Defining “Big Game”

[filmjunkie4ever]

How do you define “big game?” How about small game or varmints?

For me, it had traditionally started with pronghorn antelope, anything “smaller” was considered small game or varmints. Size can’t be the deciding factor though, our coyotes are much bigger than the African dik dik for example. Wolves and cougars are much bigger than mouflon sheep or Aoudad.

Game in general for me is anything edible. But that’s a gray area too because you can/could/will eat anything if you’re hungry enough, even some critters traditionally considered untouchable.

With that in mind, where do you consider the starting line to be for big game?

 

[Slimfinn]

I would agree with you that for typical North American "big game" would start at pronghorn/deer, an animal that you would typically have a specific tag to "punch" vs. having a license that allows you to harvest a given limit.

 

[clearwater]

Anything I have to buy a big game license for is big game
Anything I legally can't shoot with 22 rimfire is big game
Anything I can't just pick up and carry with one hand to pack out is big game

 

[Slimfinn]

Anything I can't just pick up and carry with one hand to pack out is big game

Except the first antelope I shot....

 

[xphunter]

Except the first antelope I shot....

Yearling?

 

[Slimfinn]

Yearling

Yes, I was around 15yo it would have been the early 90's and you could get a doe/fawn tag over-the-counter. Was hunting with a buddy at his grandma's place and we saw a group coming across the pasture so got ready, when they came up and out of the draw in a single file line and could only see one at a time so the first one that actually stopped got shot. We walked up and my buddy, build like a tight end, grabbed the hind legs picked it up and said "good one Finn". I didn't shoot another antelope until last year.

 

[RememberBaker]

In VT, and probably a lot of other places, turkeys are classified as big game.