Mule Deer Ear Length

kickerbuck

Active Member
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693
Hey guys, just wondering what everyone thinks is the real outside spread of a mature Buck? And when I say mature I mean 4yrs old or better. I have heard 18 up to 24 inches wide, what do the you guys think?

Happy Hunting!
 
Ive always thought 22.

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+1 on average of 24 inches. It's always a best guess and close enough when estimating width on mulies.

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Thanks guys I might have made a mistake on a buck here in Oregon last year. His top forks were a little outside his ears, I was thinking 21 wide maybe he was bigger than that. Oh well I have an Oregon and Colorado tag this year. I don't want to ever make a mistake.
 
It all depends on what the ears are doing coming out of the head. That's one of the things I look for when field judging. If its an alert position your looking at 21 to 24 inch depending on what area your hunting some areas have wider ears. If the buck is got his ears straight out (relax) well it could be a lot wider.

quest
 
Hey Kickerbuck, how can you say you made a mistake not killing a buck just based on a couple of inches of width? If he was a buck you wouldn't shoot because he was 21" wide, then why would you shoot him if he was 24" wide. Width is overrated, I think. If the only thing a buck has thats impressive is width, then I'd keep looking. This is all just personal preference, so don't anyone get butt-hurt.
Good luck with your oregon and colorado deer tags!
 
I've measured a few good bucks in N. Utah and wouldn't ever say wider than 22" to be safe. Might be different in other places but around here I'll stick with 22.
 
Shepherd, the area i was hunting does not have many Deer. So my goal was a 24 inch 4x4, I only saw 9 Deer in 4 days, and think back to the Buck i let go. He was in full alert looking at me so his ears were one thing i was trying to judge him by. He was not that tall more boxie decent forks. Still glad i let him go, just thought i would see what other guys thought of ear lenght. As you see it is mixed opinions.

Thanks guys.
 
LAST EDITED ON Sep-11-11 AT 10:44AM (MST)[p]I've hunted areas like that and every encounter is magnified because of the lack of encounters. Having passed the opportunity at a smallish buck, means about the same to me as having a smallish buck hanging in the rafters of my garage, maybe more. Sounds like you did the right thing by letting him walk. Its better to look back and say I'm glad to have let him walk, then to look back and say , I wish I had taken that buck!
 
LAST EDITED ON Sep-11-11 AT 08:30PM (MST)[p]this is my 2011 archry deer he is 24 look at his ear lenght compaired to width
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ML tag a few years ago I shot a buck that I thought was around 27" wide due to his ears being only 18"and 24", Lot of ground shinkage on him.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
 
Be conservative and figure 22" on most Mule deer ear to ear tip measurement....there are ocasions where some will be 24" +/-

Brian
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When field judging, I always assume the ears are 20" wide. Even though they are most often a little wider, they are rarely narrower. As a wise old guy told me once, "spread is just air" if you're looking for a good score, width only benefits your score if you have the mainbeams to match it. A buck 36" wide with 22" mainbeams will get only 22" of spread credit. Better to get a buck with alot of bone rather than alot of air if you are going for the best score. If you're going for looks though, a wide buck is hard to beat.
Here's a buck that is 27" wide inside, 32" outside with the matching kickers but I still only get 24" of spread credit because he has 24" and 25" mainbeams, still pretty good for a maibeam but if his MB's were up at 27" I could add 8 points to his score, that would put him in the mid 190's.

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My philosophy, (though I may never have to worry about putting it to use) shoot for mainbeams, they affect your score the most.
 

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