Giant, Freak, Nice, Monster, Toad, Goodern...

Aeast

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Sep 2, 2018
Messages
182
Can't we just standardize what we call a buck by antler size?

I understand from state to state and area to area a trophy buck can vary widely, but come on. Every youtube guy out there always says "Giant Buck Down", weather it's a 110" or a 180".

How would you classify the following titles? This is how I do.

Mature - 5 years+ (not 3 like most killed)
Once in a lifetime - 200" and over
Monster - 180" - 200"
Giant - 160" - 180"
Big - 140" - 160"
Nice - 115" - 140"
Freak - Anything with points going everywhere
Cull buck - Don't give me that, own up to the buck
you shot and be happy with it. Who
cares what people think!
 

Tmac

WKR
Joined
Mar 16, 2020
Messages
900
Can't we just standardize what we call a buck by antler size?

I understand from state to state and area to area a trophy buck can vary widely, but come on. Every youtube guy out there always says "Giant Buck Down", weather it's a 110" or a 180".

How would you classify the following titles? This is how I do.

Mature - 5 years+ (not 3 like most killed)
Once in a lifetime - 200" and over
Monster - 180" - 200"
Giant - 160" - 180"
Big - 140" - 160"
Nice - 115" - 140"
Freak - Anything with points going everywhere
Cull buck - Don't give me that, own up to the buck
you shot and be happy with it. Who
cares what people think!
You‘re right, “Who cares what people think!”… So the answer to your query is “No!”. Simply not possible to herd cats, even verbally. Where is the meat category? What should we call a Toad? A smoker? A booner? A what ever? Can we call them a deer or buck or … ?
 

Brando

FNG
Joined
Oct 2, 2018
Messages
61
Location
SW Washington
I haven’t killed many bucks but when telling the story I’ve always called them my 1st buck, 2nd buck, 3rd buck and so on. Same with the pile of elk I’ve killed. Except I will say my 1st spike, 2nd spike, this 6 pt, that 5 pt, etc.
 

Rob960

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 30, 2021
Messages
208
I know the order of each Buck on the wall as well as the story behind it. That's what counts.
 
Joined
Dec 14, 2018
Messages
615
I've noticed a lot of older hunters, and a lot of brand new hunters, just trying to get something on the ground, just say the number of points. Lets standardize that. If you shoot a 10 point, you say "I shot a 10 pointer." and be done with it. All of these terms are what hunters say that try to justify the size of a deer. Truth be told, nobody gives a damn if the buck you shot is a mainframe 8 with 2 kickers and a broken off drop, that should've scored 158, but didn't because he broke off a couple tips. The tape measure is the downfall of hunting.
 

Glendon Mullins

Hillbilly Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Sep 7, 2014
Messages
2,383
Location
Highland County Virginia
Can't we just standardize what we call a buck by antler size?

I understand from state to state and area to area a trophy buck can vary widely, but come on. Every youtube guy out there always says "Giant Buck Down", weather it's a 110" or a 180".

How would you classify the following titles? This is how I do.

Mature - 5 years+ (not 3 like most killed)
Once in a lifetime - 200" and over
Monster - 180" - 200"
Giant - 160" - 180"
Big - 140" - 160"
Nice - 115" - 140"
Freak - Anything with points going everywhere
Cull buck - Don't give me that, own up to the buck
you shot and be happy with it. Who
cares what people think!
Depending on where you live your inches could mean different things. Where I live in Virginia 150 inches could be once in a lifetime. I killed a 142 inch 8 point a few years back and have been told multiple times "you'll never get one bigger than that" etc.

Someone in florida 140 inches may be "once in a lifetime" etc. whereas people in Iowa/Kansas/Illinois pass 140 inchers several times in a season
 

Wrench

WKR
Joined
Aug 23, 2018
Messages
6,170
Location
WA
It's interesting how time changes everything. 30 years ago I would die for people to see how well I did finding a good buck or bull....now that the internet has caused long arming and criticizing....I don't even share a picture unless it's for educational purposes.

Remember, you are judged against yourself, by yourself.....and comparison is the thief of joy.
 

Btaylor

WKR
Joined
Jun 3, 2017
Messages
2,477
Location
Arkansas
Can't we just standardize what we call a buck by antler size?

I understand from state to state and area to area a trophy buck can vary widely, but come on. Every youtube guy out there always says "Giant Buck Down", weather it's a 110" or a 180".

