Buckmasters Trophy Records

When In Rome, Hunt Like Romans - Read more...

By Buckmasters

-- You can shoot a buck with a rifle in Mississippi or Kansas and wind up on the cover of a magazine. But if you used that same centerfire to nail a buck in Illinois, your name will wind up on a court docket. You'd lose your gun, along with your hunting privileges, and you might even go to jail.

You can "corn" up a sendero in South Texas and climb into the back of your truck to wait for dinnertime. But try that in Alabama, and you're going to be arrested. Even using a cell phone could result in your buck being confiscated in Ohio, though it's perfectly acceptable in Missouri.

It's fairly easy to determine what is or isn't legal in any state, if you take a look at the regulations before hunting. You might or might not agree with the rules, but you'll have to abide by them.

This is why Buckmasters Whitetail Trophy Records has its own "When in Rome" yardstick. In order for someone's deer to be entered into the record book, the hunter must sign an affidavit stating that the deer was taken in accordance with the game laws of the state or province in which the animal was harvested.

Actually, before this year, Buckmasters' rule went a step farther in defining what isn't considered "fair chase." Unacceptable practices included hunting with the use of aircraft, motorized vehicles and water craft, and electronic communications devices.

The lines have since become blurred, as the following true stories demonstrate.