“You’re not going to believe this”, exclaimed my good friend and hunting partner of 25 years. This morning I saw the best buck we’ve ever seen on this property”. Now we’ve all heard such statements in hunting camps and know that they often don’t check out. Nonetheless, accurate or not, such accounts enhance the mystique that comes with hunting free-range whitetails. He went on to describe a main frame 11-pointer that he estimated to be 22 inches wide and have 160 inches of antlers. A buck scoring 135 inches was outstanding for this ranch in the Texas hill country. Our best bucks usually topped out in the 120-130 inch range. Needless to say, the hunt for this buck was on and continued well past the rut. I got a look at him in late November, albeit from about 250 yards. I was skeptical about my buddy’s estimate, but still had him pegged as a solid 150-inch deer. We both agreed he was mature enough to shoot. With good mass, tine length and spread, this was a flat-out awesome buck.
As is often the case, the star of the show disappeared for the next few weeks and everyone began to fear the worst. After all, most of the area properties did little in the way of deer management and weren’t bashful about pulling the trigger.
Luckily, my buddy was able to harvest the buck in early January. The mature buck was scored a little over 147-inches and sported an inside spread of almost 20 inches
Do you think I’ve used the word inches enough?
Though he was well short of the initial estimate, he was a “trophy” free range deer for sure. Or was he? These days, many would have you think that much higher scoring deer grow on trees. Some might consider him ordinary. However, for me there was no doubt, particularly in this little section of deer country. It was a privilege to have gotten to see him on the hoof.
Though it’s hardly a new topic, I can’t help but ponder the true meaning of “trophy” with respect to whitetail deer. Where I come from, racked bucks of any kind were once a very exciting (and sometimes rare) thing. As a boy during the early 70’s, I remember hearing a lot about the number of points and body size above all else. Today, professional hunters, industry leaders, outdoor media and many hunters in upper economic classes tell us how to define a trophy buck (or at least that’s what we seem to hear). The most common indicator is Boone and Crockett score. Yes, it all comes down to a game of inches. Standards can be quite high. And to think I haven’t even addressed other factors such as deer breeding, high fences and good old fashioned peer pressure!
Consider also how much digital hunting and outdoor content we now have to choose from. As for the younger hunting demographic, this is all quite normal because it’s all they know. However, ask any old-timer about rating whitetail bucks back in the day and you’ll likely hear a much different story. Instead of “I bet that buck is pushing 140 inches, you would have probably heard things such as “That deer had a body like a cow!” or “He had 12 points if he had 2!” This mentality isn’t gone, but has dwindled substantially over the years. A well respected South Texas wildlife biologist and guide has described to me on numerous occasions outings where guest hunters, when given the choice, chose a 10-pointer over an 8 pointer – even when the latter sported far better antlers. To these hunters, it was academic to shoot the buck with more points. I guess the old school mentality isn’t totally gone.
So what’s the point? In my opinion, assuming an individual hunts legally and dines on their harvest, they can define trophy any way they see fit. I guess when it comes down to it, they can define it their own way altogether. Further, they should be proud of it. Gratification is unique to the individual.
I often shoot bucks largely because I like the way they look, with little regard for any scoring system, much less current standards set by the hunting world. I’m referring to traits such as unusual main beams, split brow tines or random kickers. 
Also, I’m especially proud to take just about any racked buck with my bow.
Still, I regularly speak of whitetail bucks in terms of their Boone and Crockett score. Though my success is not solely defined by it, it’s an effective way to differentiate, compare and discuss them. All that said, I can’t deny my fascination and quest for mature big antlered bucks and if they happen to have a high Boone and Crockett score, so be it. So from where I sit, one should gauge antlers in their own way. Perhaps though, past hunters had it right. It doesn’t have to be a game of inches.
