What makes a trophy whitetail deer?

Northern white-tailed deer usually grow up to 4 ft tall at the shoulder and weigh between 200 to 500 lbs. Although most hunters would consider a 400 lb whitetail deer a trophy whitetail goliath, a world record deer is actually scored or judged by its antlers.

Who decides if my deer is a world record whitetail deer?

There are two organizations that maintain the universally accepted scoring system for the world's largest whitetail deer records. The Boone and Crockett Club was founded 120 years ago by Theodore Roosevelt and is dedicated to conservationists and rifle shooting sportsmen. The other organization, called the Pope and Young Club, is dedicated to bow hunting and bow harvested big game in North America. Both hunting clubs have a photo gallery of the whitetail deer world record holders. Both clubs also participate in the "fair chase" ruling.

How To Score Your Trophy Record Whitetail Deer

First you'll need a ¼ inch wide flexible steel tape ruler for measuring. Online scoring is available at the Boone and Crockett Club website; check to see if your whitetail deer is a World Record Deer

Pope & Young Club Scoring for bow-harvested World's Largest Whitetail Deer All deer that are entered in the judging must be measured by an official measurer.

So what about those trophy whitetail deer antlers?

Whitetail Bucks usually shed their antlers every winter. The antlers start re-growing 2 small bumps again the end of April or May. That means those trophy whitetail deer antlers need to grow back each year. The deer's antlers stay soft until late summer, when the fuzzy velvet material around the antlers dries, after which the deer's antlers get hard like bone. The deer then scrapes the hard antlers against trees to expose the sharp points, also called tines. Bucks with hardened antlers are ready to breed.

Young whitetail bucks grow antlers with two points. Older whitetail deer grow larger antlers with 6 or more tines. Most hunters consider a whitetail deer an adult at 4-5 years old. Life expectancy of a whitetail deer is about 6 -10 years, but some have been known to live longer. In captivity they can live as long as 20 years, but that's pretty unrealistic for the wild, even without hunting pressure.

How do whitetail deer develop trophy deer antlers?

All deer bucks need a few good conditions to grow a set of trophy antlers. They need good nutrition, genetic potential and time to develop. A buck's prime is usually reached at about 4.5 years of age. If the buck does not get sick or injured he will maintain this prime condition for about 3-4 seasons. After that the deer's overall condition and antler growth usually declines. Some deer grow trophy racks at 2.5 and 3.5 years of age, but that's due to excellent genetics.

There are about 20 million deer in the United States. States with a high-density deer population is less likely to have record large deer. Areas with fewer deer tend to produce larger deer. Even perfect habitat and feeding areas can only support a certain number of deer before the quality of deer decreases. Heavily hunted areas may not produce monster bucks because they don't live long enough to reach their prime. Many trophy whitetails are taken from areas that have a low deer density population and food availability is high in proportion to the number of deer.

The elusive super buck

Trophy bucks that have been around for a while learn how to avoid trouble. A buck learns at an early age that human scent and gunshot is related. Any deer that has been shot at and missed becomes wary of the scent of man. Smarter deer adjust their activity and become more nocturnal around hunting season.

Planning your hunt for the biggest whitetail deer

Before you get too excited about bagging the world's largest whitetail deer there are some considerations you need to think about. Hunting a trophy whitetail buck is not the same as bagging your average whitetail deer. Because of his size his strength is amazing. Unless you make a perfect kill shot, he'll be able to run farther than you might have thought he could. Whitetail deer can run as fast as 36 miles an hour. Give him five minutes under perfect conditions and he might cover three miles.

Because your trophy buck will be big you need to plan how you'll get that buck out of the woods after you've tracked him down. Allow some extra time to field dress that mammoth deer. Depending on your equipment and the size of your party, you may even want to pack it out in manageable pieces.

The cost to butcher a larger deer may also increase if you bring it to a butcher. Finally, if you're planning to eat it, you should plan to have more freezer space for the meat or some good friends who appreciate fresh venison.

Mounting Antlers

To mount your trophy whitetail deer antlers, it is necessary to remove the hide around the neck and shoulders (called the cape) before removing the antlers. Unless you have experience doing the caping around the head it's best to let the taxidermist complete this process for you.

Fold the cape skin to skin and keep it cold. If it sits more than a day freeze it. Do not salt the hide or cape because it will start the drying process.

Antlers must also be meticulously cleaned. Leave the fleshing and salting to a taxidermist, if possible. Proper taxidermy will let you display your whitetail goliath in its full glory and splendor.

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