What Trips Your Trigger?

Sparks Shooter · Mar 24, 2024

Yeah, Yeah, everyone knows mule deer freaks like us want it all but what is your absolute favorite characteristic in Mule Deer antlers? Like always, explanations, opinions, and pictures are appreciated.

Mine is mass, mass, and more mass.------SS

elkassassin · Mar 24, 2024

How Bout Some Age Past 4-5?

Stillwater165 · Mar 24, 2024

The way things are going now days it would trip my trigger just to see the big groups of deer like I used to ! And trip it ever quicker to see mature bucks in the groups !

bighamr · Mar 24, 2024

Definitely mass and kickers!

Huntnful · Mar 24, 2024

Mine has to be mass as well. Love it all, but something special and tangible to be able to feel the mass

ridgetops · Mar 24, 2024

I like width the best, then cheaters. I'd take a 32" wide buck with 32" of mass almost every time over a 24" wide buck with 40" of mass.

yoteduster · Mar 24, 2024

Mass,deep forks, and and then a few kickers would be perfect

sambo3006 · Mar 24, 2024

Mass and height do it for me. I'd rather have a buck with good mass and height with fewer points than a higher scoring buck with more points but lacking the overall mass and height.

Tristate · Mar 24, 2024

I don't know for sure if it trips my trigger but for some reason when I see a wide buck I tend to over estimate their score.

DaveD · Mar 24, 2024

I have bucks with great mass, and one with a bunch of kickers and a drop tine, but have never shot a really wide one. That tops my current hit list.

mevertsen · Mar 24, 2024

Sparks Shooter said:
Yeah, Yeah, everyone knows mule deer freaks like us want it all but what is your absolute favorite characteristic in Mule Deer antlers? Like always, explanations, opinions, and pictures are appreciated.

Mine is mass, mass, and more mass.------SS

Age

heywouldya · Mar 25, 2024

all of the four choices

money · Mar 25, 2024

Here is my approach to hunting. Mass gets you murdered, width gets you wacked, droppers get you dropped, height gets you hammered, and kickers get you killed!

liecabucks · Mar 25, 2024

Deep forks and flyers

Tristate · Mar 25, 2024

liecabucks said:
Deep forks and flyers

Wiszard · Mar 25, 2024

Tristate said:
View attachment 140847

Does this buck only have one antler? He's a stud.....

Tristate · Mar 25, 2024

Wiszard said:
Does this buck only have one antler? He's a stud.....

No he has both sides. Other side is really good. I just thought this pic really showed deep forks.

Founder · Mar 25, 2024

I think width is it for me, but followed closely by extra stuff.

Wiszard · Mar 25, 2024

Tristate said:
No he has both sides. Other side is really good. I just thought this pic really showed deep forks.

Must be pretty symmetrical to not see the other side. Great buck....

bighamr · Mar 25, 2024

Wiszard said:
Must be pretty symmetrical to not see the other side. Great buck....

If ya zoom in you can see it in the shade

rmanwill · Mar 25, 2024

Mass always get me excited. If it has mass and any of the other 3 then I'm really trying to keep it together and get a good shot on him.

elkantlers · Mar 25, 2024

Mass, height, extras, width. in that order

mtmuley · Mar 25, 2024

Any combination that gets a clean four point to 200 inches. mtmuley

Joe2Kool · Mar 25, 2024

I went with mass. But I've not killed enough big muleys to think too much about it when what I consider a class 3 is in crosshairs!

MountainSqwabler · Mar 25, 2024

That's tough. My dream buck would be a like....26-29" buck that's tall as heck and has mass for days. I would be tickled with some extras but I'd love a buck like that.

HiMtnHntr · Mar 25, 2024

I’m not that stingy but I mostly like to find one with some years behind him.

Blank · Mar 25, 2024

Maturity, as in 4-5+ years old. They don't get old being dumb and easy!!

BrianID · Mar 25, 2024

I’ve killed wide bucks, bucks with extras and tall bucks. The one thing that will get me to go after a buck almost anytime is mass.

