Mule Deer Buck of a Lifetime

[SaskHunter]

Just curious if the prevalence rate was known when things took a crap? Definitely not meant to be a derail for this thread.

Yes, surveillance and testing went up in recent years. Droughts, CWD and plentiful doe tags was the combo that did them dirty if you ask me.

I've seen a significant and continuous decline the past four years. Finding 160-170"+ deer used to be an easy task for me and I would see several deer like the ones I posted earlier, every season. Fast forward to now and a plain 4x4 is the norm and they're in much lesser numbers. Age structure has also gone down, old bucks aren't there anymore. Groups of does seem to have cut in half and so on.

It's not all doom and gloom, there's a lot of mule deer left, we just need to manage them better...

 

[npaden]

My biggest from 2009. Scored him at 181" gross. He doesn't net very well at all.

 

[bonedogg]

199 gross

 

[44hunter45]

I have shot more than one whitetail that would score better than my only mule deer. My brother took a pretty good photo of it though.

View attachment 381868

Where did you get that backwards rifle?

 

[DFS]

The owner of the 220 buck needs to stand up.

 

[44hunter45]

I've surrounded by boonies in some of Idaho's magic places, but never had the tag in my pocket. In the zone where I live, mulies are bycatch during a whitetail hunt. It used to be you didn't have to choose in Idaho, there was only a general tag good for all weapons and seasons. Imagine that today.

Years ago on the ranch in California, I was with my dad when he killed a 180" buck. He threw the antlers in a rock pile with the guts. He is the OG of, "Can't eat the antlers".

 

[Valley1320]

167

 

[PoleX]

Here for this guy:

 

[BAKPAKR]

Where did you get that backwards rifle?

The rifle is a Remington 700 Ti in 270 Win topped with a 2.5-8 Leupold. I decided that its weight of 6 pounds, 6 ounces more than made up for the bolt being on the wrong side…

 

[mtmuley]

The rifle is a Remington 700 Ti in 270 Win topped with a 2.5-8 Leupold. I decided that its weight of 6 pounds, 6 ounces more than made up for the bolt being on the wrong side…

Sweet rifles. Could have bought one for way under value years ago. Messed around and missed out. mtmuley

 

[Forkyfinder]

What percentage of peoples OIL are under 180" when this poll is done?

Gonna say at least 50%.

Also would love to see the phantom buck/voter.

 

[hank4elk]

Never scored one,except width. 2 - 29 3/4".
One was a nice 5x5 buddies son green scored 186. Stolen off their barn.

14 yo local gal took a 46"er last year.....Never saw it,but woodcutter guide buddy did. He said 285", unverified, and she was offered $12k for it.

 

[44hunter45]

The rifle is a Remington 700 Ti in 270 Win topped with a 2.5-8 Leupold. I decided that its weight of 6 pounds, 6 ounces more than made up for the bolt being on the wrong side…

I thought you shoot lefty only. That whole reach over thing is a mystery to me. I have one son that does it.

 

[cgasner1]

If I ever kill a buck over 220” I’m putting the grip and grin on a coffee cup and everyone on here is getting one for Xmas

 

[MTTW]

If I ever kill a buck over 220” I’m putting the grip and grin on a coffee cup and everyone on here is getting one for Xmas

Keep your shirt on and I will drink my coffee out of that cup.

 

[JEL]

My best but I don’t consider it the buck of a lifetime. I’ve see one, twice in one day but he outsmarted me both times and I never saw him again after that day

 

[mtmuley]

If I ever kill a buck over 220” I’m putting the grip and grin on a coffee cup and everyone on here is getting one for Xmas

I'm not going to tell anybody. mtmuley

 

[cgasner1]

Keep your shirt on and I will drink my coffee out of that cup.

I promise nothing

 

[BuzzH]

I don't remember the exact score anymore, but this is my best mule deer. I know it was in the mid-180's. Wanting to say 184 and change.

This is second best, mid-170's.

The place I liked to hunt went all LQ a long time ago and I can't draw the tag to save my hide. So, I pretty well gave up on hunting mule deer, just didn't want to relearn another area and also because the numbers were/are tanking.

My wife and I found this buck and couldn't get him killed the first couple days of the season. Went back with a friend and we ended up finding him and my friend killed it, was lower 190's.

Wish things were different for mule deer, but I just don't see it getting better anytime soon.

 

[Letthemgrow]

He said 285", unverified, and she was offered $12k for it.

That is a bona fide Facebook Marketplace offer on a 285" mule deer.