Scoring

[Buckjunkie]

It annoyes me when scores posted with pictures are inflated? I understand not everyone knows how to score, but if you throw out a score, you should at least be close...it's not that hard to run a check on the number your guide told you.

I was just browsing through the pics and found three posts showing scores that look a bit high. I have shot a few good bucks and it is insulting to me to have a 165" buck posted claiming to be 184.

Maybe the hunter/guide went to Mike Eastman's seminar on "Rack Bracketing"?

 

[Kelj358]

Sometimes photos are deceptive. Just saying.

Josh

 

[sageadvice]

"Sometimes photos are deceptive. Just saying."

+1, We had that neat series of scoring threads last year, monarktaxidermy??, and though i like to believe that i can usually come pretty close, i found out, that from pic's anyway, i also could not be so close!

Big, Huge, Nice, or just a OK buck, it don't matter as long as the hunter is happy with his animal. I've said it before and i say it one more time; I took a nice buck outa Wyoming last year. It scored out just over 150 and it's probably the smallest buck i ever took in 35 years of outa state hunting but i like the rack, the hunt was great, the heck with the score, it looks pretty neat to me...and really, that's all that matters so there should be no need to try to BS your rack into something it's not.

Joey

 

[littlejoe]

I 100% agree with Buckjunkie. Unless it has been scored with a score sheet leave the score off. I cannot tell you how many times that a score is thrown out in the field or just by looking at an animal and that is what is used. If you are going to use a score throw it out after you put the tape to it. Just like shooting a deer at 1,000 yards on the dead run. And you know because you stepped it off. When a person calls out a long range distance don't do it unless with a rangefinder in hand. Another thing that comes to mind is people that just flat out don't know how to score. I have a buddy that has shot several in his mind 180 class bucks but in reality they are in the 160's or 170's. Nice bucks but not 180+ like he thinks. He does have some 180 to over 200 but he has some smaller as well but if you ask him; they are all over 180.

 

[elkun]

scoring depends on how much you are willing to spend on her at the bar.....antler size change with each telling.....

 

[llamapacker]

Really folks, hunters just need to be happy with the deer they harvest. People often confuse gross, net, and just total scoreable inches on a deer, elk, or whatever. Lots of posts will never have a NET score anywhere near the posted number on the internet. That's o.k. for some, and most don't really care.

I am an official measurer for B+C and P+Y. I get lots of guys who come to have their rack scored just to find out the number so they can tell their friends, etc. No problem, I am happy to score their racks. Quite a few, however, have been told their elk will score 370, for example, when my tape puts the official score at about 330. Some are incredibly disappointed, however, and let the number diminish their interest in their great trophy. I appreciatee the true sportsmen,however, that even though disappointed, still revel in the glory of their hunt. That is how it should be.
Congratulations to all who have posted success pictures of their trophies from this year.
Good Hunting,
Bill

 

[Buckjunkie]

Don't misunderstand me please, I appreciate everyone posting "Horn Porn" here.

I am only trying to make the point that a buck that scores over 180 (gross) is an amazing trophy and is something to be appreciated by all.

I can also appreciate all of those bucks not scoring high from areas with inferior genetics. Just because your buck doesn't add up to some magical number doesn't make it any less of a trophy. Some of my most memorable hunts were hunts that were just difficult to take a mature animal.

Come on, I live in Washington...180 bucks here are like hunting Sasquatch. If I take a 150" buck here it means the same to me as a 180" buck in Colorado.

Keep posting horn porn, just don't let your guide BS you.