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I have seen people talk of 200" mule deer on the forum quite a bit but wonder if they have ever seen one. I have been very blessed over the years to hunt some of the most fantastic mule deer country anywhere and thought I would post a few pics to show just how much bone it takes to make a 200" muley. The reason I bring this up is because of threads I have seen claiming "real opportunities at 200" deer" or phrases like "we kill 2 or 3 in the 208" to 234" range" and wonder what I have been missing out on over the last 15 or so years. A 200" mule deer is friggin tough to find! Here are a few pics, try and guess what these deer gross. Drummond           | ||
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I will see if I can fix this to show the picture on the thread Drummond | |||
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They used to be common in S.E. Idaho back in the 70's but now you have to hunt hard to see a forkhorn. | |||
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You need to either paster the image URL's inside the box you get when you click the "image" button in your reply box (looks like a pciture of scenery) or put these tags in fron of and behinc the urls: [IMG] URL goes in here [/IMG] | |||
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I wish I could go back in time to see what it was like in the late 40's through mid 80's. I dont think we will ever see deer like that again. I have a picture of 3 deer killed on the same hunt in the late 40's in N. AZ and all 3 are over 40" wide. Just for clarification, not every deer in the above pictures gross 200" or more. Thats why I was hoping to see a few guesses. Drum | |||
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You must ne huntikng someplace where thay have spilled Nuclear Waste to be getting deer that big. Very nice deer. Do the horns glow in the dark???  DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY | |||
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Wow, those are some great deer! ____________________________________________ "Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life." Terry Pratchett. | |||
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Quite a few (all?) of these deer are from Sonora in Mexico. At least some of them have featured in "Muley Crazy", so if you want to cheat, maybe you can find the score in there... My personal favourite: IMHO, nothing beats mass for making a great trophy. Spread is nice, but spread without mass makes for a spindly rack. My second favourite is probably: Just because I dote on that basket shape. All the deer Lindsey posted are deer of a lifetime. - mike ********************* The rifle is a noble weapon... It entices its bearer into primeval forests, into mountains and deserts untenanted by man. - Horace Kephart | |||
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Excellent bucks. I shot a 178 up in Alberta that was as close to perfectly symetrical as I have seen and it pales in comparison to those monsters. Definitely a great set of pics. If you had to pick the best outfitter and area to go for really big bucks which would you choose? | |||
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I wouldn't turn down any of them, no matter what they measured. I'd be curious to know where (same property or a variety) and what year(s) they were taken. ~Ann   | |||
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The Mexicans like to say their mulies are so big because it takes big horns to survive amongst the all the cougars in the desert. I'll leave the truth of that to someone who knows; I like the story though. There is still some fine mule deer hunting in Mexico but it is also the easiest place to get ripped off on the planet. Know your outfitter well and avoid "bargain" hunts. "Experience" is the only class you take where the exam comes before the lesson. | |||
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Nice Deer, but who is the goofy lookin' bastard in the second picture.  | |||
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My father hunted in Sonora in 2001 or around there, he shot a smaller buck but almost had a chance at one that was around 200" he swore he saw an elk in the desert..... Mink and Wall Tents don't go together. Especially when you are sleeping in the Wall Tent. DRSS .470 & .500 | |||
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If you look at the 6th picture down, it has a brown and tan truck in background. The shooting platform mounted to the bed of the pickup is what you hunt from.....I am serious. Mink and Wall Tents don't go together. Especially when you are sleeping in the Wall Tent. DRSS .470 & .500 | |||
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There is a ranch, north of here 300,000ac. That kills 170 to 200+ mulies each year. One of my buddies guide there. biggest this fall was 205. It took me 25years to get a 190 and I will never see another one like it, I hunt mostly public land around home. | |||