HntHrdr · Mar 25, 2024

Currently been shooting what I consider a nice frame so width/mass… but my ideal buck would have that plus extras, I still haven’t had a tag in hand and seen a nice buck with extras yet… if I do, look out!

pounder · Mar 25, 2024

Close to the road with a cooler full of my favorite beverages is my ideal trigger buck, now if he could even load himself up, would be even better

)) but really what get me is dark hard horns with mass.

johnnycake · Mar 25, 2024

Extras was a very close second, but excessive mass makes me blind to anything else. But it's gotta be dummy thicc to tip the scale that way. I'll take a small kicker over a few inches extra mass, but once it gets to be around 40" of mass game over.

The_Coloradoboy · Mar 26, 2024

Honestly at this point…. Age.
But I like tall, with deep forks if I can choose

Buckfever34 · Mar 26, 2024

Mass and extras, for me. I like age.

I’d also love to kill a buck with a big ol droptine. Only ever saw one whitetail with one and have never seen a muley carrying one.

WannaXbe · Mar 26, 2024

All of the above would have been my selection but I just can’t get past non-typicals.

buxnbullz · Mar 26, 2024

MASS!! I would much rather shoot a narrow heavy buck over a wide spindly buck.

257roberts · Mar 26, 2024

Non-typical all day everyday.

nontypical · Mar 26, 2024

I think it's BS that we can only pick one!!

rmanwill · Mar 26, 2024

nontypical said:
I think it's BS that we can only pick one!!

Agree. I may state one over the other, but if out hunting and a good buck with any of the characteristics shows up I'm not passing because it not the one I like. I'm going after it unless I have scouted and am aware of a better buck in the area.

buckhorn · Mar 26, 2024

Good bucks are really rare these days no matter where you go.
I have seen a couple decent ones lately that are narrow and tall with good mass that I like the looks of.

Rimrock · Mar 27, 2024

Heavy and wide

Kinda like me…

littlebighorn · Mar 27, 2024

It used to be width for me, but then I shot a 32" buck with short forks and he's a little disappointing.
My best buck breaks 200 with 44" mass, but he's only 27" wide.
I'd choose him first.

rmanwill · Mar 27, 2024

littlebighorn said:
It used to be width for me, but then I shot a 32" buck with short forks and he's a little disappointing.
My best buck breaks 200 with 44" mass, but he's only 27" wide.
I'd choose him first.

. This. Mass and deep and tall forks.

MrRogers · Mar 27, 2024

This one. Mass, width and trash. I’ll never beat him. Photo of a picture before cell phones were a thing.

windtalker · Mar 29, 2024

Length
Length X Mass
Length X Mass X Kickers= True trophy

buckhorn · Mar 29, 2024

littlebighorn said:
It used to be width for me, but then I shot a 32" buck with short forks and he's a little disappointing.
My best buck breaks 200 with 44" mass, but he's only 27" wide.
I'd choose him first.

Wow! 44 inches of mass on a 27 inch wide buck that breaks 200. Amazing. Is he a typical 4 x 4? I’d love to see a pic of that one. Can’t recall seeing it before.

littlebighorn · Mar 29, 2024

buckhorn said:
Wow! 44 inches of mass on a 27 inch wide buck that breaks 200. Amazing. Is he a typical 4 x 4? I’d love to see a pic of that one. Can’t recall seeing it before.

Yes, I have posted multiple times. He's a clean typical and officially grossed 201 and 195 net

bullskin · Mar 29, 2024

Ketchup

buckhorn · Mar 30, 2024

littlebighorn said:
Yes, I have posted multiple times. He's a clean typical and officially grossed 201 and 195 netView attachment 141275

Oh yes, I remember that one.
It’s a dream Buck!

yoteduster · Mar 30, 2024

littlebighorn said:
Yes, I have posted multiple times. He's a clean typical and officially grossed 201 and 195 netView attachment 141275

Hard to see where he lost five inches from gross to net, some it must have been on that g2 on his passenger side..anyway you look at him he's a great buck