ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. So, while you’re hunting how are you supposed to guess—and a guess is all it is—the age of a deer? I’m not suggesting young or new hunters should pass on a young buck, if it is legal and especially if they need the meat. Points may be quickly counted by assuming that an overwhelming majority of mature whitetail bucks grow a brow tine on each antler and that the main beam tip usually lies almost horizontally. Yearling bucks will not have rut-swelled necks, their hindquarters are thin, and their legs spindly. E-mail your comments/questions about this site to:NRAFamilyInsights@nrahq.orgYou can contact the NRA via phone at: NRA Member Programs1-800-672-3888, To advertise on NRA Family, visit nramediakit.com for more information, Privacy Policy • Contact Us • Warnings • FAQs • © 2020 National Rifle Association of America, Women On Target® Instructional Shooting Clinics, Volunteer At The Great American Outdoor Show, Marion P. Hammer Women Of Distinction Award, Women's Wildlife Management / Conservation Scholarship, National Youth Shooting Sports Ambassadors, NRA Outstanding Achievement Youth Award Presented by Brownells, National Youth Shooting Sports Cooperative Program, Our Top 10 Most Stylish Concealed-Carry Purses. One last word of advice, when the time comes to shoot, don’t bother looking at the antlers one more time. The feat of field scoring a whitetail deer on the hoof can be a tad tricky, especially if your hunting a State or Region you are unfamiliar with. Interestingly, the antler beams of Coues’ deer may well be nearly as thick as those on a mature whitetail. If so, by how much? It takes more than just being 30 inches wide to make a truly huge mule deer. The first thing you will notice about a large whitetail buck’s rack is the overall height and width, followed by the number of points, and mass. As opposed to the back fork, this fork will be much deeper in appearance. The “backs” are very often the weakest part of a mule deer rack and if they resemble a “crab claw”, then he is probably a young buck. A. However, we’ve transitioned to a time when deer are rated by inches and age. Often, there is very little distance between the antler tips, and some may nearly touch each other. The other is the Coues’ deer, a small-bodied whitetail with correspondingly smaller antlers that is found in the deserts and deciduous woodlands of southwestern New Mexico, Arizona, and northwestern Mexico. The spread between the relaxed ears of a whitetail buck is about 15 inches. Thick bases and longer beams tend to suggest an older deer, as do kicker points and drop tines. Yearling deer rarely have antlers spreading beyond the limit of their ears. No part of the Coues’ deer’s current range is inhabited by the larger whitetail, thus separating the two subspecies. When assessing a potential trophy’s score, we need to look at the lengths of the main beams, lengths of the points, the inside spread of the main beams, and the mass or circumference of the main beams at four locations. A good buck will usually (but not always) have. The second, larger buck has symmetric 2-3″ brow tines. Grey elongated faces, swayed backs, and possibly thick but stubby, crooked antlers distinguish these bucks. Seldom will a Coues’ deer show the “wide-open” look that is fairly common in whitetails. If you’re hunting where there’s a point restriction, it's simple math. This allows us to count the standing normal points G-2, G-3, G-4, etc., and quickly add that to the number 2 (brow tine and beam tip).
The average buck, with his ears in an alert position, has an ear tip-to-tip spread of 16 inches. by Richard Mann - Notice the abnormal points on the bases and a small deduction for symmetry in the G-2s. The Boone and Crockett Club recognizes two categories of whitetail deer. If you shoot ‘em all while they’re small, you’ll never see lots of big ones. That can be tricky. From this angle you get an exaggerated impression of the antler’s height and spread. When scoring a mule deer buck, you will take four circumference measurements on his main beam, or H measurements. Our team is looking forward to helping you find your next adventure! The Boone and Crockett Club defines a point on a whitetail or Coues’ deer as “any projection at least one inch long and longer than it is wide at one inch or more of length.” Since most whitetails are hunted in or near heavy cover where there may only be seconds to assess their antlers, we need a quick way to count points. This is even more common when food sources are sparse. Judging the length of the main beams is next. This means you might need to make a measurement before you pull the trigger. Lots of antler mass is most often found on deer three or more years old. A general rule of thumb is to look for a buck whose main beams appear to extend forward as far as the tip of his nose. Keep in mind that there are mule deer areas where, genetically, it is common for no browtines or weak browtines, even for big mature deer.
