Buck of a lifetime......
 

I hear this phrase quite often from friends and in print.

It could mean so many different things to each and every one of us...

I would like to know what would you consider "A buck of a lifetime"?

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

200+ inches

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

A buck of a lifetime to me is one that you kill and you know you will never surpass the rest of your life. I don't think that it necessarily has to be the biggesst you ever take but something unique to that buck and hunt that can't be duplicated ever again.

I don't think you know what your buck of a lifetime really is until that special moment when it happens and everything comes together and the you know what a buck of a lifetime really is.

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

Any deer over 160 for me.

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

Simple. A buck of a lifetime is the largest buck that an individual ever takes during his career. Whether it is 70" or 200"+.

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

Very well put!:)

Is that yours in your avatar Greg?

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

Buck of a lifetime is the one that invokes the most memories, the smell in the air, the crunch of the leaves on approach, tracking with friends or your children, recovery of a clean kill, dinner that you provide your family, and possibly a lifelong reminder hanging on your wall.

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

To me its not the size of the deer that matters or how many points, every hunt is different so they are all deer of a lifetime to me. Its the experience that makes every deer a deer of a lifetime. But we all do dream about that monster walking right to us.

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

Right now in my short little bow hunting career,..."a buck of of lifetime" would be ANY buck that walks within 30 yards front of me, come Sept.30th.:D

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

I hope to have a lot more "lifetime" left, so we'll see... [8D]

To come more closely to answering your qustion though.. for me, it's getting above 185 or 190... I realistically only expect to see one or two of them in my life, considering where I hunt -- if that. And then being able to put it all together, to make it happen... One of those would definitely be a "buck of a lifetime for me."

So, to answer your question in general... I think it would be looking at your local herd, figuring out what is among the biggest in your area, and hoping to take one like that before you die.

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

Good Post.

Buck of a Lifetime. To me it's notonly the size. It's killing a deer with a history. Or killing a deer you've worked extremely hard for. Being able to harvest a monster buck you've scouted for a season or 2, have a few sightings of, or game camera pictures of.

Being able to harvest a big buck, like that, is a buck of a lifetime, to me. They don't come around often, but when they do, you'll recognize it.

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

I think it's not as much of a personal image we imagine unless someone asks us though.

It's more of just an exclamation that people use when describing a particular big buck that they, or more often someone else has killed...

"That's a buck of a lifetime!"

Which if you think about it, might simply mean that they don't believe they could do better... which I often take a smidgeon of offense to in my heart when I hear someone say it. Not that they have said it to me! :D

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

I consider the one in my avatar to be the buck of a lifetime. It's the biggest one I have ever seen in person (body size and antler size). I am certain the antlers were larger during his prime years and I got him in his old age. The meat was well cared for, as always, but it tasted horrendous![&:]

For comparitive purposes with a small buck...

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

I second that! Everyone's will be different...deer in certain areas will get bigger than deer in other areas.

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

It's definitely more than just the size of the rack. It's the hours you've logged glassing fields, staring at topo maps andtalking to your hunting partners. It's the rain-soaked clothing, the miles on your boots, the sweat in your hat - it's your fingernails chewed into the meat,the gunmetal on your release worn to silver. It's aboutall the people who said you were nuts for hunting through a downpour - certifiably insane fordriving a half hour after work just to change clothes in the car and hunt for 30 minutes...

It's about going into overtime with a week of archery season to go and your tag feeling ever-so-empty, moving stands, re-hanging, relocating, thinking, relocating some more, and finally pulling the trigger.

That's what brings me back every year. Mynext buck is always my buck of a lifetime.


GREAT POST, QUICKSILVER!!!

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

Very well put quicksilver. That is exactly how I feel!

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

I bet that was a bear to get loaded in there? How much did he pull on the scales?

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

To me, the score of a rackmeans absolutely nothing. I know that sounds like lip service, but it is true. I feel that it is rediculous that I could shoot a mature deer with 6 great points on one side and the other side is broken off from a fight or something and it scores diddly-squat. What is a buck of a lifetime to me is the one that I have the most fond memories of... like many others have said. Honestly, I am looking forward to my son's first buck. That will be my "buck of a lifetime".

