There has been "wild" mulies takin that would score well over 400 inches B&C. One inparticular from New Mexico would go over 440 from what I understand. However B&C would not allow it to be entered into the book because of several points which were broken off during the horse pack out, and later re-attached.
Hopefully we will never see the great mule deer species ever stoop to the level of commercial breeding!
I'm sure someone is salivating over this freakish animal. But from my view at least, its not anything like a mature buck should appear. Equivilant to a human giant that would never win a body building award despite 7 ft height and stronger than two normal men.
But there are trophy hunters who will pay big dollars to get their names in the book. I say good hunting to them!
Jack
It would surprise you just how elusive these animals get once they are about 6 1/2 years old. A friend of mine has 300 acres high fenced and it's pretty open as well. You would think that you could kill any deer in the place in about 30 minutes, but that is not the case.
They have had quite a few mature deer, that went nocturnal, and were relatively unkillable, by legal means.
My buddy say's that they know they are trapped, and they know the second you open the gate to come in the pasture. He said he has wathed big bucks crawl on their bellies to avoid being seen by another person. These deer only have to hide like that for a day or two before the paying hunter gets frusterated and shoots a younger and dumber deer.
Pretty sad, and not what I would pay to do, but it's not surprising that a whitetail could get that smart.
One other thing, it is a big misconception that a high fence is to keep deer in. In the Texas Hill country where over population is such a huge problem, the fences are to keep deer out. To grow big deer, you need a maximum of one deer for every 10 acers, preferably 1 to 15 or 20. Out side the high fence, 1 deer to 2 1/2 acers is common. The deer on the outside will literally be trying to get in, because the food on the inside is so much better.
Once a place is high fenced, and you kill deer back to at least 1 deer per 10 acres, you will see the body weights increase about 50% just because they have more food. With more food and age, the horns get huge.
The other problem with a low fence is that most of the places are small, and you can pass on big young deer trying to let them get bigger, and as soon as the rut gets here and that buck jumps over the fence after a doe, he gets hammered by some jackass who sees horns and blasts him. Although that deer spends 99% of it's time on your place.
Maybe if high fences weren't an option, there would be pressure on the state of Texas to manage the whitetail deer so they didn't have 1 deer per 2 1/2 acres and basically starving. And maybe, some private landowners would be more willing to let the general public hunt on their land. I don't know...just a thought.
I bet for the right price. The owner would call him over, tie em' up w/ that 100' tape of your and let you believe that you're the best hunter that ever lived too, right?
That state record buck musta been one difficult kill! Frikin window in the tripod damn near blew shut and scared em' off the feeder when the dude was trying to bare down on em' from 10 yards away, eh!!!
You really know your deer and hunting there 280. Rat deer, OSOK? Your wrong on all counts, that public hunt does not allow hunting over bait, the one with the state record buck, the huge one. Lets see a picture of the Montana and Colorado state P&Y records, eh?
The first one is a living world record they say, its not being hunted. Game management seems to be doing well here, by me. I've been to your state and I've been here. Show me your state record pictures, tell me about the hunt.
Good ol' 280 - doesn't let the facts get in the way of his mouth. I'm not taking sides on the whole high-fence issue, but Tom provided a link to show that the deer was fair chase on public land, and the big mouths can't be bothered to read it.
As far as state records are concerned! Go to the B&C or the P&Y website. Look up "World record mule deer" in all categories, xcept for B&C nontypical mule deer, and there you have it!
I'm far less concerned w/ the idea of who's is bigger and better, as this post started out by trying to imply. How can you compare a pen raised deer, w/ a "Wild" animal???