A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

What is a trophy buck?...... In your hunting territory?
We see all the pictures, we hear all the talk, and we dream all the dreams of that B&C or P&Y buck, BUT, what is reality?
It may vary from state to state, region to region, even county to county!
To some, it may be a true whopper, to others a trophy could be a 4 pointer or even a nice doe!.... A trophy deer is truely in the eye of the beholder!

I read an article by a well respecteed deer bioligist, Dr. James Kroll. In it he said that the average buck in East Texas has an 11 inch spread, with 7 points. That really got me to thinking about what trophies REALLY are. This year, I have taken an 8 pointer, with a 14 inch spread, my second best buck ever!, My best ever in East Tex, was a heavy beamed 9 point, that would score about 115-120, BC!
Granted, there are a few 140-150 class bucks taken each year, and even a rare record book class buck taken in East Texas. (the East Texas region covers a larger area than many states!)

Depending on the area that you hunt, it could take as much or MORE hunting skill to take a 4 pointer or nice doe, than it would take in another region to take a trophy class buck!

So, what is a "trophy" buck for your area? I'm not talking "if you hunt every minute, of every season, for ten years!" I am asking, if you expect to harvest a buck each year or two, what can you REASONABLY expect to get?

As I said, a trophy is truely in the eyes, or literally in the scope of the beholder!

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

Jag, Great Post.

For me it would have to be at least outside the ears. Here in La. that would be about 15-16". I let the smaller ones walk. Granted I have only take 2 bucks of this caliber in the last 5 years, but it is well worth the effort.

My definition of a trophy is: Any deer that makes your heart beat faster, your hands to shake uncontrolably, and leaves you to shook up to get out of the tree or blind for several minutes after the shot.

Note: I have killed 2 trophy does in the last two years also.

Good Hunting.

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

I agree jag! As long as your happy then it is a trophy, in this sense any animal harvested is a trophy in my books. It is all about your experience, area, personal goals and standards. One should only measure him/herself on their own personal scale not others. For me the harvest is the reward of the hunting process, it is never a given. Regardless of what head gear it has or has not the experience and journey that gets you to that reward is the part I really love and call hunting.

I look for maturity and 150 class when deciding to shoot a buck. I love the meat as well and have no problems passing a young buck in lieu of a mature doe come crunch time/need some eats for the freezer.

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

In our area a 170 class is about as good as you wil find. There was one killed about a mile from some of our land last year.

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

Could range from a button buck to the Albia buck. It's all about the hunt.

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

I am from West Central Illinois. You have read all the posts.
What do you think;).
To me, they are all trophys.

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

One that is bigger than my last 'bigun'. ;My last? a small 8 pt. I do have an eleven point from Ill. when I lived there. But, as dorothy said, I'm not in Illinois any more.

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

The lease I hunt on has a 6 pt / 15 in rule, and seeing as how I only have two deer under my belt that fill both requirements, that's trophy-size to me. The biggest deer in my family is my dad's 10 pt that scores about 130, and the biggest deer I've ever seen that came off our property probably scores about 160. Anything over 100, though, looks big to me.

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

I shot this buck on Thanksgiving day this year........a deer like this coming out of the woods I was hunting is unheard of. It just doesn't happen. The woods are pounded by hunters and the deer just don't live long enough to get this big. 4 and 6 pointers will stir jealousy in other hunters around there so I guess any buck period is what 99% of the guys out there would consider a trophy.

I have said before in more then a few threads that I believe your land dictates the kind of deer you will take more then anything else. I also believe just as it has been said here that in some places you will have to put in more time and effort and use more skill.....just to take an 8 ptr that doesn't even come close to the record books................compared to taking a 160" deer in a place that they are commonly found.

To me?? The thing that makes my deer so special to me is that I can count on one hand how many people over the years have taken a deer like mine out of where I hunt........out of hundreds of hunters and thousands of deer.......I am the one they are talking about when they all sit around the fire and say "Did you hear about the monster that guy shot on Thanksgiving?"

In many places of the country he may not even be a shooter. Around here he is already a legend. I think as time goes by and things settle back into the normal routine I will really start to realize how special that day was for me and how lucky I am to have even been presented with a chance of a lifetime like that. Thank god my aim was true or I would have an ulcer the size of China by now. This buck had 2 nicks on him by other hunters.......they are probably both in straight jackets right now.

No matter what I shoot for the rest of my hunting days I will NEVER forget the memories of every second of that Thanksgiving morning when in a matter of 2 minutes during a stroll to meet my brother I did the equivalent of winning the deer lottery.

I also took him with my fathers gun.........something that I will cherish forever as well. My dad taught me eveything that I know and his words of "Aim the gun kiddo" echoed in my mind as my heart pounded and my knees shook. I was able to keep my focus long enough to make a good clean shot and track him through the field where I found him laying in the tall goldenrod. Once the job was done then I lost it emotionally and was dropped to my knees.....something I am not ashamed of one bit. Taking a deer like this may only come once in my lifetime. Feeling like my dad was right there with me the whole way is something I don't even think I can explain. It will always be special to me knowing that WE took the deer.

