Nowadays, it seems that a record book bull elk is taken almost yearly and a 200 class typical mule deer is still very attainable in many areas throughout the west. Last year, Utah recorded a huge 210 typical buck and recently a set of typical mule deer sheds were "brought out of the closet" that nets 229 2/8 B&C points. Though unofficial, it shows there could be a potential world record typical mule deer roaming the hills that could break the current record of 226 4/8 that was taken in 1972. But do our deer herds have what it takes to produce a 300 point buck?

Nevada is one of the hottest states for producing record elk right now and also holds claim to the fourth largest non-typical mule deer ever. According to the 2000 edition of the Nevada Wildlife Record Book, "On the average it is about nine times easier to get a non-typical bull into the record book than a non-typical mule deer in the very best years! The safest record in the Nevada Wildlife Record Book is the non-typical mule deer. We have only entered the top 15 twice in the last 20 years and these bucks are number 13 and 15 in the records. However, the good news is that we seem to be harvesting more non-typicals than has been the case during previous recording periods!"

With the largest non-typical whitetail deer ever to be harvested by a hunter taken just last year and scoring over 300 B&C points and the world record non-typical elk found in 1994, one can only wonder if there really is a 350 class muley hiding in the hills. But then again, the great thing about trophy mule deer is that there are plenty of monster bucks still waiting to be discovered. Fall of 2000 brought a great find in Idaho when a monster buck was found hanging in an old barn with barbed wire and recently scored at 302 points! The antlers are one of the most impressive sites you will see gracing a 46 inch spread and 23 total points. The interesting thing about this amazing set of antlers is that nobody knows anything about them. Who was the original owner? Who harvested such a trophy and when? The only thing I know is that it’s big enough to grace the cover of the 2002 Kings Mule Deer Calendar. If you have any information please give me a call!

Unlike the whitetail deer and elk, mule deer are struggling and the demands for "trophy" hunting are increasing. Is there a 300 point buck hiding in a corner of untouched mountain which has the opportunity to grow and mature to its fullest potential, or is our best chance of a 300 point buck going to be found hanging in an old barn from the 1930s?