This deer is actually on a friend's place and his teenage son is really wanting a shot at him. I hope he gets one. Regardless of score he will be pumped!
Score please
- Thread starter Spurhunter
- Start date
I appreciate everyone's input. As someone not good at the scoring stuff, I love all the discussion and explanations!
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
And we can find out exactly what this one scored! :cool:
I'm usually more conservative in my guesses than many on here, but apparently I was fooled a bit by this one. My initial thought was 125 class, later lowered to 122.
Guess I better eat some more Mississippi Crow and lower that on down to 118 :D
I'm sticking with upper 120's. My final answer is 128. But, as I said, I'm not good at scoring and all the technical stuff posted here says I'm high.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
It's difficult to be highly accurate just based off a single pic or two.
I have several mainframe 8's on the wall that go over 130.
My very first "frame of reference" is comparing any other mainframe 8 to those on the wall, where the score is actually known.
If you get more pics of this buck, the guessed scores should become more accurate.
We're all just guessing.
After you measure some racks you begin seeing "windows" where most measurements fall into.
Case in point antler bases usually fall between 3" and 5" with most being in the 4"-4.5" range. It would be a spike to measure smaller and a giant to measure bigger. So when looking at a typical buck like yours, we know with near certainty that his bases will measure 3"-4" and drop by 1/2"-1" with each successive circumference measurement.
Same with beam length, tine length, and spread. Once you've measured some deer you see a pretty clear window of range for each measurement. That's why I usually run numbers before guessing a score. It's not so much a guess as it is an estimate. But this time I just guessed by glancing the pic and was fooled because I didn't add up the numbers. Had I done so my initial guess would have been 115".
Regardless, I hope the kid gets him. Heck of a buck, especially for a young hunter who hasn't killed many big bucks. I know I'd have been over the moon with that buck when I was 16yrs old!
Savage
Well-Known Member
This is where I had him
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
I will say this. Imo 8 points are some of the hardest to guess to me. A big frame 8 point will fool many people because of the frame alone. A 125 plus 8 point is a very good deer an upper 130s plus is an absolute giant. I think 10 point and bigger are always easier to guess. With that said I am a sucker for a big 8 point I love giant framed 8 points. They are impressive. A buddy of mine killed a 158 and some change 8 15ish years ago. And that deer is beyond impressive he is beside a 150 10 on the wall and the 8 point looks like twice the deer.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
When you see a buck from a distance, and you're mesmerized, your heart goes pity-patter, it will be overall mass, not the "score", that gets your attention most.
Most of the B&C "score" comes from tines & tine length, even when those tines are near invisible at 200 yds distance. But see a massive mainframe 6-pointer (talking over 5" basal circumferences with that "mass" carrying greatly towards the ends of long main beams), and your mouth will drop.
I've seen some 130-class 6-pointers that impressed me more than some 170-class 10-pointers, especially from a distance.
To each his own, when it comes to defining a "trophy" buck.
But to me, the "score" has become a 4th criteria issue.
Age x Mass x Uniqueness, then score doesn't matter much.
52-0 go Vols!
I like the way you think!
Tines are longer than that for sure, I am thinking 115- 120
I think you are spot on on spread, and maybe all measurements, but he looks a little light to be 4" bases but he very well could be. I will ask ole Wobble! :D
wobblegobble
Well-Known Member
117
tdt5446
Well-Known Member
30 years ago we would all have said "shoot em"!
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
And today we say shoot them if you want to. Personally I don't want my deer season to be 2 or 3 days long shooting the first couple bucks I see.
bwgarrett3
Well-Known Member
I'm no expert by any means but would guess 110-115. On average a deer's ear is 5-6 inches. I use this all the time when judging the length of tines. Looks to me like the tines are very close to the length of his ears.
No matter the score, it will be a trophy for the boy if he gets him.
No matter the score, it will be a trophy for the boy if he gets him.
