Man, there are some remarkable hunters on this thread and some amazing animals. I'll throw mine in the mix. I started hunting when I was 12, but didn't start getting into the killing game until much later! I plan on making up for lost time
First big game animal, and best and only elk. 2008. Flattops, Colorado at 180 yards with a .300 WSM. This was my first big game hunt outside of my birth state of Pennsylvania. Dreamed about hunting elk for years (decades actually) and finally got to on a drop camp hunt. And after years of striking out on whitetails, I was able to connect on this elk opening morning, 15 minutes after legal shooting light in the morning. I thought that stuff only happened on TV!
First animal with a bow (Mathews Z7Xtreme). 2011 Illinois whitetail at 8 yards. This is my best scoring whitetail I'm sure, but not what I consider my best whitetail.
Best (and only) black bear. 2012. Idaho, with a bow (Mathews Z7Xtreme). 13 yards. I've always dreamed of shooting a color phase black bear, and I always thought the lighter color the better. That's why this guy is probably my favorite trophy. Skull only measured something like 14", but the hide is what makes him great. Not only was the color fantastic, but the fur was in tremendous shape. Was also the first hunting trip for a good friend of mine and now he's hooked.
My best mule deer (and only mule deer buck). New Mexico, 2012. 225 yards with a .308. Happened upon this guy and his buddy second morning of the hunt. The .308 dropped him in his tracks. Some of the most gorgeous country I've ever hunted (rimrock).
"Best" whitetail. Kansas, 2012 with a bow (Mathews Heli-m). 36 yards. After an extremely slow week, this guy came in with a doe. I saw he wasn't going to score well, but from the single spike and the white muzzle/neck I knew this guy was an old warrior that I couldn't pass up.
Best trophy. 2012, Colorado mule deer doe. Mathews Heli-M. 20 yards at 12,000'. This one means more to me than any of the above. I'd dreamed of doing a backcountry bowhunt on my own for quite some time. This was my first hunt that felt truly on my own, and I will cherish it forever for that reason. To go into an unknown unit, thousands of miles from home, "survive" for five days in the high country, and take an animal with a bow is a feeling of accomplishment that is...well, it's frankly hard to put into words.