Montana public land B&C mule deer

[300stw]

I have one public land buck that officially measured over 180", but have never sent in the paper work....or the $40 they want from me to see my name in a book.

i feel the same way, 2 mulies from mt in the last 8 years, a bighorn sheep and 2 antelope officially measured , not put in the book , a roosevelt bull and 5 columbian blacktail from when i was in college in northern ca. never entered, they hang in the shop,,,,

i had my hands on a 34in wide buck that grossed 220 3 yrs ago, that guy didnt enter him, that one had a maple leaf on his horn
6 bucks that net over 180 1 over 190 ive seen and put hands on, last 3 years, i didnt measure but fish and game employee did,, 1 was private. but lived on public at times , there not entered and the guys could care less,,,,

not bragging, there around at times,,,,but i dont need to see my name in a book

i think ups employees and border patrol guys got some net bucks if they would post them,,,

 

[SwaggyD]

I didn’t want to enter mine but the landowner wanted me to. So we compromised and I entered it.

Edit: have seen a mule deer that sniffed BnC on public.

 

[S-3 Ranch]

Is it common that if you get a B & C animal you enter it into the book? I’m not opposed to it, but where I grew up in Iowa nobody ever enters their deer. I wasn’t sure if that was normal or an anomaly.

Same here , we don’t enter any deer or pronghorn for privacy reasons
good access is hard to get now days
I don’t want anyone hounding my honey holes
and a glory paper trail isn’t good for hunting IMO

 

[SwaggyD]

Same here , we don’t enter any deer or pronghorn for privacy reasons
good access is hard to get now days
I don’t want anyone hounding my honey holes
and a glory paper trail isn’t good for hunting IMO

This was my thoughts. Shooting the deer I did on private is only going to hurt the public land hunting in the area with more pressure was my thoughts.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Pert near every mule deer buck I see would go 180. Pounds that is.

I don’t think I have ever seen a live Montana buck on public land that would break 180”.

 

[seeth07]

This was my thoughts. Shooting the deer I did on private is only going to hurt the public land hunting in the area with more pressure was my thoughts.

Same here , we don’t enter any deer or pronghorn for privacy reasons
good access is hard to get now days
I don’t want anyone hounding my honey holes
and a glory paper trail isn’t good for hunting IMO

I don't buy that argument one bit for a reason to not get your trophy measured and officially put "in the books". All that is listed is the county where the buck was shot. Where the big boys come from is no shocker. Typically areas managed for high quality mature bucks and therefore, its the same counties. The ones from other counties are outliers and by no means huge indicators of what the herd potential in that region is.

Don't want to pay the $40 bucks? Ok, I buy that.

Old, traditional mindset who couldn't give a $%# about his/her name "in the book"? Ok, I buy that.

I'm guessing the real reason why most folks don't have a buck in the books is simply just because they never got their trophy measured or they did and know it doesn't meet the minimum requirements. A very good buddy of mine always bragged about his Booner whitetail buck (and it is certainly impressive hanging in his living room) and said he measured it at over 175. I called BS and after a night of drinking I finally had him convinced to get it scored and entered so he can actually brag about it being "legit". Measurement officially came in at 159" - 1" short of being a Booner.

 

[S-3 Ranch]

I don't buy that argument one bit for a reason to not get your trophy measured and officially put "in the books". All that is listed is the county where the buck was shot. Where the big boys come from is no shocker. Typically areas managed for high quality mature bucks and therefore, its the same counties. The ones from other counties are outliers and by no means huge indicators of what the herd potential in that region is.

Don't want to pay the $40 bucks? Ok, I buy that.

Old, traditional mindset who couldn't give a $%# about his/her name "in the book"? Ok, I buy that.

