Definitely looks likes a prime specimen for the taking. What you been feeding that dude, wheaties? Good luck nailing him down.
Not to sidetrack the thread, but I think you are on to something with the forehead coloration Covey. It seems that of the bucks we kill the aggressive/dominant bucks seem to have that. Some of the more passive bucks don't seem to emit the glandular smells and darkening of the forehead quite so much. Good observation.
Believe what you want that its an opinion for now. I use the buckmasters method to define myself what should a trophy size buck be. As you can see I used the btr bow record minimum/aka 105btr to actually define that its a trophy buck whether its taken out with a bow or gun. for example If you harvest a buck that fully grosses 122 inches, but just take away the inside spread, he scores 107btr after removing the 15 inch inside spread. that answers me that this buck is define as a trophy. If its taken by bow, It qualifies into the Buckmasters record book for bow, But if it was harvested by gun it doesn't go into the book because buckmasters gun is 140btr, but its still defined as a trophy buck in size. I use a defining method to tell what types of size bucks that are taped. under semi trophy size under 85btr,semi trophy size 85btr and trophy size 105btr. you can tell a big difference on bucks that are nice and small, semi trophys that are close to trophy size and trophy size to world class. if you got a 120inch plus like what he posted and he says its not big. I got to give the buck more credit than that. Id say its nice and big.
There is a reason that we hear a trophy is in the eye of the beholder so much each year. It truly is each and everyone's opinion on what they believe is a trophy. I am not about to let Buckmasters dictate to me what a trophy is or not. I wouldn't even waste my time to look it up, but do they get money for every entry? If they do it makes sense for them to have a lower entry number to bring in more cash. While you will never see me give anyone crap about the size of the buck they shoot (except Fergie) I think this goes both ways for the people who want to say any deer shot is a trophy and use BBD no matter what size buck they shoot then for those that don't want to say it is a big buck that they shot if they believe it is average sized shouldn't get crap either. By the way I think that buck he shot is a cool buck but he shot it and can say whatever he wants about it. So again if someone shoots a 105btr or whatever you want to call it, it is your opinion that is a trophy not everyone's.
I must say that whatever someone else has to say about what constitutes a trophy is really just a personal feeling, albeit perhaps agreed to by a bunch of people. For me personally it is the memory of the hunt. The people that I was able to share it with and all of the other events that transpired to make it my hunt. I've shot quite a few mule deer over the years that would probably be trophies in some peoples mind. However the mule deer that is my favorite "trophy" mulie is a 20" wide four point that I shot with a rifle while hunting with a group of friends that somehow all got together for that hunt. We had just all returned from a morning hunt and were all standing around our trucks when this 4X4 mulie decided to run out in front of us. Someone said, "I'll bet you can't hit that one." I quickly dropped to one knee and swung my rifle on him as someone said, "400 yards and leaving fast." I piled him up right there and because of the entire hunt and that ending to this day, 20 years later, that little (by most standards) 4X4 is my favorite "trophy" mule deer.
I have noticed this for years...I thought it was common knowledge? Ultimately it's kind of fool hardy to compare scoring systems and say one is better than another. "Better" is determined by one's knowledge of the way they work, they all accomplish the same thing...to quantify antler into one all inclusive number, to more easily convey how an individual deer compares to other deer from the past that have been measured. Saying one is better than another is as arbitrary and personal as defining what a trophy is. FWIW, I think that deer was big also, lol.