If it’s late in the rut and you suspect a buck may be run down, you can turn to the antlers for help. So we must and we will. These things can be quickly evaluated in the field with a few simple calculations. Nutrition and genetic factors have tremendous influence on antler growth. In some locations, deer are protected similarly. Any other points are considered “abnormal” and their lengths are deducted from the score if the buck is scored as a typical or added to the score if it is being scored as a non-typical.
If you see one of these geezers, consider not passing him up. Study the body first; a mature buck will generally have a prizefighter’s thick neck and blocky look. This is a great 5x5 buck that has deductions totalling over 10 points. However, late in the rut bucks become run down; a buck can lose as much as 25 percent of its body weight in just a few weeks. H-2 will be taken at the smallest place between the first and second point. Wednesday, September 16, 2020.
If you are hunting in an area that traditionally produces huge-bodied deer, or if you are hunting the little Coues’ deer, you will need to adjust your “rulers” accordingly. The typical pattern of a mature whitetail’s antler development is an unbranched main beam that normally develops from three to seven (sometimes more) unbranched points per antler at roughly spaced intervals. The easiest method for quickly judging the spread on any mule deer is the distance from ear-tip to ear-tip which is usually very close to 20 inches. The G-4 is the tine that along with the main beam produce the front fork. A high population of mature bucks makes hunting more exciting. Count the points and pull the trigger. The general look of the rack will be mature, with the second point on each antler being usually the longest of the side and the antler tips pointing toward each other. There will be at least three well-developed points (plus beam tip) on each antler for a near-book typical Coues’ deer trophy, and the inside spread will need to be near 15 inches. Ideally, you should make this comparison while the deer is looking at you.
Do Pistols That Shoot Rifle Cartridges Cut the Mustard? Roughly, the abnormal points will need to total about 10 inches (current typical all-time records book minimum entry score is 110 and that for non-typical is 120), which means generally about three or four abnormal points on the rack. Ideally, the rack should be viewed from the front and the side especially when judging the main beams.
Ideally, you should make this comparison while the deer … Field Judging Bucks. Typical whitetail deer scoring 213-5/8 points, Typical whitetail deer scoring 160 points. One of the best ways to improve your field judging skills is to get a strong understanding of scoring a particular animal. The length of the points can be estimated using the same “rulers” we used for the main beams. These will be our “rulers” for antler size estimation. However, this isn’t always possible and sometimes you will just have to go with your gut feeling. Then move to the G-3, or the tine that together with the G-2, forms the back fork. A Leg Up: Judging Buck Age From Body Proportions. Bucks used to be classified by the number of points you could hang a ring on, or by adjectives like "small," "medium," "large" or "monster." Contact Us for Prices or More Information. This is the time they’ll generally have the largest antlers. For example, if his main beam appears to be half an ear or three inches outside the ear tip on each side, then by adding 6 to 16 we find that he has a 22-inch spread. How much bigger is the antler? According to the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), one of the best ways to increase the number of bucks in the herd is to not shoot the immature ones. None of the first 300 whitetail deer that are listed in the Boone and Crockett Record Books are 8 Point Bucks. The easiest method for quickly judging the spread on any mule deer is the distance from ear-tip to ear-tip which is usually very close to 20 inches. Before discussing how to field-judge whitetails, it’s important to know why limitations exist. His ears will measures six inches from the base to the tip. But beware of the rear view, as it can be deceiving. At this point, you have three metrics that you can solely use to determine if a buck is a mature, 160″+ deer… If the buck is alarmed, ears pointed forward, this width is about 12 inches. 2 Quail Recipes For People Who Don't Like Turkey, © 2020 National Rifle Association of America. The downside is your taxidermy bill will likely increase; we all love them big antlers on the wall! Harvesting white-tailed bucks based on age is becoming an increasingly common management strategy. The most practical way to practice your field-judging skills is to estimate the score of mounted heads. However, as you grow as a hunter you can challenge your skills by shooting mature bucks. The spread between the relaxed ears of a whitetail buck is about 15 inches. To do this we need things of known sizes to visually compare the antlers to and in this case we will use the deer’s ears, eyes, and nose. ", Position Statement on Big Game Records and Hunting, North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. Mature bucks often appear to have legs that are too short. For most die-hard western antelope hunters, an antelope buck is considered of trophy quality when the score hits near or around the 80’ mark. These old brutes are the true trophies of the whitetail woods: They’re wise, rare, and represent everything that is wild. Today however, hunters across the whitetail’s range are estimating the age … Read More The circumference of a mature buck’s eye is approximately four inches.
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