The single most well known method for scoring white-tailed deer is the Boone and Crockett method. The Boone and Crockett score, or B&C, is so common that when someone ask, “what’s he score,” it’s already assumed the score is based on the Boone and Crockett system. This system is not just used in contests, or to measure already harvested deer, but also by managers to monitor the progress of their deer mangement programs. Although there are other methods to score a buck’s rack, the B&C scoring system is the most widely used and accepted method of judging the quality of an animal.
When scoring your buck, some of the factors that contribute to a buck’s score are mass (circumference of the antler), beam length, the individual tine lengths, the number of tines, and the inside spread between the two main beams. Thus, heavier antlers have higher mass measurements than thin-horned racks, longer beams are better, bucks with larger inside spreads get more points, and longer and more tines boost your deer’s score. When all added up in inches, this series of measurements give you Gross B&C score.
There are, however, deductions when scoring antlers using the B&C method. Deductions are based on symmetry. Deductions are the differences in length, mass, and number of tines between one side of the rack and the other. After adding up all the deduction inches (differences in symmetry) you then subtract that number from your gross score to come to your final Net B&C score. Net scores in my opinion are irrelevant, I think that oddities such as extra points, drop tines and irregular rack configurations are interesting and give the buck character.
Although scoring your bucks can provide valuable information on the growth and health of your deer population, I don’t use a numeric value to determine how great a buck is. I measure the value of a deer based on the experience of taking the animal, unusual features, and character in his rack. But at our ranch we log each bucks score into spreadsheets to determine the success of our wildlife management program. If the gross scores of mature bucks is increasing annually it reflects that we are doing something right.
December 14, 2009 at 2:39 am |
I love hunting but have been limited in my deer hunting experiences. Having read many of these posts i feel educated and informed and for that i thank you. this is great stuff and is very fun to read and learn about.