Monster Mule Deer Record/Arizona

Very nice, what is the exact process for getting it certified as a world record.

I don't know all the details, but Boone & Crockett has numerous "certified" people who will measure the total lengths of all the tines and other measurements. There is some set amount of drying time before the number is measured to become official.

Heckuva nice buck. Darned sight bigger than anything I've ever killed.

Interesting that it and the Texas record buck were both still in velvet...

My only "problem" with harvesting this sort of buck is 'he obviously didn't get a chance to pass on the genes creating that rack because he's in velvet ! Mulies are already threatened by the eastern whitetai invading their range. Killing potentially dominant mulie bucks before the doe's come into heat doesn't make much sense when the species population is on the decline, IMO. >MW

Interesting that it and the Texas record buck were both still in velvet...

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Don't know about texas, but in AZ archery season on the Kiabab and "strip" are only open in Aug/early Sept so the archery bcks shot in those units are always still in velvet. These are the prime mule deer units in AZ, although there are some whopper desert muleys around as well. The southern units are open for archery in December during the rut and January, as well as in Aug/sept. I know some of the top 10 state record Pope & Young bucks have come from down in the desert.

Millwright said:

My only "problem" with harvesting this sort of buck is 'he obviously didn't get a chance to pass on the genes creating that rack because he's in velvet !

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I'm sure that buck has had several years to breed does and pass on his genes before he was shot THIS year..........

My only "problem" with harvesting this sort of buck is 'he obviously didn't get a chance to pass on the genes creating that rack because he's in velvet ! Mulies are already threatened by the eastern whitetai invading their range. Killing potentially dominant mulie bucks before the doe's come into heat doesn't make much sense when the species population is on the decline, IMO. >MW

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1. That buck has passed on his genes, this wouldn't be his first year breeding.

2. Eastern Whitetails are not found at all in AZ. Elk are trying to move in but they are still very few and Game and fish has any elk hunts every year in there to keep them out.

3. Up on the "strip" the mule deer population isn't hurting, and there are plenty of other bucks to breed the does. It is my opinion that thinning the lions back out would increase the herd more than hunters killing a few bucks.

That's an awful nice buck!!!!! Congratulations, especially for taking it with a bow! I'm curious as to what temperatures you were hunting in and how you dealt with the field dressing in those temperatures. Again, Congratulations on a fine hunt.

Maybe it is a visual effect, but the deer actually looks kind of small proportionally to his antlers. I shot one like that once, and shot a buck whose body looked too large for his antlers.

Looks like them thar Elk that is encroaching bred a Mulie doe to make that critter!!!

Yes art there is "Gross" score (immediate) And then "Net" Score (After 90 days drying period) For both B&C and P&Y. I hate both of those clubs scoring methods because they take away so many inches that a deer grew. Example: If its G2 were 14 inches on left side and 12 inches on right side, thats a -2 inches and crap like that. Simply ridiculous how they do that. Give a buck credit for every inch of antler grown for cripes sake. Never could understand why they do that.

Millwright said:

My only "problem" with harvesting this sort of buck is 'he obviously didn't get a chance to pass on the genes creating that rack because he's in velvet ! Mulies are already threatened by the eastern whitetai invading their range. Killing potentially dominant mulie bucks before the doe's come into heat doesn't make much sense when the species population is on the decline, IMO. >MW

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except in all of the other years he has mated. the genes are there fromm birth, they don't develope as his antlers develop

wankerjake said:

1. That buck has passed on his genes, this wouldn't be his first year breeding.

2. Eastern Whitetails are not found at all in AZ. Elk are trying to move in but they are still very few and Game and fish has any elk hunts every year in there to keep them out.

3. Up on the "strip" the mule deer population isn't hurting, and there are plenty of other bucks to breed the does. It is my opinion that thinning the lions back out would increase the herd more than hunters killing a few bucks.

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jake is right with this, i am not so sure about mule deer, but to take bucks increases the population by changing the dynamics and ratios of the breeding herd in all uk deer

Nope. That ain't no virgin.

He's the type that has been able to take any doe away from most any other buck as he wishes. I'm sure that over the years, he's had a good ole time to the south of many a doe.

That is one heck of a deer! Congrats to the archer.

I was actually reading some differences in the scoring systems last night.

I was wondering...why don't they just use a simple method like dipping the antlers in a bucket of water and seeing how much they displace for a score? It would be much more accurate for anm antler or horn score - total quantity vs the subjective deductions for asymmetry and stuff.

I suppose that if the rack were made up of numerous long, thin tines, it would not displace as much water as some shorter, fatter tines would. Water displacement would also not show the value of a wide spread. Wall-hanger trophies are such because the tines and beams are long and the spread is great. Those things come first. After that, yes, mass.

Milo Hanson's buck
Rack with mass
Non-typical rack with mass


All of these are trophies, but only one deserves the top spot in the record book.

This one at least looks like it was shot in the field instead of over a corn feeder. Well done!

Not to hijack the thread...but if one were to use the new improved Leaky Waders water displacement scoring guide for antlers and horn...you could still have categories - typical, atypical that would sort out the weirdness etc.

I was reading - I don't know from which site - but it compared boone and crockett to buckmaster and sci and some other scoring methods - they each have their own method for scoring and some seems subjective.

Just an idea...still all the bucks you show in pics are very nice.

SCI, to me, is absolutely the best one out there as far as the actual scoring goes. Now what they ALLOW in their books is a different story since they allow CANNED hunt bucks in their books. Difference from High Fence and canned is acreage. They allow bucks that were shot on 100 acre high fence jobs and crap places like that. But they do allow for every single inch of antler growth which to me is how it should be. I for the life of me can not figure out where P&Y and B&C came up with their retarded method of deduction. Just does not make any sense to me why you would deduct inches from antler growth when scoring a deer.

I'm a firm believer that B&C and P&Y got their scoring method from the football side of the NCAA...

KB, from curiosity I've tried putting out attractants for the mule deer here in the desert. As near as I can tell, "If mommy didn't tell me about it, it ain't no good!" Corn, alfalfa hay, calf manna, "game blocks" and salt blocks. No interest whatsover. However, you do wind up with happy javelina with corn or calf manna. Nothing seems interested in the game or salt blocks. Feral cows love the hay.

Art, I have found that if you put out an "attractant" that is not natural to the area it will, 90% of the time, actually scare deer off!! Just like cover scents. If you use a pine cover scent where there is not an evergreen tree within 100 miles, you wont see a white tail anywhere near you. Works the same with bait.