Scoring deer

[cbay]

oops dbl post

[john1984]

Man, I think scoring, and the to some degree QDM, is hindering the sport. For me it's all about "is he pretty"? And then..."do I want him"? That's it. What do the eyes score that deer as?? Idk. Lol

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But you just called YOUR 3.5 year old buck, little.

So what would a buck have to score in order for you not to call them little????

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[Ol'DanBoone]

"Little" isn't the factor. Like I said, I think:"do I want him (her), or not?" I'm not gonna put a lot of pressure on myself to kill "x" or "y", regardless of whether I'm shifting to bigger deer (bucks) or not. I'm gonna have fun. If it's bigger deer that does it for ne, or well. If I decide, "hey, that spike looks nice", then he is in danger.
I'm not big buck killer by no means, but I was raised by a man that was a serious bow hunter in his time. My second deer ever was a 139in 10pt in montana that my dad put me on. I've seen big deer all my life. Scores and all that, isn't important, but little deer are still little call it what it is. I may say it's little, because it us, but I shot the thing, so.....I'm proud of it. Lol

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[john1984]

"Little" isn't the factor. Like I said, I think:"do I want him (her), or not?" I'm not gonna put a lot of pressure on myself to kill "x" or "y", regardless of whether I'm shifting to bigger deer (bucks) or not. I'm gonna have fun. If it's bigger deer that does it for ne, or well. If I decide, "hey, that spike looks nice", then he is in danger.
I'm not big buck killer by no means, but I was raised by a man that was a serious bow hunter in his time. My second deer ever was a 139in 10pt in montana that my dad put me on. I've seen big deer all my life. Scores and all that, isn't important, but little deer are still little call it what it is. I may say it's little, because it us, but I shot the thing, so.....I'm proud of it. Lol

[ Post made via Android ]

But you said that RECENT 3.5 year old was your biggest.

I live in the best state in the world for big bucks allegedly, and that 3.5 year buck you JUST killed would have been a buck of a lifetime for a lot of WI deer hunters.

Its all good. Even Robin Hood called his best friend little John, even though little John was a big man.

Freedom of speech

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[Ol'DanBoone]

All those with a rifle.....don't count. To each his own, different stroke for different folks, Yada yadda. Lol. I live in what some would consider a crap state for big bucks. Yet I saw a deer, I'm not lirning, on NC public land that I'm almost certain was pushing B&C. I think there are big deer everywhere. I'd be willing to bet there is even more big deer than what people could ever imageine. I think I read once, that for every 1600 acres, there is one 4.5 yr old buck.
Look around, there are monsters shot all across the country, everyday. We like big racks, not because there aren't so many, but because the deer wearing them are hard to find. Lol.

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[Southern Man]

I never worry about score. It really doesn't matter to me. I have never scored any bucks I have shot. Now I will say, I do want to kill a buck with the biggest horns I can find but won't live or die by it. I haven't killed a 1.5 yo buck in many years. For me sometimes, the conditions or situation of the kill means more to me than the score. Also, if I like the rack, I'll take it. It just depends on each encounter. My biggest bucks are not necessarily the most memorable.

There's a whole lot more to a rack than score. Sometimes the "score" doesn't do it justice, such as in the case of non-typical characteristics. Or the area killed. Or the conditions in which the kill happened.

Each buck comes with it's own memory. I've mounted every set set of horns I've shot, either horns on a plaques or a shoulder mount. Everytime I look at one of them comes the memory of the hunt.

[Edcyclopedia]

I never worry about score. It really doesn't matter to me. I have never scored any bucks I have shot. Now I will say, I do want to kill a buck with the biggest horns I can find but won't live or die by it. I haven't killed a 1.5 yo buck in many years. For me sometimes, the conditions or situation of the kill means more to me than the score. Also, if I like the rack, I'll take it. It just depends on each encounter. My biggest bucks are not necessarily the most memorable.

There's a whole lot more to a rack than score. Sometimes the "score" doesn't do it justice, such as in the case of non-typical characteristics. Or the area killed. Or the conditions in which the kill happened.

Each buck comes with it's own memory. I've mounted every set set of horns I've shot, either horns on a plaques or a shoulder mount. Everytime I look at one of them comes the memory of the hunt.

