I would say those are fairly long eyeguards, but not really unusual. I have shot a lot of mulies and I have never taken a buck with eyeguards that big, but I have been with other hunters that shot bucks with 3 inch plus eyeguards. From where I sit while I type this I can see 7 mulie racks, all 5x5's. The eyeguards all vary from about an inch to 2 1/2 inches and that is fairly typical.

I suspect it is the deers genetic background. Antler characteristics can vary from area to area and the genetics of the deer. As an example non-typical racks are more common in some areas than others. I have hunted mulies in some areas where eyeguards were almost non-existant, barely visible and would not count as a point.

The only 'mulies' I have seen with really long eyeguards were actually hybrid crosses with whitetails.

I myself hunt Washington too and would have to say compared to other states I have seen more Muleys in Washington with huge eye gards like those then any other state. I have also seen several Mule Deer white-tail crosses in Washington and belive that could be a big reason for exceptional eye gard length. But yet I have seen these crosses with a sure sign of Muley genetics with very short if any eye gards....I belive its all in the genetics.

I agree with Makwa and RR07.
We have a lot of bucks in Colorado, Montana & Wyoming that have no eye guards and then some that do. Bullelk34 killed a big one last year in the breaks area in Montana that had long eye guards like yours. He said it was common to see Muleys with long eye guards in that area.

I also agree that it's genetics Some ares we hunt it's common to get eyeguards, others it's a rarity.

Carl

That is what i thought....but the area i killed this buck in does have whitetail in the area, and i have seen some strange antler formations come out of there....some that sre maybe10 inches wide but 16 inches tall..... like my cousins deer 2 years ago...a 3 pt with eyeguards.. really tall but really narrow.. and big eyeguards..