured what and who saw what is the last thing on a persons mind. As growers WE are the final and most responsible person in charge of the well being of these animals. We plan ahead to hope the best care and best and most accurate assessment of the antlers takes place. We try to be fair and as impartial as possible. But in the end it is the health and well being of the animal that take precedence over all else.
Some folks are already calling for the antlers to be scored at NADEFA because NADEFA is the "official spokes person" of the industry. I have been a big supporter of NADEFA both with name and with money but I am here to say NADEFA isn't the "official spokes person" for crap. Their job is to insure that the industry can operate fairly and openly across state lines in the market place. Laws and free markets is their job. They are not to insure equality and fairness is being dealt in advertisements or at booth displays as it pertains to scores of bucks. Also who said the 3 scorers who scored Big Rig weren't already official NADEFA scores? And just what the hell is an official NADEFA scorer? Aren't the official score people at NADEFA actually SCI scorers? I just bet Big Rig was scored by an official SCI scorer. No I bet he was scored by 3 official SCI scorers! Sure seems like a "panel" of scorers to me.
I have ZERO, ZILTCH, NOTTA do to with Big Rig or Ballistic. I can only tell ya I like the owners of both deer. I am currently not using either of these bucks in my program. (only because my current program is too small now to use them) I have no vested interest in who uses what or who says what about these two bucks. What I am is what I have always been. An outspoken, honest, fair assessing farmer with a couple of years in the industry who calls it like I see it. Both Big Rig and Ballistic are some kick a$$ monster bucks. I don't care if one or the other is off by a couple of inches one way or the other. I don't care who owns them. I don't care how they look or don't look. They are some BIG BUCKS. And they, and the growers, and the owners deserve to be respected and treated with respect and dignity.
I was told once by Russell the operator of this forum, that success brings critics. That is an unfortunate reality of the world and this industry.
Congrats to Harry for producing Big Rig. All the owners of Big Rig. All the vested users of Big Rig. And although this thread isn't about Ballistic congrats to Gary and Jane for Ballistic as well.
It is bucks like these two bucks that keep the bar rising ever higher each year despite what your opinion is or isn't about the looks or style of the antlers.
My brother who was big in racing always said... "Money buys speed, just how fast do you want to go?"
The cold hard facts are antler inches pay the bills. How many bills do you want to pay?
Now everyone who wants to jack me up for giving my opinions can feel free to do so.
The End.
