Field judging colorado mule deer

[tydennison194]

Any info on the average ear span on mature colorado mule deer buck?

Where i’m at, 22”-23” is about average ear to ear and one of my favorite ways to size up a buck. I am hoping to be hunting 3rd season this year and would love to hear what you guys are measuring those ears at. I’ve always heard those big mature CO muleys bodies can shrink the head gear!

Thanks.

 

[spike camp]

If you’re going for score, deep forks is what I’d be looking for.

 

[link]

So you're deer hunting where you'd shoot one that was 29", but if you thought it was only 27", you'd pass? There's much more to judge on a buck than a couple inches of spread. Good luck.

 

[robby denning]

I notice that when I used to do a lot of jawbone collection for the lab to age md that even their bone structure was often bigger compared to other bucks of the same age from other states.

To you question, if you’re trying to dial it to the inch, then add 1” to your numbers but as said by those above, there’s more to it than spread (but wide is big!)

 

[tydennison194]

So you're deer hunting where you'd shoot one that was 29", but if you thought it was only 27", you'd pass? There's much more to judge on a buck than a couple inches of spread. Good luck.

No, thats not what im saying. I’m saying where i hunt, if i see a buck out to his ears or just an inch or two out side, im thinking this is a pretty darn good buck, he’s gotta be 23” - 26” wide which is a dandy for where im at, they dont get much wider than that here and are usually pretty crabby, just the way it is. When i go to CO and im looking at a buck thats out to his ears, am i looking at a 22” buck or 25” buck? Anything else out past that is just icing on the cake for me. There’s a million ways to skin a cat, I myself like a wide buck

 

[tydennison194]

I notice that when I used to do a lot of jawbone collection for the lab to age md that even their bone structure was often bigger compared to other bucks of the same age from other states.

To you question, if you’re trying to dial it to the inch, then add 1” to your numbers but as said by those above, there’s more to it than spread (but wide is big!)

Thanks Robby, not necessarily dial it right down to the inch, i can usually get pretty darn close but its just something fun i like to do and one of the easiest thing on the deer for me to reference. An old buck my wife killed a couple years ago which is a little over 25” wide had the biggest skull out of anything else we’ve killed so far, his horns attached to the skull was .5” wider, eye balls were further apart, and the overall length of the skull is probably over an inch longer than any other deer in our house. I just prefer and love a wide buck.

 

[robby denning]

Thanks Robby, not necessarily dial it right down to the inch, i can usually get pretty darn close but its just something fun i like to do and one of the easiest thing on the deer for me to reference. An old buck my wife killed a couple years ago which is a little over 25” wide had the biggest skull out of anything else we’ve killed so far, his horns attached to the skull was .5” wider, eye balls were further apart, and the overall length of the skull is probably over an inch longer than any other deer in our house. I just prefer and love a wide buck.

Me too!

 

[cnelk]

I killed this guy 24 years ago.

Ears Tip to tip is 20”
Outside spread is 28”

Good luck in the 2025 drawing!

 

[roadhntr]

I think in general, Colorado mule deer, especially during 3rd season will look big bodied and have big heads. If a buck looks to have a big body and is an inch or two past his ears. He's most likely going to be 27"+ wide. If the buck looks big and wide, he most likely is. I was in Colorado this year scouting some units and got some pictures of a few good bucks. If you want I could post them and you could guess on their width.

 

[5MilesBack]

Deer don't really excite me much, so most the deer I see just get a ho-hum from me. But every now and then I see one that gets my attention, and those types of bucks are always big and wide. Back in the 80's it seems like most of the big mature bucks were around 24" ear tip to tip. Put a rack on them that's 3" outside each ear tip, and it was a good buck. Those types of bucks are definitely fewer and farther between than back then.

 

[muleyapprentice]

I’m with OP. Yes I understand width is a small measure of score but I’ve been trying to pay attention to what references I’m using to field judge. Do these ears vary proportionately to body weight? Will they vary from 4 years old to 7 years old? What about summer coat to winter coat?