How would you classify the following titles? This is how I do.

Mature - 5 years+ (not 3 like most killed)
Once in a lifetime - 200" and over
Monster - 180" - 200"
Giant - 160" - 180"
Big - 140" - 160"
Nice - 115" - 140"
Freak - Anything with points going everywhere
Cull buck - Don't give me that, own up to the buck
you shot and be happy with it. Who
cares what people think!
What about Tank, Big'un, Thooster and Ol' Beau...Beau Hemoth?
 
Joined
Dec 30, 2014
Messages
9,529
Can't we just standardize what we call a buck by antler size?

I understand from state to state and area to area a trophy buck can vary widely, but come on. Every youtube guy out there always says "Giant Buck Down", weather it's a 110" or a 180".

How would you classify the following titles? This is how I do.

Mature - 5 years+ (not 3 like most killed)
Once in a lifetime - 200" and over
Monster - 180" - 200"
Giant - 160" - 180"
Big - 140" - 160"
Nice - 115" - 140"
Freak - Anything with points going everywhere
Cull buck - Don't give me that, own up to the buck
you shot and be happy with it. Who
cares what people think!

Your "big" may just be my "once in a lifetime" but then again whitetails dont get me going in a manner that would make me want to travel and chase the biggest like some other species.
 
Joined
Dec 28, 2015
Messages
894
If I shot him, then he’s a shooter, plain and simple. Spike or 10pt, don’t matter. I’m not interested in impressing anyone. My standards change with every hunt. One day I’ll let and 8pt walk and the next shot a fork horn. Just depends on how I feel.


But, just for the sake of this thread, my buddy and I used to always call big bucks “Julio”. No idea why. We also called big does “Juanita”

There may have been tequila involved when this came about.
 
Joined
Mar 16, 2021
Messages
3,558
Location
Western Iowa
Depending on where you live your inches could mean different things. Where I live in Virginia 150 inches could be once in a lifetime. I killed a 142 inch 8 point a few years back and have been told multiple times "you'll never get one bigger than that" etc.

Someone in florida 140 inches may be "once in a lifetime" etc. whereas people in Iowa/Kansas/Illinois pass 140 inchers several times in a season
I’m an Iowa native and have deer hunted more than 25 years. The area I live (W. Central) is full of deer hunters and the only guys that pass 140s are either paying for trophy leases or have their own private ground that they manage for trophy class deer.

In this part of the state, a physically mature buck is typically 3 years old and depending on the area’s genetics, gross scores can vary widely from 115ish to more than 140.

When my family hunts on the 110 acres I manage, regardless of weapon, we only harvest physically mature does and bucks. We don’t shoot “greyhounds”, “dinks”, or other versions of physically small deer.

My biggest scoring buck to date went a hair over 160 and to me he is a giant. Given the fact I’ve hunted for more than 20 years and never had an opportunity to beat him, I’d also call him a once in a lifetime. 😉

Iowa has good numbers of mature deer in some areas, but 150s and above still don’t just pop out from behind every tree.
 

jpmulk

WKR
Joined
Nov 12, 2021
Messages
367
Every buck i see i immediately call nice. Bad habit. Then, every deer that makes me look twice is now very nice. If i start drooling its a masher. I think masher is equal to toad. 😁
 

Yoder

WKR
Joined
Jan 12, 2021
Messages
1,638
I don't know why, but toad almost makes me throw up in my mouth a little. So much of it is to get likes on Youtube. Smaller bucks I'll designate by age. Then it steps up to big or nice then followed by monster.
 

WCB

WKR
Joined
Jun 12, 2019
Messages
3,627
I don't know...all the guys I would talk about this with I would just say what I thought the deer would score. Killed 176" buck in 2020 and before I went to trail him I met my dad back at the truck and he asked how big he was...I said he was a shooter. When we walked up to him my dad saw him first and he said :he is a dandy" Which I knew then by his terminology meant at least 150s. Then I saw him and said yeah he is nicer than I thought.

So I guess the point of the story is I don't have a set scale. little is little, Big is Big and a Shooter gets Shot
 

jpmulk

WKR
Joined
Nov 12, 2021
Messages
367
To me its all in fun. Whatever gets you excited and having fun. Who cares what you call em. Cant take ourselves too seriously.
 
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