How to Score Deer Antlers (with Pictures) - wikiHow (2024)

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1Preparing to Score Antlers

2Measuring Spread

3Measuring Points

4Measuring Circumference and Finishing

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Last Updated: March 29, 2019

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Measuring whitetail deer antlers determines how significant a hunt was before you mount the rack. In some cases, it can lead to awards for exceptional hunting. The Boone and Crockett scoring system has been the template for most other scoring systems, so you should start by taking these spread, point and circumference measurements.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Preparing to Score Antlers

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  1. 1

    Air-dry your buck’s antlers for 60 days or more.[1]

  2. 2

    Ensure the skull plate is intact and it has not been artificially replaced or repaired. Your antlers can’t receive an official Boone and Crockett score in this condition.[2]

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  3. 3

    Make sure your whitetail deer hunt follows the fair game laws of your state. Unfair chase makes your antlers ineligible to be officially scored.

  4. 4

    Request a scoring sheet from your state’s Fish, Wildlife and Parks department. You can also go directly to the Boone and Crockett website if you’d rather receive your official score by the club. Go to www.boone-crockett.org/bgrecords/bc_scoring_typwhitetail.asp?area=bgRecords&type=Typical+Whitetail+Deer.

  5. 5

    Place your antlers, your measuring tape, yardstick and steel cable on a table. The skull plate should be sitting on your table so that you can take horizontal and vertical measurements of the rack. You will need to take all measurements to the nearest one-eighth inch.[3]

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  1. 1

    Measure the tip-to-tip spread with your measuring tape. This is the distance between the tip of the right antler and the tip of the left antler. Take the measurement from the front of the antlers.[4]

    • Write down all your measurements on your score sheet or using the Boone and Crockett Club online form.
    • This is usually a small measurement because the main beams reach toward each other in the middle of the rack.
  2. 2

    Find the greatest spread. This is the distance between the widest point of the left antler to the widest point of the right antler. This horizontal measurement can be taken along any point of antlers along the main beam.[5]

  3. 3

    Locate the inside spread of the main beams. Measure the horizontal distance between the widest curve of the main beam on each side.

  4. 4

    Calculate the length of the main beam. Start at the burr, where the antlers meet the skull. Twist your flexible measuring tape so that it follows the center of the lowest outside edge of the main beam over the outer side to the end of the main beam.[6]

    • Start with the right antler and then do a separate measurement for the left antler.
    • Antlers are not perfectly symmetrical.
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Part 3

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Measuring Points

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  1. 1

    Distinguish the normal points from abnormal points. Typical/normal points are those extending from the top of the main beam. Abnormal points can extend from the main beam near the burr.[7]

  2. 2

    Total up the lengths from base to tip of each abnormal point on the right antler and on the left antler. This should be fairly easy and short unless your deer’s antlers are extremely abnormal.[8]

  3. 3

    Measure each normal point on the right antler. The Boone and Crockett Club scoring sheet has places for up to seven points, although few deer will have that many. Repeat with the points on the left antler.[9]

    • Each point will have a separate box in which to write the measurement.
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Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Measuring Circumference and Finishing

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  1. 1

    Determine the circumference points for your antlers. This is the narrowest point between one location and another. Use a flexible measuring tape to wrap in a circle around that point, or use a flexible steel cable and then lay it out across a yardstick to determine the measurement.[10]

  2. 2

    Wrap your flexible measuring tape around the area between the burr and the first point of the right antler. Make sure you are choosing the narrowest point. Repeat on the left.

  3. 3

    Measure the circumference of the narrowest portion between the first and second points. Do the right and then the left.[11]

  4. 4

    Measure the circumference between the second and third points on both sides.[12]

  5. 5

    Determine the circumference between the third and fourth points on both sides.[13]

  6. 6

    Submit the form on the Boone and Crockett Club website or total the points according to your form. Confirm that you have followed fair game rules when hunting the deer.

  7. 7

    Receive an official score from the Boone and Crockett Club. In order to be entered into their awards program, you will need to contact a local Boone and Crockett Club and have an Official Measurer score your antlers.[14]

    • You can also submit your score to your state agency for special consideration or awards.
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  • Question

    Do I use the tip-to-tip measurement?

    How to Score Deer Antlers (with Pictures) - wikiHow (26)

    Community Answer

    You can, but it is not necessary to use the tip to tip measurement, you will really only need the inside spread, and the measurement of all the tines.

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    Should I add tip to tip and the inside spread to the final score?

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    Community Answer

    Yes. You need to do tip to tip with the inside spread, and the measurement of all the tines.

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  • Question

    Why do you air dry for 60 days before scoring?

    How to Score Deer Antlers (with Pictures) - wikiHow (28)

    Community Answer

    It will allow the antlers to "dry out" and shrink to their smallest size. That way, all antlers are being measured in the same state. A "green" antler that is fresh out of velvet will have greater size than a dry antler.

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      Tips

      • These measurements are often listed in a different order, depending upon the agency that will be issuing the score for your deer antlers.

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      • Once you receive an official award or certificate with your antler score, you can include it on the nameplate when you mount the rack.

