I look at rack size and " maturity" to make the decision. A buck over 140 inches is awfully hard for me to let walk. In the areas I hunt it usually takes a really big 3 1/2 or a 4 1/2 to be that big. I recently shot a 135 class 8 pt because he was very massive, several stickers, gray face and a big body so I deemed him " mature" . Mature to the tune of 215 lbs dressed. He was only a 16" wide 8 pt which isn' t a " trophy" in many peoples eyes but he certainly fit my " mature" criteria.