Antler size or body weight?
What's your preference?
I hunt northern New England (Maine and New Hampshire) and we usually judge our deer by body weight. It's that big, old 200+ pound, dressed, buck that dreams are made of. Sure we appreciate a nice rack but most of the guys I hunt with would rather shoot a 180 pound 8 pointer than a 160 pound 10 pointer.
I am sure there are a lot of hunters, especially in the Mid-West, down South and even New England that look at a trophy buck by the number of points his rack will score, not the dressed weight.
I also understand that states that have 'smaller' deer will always prefer a big old rack.
If you hunt places where truly big bucks grow, what's your idea of a true trophy?