Few hunters go into the woods during deer season without having that elusive trophy deer lingering in the back of their mind. They all want a prize-winning buck to mount on their wall and brag to their friends about. For the hunter determined to get his deer, he needs to know what constitutes a prize-winner and where to find them.

When talking about trophy deer, the size doesn't necessarily refer to his body or weight, but by the points value on his antlers. This can be a tricky value to figure out without some experience, but regulations are strict and a hunter should know how to find them.

For the first value, the hunter must count how many points a deer has on his antlers. The next measurement will be how far away the points are from the main beam, and adding that to the measurement of the spreads; there are generally three places of measurement. A measurement of all of the points will also be necessary, along with any abnormal points. The length of the beam and the length of each point is measured. Added to these measurements is the circumference of various parts of the main beam, and then subtract the difference in lengths between the various points. The overall value is the point ranking of the deer.

For the hunter on the search for his trophy buck, there are many locations that offer top quality hunting. Farms and preserves are a natural choice because the deer are raised to be trophy sized; they are not just fed on vegetation but special diets rich in protein to boost their growth. Hunting in the Illinois Ohio Valley has great success for trophy deer because of the farms in the area. There are also strict guidelines on harvesting; no young bucks may be taken with a points value of less than 125". This law allows the deer to mature well beyond many other areas, so many bucks in the area run 208" on average.

Trophy deer cannot be averaged though because it depends on the species hunted. For example, a trophy mule deer will be much larger than a trophy whitetail. The best way for the hunter to get a feel for the points system is to break out the tape measure and start measuring. He will get well versed enough that soon he won't need the tape measure to recognize a trophy buck when he sees one.