A new friend who recently visited my home for the first time said he really liked the way I placed a framed photo beside each of my trophy mounts.
“This is a great idea,” he said. “You can’t get a real taste for the experience from only a head-and-shoulder mount or antler plaque. By seeing a photo from the field, I can understand more of the story.”
As I thought about his comment, and considered the way I displayed trophies throughout my home, I wish I had taken it one step further and added a brief description to the back of each framed photo. Now that I’m in my mid 50s, I can’t remember every detail of what happened on hunts 10, 20 or 30 years ago. The guide who was sitting beside me with my British Columbia mountain caribou (below), what was his name? On which afternoon of the 14-day hunt did I tag the big bull?
Of course, someday I’ll be gone and these bucks, bulls and bears will become property of my two sons. Assuming they continue to enjoy hunting as adults, and perhaps get their kids involved in outdoor pursuits, too, it would be more interesting for future generations to know more about the story behind each animal. A framed photo helps, certainly, but adding a short description to the back of each photo would be even better.
As my kids begin to save turkey tails and antlers from their in-the-field successes to hang in our home, I’ll help them add framed photos — with brief descriptions — to complete each display.
