Quick Field judging muledeer

nocwalker

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Guys, just looking for tips on quick field judging mule deer. I saw on another thread that a mature MD should have tip to tip ears of about 22 to 24" maybe a little more. I will be happy on our hunt with a 160 we we can find some in Co unit 21 this fall.
Question: how do you guys come up with a length on G2's in the field?

Question 2, does anyone know the approx. length of one ear from base to base?

Thanks bill v
 
Hello brother Roy! I watched a vid the other day and was surprised to see beam length like our whitetails here in pa (21, 22) That video deer was 180+" kinda shocked me. I have not measured any mulleys. Heard a comment, not sure where but it was " if you have 30" adding the G2's togeather you should be pretty good. But, when looking at deer through glass How do you field judge Tine length?

Roy, is there anyway you can send me some score sheets of 150 to 170 inch deer?

Thanks Bill V.
 
In my opinion worrying about score often ruins good hunts. If you are satisfied with a 160" buck then most mature muley bucks will fit the bill. I'd look at what BOHNTR noted and find one that looks good to you. Look at pictures of bucks you'd be satisfied with, go with your gut, leave the tape measure home and have a great time.

I've done the same thing on the few whitey hunts I've experienced.
 
Find a buck with deep front forks and back forks and you'll most likely have a good scoring buck. Width, mass, main beams can add to make a good one a great one. But you'll never get a good scoring muley without decent forks.

Relatedly, it's really difficult to get a good gauge of score without a side profile view of a buck.
 
Pass If you see a buck like this....
9196231C-1256-45B4-BDEB-B648E3A6270B.jpeg


shoot if you see a buck like this......
D8E181E6-136E-4B9C-8ABB-B4D82A0BC988.jpeg

Keep these two pics in your wallet for quick field judging.

I hope I was able to help.

You will do great.
 
I was whitetail hunting in Saskatchewan once and there was an old guy there that had been hunting there for 20 years. He had a house full of 150 to 170 whitetails.
I asked him how he went about judging bucks. His reply was "I just know a big one when I see it"
The more I have thought about that statement the more I agree with it.
 
At least as wide as the ears, at least medium mass, and 4 nice deep forks. That is all there is to it

I look at the bucks body as much as the antlers. Big mature mule deer body = shooter if his antlers at all appeal to you.

As stated, you will know it when you see it.

Count me in as one who thinks trying to add up inches in the field reduces the fun of the hunt.
 
Use ear length to judge back forks. If you are looking for 160 you will know it when u see it. See Eastmans for field judging if that's what you are into
 
One thing to remember for B&C is that the majority of hunters measure spread by the widest spread of the antlers. The official B&C width is the widest measurement between the main beams. This is often a 3 to 5” mistake. If a buck is lacking in one category (width, main beams, or tone length) he likely won’t make 190+. Mass generally isn’t as important for mule deer score as for “horned” species score. As mentioned several times above tine length is super important.
 
Unless you are looking for 190 deer to make book, who cares? There are a lot of deer out there that will look BIG to most hunters that aren't anywhere near that. My 2019 buck was 27" wide and he looked big! But short on beam and front fork on one side and short back/ small fork on other side. Didn't add up, but he is still a great buck at 160" He looks bigger than most 160 bucks I thnk

20200229_174319.jpg
 
I was told this basic rule of thumb once. 8" for each ear. If the ear can fit into all the forks (2 each side) you are probably looking at 160-170". If the forks and mass seem 10+" each you might be looking at 185+. But I am a rookie and as lots of people have stated if you like the look of it and get excited then shoot it.
 
Hello brother Roy! I watched a vid the other day and was surprised to see beam length like our whitetails here in pa (21, 22) That video deer was 180+" kinda shocked me. I have not measured any mulleys. Heard a comment, not sure where but it was " if you have 30" adding the G2's togeather you should be pretty good. But, when looking at deer through glass How do you field judge Tine length?

Roy, is there anyway you can send me some score sheets of 150 to 170 inch deer?

Thanks Bill V.
In my experience, Bill, having measured quite a few in the 160” range, I can say that GENERALLY, they have the following:

22” beams, 2” brows, 14” G2’s, 8” G3’s, 10” G4’s, 15” of mass per side, and 18” inside spread.
 
As long as you’re looking at a four point buck with brow tines, you’re well on your way to making 160. If you’re looking at a buck that meets this threshold and his forks look to be at least eight -ten inches deep then your dream of 160 is an arrow shy of reality.
 
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Guys, just looking for tips on quick field judging mule deer. I saw on another thread that a mature MD should have tip to tip ears of about 22 to 24" maybe a little more. I will be happy on our hunt with a 160 we we can find some in Co unit 21 this fall.
Question: how do you guys come up with a length on G2's in the field?

Question 2, does anyone know the approx. length of one ear from base to base?

Thanks bill v
Mike Eastman did a video way back on it. It was a simple way of a quick score.
 
The front end is way more important than the back end. you need good back forks as well, but inside spread, main beam length and g4's are the main carriers of score in a big mule deer. it takes a lot for a deer to reach 190 or 200 so don't throw that number around too easily. it really comes down to looking at a lot of deer and really trying to make it second nature. I don't typically score deer on the hoof. I usually put them in categories like: 150-160, 160-170, 170-180 & 180+. But if you look at a lot of deer you will get to where you instinctively know what you are looking at. sometimes body size and head size can cause the rare misjudging of deer. but if you spend enough time around deer you'll know when a deer is "the one" for you. That will allow you to enjoy the hunt more because you can hunt until you find something that your gut says "yes" on and you can pull the trigger without worrying about the score. Like anything, it takes practice and you will make mistakes, but that happens and is okay.

