• Help Support TNDeer:

Disappointed

megalomaniac said:
That's not normal :) but sure is NICE when it happens, and even better when you actually tag him! Incredible deer, congrats!
Click to expand...
Thanks. He surprised us for sure. We were thinking 165ish but he was a lot heavier than we imagined. Scored 179 with about 6-8" broke off. My dad was the fortunate one to kill him.
 
BSK said:
I'm always amazed at how often bucks will have the most visually impressive rack (point length) at 4 1/2, but then decline in score in future years. However, their racks tend to get much more massive in future years, even if their total score declines.
Click to expand...
EXACTLY!

And because of this increase in mass, which as much less effect on "score" than tine length, the "measured" 5% increase in score from 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 tends to understate how much more impressive only 5% more in "score" CAN be.

Also, fully mature bucks tend to gain circumference (mass) in their tines, and this tine mass is never part of the score, but sure adds to the overall "mass" of what you see!

BSK said:
Average antler gross score increase:

1 1/2 to 2 1/2 - 100%
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 - 25%
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 - 15%
4 1/2 to 5 1/2 - 5%
Click to expand...

One more thing:

Even though bucks that survive to 6 1/2 & 7 1/2 often loose some tine length, which can cause their B&C "score" to regress, they will often grow abnormal "sticker" points (sometimes with "scoring" these get subtracted from the score!), yet these abnormal sticker & kicker points may greatly add to the antler's overall uniqueness and "trophy" aspect.

Many "clean" mainframe 8 to 9-pointers at 4 1/2
can end up as "gnarly" 8 to 9-point mainframes at 6 1/2 (or older)
but may have 11 to 12 scoreable "points" over an inch long,
along with several more non-scoreable under an inch.
Never mind those "scoreable" ones actually subtract from the "score".
Crazy, imo.
 
Last edited:
TheLBLman said:
Many "clean" mainframe 8 to 9-pointers at 4 1/2
can end up as "gnarly" 8 to 9-point mainframes at 6 1/2 (or older)
but may have 11 to 12 scoreable "points" over an inch long,
along with several more non-scoreable under an inch.
Never mind those "scoreable" ones actually subtract from the "score".
Crazy, imo.
Click to expand...
This old guy's mainframe 9-points put him in the low 140s. But his triple brows on one side, double brows on the other, and kicker off the back of his beam drove his gross nontypical score up to 156.
 

Attachments

  • 2007Bryan2b2.jpg
    2007Bryan2b2.jpg
    89.4 KB · Views: 87
BSK said:
I would agree with that.

And heavy mass is damn impressive as it comes through the woods towards you!
Click to expand...
Holding a set of antlers with mass is a lot more satisfying than a thin set that scores high because it has a lot of length. One of my favorite sheds from last year has over a 6" base and heavy all the way through even up the tines. The best part is I found him on trail cam this summer and even though he's only about 13" wide he'll score pretty darn good and his opposite side is much larger
 
BSK said:
And heavy mass is damn impressive as it comes through the woods towards you!
Click to expand...
When you see a group of deer 700 yards in the distance, and with your naked eye note one of them has antlers, it will be because that one has "mass". Then you put up your binoculars and note all in the group are antlered bucks, but the only one that really stands out is the one with the "mass".
THAT is The ONE!

Never mind, other bucks in the group may considerably out-score that massive antlered one.
All it takes is the visual, to understand that mass usually trumps B&C "score".

"The One" is seldom younger than 5 1/2 or older.

To me, the better "trophy" buck is defined by a
balance of older age, mass, and uniqueness (like abnormal tines, side-kickers, etc.).
"Score" becomes last on my list of antler traits.
 
Last edited:
TheLBLman said:
When you see a group of deer 700 yards in the distance, and with your naked eye note one of them has antlers, it will be because that one has "mass". Then you put up your binoculars and note all in the group are antlered bucks, but the only one that really stands out is the one with the "mass".
THAT is The ONE!

Never mind, other bucks in the group may considerably out-score that massive antlered one.
All it takes is the visual, to understand that mass usually trumps B&C "score".

"The One" is seldom younger than 5 1/2 or older.

To me, the better "trophy" buck is defined by a
balance of older age, mass, and uniqueness (like abnormal tines, side-kickers, etc.).
"Score" becomes last on my list of antler traits.
Click to expand...
I do love high scoring deer but the more big deer antlers I hold the more I realize that some antlers may not score as high but overall there is a lot more bone on them
 
tree_ghost said:
I'd love to see a water displacement system or something implemented for this very reason!
Click to expand...
If you wanted to see which deer had grown the most antler material, a water displacement system would be the best method.

But a good scoring system needs to output a number that creates a visual image. Currently, the best system for doing that is Gross B&C score.
 
BSK said:
Currently, the best system for doing that is Gross B&C score.
Click to expand...
This may be, but for me, "score" is only a single piece of the "trophy" puzzle.
I've given a pass many times to bucks that scored 20-plus B&C points higher than the buck I decided was a better trophy.

Most of the "score" is coming from the number of tines & their length.
This downplays "mass".
In fact, no score credit whatsoever is given for the circumference of the tines,
which can really be "huge" on an older buck.

Beam length & overall mass often mean more to me than the score.

To have the ultimate trophy antlers, it remains imperitive to "let walk" those highest scoring 2 1/2 & 3 1/2-yr-old bucks?

This may typically mean you never raise your weapon on a 140-plus class 3 1/2, but decide to kill a 120-class 5 1/2 or older buck. Often, that 120-class older buck's antlers will displace more water than a 140-class younger buck (lacking mass).
 
BSK said:
Just goes to exemplify the variations of Nature. Some bucks "have it" and some don't. I've definitely seen bucks that never improve much beyond 3 1/2. Then I've seen those that explode after 3 1/2. Nature gets around to trying everything.
Click to expand...
It's no different in people.

I was one of the tallest kids on the football team in 8th-9th grade. Guess I peaked early.

Then by high school, guys shot up around me and I went from being able to see over the OL, to hoping the coach would call rollouts.
 
DeerCamp said:
It's no different in people.

I was one of the tallest kids on the football team in 8th-9th grade. Guess I peaked early.

Then by high school, guys shot up around me and I went from being able to see over the OL, to hoping the coach would call rollouts.
Click to expand...
Exactly. I graduated High School at 5' 5" and 135 lbs. In my early 20s, I started to grow. Ended up 5' 11 1/2" and 165. I went from being the smallest kid in my class every year from Kindergarten through senior year of High School to the tallest person in my family.
 
BSK said:
Exactly. I graduated High School at 5' 5" and 135 lbs. In my early 20s, I started to grow. Ended up 5' 11 1/2" and 165. I went from being the smallest kid in my class every year from Kindergarten through senior year of High School to the tallest person in my family.
Click to expand...
Same here. I graduated high school at 5'10" and 160 lbs. It wasn't until sophomore year in college when I "filled out" to 6'0" and 190 lbs. I always wished I had that extra meat on me to excel in high school sports. I also know of a guy in middle school that was bigger than anyone and everyone was scared of him. He never grew another inch and was one of the smallest guys by high school graduation. Helps explain antlers to an extent.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top