I, too, have measured the ears on my last 3 deer(Southern UT). Be careful, a buck's ears are going to be wider when they are laying flat,sagging(dead) as opposed to when a buck is alert and looking at you. My last 2 bucks have been 23" wide, and were just a touch outside of the ears. But, when I measured the ears, you could easily get 24" inches. Stick with 21-22" and you'll be won't be sorry. A lot of the whopper bucks I've seen look like thev've got whopper ears as well, but I am yet to put one on the ground! Good luck to you!