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These are the years these deer were harvested, 1st pic, 2004 2nd pic, 2002 3rd pic, 2003 4th pic, 2004 5th pic, 2002 6th pic, 2003 7th pic, 2003 same deer as 6th pic, just different angle 8th pic, 1999 posted him for a reason though, I'll share later 9th pic, 2004 10th pic, 2004 Every one of these deer with the exception of 8th pic were killed in Sonora Mexico. The deer in the 8th pic was killed in Colorado. I am the ugly SOB in the 2nd pic, my client missed his plane out of Hermosillo for that deer but it was worth it. That particular deer was featured on the cover of Eastmans Hournal in the fall if 2003. The deer in the 6th and 10th photos were featured on the cover of Muley Crazy Magazine in the summers of 03 and 04, as far as we know these were the highest grossing deer to come out of Sonora for those years. Drummond | |||
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I will give you guys a hint when your guessing, 2 of these deer made the "all time" B&C Book, 9 made the awards book and a couple of those barely missed the all time book, and one deer did not make anything but is IMPRESSIVE! Lets see some guesses. Drummond | |||
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We are starting to see alot more 190+ Mulies in northern Alberta, since the tags went to a draw system 4 years ago. My friend has guided a few hunters that have taken 200" deer with a bow, and have had opportunity at 190+ Mulies. There is a picture of a local hunter in the "HUnting Illustrated" magazine with his Mulie from 2004. Its the magazine which has the article of the #3 PY Elk taken in 2004, and a 250+ WT- all taken in Alberta. I personally passed up some 175-180 mulies this season holding out for bigger. So this year my tag is a Christmas Tree ornament. But thats my choice, and I can't wait till next year. Hopefully I'll be drawn again for a tag. | |||
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Well, if noone is going to guess what they score I'll give it a shot. 1st pic.- 185" 2nd pic.- 175" 3rd pic.- 195" 4th pic.- 180" 5th pic.- both are 180 class 6th and 7th pic.- 220" 8th pic.- 190" 9th pic.- 175" 10th pic.- 200" Those dessert mulies are deer that dreams are made of. Thanks for sharing. Ryan | |||
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Ryan, Thanks for guessing. I just moved to CO from Lubbock about 4 months ago. I'll give you the over/under on your guesses: 1st pic: under 2nd pic: under 3rd pic: over 4th pic: under 5th pic: under and over 6th and 7th pic: under 8th pic: under 9th pic: under 10th pic: under I am impressed, most would be over. Also, all scores I am looking for are gross scores, not net scores. Drummond | |||
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My business partner killed a 217" gross buck in Utah a couple of years ago, and then a 206" buck was killed at the end of the year; naturally, I hunted in between these 2 hunts, and passed up what was later shot and scored at 181" gross, which is a great buck; such is mule deer hunting, but no doubt that a 200" gross buck is a toad indeed.. Also, those Sonora bucks are awesome, who is the outfitter??? Regards, Craig Nolan Best Regards, Craig Nolan | |||
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I second that, Who is the outfitter? | |||
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Hey Drummond, This is a site you're sure to like Monster Muleys That's about all they talk about - BIG ASS MULEYS MonsterMuleys.com MM | |||
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Craig and Bulldog, I'm thinking Drummond is the outfitter as that's what he does, Mexican Monster Mulies. "DesertTrophyHunts" I'd love to hunt those toads with him. Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns | |||
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I was the either the outfitter or guide for these deer. All of these deer are desert deer with the exception of the deer in the 8th pic, we got him in Colorado. If nobody has any more guesses by tomorrow I will go ahead and post the scores. Drummond | |||
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I will go ahead and give a hint, the average gross score of the above deer is 201"! The largest buck is 234" gross and the smallest buck is 170". The average spread is over 30", the widest is 33" and the smallest is 27". | |||
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Wow, what a bunch of deer. While I don't claim to be much of a mulie judge, having gone to school on the earlier answer and hints, here are my guesses. 1) 205 2) 197 3) 197 4) 203 5) 170 AND 202 6 & 7) 234 8)207 9)201 10)208 While I'd love to have the chance at any of them, I like #3, the monster (not surprisingly) and #8 the best for my tastes. xxxxxxxxxx When considering US based operations of guides/outfitters, check and see if they are NRA members. If not, why support someone who doesn't support us? Consider spending your money elsewhere. NEVER, EVER book a hunt with BLAIR WORLDWIDE HUNTING or JEFF BLAIR. I have come to understand that in hunting, the goal is not the goal but the process. | |||
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Gatogordo, How did your hunt go? | |||
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I'll give it a go I am trying to get ready to catch a plane so I'll guess as I get some time. Mark D #1==180/ 186 @Gross #2=164/ 175.5 @ Gross #3=183/ 186 @ Gross (tough one to tell, all pics are a bit tough to tell off of one to me the pic makes it look better than it is) #4= | |||