That is what a trophy is to me......the whole experience. Not just his antlers.

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

a trophy to me is........a deer that i killed, gutted, butchered and got in my freezer all by myself. and if its a nice buck, it makes it even better:)

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

i figure the meats all the same, and the antlers dont make it taste any better, just looks better on the wall. i've been hunting 3 years now and i've gotten 4 does and no bucks. two of which i shot within 10 minutes of eachother this year. ive seen a beautiful 10 pointer during a doe hunt, along with 3 other bucks, but i would never stoop so low as to take a deer illegally just to brag about it. to me a trophy is one that dad cooks up on the grill with lipton onion soup mix!!

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

To me a trophy buck is best left in the woods. I hunt only for the meat and I will take a doe over a buck for that purpose every time. I have eaten bucks that were not to bad but they are nowhere near as good as the does. The last big buck I shot we ended up feeding most of it to the dog. He didn't even like it very well. When I was a kid I used to hunt for the big bucks but as I got older I would rather watch them rucuss around and just enjoy seeing them . I hate to shoot what took so long to become a trophy. I quess its hard for most hunters to understand. I still like to shoot them but now with a 35MM instead of a 7MM.:)

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

To me a trophy buck would be one that is bigger than the previous yr. And if its not then it is still a troph in a sort of sense, it all depends on the hunt that has taken place.

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

it all depends. any buck is a trophy in my eyes. that six i shot this year and posted, if you saw me in person, you woulda thought i shot the world record. i carry around a picture to show people. what made me so proud was that it was my first deer on public land, and after some close calls with bigger bucks, i finally shot this one. during bow i let him walk during the rut, but that was b/c i knew i stood a better chance at shooting a monster. i shot a doe last year on 12/31/02 and was sooooo proud of it b/c it was my first deer with the bow. i am still sooooo proud of that one. weighed only about 90 pounds, but tasted good. ;) and then there was the doe i shot from the ground this year at 10 yards. and then there was my FIRST deer. and my first buck, shoulder mounted on the wall. he was a weak eight with a 16 1/2" inside spread. probably wouldnt even score that much over 100". i will never know b/c i could give two ****s. the tape will never touch him.

basically, every deer i take is a trophy to me b/c i work my ass off during the off season and keep my grades up during the deer season, and still manage to have a job, play varsity football, and keep my friends, and keep my girl(s). i find something in every deer that makes it a trophy. i shot a deer the same day as my varsity game this year. that made it a trophy. it was my first deer i EVER shot in the morning. ya see what i mean???

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

trophy to me, is any deer that i shoot -its just that way :)--4 me

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

Web. Thats a good way to look at it. I see several others here share your thoughs.

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

140 and up

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

As I am only 15 i would say that a trophy is any animal shot within the law. But here in utah a trophy mule deer is over 24" or is a 4x4. some places in southern UT a trophy is a deer that is over 30" and at least a 5x4

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

I hunt in a couple different counties surrounding where I live. I've seen several 8 pointers pulled out of the woods this year. One had a 22 inche spread. it was truly magnificent. For myself This year has been my very best year. It took a 70-80 lb doe and a 100 lb button buck. I have about 8 years of hunting under my belt and last year was the first deer (doe) that I've taken. I've missed an opportunity tow take two decent bucks. one six pointer and one 8 or better. I will be out there a couple more days this year and any legal deer that I am able to put in the fridge will please me. I suppose that if I continue to have good years I will set my sights a little higher. Right now I'm just thrilled to have about 50 lbs of venison left in the fridge.

David

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

Any buck over 4.5 years old

regardless of horn size

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

130 and up, or to those who havnt killed alot of deer what ever makes you happy, i would rather shoot a old mature doe with a bow than a 100-115 class with a gun

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

i think it depends on a lot of factors. i don't know how to "classify" deer so i'll just stick to what i know about my area. the fact is that only 1 out of every 5 hunters in PA bag a buck each year (legally anyways). we have a ton of spikes and 4-points, a bunch of 6-points, a few 8-points, and if you are lucky enouph to bag a 10-point or higher, that is definately a hanger. don't get me wrong, we have our occasional "monster bucks" with the size and mass of the one saw on tv....... but they are far and few between. i think it's getting better though because every year i always come home from being out in the woods hunting turkey or squirrel and give the " i saw the biggest buck i've ever seen, even bigger than the last one i saw and he was big!!" story. so i think PA hunter's will start harvesting bigger deer in the upcoming years.

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

I try to shoot a buck that's somewhere around 120 in my area. That's not to say I'm not going to take one smaller, because they are really difficult to judge accurately in the field. I personally have gotten to the point that I shoot does for vension and only shoot bucks that come close to my standards. I've gotten three in the last five years, 101, 109, and 119. I am at least getting close!!!

This year I've seen a dozen or so bucks over 100 that I let walk. Hopefully, they'll be even better next year!!!

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

I agree formula let them walk and next year i bet you break that 120 mark

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

First let me say any deer taken that makes the hunter happy is a trophy, every deer I have ever killed was a trophy.

