Many hunters that do not kill a lot of large bucks on a regular basis have no clue how to measure a buck’s antlers, nor can they look at a buck and say it’s close to a certain number of inches. So, for that reason, I put together a list some helpful resources for those of us who are novice scorers. The three most common types of scores are the B & C (Boone & Crockett), P & Y (Pope & Young), and the newest BTR (Buckmasters). They are all useful and each has different standards for getting in their record books. B & C is for animals taken with a firearm and P & Y is for animals taken with a bow. P & Y standards for entries are lower since you would be taking the animal with a bow which is considered a harder feat to accomplish.
First we will start with B & C:
Here is a link to an electronic scoring sheet which allows you to enter your measurements and it will provide you with an instant answer of how big your trophy deer is. They also do a very good job of describing how to measure the antlers and how to account for abnormalities.
Here is another link from B & C which provides a printable PDF file so you can take it with you to score your deer. So you could take it with you on your hunting trip away from home or keep in your pack in the field. You never know when you will take a buck of a lifetime and you may just want to sit down and score him while afield. However, if this is the case, remember your tape measure!
http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/tv/hints/rack_meas.pdf
You can use the B & C measurements to figure out what your P & Y score would be. However, both have official measurers which are certified to measure for new records and such.
Here is the link to B & C find a measurer: http://www.boone-crockett.org/bgRecords/records_omlist.asp?area=bgRecords
Here is the link to P & Y find a measurer: http://www.pope-young.org/find-measurer_results_ajax.asp
Finally, we have the Buckmasters system which is the newest of the scoring systems. From what I have read in different magazines and from people I have talked to, this new scoring system was created by Jackie Bushman and is growing at a rapid rate in popularity. It also has different ways of measuring antlers. It does not deduct for typical points that are not the same on both sides, but it also does not measure the inside spread. But it does account for each and every inch of antler that is present. Its standards for getting in their record book are 105” for bow and 140” for firearms. But it has different categories for the different kinds of firearms and for bows versus crossbows.
Here is the link on how to score using the BTR system: http://www.buckmasters.com/big-buck-central/btr.aspx
However, you will not be able to truly score it yourself like you can with B & C and P & Y, you will need an official to score it for you.
Here is the link to find your local BTR official scorer: http://www.buckmasters.com/big-buck-central/scorers.aspx?&sid=All
I hope these links to the different sites help you the next time you are wondering how to score a deer or just what your trophy really does score.
