A buck that big and old is a trophy regardless of his head gear.
And I've found you had better kill him pretty quick once you see him,because they have a wraith-like ability to just melt off undetected.
I truly hope he is still around for you come the fall.....
+ 1 on a big old buck like that being a trophy no matter what his headgear. This is in central BC and most of the bucks don't have antlers to compare with Colorado and Arizona deer.
He may be gone but he will have left some genetics. I have racks from three mega bodied bucks taken in that area, up to seven years apart, and they all have the same antler frame configuration. All but one have an odd point in the same spot, plus a couple more smaller bucks with that genetic marker.
With the blitzkrieg clearcutting of recent years due to pine bugs, mule deer population is rapidly growing in that part of BC. At least one forester I know, and I, believe that the bugs are doing what unsuppressed fire accomplished in centuries past. There aren't many high scoring bucks there but with the increase in numbers and feed quality, I predict that an increased number of B&C bucks will come out of that region within the next three to seven years. That still won't be many record book bucks.
Alberta is a better bet for mega body bucks, and they have bigger antlers as well. And it is usually at least a little more open to see them and hunt them.
