Hunters have different opinions as to what it takes to have a successful hunt. For some, it’s just being in the outdoors enjoying nature. For others, it’s killing a legal deer ethically and legal. Some are only after bucks that meet the standards to qualify for the Pope and Young or Boone and Crockett record books.
Record-book deer are hard to come by. Whatever you need to have a successful hunt, sooner or later you might harvest a deer that qualifies for the books. Or maybe you’re just curious what your buck scores.
The following information is how to rough score a rack. It by no means makes the criteria to be used in making difficult scoring judgments. The official score must be obtained from an official P&Y or B&C scorer.
A rack must be air dried for 60 days before it can be officially scored and entered into the record books.
In simple terms, measurements are first taken of the typical frame of the antlers. These include the length of tines, length of main beams, and circumferences along the main beam, as well as the greatest inside spread between the antlers. Once the typical frame has been accounted for, any and all non-typical points are measured and added into this rough total.
For this subtotal (or gross score, as it is commonly referred to), discrepancies in tine length, beam length, and length of abnormal points are deducted to achieve a net score.
Typical antlers: There are two categories within the scoring system for whitetail deer: Typical and non-typical deer. Typical scoring gives high priority to symmetry. On a typical buck both side-to-side discrepancies and abnormal points count against the final score.
Non-typical antlers: If a buck has at least one abnormal point, Pope and Young permits it to be scored as either a typical or non-typical at the discretion of the hunter. An abnormal point is any point that does not originate off the top of the main beam or any point off the top of the main beam that appears to be out of place, not matching the normal spacing of the tine of the other antler. When sticker points are long, whether or not it’s considered a typical point comes down to its spacing along the beam and becomes a judgment call best left to an official scorer.
Official scorers use a 1/4-inch wide steel tape measure to make all measurements. While this may be the most consistent way to get exact readings, you can get by using a cloth tape measure similar to those used by a seamstress. All scores are measured to the nearest 1/8-inch.
The first step in measuring a tine is to determine where it begins. You will need a pencil to mark this location. On points that come off the main beam you first have to make a mark across the base of the tine that approximates the top of the beam. This is generally done by using a straightedge to span from the low points along the top of the beam on either side of the point. This is done on the outside of the rack. Make a mark on the tine and go to the next one. Measure from here to the tip of the tine, following the centerline of the tine along the outside of the rack.
When measuring abnormal points that come off other points you follow a very similar procedure. First determine where the edge of the primary point would be if the point were not there. Make a mark here and measure from this point along the centerline of the abnormal point out to its end.
Regardless of the number of points the buck has, you get four circumference measurements on each beam. Circumference is often referred to as mass. All circumferences are taken at the smallest point between two tines or at a designated location if the main beam of the buck has eight or fewer typical points. The first circumference is taken at the smallest point between the base and the brow tine. The second is taken at the smallest point between the brow tine (called the G1) and first primary typical point (called the G2). If the beam has only two points (three total), the next measurement is taken 1/3 of the way from the first point to the end of the main beam and the fourth is taken 2/3 of the way out. If the beam only has three points (four points total) the fourth circumference is taken halfway between the last point and the end of the main beam.
The main beams are measured along their centerline from the base all the way to the tip. Measure the length on the outside of the rack.
Inside spread is the greatest distance between the beams when measured parallel to the base. In other words, you cannot angle the tape in hopes of making the rack wider. The inside spread cannot be larger than the measurement of the longest main beam. If your inside spread is less than the length of the longest main beam, you use that measurement. If the inside spread is larger than the longest main beam, you would use this measurement of the main beam, and not the spread.
When you’re all finished with your measurements, you total them up and that is your gross score. Just to make sure you have everything, you should have the following measurements.
Inside Spread
Main beam x 2 (1 for each side)
Typical tines x how many your deer has
Non-typical tines x how many your deer has
Circumference measurements x 8 (4 for each side)
By following these instructions and looking at the diagrams on the Pope and Young or Boone and Crockett score sheet available online from either organization, you should be able to come up with a rough score on your own. This video offers additional tips.
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