Bend, Oregon resident, Rob Ezell, waited 17 years to draw and made the most of his Steens Mountains ram tag with this fine California bighorn estimated to score in the low- to mid 160's.

An August season without the aid of the rut, a sparse sheep population, and rough, arid terrain make this ram a especially prized trophy.

Congrats to bow hunter Chad Kulow on this stunning Utah buck.

The velvet bucks showing up in Trophy Watch recently are obviously from states that offer early season archery hunts. Utah, Arizona, Colorado and other western states offer both over the counter and special draw tags with August openers while bucks are still in velvet.

The Pope & Young Club maintains special velvet categories in their records books to recognize such trophies.

Husband and wife teamed up to take this 9 year old Dall ram. This was Darcy's first Dall. She took him with her .270 Win at 205 yards. This photo was sent in by her proud husband, Jacques.

This enormous bull that has been circulating the Internet was taken on a high fence ranch in Idaho. Captive wildlife is not eligible in Boone and Crockett records even if tagged with an estimated B&C score.

UPDATE 8/31
Trophy Watch has confirmed that this buck is still captive going by the name X Factor in deer breeder land.

The answer to the question below is not eligible, not ever. Thanks to the TW faithful for weighting in on this question.

Chad writes: The obvious answer it no it is not eligible. Do you think this buck would be that big if it was a born in the wild and did not have all the genetic breeding to produce such large antlers? If someone shoots that deer it should not be eligible because it has not been wild its whole life.

Questions:
What happens to captive wildlife when released into the wild? This buck is reported to be a captive-raised deer that is now free to try and make a living on his own. The state mandated the fence be taken down.

TW is trying to confirm, but this raises some interesting questions. Are pen-raised deer now wild once let out? Do they have the same escapability and survival skills as wild game? If legally taken during a hunting season should they eligible for the records book?

There is no question however, that we can genetically grow Frankendeer in captivity.

Matt Liljenquist, with the help of his dad Randy, friend Blake Chapman and outfitter Chad Smith, was able to get a 32-yard shot on this spectacular Arizona buck. It is reported to score over 228 but we are still waiting on the 60 day drying period.

How old do you need to be to appreciate a Dall ram hunt? Evidently nine is old enough! Congratulations to 9-year-old James Deblasio on his ram of a lifetime. His ram has horns reaching over 38 inches. We hope to hear the full story of his hunt later.

James is a great example of why some states (such as Colorado and Montana) should consider lowering the age limit on hunting. This young hunter was able to brave a mountain sheep hunt in the rugged Tok WMA to take an amazing trophy.

Over 30 states allow youths to carry a gun or bow at 12 or younger, while others have no age limit.

Jack Brittingham arrowed this 32" wide buck on the first day of the Nevada season. They estimate it to score around 197. After filling his tag, Jack then spent the next 3 days backpacking in some remote country to help a fellow hunter fill his tag as well.

Congrats to Sean on a great Humboldt County blacktail.

Humboldt ranks third behind TRinity and Mendocino counties in California for total blacktail entires and #3 of all counties or location.

UPDATE: Paul's buck has been officially accepted at 197-7/8 B&C. Congrats on a great northern whitetail.

Cold Lake, Alberta produced this great deer for Paul Plaquin on 11/8/2009. Reported to green gross 209-4/8.

John Gisi put in his time and passed up many huge Arizona Strip bucks while hunting his 2009 auction tag. With only 1 day left on his tag, he decided to use it on this 34" wide monster. They estimate this buck will score around 240 non-typical.

Many pictures of this buck have been circulating around the internet. Evidently Colorado Springs is a good place to grow antler.

Here's a picture to get you excited for the upcoming hunting season. This bull is living on the Hanford Site (sorry, no hunting allowed).

Lindsay Henry has taken 3 whitetails over 160" in her 3 years of hunting. In 2009 she took this beautiful non-typical. It has a 12 point mainframe and plenty of extras. We hope to see a score chart from this great Saskatchewan buck.