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"?

200+ inches

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.

Any deer over 160 for me.

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

Very well put!

Is that yours in your avatar Greg?

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.

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.

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.

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.