Good post
Peace on Brotha!

[Sam Ubl]

It takes a lot to get a high score on an 8 pointer, it doesn't matter how old he is. It's up to the individual hunter to set personal standards, no matter what they base them upon, be it score, age, or much simpler, the thrill or story built into the hunt. I'll say this, it's awfully hard to relate score to age/maturity of a buck. Of all the years I've been doing this, I can't remember a time I estimated a deer's score as he was walking in. I've estimated off trail cam pics and then seen the deer while hunting, so in those cases I have a rough idea, but still I don't think to myself, "here comes that 140...". Each time I send an arrow is situational, and there are many elements to that statement.

[JakeD]

In all honesty the score means nothing to me. That being said, I do still score my bucks just out of curiosity. I killed a great buck in 2012 that I had a couple years worth of pictures that scored 160 and was 6.5 years old. I was and am still very proud of that deer. But I also killed a 119" 8 pointer last year that I had 3 years worth of history and a couple sets of his sheds. He was 5.5 years old when I killed him and I was tickled pink. I passed on a 145ish 10 pointer early in the season because I wasn't sure how old he was, and I don't regret it one bit. I got the buck I was targeting and am very proud of him. All that I want to kill is a mature deer. A high scoring rack is just a bonus.

[magicman54494]

I'm not a big fan of scoring. The system is flawed anyway. It measures air (spread), it rewards certain traits like long skinny tines. 8 pointers get cheated on mass because of where the last measurement is taken, etc.
Some areas just don't produce big scoring racks. That doesn't mean that the buck isn't still a trophy.
I think scoring has done much more harm to the sport than good.
If you want to truly measure a rack then they should be dunked in water and measure the water displaced. All racks would be on equal terms then.
It would be easy for Ed, he would only need an ice cream bucket. Lol...you know I love you ed!

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[DaveT1963]

Score not so much but there is a look that grand my attention.... i have a thing for big, heavy eight pointers..... they won't break the records but you get a 150+ eight and that trips my trigger. I know it when i see it..... best way i can describe what I look for..... and it's not just rack score.

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[Edcyclopedia]

I'm not a big fan of scoring. The system is flawed anyway. It measures air (spread), it rewards certain traits like long skinny tines. 8 pointers get cheated on mass because of where the last measurement is taken, etc.
Some areas just don't produce big scoring racks. That doesn't mean that the buck isn't still a trophy.
I think scoring has done much more harm to the sport than good.
If you want to truly measure a rack then they should be dunked in water and measure the water displaced. All racks would be on equal terms then.
It would be easy for Ed, he would only need an ice cream bucket. Lol...you know I love you ed!

[ Post made via Android ]

Great post...
EXCEPT the last...

Antler Bully!

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[oneflag]

I'm not a big fan of scoring. The system is flawed anyway. It measures air (spread), it rewards certain traits like long skinny tines. 8 pointers get cheated on mass because of where the last measurement is taken, etc.
Some areas just don't produce big scoring racks. That doesn't mean that the buck isn't still a trophy.
I think scoring has done much more harm to the sport than good.
[glow=red]If you want to truly measure a rack then they should be dunked in water and measure the water displaced.[/glow] All racks would be on equal terms then.
It would be easy for Ed, he would only need an ice cream bucket. Lol...you know I love you ed!

[ Post made via Android ]

I have never heard that said and its a fantastic idea.

I guess there has to be some type system for the love of hunting.

I like gross scores because you get an idea just how much antler is there.

We have all heard nets are for fishing, "eh"?

[csoult]

I don't worry about score when I'm hunting. But.... I do like it as a descriptor. If when I see a deer and I think it's big enough to shoot, I shoot.

This year when my friend came to meet me to track my deer he asked "how big is it" I said big enough to shoot. No way, at the time of the encounter could I have scored it. Now after I got it home, I did score it.

[tgreeno]

If you are happy with the buck, shoot it! I could care less what others think. We all want to shoot big bucks or we wouldn't be members of this sight. But that's not going to happen every year for most of us. I get pumped shooting a doe, if it was a fun & exciting hunt.