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. 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. Learn more about the different components that contribute to the overall score for a whitetail and other big game animals recognized by B&C.
Conservation
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Field Judging Big Game
One of the best ways to improve your field judging skills is to get a strong understanding of scoring a particular animal.
A bull elk is one of North America’s most majestic creatures, and a really big bull elk is the best of the best, one of the most regal, most dramatic, and most impressive creatures in the entire world. There is a big difference between a nice, normal, respectable, good bull and a monster that will make the records book. It isn’t hard to tell the difference, but the first decision you need to make is whether or not you care.
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The major features that make up a B&C score for mule deer and blacktails are: F - main beam length, G - point lengths, H - circumferences, and D - Inside Spread. Mule deer may not have as much going on above their heads as other members of the deer family, like elk and moose, but judging them...
Only two measurements make up the final score for a bear skull: A - Length and B - Width (not shown). By Jim Shockey Though some may disagree, black bears are one of the most sought after of all the big game species. Who hasn’t desired a black bear rug? Next to whitetail deer, there is an argument...
The major features that make up a B&C score for moose are: Greatest Spread, D - Width of Palm, and Length of Palm. By Craig Boddington Of all the living members of the deer family, moose have the greatest amount of antler material. They also show great variation in size, with the smallest racks...
The major features that make up a B&C score for a pronghorn: C - Length of Horn, D - circumferences, and E - Length of Prong. The unique pronghorn, its population reduced to some 15,000 head in the early 1900s , is one of America's greatest conservation success stories. Now legally hunted in...
The major features that make up a B&C score for a Rocky Mountain goat: C - Length of Horn and D - circumferences It would be hard not to classify any mature Rocky Mountain goat as a trophy considering all that goes into a successful hunt for these cliff dwellers. Nevertheless, as with all...
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