As a member of Texas Trophy Hunters Association, I’m guessing it is probably fairly safe to assume that you are pretty passionate about hunting. For each one of us in the Trophy Hunter Nation, that passion is a little different, and driven at a deeply personal level. Just because our passion is different, however, doesn’t mean that the driver of any one of our passions is better than the next hunter’s; it’s just different.
For some of us, the main force in our passion is the trophy that hangs on the wall in the form of a hide or a set of antlers. For others of us, the main force is the meat on the table, for ourselves and for others. For another group of us, we’re driven by the experience in the field, at hunting camp, or in the deer blind with friends and family. For a large number of us, it actually incorporates more than just one of those aspects. Again, no single one of those is better than any other in the grand scheme of hunting, and every single one of those is personal to that individual hunter. Here at TTHA, we refer to all of those things as part of the Trophy Experience.
It’s easy to find ways to divide the Trophy Hunter Nation. Division by gender. Division by the means and methods we choose to harvest game with. Division by the species we usually hunt. Division by income levels. Division by ethnic background. Division by how tall or how short the fence is that surrounds us.
I strongly believe, however, that it’s more important that we find ways to unite as a Trophy Hunter Nation. People and forces in the world that don’t understand the importance of the many aspects of our hunting culture would love to see us turn on each other, channeling our energies internally, rather than pushing back on those people and forces to preserve and protect our collective hunting heritage.
Here at TTHA, we want to be a uniting force, not a dividing one. When any of us camo up and head to the field, we’re all just hunters – no qualifier is needed. We want to encourage you to live out your unique Trophy Experience. We do that through exciting stories from you and other members that help to fuel the passion for hunting and the outdoors, both in people that already hunt, and in people that would like to start hunting. We also do that through our annual Hunters Extravaganzas, where the Texas hunting community gathers in large numbers to not only learn about hunting gear and opportunities, but to also just be around a large part of the community that shares our passion for hunting.
My hope for TTHA is to unite all segments of the hunting community to promote, protect, and preserve our Texas hunting heritage for decades and centuries to come. That’s a tall order, but one we can all work towards. I hope you will join us in this effort.
