Field judging Mule deer

[A-con]

Any tips on field judging Mule Deer ?
I don’t want to go and shoot a dink on opening day.

Photos of 180+ bucks and ideas on how to quick judge them in the field would be great.

 

[BuzzH]

I wouldnt be "quick" judging any mule deer with that tag...will lead to a major disappointment.

Look for long main beams, deep forks, its that easy.

For reference: a buck I took a picture of on winter range a couple years ago. Oak and I have looked at this photo a ton, looked at the buck for a long time. I dont see how its under 215 gross...maybe better.

 

[BuzzH]

Another look at the same deer:

Lots of extras...and a big frame...

 

[Oak]

FWIW, I think that buck is closer to 225" and a shooter, even with your tag.

 

[BuzzH]

Oak,

According to everyone I've talked to...the Kaibab has 200 inch bucks behind every tree.

Funny thing though, I never see many pictures of them.

I have seen pictures of several 150 Kaibab bucks though.

 

[Oak]

You mean most guys don't look through a bunch of 200" bucks on the Kaibab before choosing the one to shoot???

I'll second what Buzz said. Length is everything in scoring a muley. I don't know of any tricks, other than looking at a lot of deer. I think scoring hundreds of sheds over the years has made me a better judge of live bucks.

 

[BuzzH]

I just wish we could have scored the sheds from that buck...and the "other" one we spent countless hours trying to find.

 

[noharleyyet]

Those are very nice pics Buzz. What a buck.

 

[schelmster]

A-con try and get yout hands on the book "Hunting High Country Mule Deer" by Mike Eastman, it had a couple of chapters on field judging and some good pics. To call them direct for a copy the number is (307) 754-5584.

schelmster

 

[schmalts]

Tine length is key to any antlered animal it seems.
Tell you what gave me some ground shrinkage the last few years... Rushing and shooting in a now or never situation. This year that will be my promise to myself, to get a good look at both side and front views before shooting. Last years buck looked good but i was thown off by how puney the things body was. So all i can tell you is dont rush a shot.

 

[A-con]

Thanks Buzz and Oak,
If I see one like that opening day, the decision will be easy. That is a monster buck in anybody’s book.

I’ve been going through old issues of Eastmans and Trophy Hunter. Many of the articles give the score, so as soon as I see the photo, I try to score the deer and decide “Shoot or Pass“, then read the real score.
The one thing that has become obvious doing this is what you have all just said, the three most important thing in a high score are;

#1 Tine length
#2 Tine length
#3 Tine length

A buck can be narrow and spindly, but if he has at least four long points on each side , he will score well.
Extra points are next, then mass, and width is way down the list.

Schelmaster, I think I have a copy of that some where, along with a copy of Dwight Schues book on Bow hunting open country Muleys. Thank for reminding me.

Schmalts, your right, rushed shots and what to hold out for will be the real problems. I hate to put a number on it, but opening weekend I’m thinking 190+.

 

[cjcj]

Oak,

According to everyone I've talked to...the Kaibab has 200 inch bucks behind every tree.

Funny thing though, I never see many pictures of them.

I have seen pictures of several 150 Kaibab bucks though.

Buzz the Kaibab is way down from previous years, the place has a nice healthy herd... but 200 inch bucks behind every tree? thats just an old reputation. Yes there are some Monsters, [I posted a few from other hunters] Hunt and glass the strip 13a,13b,..north rim,12w,12e...You will get a nice buck.....the place is great because everyone can kill a deer even the pathetic drunk road hunters.....I passed on a few decent bucks... ended up with a "dink" on the last day.....its still the best deer hunting overall in Arizona I.M.O.

 

[tbokich]

Kaibab buck

Took these photos June 23rd 2012 on the Kaibab. I don't have much experience with field judging mulies. Kind of early in the season I know, but anybody have any feedback on this guy?
I couldn't get a side view shot, but did see that he was a 4x4 and symmetrical at this point.

 

[tbokich]

Kaibab buck

This time with photos

Took these photos June 23rd 2012 on the Kaibab. I don't have much experience with field judging mulies. Kind of early in the season I know, but anybody have any feedback on this guy?
I couldn't get a side view shot, but did see that he was a 4x4 and symmetrical at this point.

 

[sreekers]

A big buck is just that BIG. You don't have to pick apart a big buck, you will know him when you see him. Last year I shot a buck that was just under 170 and met my standards. Over the next couple of days we saw 3 that were much bigger, and by much even in the binos they looked way bigger. My fault for shooting a good deer on opening day, when I could have had one that was a LOT bigger.

Do your best not to judge a deer from behind. Many times this can throw off the perspective based on judging width by the ears.

Also don't put yourself in a position where you have to take a shot right then as a deer shows up. Be patient.

 

[ardrhi]

Still a lot of time to grow, but I think you're photos show a 150" class buck. The big question is how deep are the forks? It's tough to make a guess without a side view.

I don't think Idaho would be ahead of the Kaibab on antler growth, but here are some photos of a buck that I ran into yesterday (June 25th) that I was able to watch for a while. I am guessing that he might approach 180" class, but not much over that.
The back forks are going to come out weak. In fact, if you look closely you will see that the back right tine hasn't forked yet. He might end up staying a 3x4.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

I'm not seeing how you could say that buck will even approach 180". I'm thinking that by late in June a 180" buck would have a lot more bone than that one is showning with only ear tip inside width also added in there. I hope some of the others that are more into the expert judging give a few comments to help both of us on that one!

 

[MTbowhunter84]

I have to agree with Topgun, I'm not an expert judge, but would see this buck topping out at around 155 to 160 at best. No doubt a good deer just not seeing the mass, width, and obviously some length left to grow yet.

 

[2rocky]

unless you have seen lots and lots of mule deer you will most likely over estimate how good the buck is. Especially if he is going away.

My first guess is usually 20 inches too high.

I can eyeball up to 140 pretty well from scoring blacktails , but I get sloppy over that.

I usually say he's "Good Enough" when I pull the trigger, and that's it.

Can't remember if this has field photos but it is a good read on spotting deer.

http://www.amazon.com/Mule-Deer-Hunting-Todays-Trophies/dp/0873415639

 

[Baerman]

I've been told that big front forks are typically more important than big back forks. Look for 12" tines on a 4x4, extra tines, tall and wide. There are some useful resources on line that say what the typical nose to eye length and tip of ear to tip of ear width should be and those can be useful tools for field measuring.

And don't judge while they are running away if you question the size at all. They tuck thier ears and give a false sense of width.