ORIGINAL: DropTine249

Yep..To me a true trophy is a smart, educated, older whitetail.

If he is sporting a giant rack, thats even better.

I live in an area that doesn't usually allow bucks to grow very old. 5.5yo is like the MAX..and thats a VERY small percentage of the bucks.

Dont get me wrong, I love a big, heavy racked buck.

Generally speaking, older deer sport larger racks. Thus, a larger racked buck would give bragging rights because to get that large rack, the buck had to grow old.

However, with management these days, we are seeing more and more 130-140" 2.5yo deer, which puts them in the "trophy rack" category...

So, have the standards raised ? Who knows..Who cares..

Age is the ultimate trophy because the hunter had to out smart a very smart and experienced animal.