 

[robby denning]

... What about summer coat to winter coat?

great question. don't know. I can only assume winter hair being long will make the same ear from summer look longer, but totally pulling that out of my rear

 

[muleyapprentice]

great question. don't know. I can only assume winter hair being long will make the same ear from summer look longer, but totally pulling that out of my rear

I agree. I mean even parts of the body that don’t hold fat (face, below the knee on legs) look larger to me later in the season.

Body/ear size reference has been on my mind this year and especially after James Yates podcast. How do I most accurately tell when I’m looking at a 4 year old that’s 200lb with 20” ears or the old 260lb buck with 24” ears. I do believe my field judge would vary greatly if the two bucks above were equally antlered but seen at different times.

 

[robby denning]

I agree. I mean even parts of the body that don’t hold fat (face, below the knee on legs) look larger to me later in the season.

Body/ear size reference has been on my mind this year and especially after James Yates podcast. How do I most accurately tell when I’m looking at a 4 year old that’s 200lb with 20” ears or the old 260lb buck with 24” ears. I do believe my field judge would vary greatly if the two bucks above were equally antlered but seen at different times.

all I can say is try and look at a lot of bucks year-round. I'm still not that good at it but better than I was. I can tell a big bodied and a small bodied pretty well, but it's the mid sized ones that are hard. If they're with other deer, huge help.

 

[robby denning]

... How do I most accurately tell when I’m looking at a 4 year old that’s 200lb with 20” ears or the old 260lb buck with 24” ears. I do believe my field judge would vary greatly if the two bucks above were equally antlered but seen at different times.

thought a little more on this.

"beefy" body, brisket that sticks out in front of the shoulder at base of neck, probably some swayback, probably some pot belly, and a rounding of the face (at a sideview) between eyes and nose (that 4 year old will have a ski slope between eyes/nose)

When I see all that, I start leaning towards 24" ears.

Now I just need for him to stick his ears out when I've got him in the spotter. Often harder than it sounds.

 

[PNWGATOR]

What makes a 160 inch Mule Deer? Basic field judging. - Flat Tops Wilderness Guides

Do you really care if you can tell the difference between a 190″ and a 215″ deer? Me neither. In those situations, I just shoot it! It is more useful when hunting public land to know how to judge a 2-3 year old deer from a 4+ year old mature deer. This is usually the […]

www.flattopswildernessguides.com

 

[street]

Better have some eye guards. Adds ~2-6in on eye guards and extra mass measurements ~10-14in and then your H1 score is gonna be a better score than if there were no eye guards because the most mass is down by the base; H1 > H2

 

[roadhntr]

I'll echo what Robby said about having experience seeing a lot of different bucks helps tremendously. I know a lot of people hunt long distance from mule deer county, so that's hard to do. Here's a thought. If you could get ahold of some sheds or old dead heads. Even if they are white, you could spray paint them brown. Get one thats 22", 26" and 30" wide main frame. Set them out somewhere a couple hundred yards away and about the same distance away from each other. Then get used to looking at them daily or at least weekly with the naked eye and with binos. Memorize the distance (air space) between the antlers. Once your memory knows how much "space" is between a 26" or 30" wide buck, it won't matter how big his ears are because you're focusing on the "space " between the antlers. That's how I judge width anymore because I've seen enough bucks to know the difference between a 22", 26" or 30" wide buck.

 

[tydennison194]

I killed this guy 24 years ago.

Ears Tip to tip is 20”
Outside spread is 28”

Good luck in the 2025 drawing!

View attachment 815900

That is a great buck! I’d love to find something like that. Thankyou for sharing it.

 

[tydennison194]

I think in general, Colorado mule deer, especially during 3rd season will look big bodied and have big heads. If a buck looks to have a big body and is an inch or two past his ears. He's most likely going to be 27"+ wide. If the buck looks big and wide, he most likely is. I was in Colorado this year scouting some units and got some pictures of a few good bucks. If you want I could post them and you could guess on their width.

THANKYOU! This is the exact kind of info i was hoping to receive.