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Damn Gato, you pegged a few! I'll give you the over/under on your guesses and post the scores when I get home from work. 1)high 2)low (just a little, brows go straight forward, 4" apiece, they are hard to see) 3)high (barely) 4)high (this is one of the "net" book deer) 5)pegged the one on the left and just high on the deer on the right, deer on the right is the highest net typical I have ever been apart of. 6&7)pegged 8)pegged 9)high(his left side sucks, barely 3 points, one of my favorite deer though) 10)low (quite a bit low, this deer fooled me as well) Drummond | |||
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Drummond, I know very little about measuring antlers but have a question. Does mass add more to an over all score than say length? The last deer, though with a narrow spread, comparatively, looks very massive. Maybe he looks short because he carries so much mass? The two bucks with the cactus make quite a pretty picture. My favorites are the last one and the second picture. ~Ann | |||
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Drummond, great bucks. You took the fun out of guessing any scores by telling these guys how far off they are. I've been hunting mule deer for almost ten years and have seen only 2 that I know were over 200, because both were later killed, a 215 and 248(taken the next year..grew about 10-15 inches). Seen a few others that could have been, but they always are bigger when they get away. I usually only hunt where the possiblity to take that kind of deer definately exists. | |||
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Length is by far the best thing you can have for score purposes. The difference between a buck with avg mass compared to a buck with above avg mass will add to the score but not as much as tine length although it will add quite a bit to the look of the deer. Example: When I am field judging deer I will give a buck 18" of mass per side for a deer with avg mass. Thats an avg of 4 4/8" per H(mass) measurement. To me, this is avg. A deer that I consider heavy will have 20" of mass per side, 5" per H measurement. That would only add 4" total to the bucks gross score. Both non-typicals in the pictures have well over 40" of mass measurements, both are extremely heavy bucks. The buck in the 10th pic got a lot of his score from the extra points, they are all long. It adds up in a hurry. The other non-typical has a 210" mainframe. If you take a buck and add 1 4/8" to each point the score will add up much quicker, on a typical this can add up to 6-8 inches per side pretty quick. Thats 12"-16" to the total gross score compared to 4" for the extra mass. I had a client kill a deer one year that was 12" wide inside and still grossed 175", he was incredibly tall but had very little mass. When I am field judging a buck on the hoof I will make sure he has all of his points, I will then look at the length of his main beams and front forks followed by the length of his backs. I dont ever consciencely look at mass, I register that when going over everything else. This process takes about 2-3 seconds and I come up with what I think he will gross and subtract 3" for insurance. The window of opportunity in the desert is usually quick, less than 10 seconds on avg. Drummond | |||
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Wow, great info! Gives me a lot of insight as to how this is done. Thanks for taking the time to explain.  ~Ann | |||
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Drummond, is it possible that the guy in the top picture grilled a steak for me in Arizona a month ago? Is he from AZ? A grocery barron, very nice guy, and he said he's hunted Mexico a few times. | |||
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No, he is from Texas Drum | |||
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Not too bad for some troll kid internet wannabee!  Sorry Drum, couldn't resist it. | |||
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I have a mulie here that scored 202and5/8 net. Almost perfectly semetrical(sp) Canuck posted some pics of him here the day after we shot it. Got him pretty much in my own back yard about 15 miles from home on our farm. Hunted him for 5 days with a muzzleloader and a week with a rifle.Got him with a hail mary shot on the last day of the season.Was hunting with my grandsons, a day we'll remember forever. Mark A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which he proposes to pay off with your money. Gordon Liddy | |||
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Here are the gross scores of these deer. 1) 193" GROSS 33" WIDE 2) 202" GROSS 31" WIDE 3) 193" GROSS 32" WIDE 4) 193" GROSS 27" WIDE, 191" NET B&C 5) 170" GROSS 31" WIDE AND 198" GROSS, 196" NET B&C 27" WIDE 6&7) 232" GROSS 32" WIDE, 210" MAINFRAME 8) 207" GROSS 31" WIDE 9) 193" GROSS 33" WIDE, 4X3 10) 234" GROSS 31" WIDE Thanks for looking, I have a ton of pics, if I can get them on a disk I will post a bunch more. Drummond | |||
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Mark, congrats on the mule deer of several lifetimes. I would love to see a pic if you have one, my email address is huntsonora@comcast.net Thanks, Drummond | |||
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