That being said I have 3 real trophies under my belt:

1. My first deer, a doe.
2. My biggest buck, an 8 pointer with a 21 3/4 inside spread, the tallest tines were 19 1/2 inches above the top of the bucks head, I was 20 or 21 when I killed him and that buck was bigger than any buck my cousin or uncle had ever killed and the 2 of them are the best pure hunters I have ever known.
3. My first bow kill, that was a doe.

I have 3 more real trophies I hope to get in the future:

1. My first buck bow kill.
2. To kill a very old monster 6 point I have seen clearly once in 3 years.
3. To kill a buck bigger than my biggest so far. (I doubt that will happen though in my area, it might though)

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

I just opened a dictionary to look up their definition of "trophy". I happened to open it in the O's and on the top right of the page I see "outstanding". That about defines it for me.

To me a "trophy buck" has to be "OUTSTANDING": (conspicuous; eminent, esp. because of excellence.)

So to me "any deer" is not a trophy. Your first deer is not a trophy. A bigger deer than you shot last year is not nessasarily a trophy.

Not to say that "any deer, your first deer or a buck bigger than any you've shot" is not a great accomplishment and somthing to be very proud of. They are all that.

I shot a couple of does this fall. They are great eating and I was elated to harvest them. But they are not trophies they are venison.

If you hunt in an area where bucks don't get real big and a +1 year old fork horn is the average buck, then a 3 year old 4X4 with a B&C score of 130 would be "OUTSTANDING" for that area and a trophy.

I live in Alberta where there are BIG BUCKS dieing of old age each year. I have shot a few big bucks and so for me in this area 150 or better is a trophy.

Robin

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

There are individual trophies and there are the more widely accepted "universal" trophies. I personally don't consider every deer I take a trophy, because some are more memorable than others. A B&C or P&Y deer is a trophy. 1st's are trophies. Even though I'm getting my buck from this year mounted I wouldn't call it a trophy buck. Its my biggest and a great buck for the area I hunt. Maybe its just a matter of wording to me. Many deer I probably call "memorable" or "special" are trophies to you guys.

[Deleted]
 

[Deleted by Admins]

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

A trophy buck to me is one that really stands out from the others. It all involves the hunt. Previous to this season, I had two that really stood out for me and I missed both of them. 12/16/03 all that changed for me. I had taken my 4 yr old son out with me to hang a stand for me to hunt the next morning. We both had a good time in the woods together. Anyway, after hanging the stand and a million questions of "Why ya doin' that daddy", he rubbed my gun for good luck and told me "you'll get him in the morning". Well, I was in the stand before daybreak and had hunted 'til 10:00, passing on a couple does, when a spike buck walked out about 70 or so yards in thinned pines and I took him. The buck wasn't the best I'd ever taken, but the events leading up to the hunt are the proudest moments I've had so far. If it'll warm up a little, and he gets over a cold, I hope to top that.:D


Gun control? My gun. My control.

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

"Trophy" is a very relative term. In Maine, the traditional definition of a trophy buck is one with a field dressed weight of 200 pounds or more. Big racks are considered trophies as well, but the first question asked is always "what did he weigh"?

To me, whether a deer is a trophy or not has just as much to do with the circumstances as it has to do with actual size. I've taken a few 200+ pounders, and yes they were trophies, but the small 8 point I shot this year was just as much of a trophy to me, since I successfully tracked him down. Due to the way I hunted him, it was an extremely rewarding hunt, and therefore I consider him a trophy.

Here's an example to think about:
Say I was driving down a logging road and happen to see a huge 300 pound dressed weight B&C buck standing there looking at me.....I get out, load my gun, and drop him in his tracks. I drag him the 50 yards to the vehicle and get him to the tagging station.

Then, let's say I have been hunting a nice 240 pound 10 point with about 130 inches of antler. I track him hard for three days, and finally get close enough to connect. It is a hard two mile drag out of a thick swamp, but well worth it.

In my opinion, the second one would be much more of a trophy than the first example, because of the circumstances surrounding the hunt. Either one would be considered a trophy, but the second would hold more meaning.

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

Again all relative, buck anything that puts food on the table for the family is a trophy in my mind. Think about it, this animal lives totally on its own and we, as hunters, stalk, hunt and kill this animal. It truly has to be a trophy.

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

a trophy is indeed in the eye of the beholder.
i got my first deer this year and it was a perfect 8-pt and to me that will be my most memorible buck since it was my first..a true trophy.
pat

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

I think it is all a matter of perspective. The last three years I could hunt every day and so I could be very selective. I got two nice 8 points and a small 10 point in the past three years. I moved this year and have only gotten to go hunting twice. My two does this year brough a great thrill. Sure---I like to hang those antlers---but I was surprized how hard my heart was thumping when I decided to take the does.

RE: A Trophy Buck Is?.....
 

125 is a good deer in my area, anything over 140 is a wall hanger. My daughter shot a 150 class deer her first season of hunting and it ranks in the top 30 ever taken in the county since records have been taken. Myself any old buck 5 yrs. or older is a trophy.