Bob, here's a me too story, brought to my mind as I read your account of the big buck that dwarfed the others.
Two Decembers ago was the last time I saw one of the monster size mule deer. It was a migration route in timber with occasional clearcut. Grey dawn; trees, brush and deer were black silhouttes against the snow. Glassing through peekaboo gaps in timber I spotted a nice average 3 year old with at least three and probably a 4x4 rack. I moved to get a better look and saw two more larger bucks sparring near him in a ragged clearcut. All three bucks had swollen necks, blocky bodies and the two larger ones were heavy and deep. I started an approach stalk.
Then I saw a buck that simply dwarfed the others, standing apart a little from them. I would not have realized how big he was had the other bucks not been there for comparison. Massive deep and long body and huge neck against the snow, with his head against a black timber background hiding all but the faintest whiff of antlers when he moved. I never got a look at his rack.
Crunchy snow did me in on my approach. The other three bucks bolted, but he smoothly stepped behind brush and slipped away into the timber. I'm still thinking about that buck, and will be there again this Dec. as I was last year.
