It is always fun to watch the new guys get beat about the head and ears for believing that there might still be a buck out there worth hunting for.
If you are a big mule deer buck hunter in SW Mt it helps to live in a world of pure imagination. It is what gets me out of bed in the morning in hunting season. It also helps to set the bar below "big."
I actually agree with this portion or your post.
"I always tell myself that the mild weather allowed the big ones to stay in their holes and grow another year. I agree with the general consensus of this thread, but I have seen a few 165-175" deer come out of the mountains especially those years we get really cold temps and precipitation late November. In my book a 170-175" deer is a special deer in MT."
These are deer that I have personally killed on accessible public land otc tags in W Mt. This is 2013 through 2018 with no deer in 2016. I haven't seen one since 2018. The one with the packs in the pic was 6yo and the bottom one was 4yo. If I hadn't shot the bottom one, he would have died in the next 5 minutes.
I don't think that this testifies to good mule deer management. I think if you consider the miles traveled, and time spent, it testifies to terrible mule deer management. I see less deer each year and believe with each buck it might just be my last. If there are bigger bucks out there, I can't find them, and I never could. (In the west.) I have been at it for a while and see a steady decline in mule deer numbers in all areas that I hunt. (In the west)
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