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      Things You'll Need

      • Deer antlers
      • 1/4-inch steel measuring tape
      • Flexible steel cable
      • Yardstick
      • Scoresheet
      • Pencil

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      How to Score Deer Antlers (with Pictures) - wikiHow (2024)

      FAQs

      Can you score a deer from a picture? ›

      Using a single photograph, Buckscore can get within six percent of a deer's gross antler score. For a 125-inch buck, that's within seven inches of the actual score. Jeremy says, "A careful user can get within four percent of the gross score with two photographs and within 2.5 percent with three photographs.

      Is there an app to score deer antlers? ›

      Join BuckScore® Today! * The BuckScore® program's accuracy is contingent upon the quality of your photo, the accuracy of the reference feature, accurate buck information (age of buck and location by state), and the manual insertion of measurement points input by the individual.

      How do I score my deer antlers? ›

      To get the gross score, add the inside spread, beam lengths, all the G-point lengths, and all H-circumference measurements. Finally, subtract the total deduction number from the gross score to get the final, or net, score. The most common errors in score calculation are addition and subtraction errors.

      How old is a 6 point buck? ›

      Looking at three recent years of biological data from deer in Maine, our average yearling buck sported between 3 and 4 antler points, and our average 2-year-old buck had 6 to 7 points. There's a lot of growth between a buck's 1st and 2nd birthdays!

      How do you score a deer at home? ›

      You'll first measure both main beams, all the tines, four circumferences on each side, and the inside spread. Add those together for the gross score of the rack. Then you deduct the side-to-side differences for the net score.

      Does BuckScore work? ›

      Buckscore is a scientifically-proven software that was tested using thousands of deer across North America, via intense research at The Mississippi State Deer Lab. All scores are still considered estimates to in-hand scoring, however, research shows that the patented digital scoring system is extremely accurate.

      What is green score deer antlers? ›

      The gross score for horned and tusked animals is the total of the left and right sides without deductions for lack of symmetry. A green score is a score completed prior to the required 60 day drying period.

      What is the Buck score program? ›

      Buckscore™ is an educational and data collection tool for biologists and deer hunters. Developed by scientists and biologists with Mississippi State University's Deer Ecology and Management Lab the software allows users to estimate antler size of photographed white-tailed deer.

      What is the easiest way to score a buck? ›

      How to Score a Buck in 7 Easy Steps
      1. Step 1: Measure the inside spread. ...
      2. Step 2: Measure tine length on one side. ...
      3. Step 3: Measure the circumferences on one side. ...
      4. Step 4: Measure the main beam length on one side. ...
      5. Step 5: Repeat on the other side. ...
      6. Step 6: Measure any abnormal points. ...
      7. Step 7: Add and subtract.
      Nov 18, 2022

      How old is a 10 point buck? ›

      The number of antler points a buck has does not correlate with the buck's age. Yearling bucks have been known to grow antlers with eight or 10 points when the habitat and nutrition are good. The spread of the antlers can offer a clue to a buck's age. Yearling bucks rarely have antlers that grow wider than their ears.

      Are 10 point bucks rare? ›

      Notice that most antlers (71 percent) are within one point of the average. Very small antlers (4-5 points) and very large antlers (10-11 points) are infrequent, making up less than 15 percent of the age class.

      How old is a 200 lb buck? ›

      Most 4 year olds go 190 to just over 200... The point where it gets tough is at 4 in my opinion, cause at that point weights start to very. In a couple of extreme cases (and after rut) I have had mature bucks (over 4 y/o) weigh in the 180's.

      Is there a 50 point buck? ›

      The following slide shows two extreme outliers at the Faith Ranch: a 50 point deformed buck and the 236 I shot in 1990. These images provide a visual to describe outliers on the bell curve of antler scores.

      Is there a 40 point buck? ›

      A potentially record-breaking doozy. Fourteen-year-old Paslie Werth, of Cimarron, shot a once-in-a-lifetime deer last Sunday — a 40-point, free-range whitetail buck tallying a gross green score of 282 6/8 inches — while rifle hunting on family property with her father, Kurt, in Kiowa County.

      What is the free app to score deer? ›

      Holding two U.S. issued patents, BuckScore® is the only science-proven program that allows you to score pictures of bucks in minutes. The app accurately estimates antler size including spread, beam length, tine length, and circumference all to calculate a Net and Gross score within 3% of the actual score.

      Is it OK to headshot a deer? ›

      Under no circ*mstance should you ever take a head shot on a deer — with gun or bow. I oftentimes hear people brag about how they head-shot a deer and dropped it instantly. Well, sure, if you hit the brain the deer is dead, no doubt. But you're aiming at a baseball-sized object.

      Who can officially score a deer? ›

      All trophies entered in the Boone and Crockett Club's Big Game Records Program must be measured by a trained, official Boone and Crockett Club measurer. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer B&C Official Measurer you must first attend a measurer training workshop sponsored by the Club's Records Department.

      Can deer survive a headshot? ›

      headshot is not very safe to kill an animal ^^ they have very small brains and some have massive skulls that are hard to penetrate. go for a heart or lung shot - magical triangle between the front legs (not to high) if it faces you, or along the frontlegs (a wee bit behind) from the side.

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