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

No idea what he weighed in at, but what I DO know is that my brother was in the next drainage and not readily available to help pack him out and I just about killed myself doing it myself even though it was all downhill. Same thing happened a couple years ago when I got a moose.:eek:

I really need to learn to keep a short leash on my brother while we're hunting.:D

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

A "Buck of a Liftime" to me is one that scores > 170" typical or >195" nontypical, in other words qualifying for the all time"Boone and Crocket" record books. Having said that, I do understand that a person may go his or her entire life and never seea B&C class buck. Whether that's due to their geographiclocation or b/c of poor genetics in the area, B&Canimals are hard to come bywhereveryou hunt. However, there are somepeople every yearwho manage to harvest an albino, piebald or even a melanistic deer. It's rare trophies like those that make hunting so exciting.And gives everyone an opportunity at harvesting their very own"Buck of a Lifetime"

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

No, that one is #4, I got a 180 incher that almost made me fall out of my tree. This oneis a nicer pic. Actually, every deer I get or even see is an adventure of a lifetime.

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

To me a buck of a lifetime is one that you will never top. It's one that is far better than the normal top end buck of your area.

A hunt of a lifetime is one where the situation of the hunt rather than the size of the buck is what makes it memorable.

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

Dipsnort: Thats a big buck man. Is that a muley?

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

to me a buck of a lifetime was 20 years ago and i still remeber it to this day., we were driving around and the biggest buck to date ran right in front of our truck .,200 class ummm maybe., or better., i watched him go into a wildlife., i then used the wind and put a stock on him ., knowing with in 20 yards where im thinking he is ., i start to get ther e., im 20 yards now ., and i for some reason looked to my right ., and when i did that,. he jumped up,. i drew back, but when i got the pin on him he turned and ran away from me.,no shot!! still the biggest buck i have ever seen.,that was my buck of a lifetime., and i never saw him again.,:(

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

A massive 250 plus inch nontypical with lots of stickers and double drop tines!!!!! If I am going to wish I'm going all out. That's the picture I get when I thinkof my buck of a life time.

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

My buck of a lifetime is a little bit different than the general concensus. My buck of a lifetime was the first buck I ever killed. It wasn't only my first buck, but my first achery deer as well. It was also the first deer I ever killed while hunting solo. Nobody was there to guide me, it was just me and the buck. I had scouted out the land, placed my stand, picked the right wind to hunt, set up, and made the shot!

The fact that my FIRST buck was taken with a bow is something I hold very deer in my heart. You only get one shot at your "First Buck." Taking my first buck with a bow is something that will never change....it only happens once in a lifetime....so he is my buck of a lifetime.

Granted I shot a bigger buck last year (I've only killed two in total) and will probably top that one eventually...someday I might even get lucky enough to take a whopper. Those bucks will always be special for one reason or another...and will be their own special buck of a lifetime. Last year's buck was my first buck with a flintlock....I will never have another first flintlock buck. So that is a buck of a lifetime as well.

A buck of a lifetime to me has nothing to do with the number of points, the inches of bone, or the weight of the deer. The circumstances surrounding the hunt are what makes any buck a buck of a lifetime to me.

3ptis my archery buck; 5pt is the flintlock buck

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

Mass,Droptines,Points,Weight,Age,Piebala.......... .

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

For me the first buck my son takes will be my buck of a life time..

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

My buck of a lifetime is the first one I actually "hunted" rather than waiting over a pile of corn. I scouted the area, found his scrapes and rubs, and setup downwind of the trail he'd been using. He came in, rubbed a tree and left. I called him back with a bleat can and took him at 15 yards. I tracked him myself at night, lost blood, came back in the morning and got him. Gutted and dragged him out myself.

By the way it was a 2.5 yr old 6 point with a 15 inch spread. It was much more rewarding than waiting over a pile of corn.

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

I feel somewhat the same way. the buck i will never top is my first mature buck bowkill....but first deer ranks up there too....anyway, that buck at a glance can takesme back to that day even if its 130" are to some insignificant when veiwed next to a couple, more recent trophies, hanging beside it.

RE: Buck of a lifetime......
 

Yessir. Taken on public land in Wyoming. It is a 5X7 and netted just over 163 as I remember, and is 23" wide. In its prime, I'm guessing it was a wider and higher scoring buck.