Since most white-tailed deer hunters are seeking the "bigun" and because we all see and admire the monster bucks that are in the magazines, it is useful to consider the "odds" for those special antlers. Perhaps it will make us a little happier with the bucks that we are fortunate enough to take to recognize that the harvest of a real monster buck is akin to a "hit" in the lottery...! I once read somewhere that a Boone and Crockett buck is about one in each million bucks taken.

The following statement regarding mature white-tailed deer and the accompanying chart are taken from the excellent book by James C. Kroll, Ph.D, Aging and Judging Trophy Whitetails (ISBN 0-938361-21-X). Dr. Kroll is the Director of the Institute for White-tailed Deer Managemant and Research at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, and is widely known as "Dr. Deer". His book is highly recommended reading for anyone wanting to improve their ability to select a fully mature trophy when faced with a "better than average" buck. (Note that "mature" is generally considered to be a buck that is 5 1/2 years old or older.)

Dr. Kroll states that for a mature buck under normal circumstances that "...a whitetail "wants" to be an eight pointer, scoring about 125 inches, Boone & Crockett. It is the abnormal buck that scores higher."

It is important to note that the preceding chart is referring to "basic mainframe points". The abnormal or non-typical points are not being considered. An excellent example is the King Ranch Buck( best B&C non-typical in Texas in the last 30 years) that is a "basic mainframe 12" with 7 additional abnormal / non-typical points on each antler side. In accordance with the chart, a "basic mainframe 12" will only occur in two (2) percent of the herd. One can only imagine how small the percentage number might be if the "extra" 14 non-typical points were considered..!