How often are mule deer eye guards greater than 1"?

[Rainier10]

Where is that popcorn eating smiley?

most Muley eye guards if they have them are under two inches.  Many are way smaller.   Shoot at your own risk.

+1

[link]

Well, any seasoned big buck hunter can tell you that a 3/4" eyeguard smells waay different than those over 1". Of course, it all depends on how far from Portland you are.

[Kazekurt]

Thanks Kazekurt and boneaddict. So do you pass on 2x2's with eye guards or make an on the spot decision?

Pretty sure Kazekurt and Bone don't shoot many two points.   

But yes, I think the point is you need to make an on the spot decision, but know that 95% (or more) of two points either don't have an eye guard at all, or have one that wouldn't make the 1" cut.  I can think of very very few two points that I've seen where the eye guard makes it legal.

You are correct.  I just looked through my rack pile  and I couldn't find even one that had an eye guard less than 1 inch.  Most were between 1.5 and 3 inches  with the longest being 5.5 inches.  All of these bucks  were 3 pt or better not counting the eye guards  so I cannot speak specifically for forkeys.

[NOCK NOCK]

As others have said, most 2's usually don't have them.....but there's always a few that do. If in doubt, don't shoot.
I was out this past weekend with a guy that is trying to get his first deer. We spotted a 2 and when it turned, one of its forks split again...barely. I told him not to shoot, just couldn't confirm it was an inch. I'm fairly certain it was, but not worth the risk to find out if I was wrong. 

Here is a legal 2 that was hanging with the buck I shot this year. Never saw him later in archery or during muzzy so im thinkin somebody gave him a ride home.

[RB]

I see more mulies without eye guards than with in general but doesn't mean a lot don't have them. If you can see them from over 100 yards away I would THINK that they are at least an inch long. With that said, when in doubt, don't shoot. It's just not worth it. 

 

Exactly how I see it as well, especially since it will be measured from the longest side.  Can anybody on here get a picture of how the game warden will measure? We have all read and re-read the regs and know it is supposed to be an inch

[couesbitten]

I've got four mule deer on the wall, all of them have at least one eyeguard per side and the shortest might be 2", longest looks to be more than 3".

[huntnphool]

I've got four mule deer on the wall, all of them have at least one eyeguard per side and the shortest might be 2", longest looks to be more than 3".

I've got four 4+ points on my wall that don't have a single brow tine.

[WAcoueshunter]

I've got four mule deer on the wall, all of them have at least one eyeguard per side and the shortest might be 2", longest looks to be more than 3".

Are any of them two points?

[cavemann]

there used to be a 2x2 in GI Joes in Puyallup before it went out of business..  Every bit of 25"+ spread and 10" points and no eye guards.  We always wondered where it was shot and how old of a mount it was.

[Wingin it]

At the risk of getting slaughtered I will share an experience I had many years ago. When I was much younger I may add. I spotted a buck and glassed him for quite a while. He was a 3x3, no eyeguards. I actually thought he was a 2x3 which I suppose technically he was as the third on one side was only about 3/4". He was about 125 yds and I thought, heck he has to be legal to be able to see the point at that distance. I shot him and watched him go down and expire. When I got to him the short point side of the rack was up. My heart sank immediately! I reached down and pulled his head up and thankfully the other side was long enough. An 1-1/4", I was VERY RELIEVED! I was also very lucky. Never ever again will I cut it that close. If you can't clearly see that it is at least an inch I would not trip the trigger. My two cents. Good luck to all this season. 

[de0827]

I shot a big 3x2 a couple years ago that had eye guards that were right on the borderline of being 1" or less, but probably more like 3/4".  If he didn't have the 3rd point on the one side I would not have shot him - it's just way to hard to tell if it really is 1" or not.  Good luck everyone!

[HuntingPA]

Sadly, there are a lot of people that will shoot a small 2x2 and claim the eye guard as the third point. Maybe it's just me, but that drives me crazy.

[Skyvalhunter]

 

[huntnphool]

Sadly, there are a lot of people that will shoot a small 2x2 and claim the eye guard as the third point. Maybe it's just me, but that drives me crazy.

 You are not alone, welcome to the site.

[jackelope]

Sadly, there are a lot of people that will shoot a small 2x2 and claim the eye guard as the third point. Maybe it's just me, but that drives me crazy.

 You are not alone, welcome to the site.

Is it ok if it's a big 2 point with an eyeguard?