What a disappointment. Wait all year for your hunt after drawing a tag, spot an animal, make the shot and then discover you have taken a less than average trophy. While most hunters are out for meat and only a few are seeking trophies, many meat hunters have taken respectable trophies.

Though many hunters are forced to take anything legal and at the first opportunity, every hunter should have a basic knowledge of what a trophy mule deer buck looks like.

Estimating a trophy mule deer buck is not an easy task and two of your best tools are a set of binoculars and a spotting scope. Using these tools can aid you in making a fair judgement about the size of the animal while it’s standing or walking. It’s nearly impossible to judge a mule deer buck’s size if it breaks from cover at close range. You must make a quick decision whether to shot or not. With observation and practice any hunter can become reasonably adept at judging trophy mule deer bucks.

When beginning your homework visit sporting goods stores and taxidermists shops, comparing the mounted trophies. Learn to compare these three factors regarding each trophy, inside spread of the antlers, number of points on each side, and the symmetry of the head. A typical mule deer head has four long points and a brow tine to each side. More mature bucks will be found with this typical head than any other type. Look for top rear points extending two feet or more above the head. A typical mule deer buck can only have five normal points including the brow tine.

Nontypical bucks will carry a number of cheater points branching from the normal points. The more cheater points the better as they are added to the score of a nontypical buck and subtracted from the score of a typical buck.

If you locate one of these bucks … SHOOT.

You just found a trophy mule deer buck.

The Oregon Record Book lists a category for forked antlered bucks. These are usually older bucks whose horn growth has diminished with age. I recently measured the number-one trophy mule deer buck for this category. The buck’s inside spread measured 27 inches and the length of each main beam exceeded 26 inches. This was definitely a rare trophy mule deer buck.

The record book also contains a division for youth 17 years or younger. These divisions have lower qualifying standards and a large three by four can make the book. It’s your age at the time the trophy was taken that counts, not your age when the trophy is measured.

Mule deer can have a large variation in body size causing antlers to look large on a small bodied deer or small on a huge older deer. Here are some suggestions to help in judging whether the mule deer buck is a trophy. A large mule deer buck will stand 4 feet tall at the shoulder and his antler height should appear at least half of this height. Judge his antler height, if it is more than one half of the buck’s height you are looking at a trophy. Sometimes you must judge the buck as he is facing you or moving straight away. Look for the amount of width between the antlers and it’s body.

A big mule deer buck will be about 18 inches wide. If the antlers overhang the body … SHOOT. You’ve found a trophy.

The oversized ears of a big mule deer buck will approach 2 feet in length when extended. This can help you estimate the buck’s inside spread.

A buck whose horns are still in velvet will cause the antlers to appear larger. Velvet horns may be measured for the record book. I measured a beautiful velvet mule deer taken during the archery season last year.

This summer I was given a chance to practice my judging of trophy mule deer bucks. The velvet buck was a typical four-by-four with brow tines and the second buck was a huge six-by-six with a cheater off each side. The six by six carried a 34 inch spread. The velvet four-by-four scored higher as it had nearly perfect symmetry while the six-by-six had many deductions.

My confidence received a boost as both bucks qualified for the Oregon and national record books.

My best trophy mule deer buck is a typical four-by-four with brow tines. The spread exceeds 30 inches and the antler height is greater than 24 inches. This buck meets the requirements when judging a record book buck.

Good luck this fall collecting your trophy mule deer of a lifetime.