I'm guessing the real reason why most folks don't have a buck in the books is simply just because they never got their trophy measured or they did and know it doesn't meet the minimum requirements. A very good buddy of mine always bragged about his Booner whitetail buck (and it is certainly impressive hanging in his living room) and said he measured it at over 175. I called BS and after a night of drinking I finally had him convinced to get it scored and entered so he can actually brag about it being "legit". Measurement officially came in at 159" - 1" short of being a Booner.

Whitetail B&C is 170+
“”typical whitetail buck must have antlers that score at least 170 after deductions, known as the "net" score. ””

so he was not even in the ballpark

 

[seeth07]

Whitetail B&C is 170+
“”typical whitetail buck must have antlers that score at least 170 after deductions, known as the "net" score. ””

so he was not even in the ballpark

 

[Southern Elk]

A booner is not a booner unless he makes "all-time". This "awards" crap is BS. It's like a damn participation trophy.

 

[TheJason]

A booner is not a booner unless he makes "all-time". This "awards" crap is BS. It's like a damn participation trophy.

 

[Southern Elk]

View attachment 238315

The only one that makes the book.

 

[geewhiz]

Buddy of mine shot a buck on public montana land with a general tag, scored 203 and change gross. Saw the rack with my own eyes. It was a stud. Then he hocked the horns for $400. Made me sick.

 

[seeth07]

A booner is not a booner unless he makes "all-time". This "awards" crap is BS. It's like a damn participation trophy.

Actually its not. The "awards" was the benchmark and then due to increase in media and hype, there was getting to be too many entries to actually fit them in the big main book so they decided to up the minimum requirement. They still recognize and publish the "old" value which is known as the "awards" level.

 

[BenInMT]

Friend I lost touch with took a 189” non typical in a general district in the early 2000s. That district is no longer otc for mule deer.

 

[Carnage2011]

I helped a guy kill a buck in a LE unit in Montana that went 189” net on Public land. He doesn’t care about the book and never entered it. He has zero social media and you wouldn’t know it existed if you weren’t a good friend of his. I do not think there are many book bucks in MT, but I do believe a few have been killed that no one cares to enter.

 

[mtmuley]

I helped a guy kill a buck in a LE unit in Montana that went 189” net on Public land. He doesn’t care about the book and never entered it. He has zero social media and you wouldn’t know it existed if you weren’t a good friend of his. I do not think there are many book bucks in MT, but I do believe a few have been killed that no one cares to enter.

There was some really big deer killed in years past in my area. Some of the "suburban" bucks got huge. I noticed a couple names on the B&C list. mtmuley

 

[S-3 Ranch]

There was some really big deer killed in years past in my area. Some of the "suburban" bucks got huge. I noticed a couple names on the B&C list. mtmuley

Every once in a while you can find a diamond in a goats ass , same with quality mule deer in a state like Montana

 

[mtmuley]

Every once in a while you can find a diamond in a goats ass , same with quality mule deer in a state like Montana

Hunted here have you? mtmuley

 

[Brad]

Back in the early-mid 1950's my dad was a pilot, flying for Lynch's out of Billings. In the winter he'd have his plane kitted out with skis to deliver groceries and mail to isolated ranches. Over coffee in the kitchen at any given ranch he said there was inevitably several huge mule deer racks stuck on the wall. When he'd ask what they were shot with, the answer was usually "220 Swift." Makes you wonder how many B&C bucks are stashed away all over West Dakota (Eastern MT). The 50's were probably the halcyon days of great bucks in MT.

 

[Nick87]

Back in the early-mid 1950's my dad was a pilot, flying for Lynch's out of Billings. In the winter he'd have his plane kitted out with skis to deliver groceries and mail to isolated ranches. Over coffee in the kitchen at any given ranch he said there was inevitably several huge mule deer racks stuck on the wall. When he'd ask what they were shot with, the answer was usually "220 Swift." Makes you wonder how many B&C bucks are stashed away all over West Dakota (Eastern MT). The 50's were probably the halcyon days of great bucks in MT.

I'll bet your dad had some good stories...