ear width

usually 20 inches some of the really big ones will go up to 24 but thats not too common so I usually put 22 inches on a really mature deer and 20 on an average mature deer!!
 
I usually guess 20 to 22 but last year
In CO I measured the ears on 5 bucks I
seen taken and they ranged from, 22 to 25,
It was pretty amazing.
 
I've found that when the ears are out fully, 23-24", works for me. That's on a bigger, mature buck. My partner hunts a lot in Northern Az, he says the big older bucks there can have 26 or 27" or more between their ear tips so tougher to judge. Hope this helps!

Joey
 
We shot a deer in Idaho a few years ago that was a nice mature 4 point. The buck was 2 inches wider than his ears on both sides and we thought we were looking at a 24-26 inch buck.

Turns out, the ears were only 18 inches!! Our buck was a beautiful, tall, 22 inch buck.

In the past I would go with the 22 inch mark as typical ear width, but now I tend to guess a bit lower, so to avoid ground shrinkage.

(Conversely, I shot a buck in Idaho last year using this same method and I was surprised by an extra few inches when his ears turned out to be 24 inches wide and his antlers 28.)
 
I also like to use 22", Sure bigger bucks can have bigger ears but I would rather measure and find out I was low rather than over-judging him.
I like to always measure ears just for this reason,and the 22" average has been rather accurate for me..................
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-26-09 AT 04:45PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Jan-26-09 AT 04:40?PM (MST)

I agree, for larger bucks, 22-24 is a general rule. However, a buddy of mine shot a large bodied three point last year in OR. This buck was out to his ears and we guessed him right at 25 inches because of his larger body. Upon killing him I had to measure twice because his tip to tip spread was exactly 28 inches. They are all different. I would rather underestimate any day. We did this in eastern CO (larger bodied deer)and estimated my buck at 28 and he went 30 because his tip to tip was larger than we estimated.

**I would be careful of using a set number on every deer as you may have passed up the above mentioned 28 inch three point thinking he was a 22 inch deer!?
 
I killed a nice buck on a ML hunt a few years back we had judged him to be around that 26" to 27" he was just outside his ears. But his Ears was just under 17" talk about some ground shrinkage on his width and he was a 5 year old buck.


"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
 
It also obviously depends alot on how the ears are when your looking at them. In a relaxed normal state when a bucks just going about his business is how I try to get a look at them. I almost always use 24" on a mature buck in eastern colorado and Im usually not too far off when guessing widths.
 
I always assume ear width is certainly secondary when judging width especially since it is Always different depending on all the factors! An overall estimate of gross volume that the horns encompass and the height of the rack is always far more important when GUESSING width.
 
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20-22 inches. . . Of the last 5 mature nothern mule deer bucks i've shot all have been within this range. . .
 
I KILLED A DEER LAST YEAR ON THE MUZZLELOADER HUNT THAT HAS 29 INCH EAR SPREAD. BUT 22 IS SAFE ON MOST BUCKS.
 
I'll agree with the 22" average but I measured ears on the Ariz. strip up to 28. You have to take in to account body size then you can guess on the ears.
 
22 is the norm - though ear width is not a very good technique for field judging width. Width is overrated and most people grossly over-estimate width and then are disappointed by the ground shrinkage. In my opinion, setting a standard of 24" or greater for ear width is just wishful thinking. People like this will often judge a 26 inch buck to be "pushing 30". Happens all the time, then you ask them what happened to the 30 incher they were scouting all year they say they never saw him during the hunt and ended up settling for something they knew was smaller, but couldn't pass up given the situation.

UTROY
Proverbs 21:19 (why I hunt!)
 
Roy said "though ear width is not a very good technique for field judging width."

Oh really? Well, being you're knowledgeable one here , why don't you share a better way, technique, to judge "width"??

Joey
 
Should have qualified that as MY OPINION - that ear width isn't the most reliable way to judge width, though it may be the quickest and if you have practiced enough, you can probably be right most of the time, though I would wage that most people would be way off on their width guesses if they only use ear width as a standard. And the reasons why are obvious to me.

First deer don't always have their ears perfectly straight - angles are deceptive and deer can put their ears in a lot of different angles, thus leading you to believe that they are wider or more narrow than they really are.

Second, ear width can vary greatly as seen by the different measurements reported here. A lot of different factors can determine width too - antler angle, pedicle separation, skull measurements etc.

Third, the good old "out past his ears = 30 inches" standard has been time and again been proven to be wrong 99.9% of the time. Too many folks rely on this and I am sure that is why they see so many 30 inchers yet very few true 30 inchers are ever harvested.

So what is the best way? Well, rope the deer, wrestle him down, pull out your measuring tape and measure! If he is big enough, let him go, shoot him and then you won't be disappointed.

Truthfully, the best way is to look at a lot of deer with known measurements (taxidermy) and then compare the widths - practice and train your eye the same way you train your eye to approximate distances. After you have seen enough of the same thing, you can pretty well judge something that is like it.

You can use surrounding brush or trees to help you estimate. Calculate how it compares to the objects around it. Use contrast too

And laslty - you can still use the ear width, I wouldn't dismiss it altogether as stated previously it does have some merit and with practice, you can be pretty accurate with it. After all, it is the closest thing to the deer's antlers. But I wouldn't go over 22 inches. Yes this is a conservative guess on my part, but I would rather be wrong and short on my guess than long and disappointed.

Also, to me width is really overrated. (Sorry Hunt_Rez!) There are a lot of other factors to look for when field judging.




UTROY
Proverbs 21:19 (why I hunt!)
 
lol, i'll hand it to you, you write purdy good Roy ;-)

There is no doubt that basing horn width on the potential width of the buck ears is iffy, but it's the fastest and best way we got. anybody comes up with a better way, i'd like to hear it. I've killed good muley bucks in 5 states, over 35 years, lots of regions, lots of camps. Generally, when i see a buck that's 3 or more inches outside each ear as he's looking toward you, he's a shooter. There's other considerations,yes, but that's another thread.

joey
 
Joey
Most times a buck is looking at you is a time to be shooting and not judging, LOL
Wait that just here in California.
I think that is the most used method in deciding how wide a buck is and the one most people are wrong on. Like Roy said EVERYONE sees 30"ers But they kill 26"ers and I also beleive they are killing the same buck they claimed last week was a 30".
I'm still waiting to kill a 30"


"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
 
Yes - but was the hunter who shot him riding a 15" saddle?

Joey - that's my point exactly. You have practiced judging width foe a long long time and are good because of it. It can be done! I don't think most people get that much practice, or don't pay attention to it anyway and overestimate as a habit.


UTROY
Proverbs 21:19 (why I hunt!)
 
Roy, You're right on that and i'll add that if i'm in good country and seeing lots of bucks, i might set a number in my head, like 26", if i find a buck that is that wide AND has some of the rest of the package, i'll take him. Sometimes the plan goes out the window but usually i'll stick to it, at least until the last couple days. When i am looking at the possible "one", if i do figure him for 26-27", i'll discount 1 or 2" for ground shrinkage automatically from lessons learned.

Most of the time, a shooter is a shooter. There is no doubt or need to look at his ears :)

Joey
 

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