Field judging colorado mule deer

[roadhntr]

How wide do you guys think that last non typical is? Outside spread.

 

[cnelk]

I took this short vid a few years ago the night before my rifle season.
Unfortunately I didnt turn him up the next morning

He was a dandy

 

[tydennison194]

How wide do you guys think that last non typical is? Outside spread.

33-34”?

 

[cnelk]

He’s the one in the back

 

[tydennison194]

He’s the one in the back


View attachment 818633

Freaking stud. Super tall. Thats an opening morning buck. Lol

 

[5MilesBack]

SWEET buck. He’s gettin close to 30!!

That buck was deceptively large. I was thinking "his" right eye guard was about 4", and then one day he was tearing up one of my trees so I ran out there to chase him away. I got to about 5 feet from him and he didn't budge. I stood there in awe of his size. That eye guard was closer to 7-8". I told my wife that if he was ever crossing the road in front of me, I wasn't going to stop. I had several sheds in the yard from the deer over the years, but never found his unfortunately.

 

[roadhntr]

33-34”?

I would say he's pushing 35". My guess is in the 33"-35" range.

 

[roadhntr]

Would be surprised if he was much past 23”.

I was thinking 22-23". When I first saw him walking broadside, I thought he was bigger and wider. Then he stopped and looked straight at me.

 

[Hnthrdr]

And a decent older wide buck.
View attachment 818515“Decent”

 

[ColoradoV]

Here is one that was a challenge to judge….

He is not very wide or what do you boys think he would score??

As per my last post he does have eyeguards..

 

[dirtytough]

Here is one that was a challenge to judge….

He is not very wide or what do you boys think he would score??

As per my last post he does have eyeguards..

I don’t think score matters on a buck like that!



I saw a few mature Colorado bucks from the same unit die this year.

A mid 170’s and a low 190’s. The mid 170’s buck was what I would call your average buck of that class width wise. 25-26. It did have more mass through the tines that don’t count score wise but do increase eye appeal.

The 190’s buck was narrow. 18ish. The interesting thing though was his head was almost an inch wider across the brows than the mid 170’s buck. Just a big bodied big headed buck.

The 170’s buck looked like it had way better mass but they were almost the same. Between 34-35”.

The 190’s didn’t look that big until next to it on the ground. It was just a lot bigger animal which threw my off the cuff guess off.

Everything I’ve seen the Colorado buck’s definitely have wider ears than the bucks I see up north. So it always seems like there is no ground shrinkage when walking up to them.

There was ground shrinkage walking up to a buck up north right after seeing those two Colorado bucks hit the dirt this year

 

[tydennison194]

Here is one that was a challenge to judge….

He is not very wide or what do you boys think he would score??

As per my last post he does have eyeguards..

View attachment 819373View attachment 819374View attachment 819376View attachment 819377

That buck is insane. Id like to hear robbys take on his age. Looks like he has that roman nose goin on.

 

[ColoradoV]

I got a pretty good idea how old he was..

Got 3 years of pics (saw him for 5 years) and never hunted him as he did not give me that wow feeling...

The pics above was his best year and he went downhill a bit the year after these pics were taken..

 

[cnelk]

Here’s a couple to guess

 

[cnelk]

Or this one

 

[Hnthrdr]

Here is one that was a challenge to judge….

He is not very wide or what do you boys think he would score??

As per my last post he does have eyeguards..

View attachment 819373View attachment 819374View attachment 819376View attachment 819377

He scores a trip to the freezer, what a unique buck! Did you ever see him hard horned?

 

[prm]

Take this buck for example, he’s a buck i watched all last winter, come time for shed season he’d disappeared and couldn’t turn them up or someone else found them. Anyways, assume he has 22-23” ears (dozens and dozens of bucks i’ve been around in this country is what’s about average) what do you put him at for width? I haven’t seen personally any 30” bucks on the hoof but I still have a hard time thinking he is, although i bet he’s really close.

I’d just shoot him and then measure out of curiosity. I’m easy to please.

 

[tydennison194]

Here’s a couple to guess


View attachment 819414

one to the right im thinking 25ish, one to the left thinking 28.

 

[ColoradoV]

He scores a trip to the freezer, what a unique buck! Did you ever see him hard horned?

Nope I only saw him in his summer home not sure where he wintered and I believe his sheds were picked up "early" on public so not much of a story there either. The next year after the pic was taken he scored right around 220"... 20+ score able points + the mass got him there. Not sure if they aged him of not but I believe he was 6 in the pic and 7 the year he was killed.. My 10 year old daughter I took backpacking in there called him a moose when she saw him and the name stuck.

As for the bucks celk posted my take is bigger buck in the double pic is 26- 27"ish = maybe hits 180" pry in the mid 170's tho, shorter tines hurt him his extra makes up a bit of it. Smaller one in the pic is a 160+ class buck..

Bottom one is a pry a low to possibly mid 180" class buck real good backs but still not over 17", real weak fronts, good mass.. Basically a crab on one side might keep him in the 170's, and together w small brows keeps him in that class. Width is hard to tell w only one flattering pic but again I would say 27" give or take a inch..

Good luck on your hunt.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Nope I only saw him in his summer home not sure where he wintered and I believe his sheds were picked up "early" on public so not much of a story there either. The next year after the pic was taken he scored right around 220"... 20+ score able points + the mass got him there. Not sure if they aged him of not but I believe he was 6 in the pic and 7 the year he was killed.. My 10 year old daughter I took backpacking in there called him a moose when she saw him and the name stuck.

As for the bucks celk posted my take is bigger buck in the double pic is 26- 27"ish = maybe hits 180" pry in the mid 170's tho, shorter tines hurt him his extra makes up a bit of it. Smaller one in the pic is a 160+ class buck..

Bottom one is a pry a low to possibly mid 180" class buck real good backs but still not over 17", real weak fronts, good mass.. Basically a crab on one side might keep him in the 170's, and together w small brows keeps him in that class. Width is hard to tell w only one flattering pic but again I would say 27" give or take a inch..

Good luck on your hunt.

That’s fantastic, moose is a fitting name for sure! Thanks for sharing