Guys,

I am curious how you define what is a trophy buck. For me a trophy buck as a rule is one that is worthy of a shoulder mount. I determine this based on my past bucks. Previous to my wife and I purchasing our land for a buck to be a trophy required it being unique or as big as my biggest buck that was on the wall. Now it still must be a nice buck but not necessarily as big as the biggest on the wall.

Bottom line is a trophy is personal and is more based on the hunting experience and the memories than it is the size to me. One of my all time bests is the one I got this year because my 6 year old grandson was with me.

Mel

I remember old school trophy was generally 140-145"+ buck

Yes - I recall when a 140 was considered the ultimate goal and a trophy - the times they have a changed!

I remember when a trophy had 10 points or better.

The one that’s 1/100” over management maximum

I think an animal being a trophy is in the eyes of the person that took it. It can be a spike to a youngster or even a pencil horned 6 point to a grown person. I think all this trophy and mature buck talk has not helped. Now a person may be very proud of the buck they took but can't celebrate with pictures on here without being called out that he should have waited another year to let it grow.

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

^^^Certainly this and end the discussion if wanted.
I can remember when a 140 was a Trophy and still is for the vast majority of hunters. But I remember when any 10 pt was a Trophy and even when any 8 pt was a Trophy.
No one should shame someone for killing something smaller than they would. By the same token, no one should feel guilty for passing a smaller deer and waiting for bigger. To each his own and please post them all up regardless big or little.

X1000%

This^^^

It cracks me up when hunting outfits say you'll pay a fine if you shoot an under class buck. I'd never book a hunt with any place like this. If a nice deer steps out that I'm happy with I'd be shooting.

I'm with Don. I think we've lost a lot of fun in our sport/heritage, and just maybe some young peoples' interest as well, in the name of, "He needs another year."

The new laws in the counties that have a 13 inch spread rule and only one of them has helped grow bigger horns . That I have witnessed first hand . It also can make it tougher for a child to get his first deer . That’s why they call it hunting not just shooting. I believe a trophy is in the eye of the individual. Usually what I witness is the longer a individual has been hunting the more he will pass on, especially as he hits his older years. For me at my age it takes a older mature buck to get me excited. He doesn’t always have to be the biggest I have shot just has to be mature51/2 plus. I guess it’s because I know he will be the smarter and harder to kill buck .

I have some gooduns on the wall, but my two favorites were the ones my daughters shot. Soon I will be working on the four grandsons.

Personally speaking, I will resort back to old school standard of 140"+. This was really the pre-intensive game management and supplemental feeding mark and I think still now represents a buck that fewer than 20%+ of hunters will likely ever harvest in their lives. That said, I don't harvest deer solely on #s or what is regarded as 'trophy" or not. I shoot deer that are mature and that I like.

Concur with most all that.

I would venture a guess most deer hunters (90%) will never shoot a 140” deer and will never see a 150” deer on the hoof.

Truth told here

That would be a good poll.

The 140” is the number we pretty much go by on my places and on each there’s guys that will walk several that caliber a year and few guys that are still after that caliber deer they trying to harvest as their personal best, 2 of the 3 places are bow only doesn’t change mind set of all but it does for some of us

I've read a number of times that 120 inches or over is a trophy. It would be interesting to know what percentage of hunters hit the 120, 130, 140, and 150 marks.

I have turned from inches to age as my determining factor. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to shoot a 150+, but I’m on a management ETX lease and personally wait for 5.5+ year olds. I have passed many nice looking 3.5-4.5 year olds. A mature ETX buck is a trophy regardless of horn size.

Make a poll.

I know it when I see it, is a trophy to me

Oklahoma rifle season ended today, I had 1, 8 point that I wanted

He would have been my trophy and prob scored mid 130's tops, I passed on many to have a shot at him

I can give a deer a name and never forget it, "Ole Mule Deer" (he's a whitetail) 8 slipped me this year

All I ask is that the hunter be proud of the animal.

Years ago we invited a man and his grandson to our place to shoot a doe. It was the boy's first deer and the hunt was free. He took a really nice mature doe. Fast-forward six weeks and we had dinner with the family. The young man did nothing but gritch and moan about how all he got to kill was a stupid doe and had to pass up a young six point that came in. I held my tongue but was pretty chapped that he would say that, and even more chapped that his grandfather allowed it to go unchecked.

They've not been invited back.

Yep.