trophyhuntr

130 and up, or to those who havnt killed alot of deer what ever makes you happy, i would rather shoot a old mature doe with a bow than a 100-115 class with a gun

thelastboyscout

i think it depends on a lot of factors. i don't know how to "classify" deer so i'll just stick to what i know about my area. the fact is that only 1 out of every 5 hunters in PA bag a buck each year (legally anyways). we have a ton of spikes and 4-points, a bunch of 6-points, a few 8-points, and if you are lucky enouph to bag a 10-point or higher, that is definately a hanger. don't get me wrong, we have our occasional "monster bucks" with the size and mass of the one saw on tv....... but they are far and few between. i think it's getting better though because every year i always come home from being out in the woods hunting turkey or squirrel and give the " i saw the biggest buck i've ever seen, even bigger than the last one i saw and he was big!!" story. so i think PA hunter's will start harvesting bigger deer in the upcoming years.

formula1

I try to shoot a buck that's somewhere around 120 in my area. That's not to say I'm not going to take one smaller, because they are really difficult to judge accurately in the field. I personally have gotten to the point that I shoot does for vension and only shoot bucks that come close to my standards. I've gotten three in the last five years, 101, 109, and 119. I am at least getting close!!!

This year I've seen a dozen or so bucks over 100 that I let walk. Hopefully, they'll be even better next year!!!

trophyhuntr

I agree formula let them walk and next year i bet you break that 120 mark

Tazman

First let me say any deer taken that makes the hunter happy is a trophy, every deer I have ever killed was a trophy.

That being said I have 3 real trophies under my belt:

1. My first deer, a doe.
2. My biggest buck, an 8 pointer with a 21 3/4 inside spread, the tallest tines were 19 1/2 inches above the top of the bucks head, I was 20 or 21 when I killed him and that buck was bigger than any buck my cousin or uncle had ever killed and the 2 of them are the best pure hunters I have ever known.
3. My first bow kill, that was a doe.

I have 3 more real trophies I hope to get in the future:

1. My first buck bow kill.
2. To kill a very old monster 6 point I have seen clearly once in 3 years.
3. To kill a buck bigger than my biggest so far. (I doubt that will happen though in my area, it might though)

Duffy

I just opened a dictionary to look up their definition of "trophy". I happened to open it in the O's and on the top right of the page I see "outstanding". That about defines it for me.

To me a "trophy buck" has to be "OUTSTANDING": (conspicuous; eminent, esp. because of excellence.)

So to me "any deer" is not a trophy. Your first deer is not a trophy. A bigger deer than you shot last year is not nessasarily a trophy.

Not to say that "any deer, your first deer or a buck bigger than any you've shot" is not a great accomplishment and somthing to be very proud of. They are all that.

I shot a couple of does this fall. They are great eating and I was elated to harvest them. But they are not trophies they are venison.

If you hunt in an area where bucks don't get real big and a +1 year old fork horn is the average buck, then a 3 year old 4X4 with a B&C score of 130 would be "OUTSTANDING" for that area and a trophy.

I live in Alberta where there are BIG BUCKS dieing of old age each year. I have shot a few big bucks and so for me in this area 150 or better is a trophy.

Robin

wimp

There are individual trophies and there are the more widely accepted "universal" trophies. I personally don't consider every deer I take a trophy, because some are more memorable than others. A B&C or P&Y deer is a trophy. 1st's are trophies. Even though I'm getting my buck from this year mounted I wouldn't call it a trophy buck. Its my biggest and a great buck for the area I hunt. Maybe its just a matter of wording to me. Many deer I probably call "memorable" or "special" are trophies to you guys.

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Gobbling Buck

A trophy buck to me is one that really stands out from the others. It all involves the hunt. Previous to this season, I had two that really stood out for me and I missed both of them. 12/16/03 all that changed for me. I had taken my 4 yr old son out with me to hang a stand for me to hunt the next morning. We both had a good time in the woods together. Anyway, after hanging the stand and a million questions of "Why ya doin' that daddy", he rubbed my gun for good luck and told me "you'll get him in the morning". Well, I was in the stand before daybreak and had hunted 'til 10:00, passing on a couple does, when a spike buck walked out about 70 or so yards in thinned pines and I took him. The buck wasn't the best I'd ever taken, but the events leading up to the hunt are the proudest moments I've had so far. If it'll warm up a little, and he gets over a cold, I hope to top that.


Gun control? My gun. My control.

Split-Hoof

"Trophy" is a very relative term. In Maine, the traditional definition of a trophy buck is one with a field dressed weight of 200 pounds or more. Big racks are considered trophies as well, but the first question asked is always "what did he weigh"?

To me, whether a deer is a trophy or not has just as much to do with the circumstances as it has to do with actual size. I've taken a few 200+ pounders, and yes they were trophies, but the small 8 point I shot this year was just as much of a trophy to me, since I successfully tracked him down. Due to the way I hunted him, it was an extremely rewarding hunt, and therefore I consider him a trophy.

Here's an example to think about:
Say I was driving down a logging road and happen to see a huge 300 pound dressed weight B&C buck standing there looking at me.....I get out, load my gun, and drop him in his tracks. I drag him the 50 yards to the vehicle and get him to the tagging station.

Then, let's say I have been hunting a nice 240 pound 10 point with about 130 inches of antler. I track him hard for three days, and finally get close enough to connect. It is a hard two mile drag out of a thick swamp, but well worth it.

In my opinion, the second one would be much more of a trophy than the first example, because of the circumstances surrounding the hunt. Either one would be considered a trophy, but the second would hold more meaning.