Just do us all a favor and save the "I shot the wrong buck" story. I have heard it so many times where someone shoots a good 170" buck and then comes back with a story about shooting the wrong buck because the big buck fed behind a tree and out fed a smaller buck. What that really means is "i misjudged the deer and thought i was shooting a 190" buck but don't want you to know i'm human and got excited!" kill what you like and be happy with it. score doesn't matter.
 
The front end is way more important than the back end. you need good back forks as well, but inside spread, main beam length and g4's are the main carriers of score in a big mule deer. it takes a lot for a deer to reach 190 or 200 so don't throw that number around too easily. it really comes down to looking at a lot of deer and really trying to make it second nature. I don't typically score deer on the hoof. I usually put them in categories like: 150-160, 160-170, 170-180 & 180+. But if you look at a lot of deer you will get to where you instinctively know what you are looking at. sometimes body size and head size can cause the rare misjudging of deer. but if you spend enough time around deer you'll know when a deer is "the one" for you. That will allow you to enjoy the hunt more because you can hunt until you find something that your gut says "yes" on and you can pull the trigger without worrying about the score. Like anything, it takes practice and you will make mistakes, but that happens and is okay.

Just do us all a favor and save the "I shot the wrong buck" story. I have heard it so many times where someone shoots a good 170" buck and then comes back with a story about shooting the wrong buck because the big buck fed behind a tree and out fed a smaller buck. What that really means is "i misjudged the deer and thought i was shooting a 190" buck but don't want you to know i'm human and got excited!" kill what you like and be happy with it. score doesn't matter.
Score does too matter!

If you have a small peeter and drive a big truck!

Just ask the coal rollin’ Flatty Crew!
 
Take a look at my profile picture... If you're stopping to think, "Hmmm, is he 160" or 165", then you might be in the wrong hobby. LOL I think you look at a buck like my profile picture and know you are shooting or not. Many guys would see a heavy rack and two cheaters and drop the hammer. Others would see a baby-faced, 3 year-old deer and pass no matter what his antlers are.

To me, score does not matter. It is a way to give people an idea of the size of a buck, but I'm not concerned with it as my own personal standard. Remember, the difference between a 160" buck, and a 170" buck is literally an inch difference in tine length (4-point w/brow tines). If you're at 350 yards looking through a scope, you can't tell an inch one way or the other. You just have to eyeball it and know that if your blood is pumping, he's a shooter.
 
I was whitetail hunting in Saskatchewan once and there was an old guy there that had been hunting there for 20 years. He had a house full of 150 to 170 whitetails.
I asked him how he went about judging bucks. His reply was "I just know a big one when I see it"
The more I have thought about that statement the more I agree with it.
yes sir WV, I get it, my Pa buck this year should make the book. I literally saw him and shot within 5 seconds. no time to look at and score, the rack triggered me to shoot. my thing with the mulleys is we may get to watch em awhile before trying to move in, may be time to evaluate and don't want to miss out on that portion of a hunt. I will enjoy trying to field judge while there.

Thanks BV
 
In my experience, Bill, having measured quite a few in the 160” range, I can say that GENERALLY, they have the following:

22” beams, 2” brows, 14” G2’s, 8” G3’s, 10” G4’s, 15” of mass per side, and 18” inside spread.
Thank you Roy, wow surprised by the 18" spread. lots of good info on this thread, Thanks to all
 
The front end is way more important than the back end. you need good back forks as well, but inside spread, main beam length and g4's are the main carriers of score in a big mule deer. it takes a lot for a deer to reach 190 or 200 so don't throw that number around too easily. it really comes down to looking at a lot of deer and really trying to make it second nature. I don't typically score deer on the hoof. I usually put them in categories like: 150-160, 160-170, 170-180 & 180+. But if you look at a lot of deer you will get to where you instinctively know what you are looking at. sometimes body size and head size can cause the rare misjudging of deer. but if you spend enough time around deer you'll know when a deer is "the one" for you. That will allow you to enjoy the hunt more because you can hunt until you find something that your gut says "yes" on and you can pull the trigger without worrying about the score. Like anything, it takes practice and you will make mistakes, but that happens and is okay.

Just do us all a favor and save the "I shot the wrong buck" story. I have heard it so many times where someone shoots a good 170" buck and then comes back with a story about shooting the wrong buck because the big buck fed behind a tree and out fed a smaller buck. What that really means is "i misjudged the deer and thought i was shooting a 190" buck but don't want you to know i'm human and got excited!" kill what you like and be happy with it. score doesn't matter.
Thanks money. I agree, ya know? if its a no brainer I really don't care score before shooting. I do however with my lack of MD viewing and lack of measuring worry about the tweeners (small 4 x 4) The best MD ive seen was on an elk hunt in Co. walked right in front of me (45yds) beautiful , rear forks fairly heavy. when I told my pals I really wasn't sure how big he was.
thinking back on it from years ago, using Roys numbers and trying to be conservitive here goes:

21 mains + 14 circs +14G2 +6 G3 +7G4 = 62 one side

62 + 62 + 20 inside = 144

It had to be bigger but I am guessing

By the way, I would have shot him with out thinking about score
 
I've heard that the ears on a mature buck are 22" tip-to-tip. That can give you an idea of the outside spread width. Not sure how accurate this is though.
 

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