A 150" buck is big for around here but not necessarily huge. The biggest I have ever seen from stand would have gone somewhere around 160"-165" huge perfectly typical 10 pointer. Old son-of-a-gun too. You know how old bucks get those squinty eyes? Well his were barely open, LOL.

My dad saw one buck around here bigger. A monster typical 12 that he guestimated at 180". He would know. He killed a 186 3/8" non-typical on public land in 1985. Biggest deer I have ever seen... Him too for that matter.

In any given season I consider myself lucky to take a P&Y buck. I see a couple every year and usually at least one whopper, but seeing, getting a shot opportunity at, and harvesting are leaps and bounds apart

What was the question again?

My realistic upper end buck is 130” class. I have seen a few pushing the 150” mark, but they are very few and seen only on locked up lands. But I also contend with the “X” factor that some REAL monsters come from the one county I hunt, although I have personally never seen a living deer over 160”, 2 were shot relatively close to me that scared the 200” mark. Those were statistical anomalies. But they did exist.

The only way I get a ball park estimate of the top end bucks in my areas is with a spotlight. Riding around before dark, doesn’t cut it. You may see one or 2 all summer (on the locked up land) that show their faces while the sun is still shining. But to really see what’s around, you need to spot after dark. And then, you need to time it right, because after a short while, they get shy of going near any field within beam reach. Spotting is a very popular past time. Hopefully gas prices will knock it down some.

There is truth to this statement. Google "record book bucks of Pennsylvania, NC, SC, NY etc" and see what you come up with. They may not be as common as in other places but there are bucks scoring 160+ being taken from these places.

I guess you just have to find them. While I've hunted in the midwest my entire life, it took me over 18 seasons before I saw my first mature buck, onethat would score over 135. It wasn't until I started studying them and actually hunting for them before I started seeing them.

A buck from 100-125" is very common here in south east Va. On the places I hunt and the surrounding areas several in 135-165" class are killed every year. Anything above the 165" class is not as common. I would say there maybe 2 or 3 170+ killed in this area which is 25 mile radius a yr.

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Hey Fran....

If you're using the pool of fellow students.....it's possible to find a date to the spring dance.....if you're a cadet at the Citadel.

Thats what we're looking for.

VA....you've been bowhunting how long? I ask this for refererece, ONLY. What's your biggest bow buck (inches)? I consider you to be an accomplished hunter in your woods.

i have a very good chance of killing a 125-140". anything is possible, weve seen some over 160 on all the farms

I strongly disagree. Take yourself a field trip to Northern West Virginia and try to tag a 110+" buck, while squared-off against the rallying mobs of West Virginians. It's do-able, but it mightcost you5 yearsof your life and 10,000 gallons of gas.

Hell, before the antler restrictions, it would've been a lifetime achievement to top 110" here in SW PA.

I have seen first hand in my part of the state bucks that are 3.5 years old and 135"+, but as Rybo said many of these are on locked up land that is unavailable to anyone and most turn into ghosts once they are hard horned. I do not see many deer that I would estimate as older than 3.5. If you see one it's like seeing a shooting star. You pay attention and make a mental note of it.

So, while those deer are present hunting them is another story. Not to mention that the ones that aren't poached upon reaching 3.5 become nearly strictly nocturnal so the only realistic chance is to set up on a funnel and hope a hot doe will bring one out of hiding in a love crazed frenzy. It happens, but it's like winning the lottery, right place, right time, and a lot of luck even if you have stacked the odds in your favor.

That's the point.

I'm just saying that we all should temper our expectations according to what we see, not what's listed in the record books.

Otherwise, we're just setting ourselves up for a magnanimous letdown.