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How to Use the B&C Measuring System

Developed more than 50 years ago, the Boone and Crockett Club's measuring criteria remains the standard for keeping records of all North American big-game trophies. Because official scoring of a rack requires an intimate knowledge of B&C's extensive rules, we aren't going to teach you to be a panel pro. We can, however, provide a working knowledge of the basics.

Tools Needed to Measure using the Boone & Crockett System
1. 1/4" wide by 6' long flexible steel tape measure with a lip-end
2. 1/4" wide by 6' long flexible steel tape measure with a ring-end
2. Thin, flexible bicycle brake or gear selector type steel cable, three to four feet long
3. Two alligator clips
4. Roll of half-inch wide masking tape
5. Carpenter's folding ruler, with slide end
6. Erasable pencils
7. Copies of the official scoring forms from B&C. Phone Number: 888-840-4868

Six Easy Steps
All measurements should be taken with a quarter-inch flexible steel tape. However, if you think you can get a more accurate measurement with something easier to handle, B&C authorizes using plastic-coated cable (especially helpful for measuring the main beams). Measurements are recorded in inches and eighth-inch fractions. (If a dimension nudges past the 1/16 mark between eighths, round up to the next eighth.) Be sure to keep all right and left antler measurements separate.

Establish Baselines: To qualify as measurable, any projection has to meet two requirements: 1) It must be at least one inch long from the tip to its junction with any other antler structure; and 2) at some location along its length (but not within one inch of the tip), the point must be longer than it is wide. So the initial step in measuring whitetail antlers is to establish "baselines" for all possible points and to "qualify" suspect points. Determine point bases by draping the
quarter-inch tape over the point at its junction with the other antler structure and marking the baseline so that it coincides with the edges of the host beam or point.

Identify Non-Typical Points: If an antler point is measurable, it must then be classified as typical or non-typical. All typical points project from the top -- not the sides or bottom -- of the main beam; and they may not branch from other points. The final point count for each antler includes all measurable points -- typical and non-typical -- plus the main beam tips. Look at both sides of the rack and match up points by their location. If extra points along the beam tops create
obvious mismatches from side to side, these may be non-typical. Missing or broken-off points can also cause mismatches and reduce the final score. Mark all abnormal points on a typical rack with pieces of masking tape. Later, as the points are measured and recorded, the tape can be removed to help keep track of which points have been measured.

Inside Spread: The inside spread is the only spread measurement that counts in the final score. Taken with the carpenter's rule between the inside of the main beams at their widest point, this measurement's path must be perpendicular to the center line of the skull and parallel to the top of the skull plate. The inside spread's credit may be equal to, but may not exceed, the longer of the main beam measurements. If it does, the longer beam measurement becomes the spread score.
The other two spread measurements -- tip-to-tip (B, in Panel No. 6) and greatest spread (C) -- are supplementary data (as is the number of points); they simply add numerical perspective to the overall size and configuration of the rack.

Beam Length: Measure the main beam from tip to burr by carefully taping the cable along the outside center line of the antler. Use alligator clips to mark the ends of the cable. Then stretch the cable along the tape to record the distance between the clips. If there's a question about which path should be taken on a curving beam (or point, for that matter), measure both sides and record the longer dimension. If bumps, bulges, ridges and other points interfere with the measurement path, take the shortest route around them.

Points: Next are the point measurements. Using the lip-end tape, measure from the tip of each tine to the baseline pencil marks (made in Step 1). Begin with the first typical point or brow (G-1, in Panel No. 6), and measure each of the typical points on both antlers. Then measure the non-typical points (E).

Circumference: The final dimensions to measure are the circumferences of the main beams. Two standards apply: Circumferences are always read at the narrowest place within the designated locations, and four measurements must be made on each antler. Except for the first circumference, these
measurements are made at locations along the main beams between the typical points. The first circumference (H-1) is taken at the narrowest place between the antler and burr and the first point or brow tine; the second circumference, H-2, comes between G-1 and G-2; the third, H-3, is between G-2 and G-3; and H-4 is taken between the third and fourth typical points. Use the flexible quarter-inch steel tape for these measurements, not the cable. The latter can slip in between bumps on the beam and cause illegitimately low measurements to be registered.

Final Score
Turning all these figures into a score requires nothing more than simple addition and subtraction, though there are some fractions. Add up the following: inside spread, both main beams, all typical points and all four circumferences from each beam. Compare the corresponding measurements -- beams, points and circumferences -- from the right antler to the left, and subtract the smaller number from the larger. (If G-1 left equals 32/8 and G-1 right equals 35/8, the difference is 3/8.) Add up all these differences (and any non-typical points), and then subtract from the above total. Voila! That is your score.

Before an official measurement can be made, the antlers must air-dry for at least 60 days. The B&C world-record typical whitetail currently scores 2135/8, while a minimum entry score is 170. For bowhunters, the Pope and Young record is 2044/8, with a minimum of 125 to get in the book.

Antler Development and Age

Antler size and the number of points are generally poor indicators of age because there are so many other variables that affect antler growth. Some of those variables are nutrition, sex, area and genetics. Age does have some impact on the size, but not as much as the other factors. Most hunted bucks are seldomly older than 2 to 3 years. The size of the antlers vary at different times of the year as noted below.

Seasonal Antler Development

APRIL: Antler growth originates from small bony projections in front of the deer's ears.

JUNE: The antlers begin to sprout, and are soft and covered with velvet. At this point, the antlers begin the development of tines.

AUGUST: The antlers are almost their full size, but are still very soft and still covered with velvet.

SEPTEMBER: The fully grown antlers begin to harden, and the velvet is immediately shed.

OCTOBER: The antlers are now sharpened and polished from the frequent rubbing on trees and brush.

JANUARY: The antlers drop off as the male hormone levels drop. Sometimes only one antler will drop off, with the other remaining for a while longer.

Feeding Areas

This may sound obvious, but the best way to find a feeding area used by deer is to go to where the deer food is, such as an agricultural field, an abandoned apple orchard, an oak stand, or an area that has a lot of browse.

If you aren't familiar with where these areas are, follow a heavily used deer trail and it will lead you to the feeding areas eventually. A typical feeding area will show many deer tracks. There will also be droppings and bedding areas nearby. Be aware that deer droppings look very similar to rabbit droppings. Rabbit droppings are perfectly round and light brown in color while deer droppings are black or dark brown.

If you are in a well used feeding area, you will find telltale signs such buds and twigs that were torn off. The deer has no upper teeth, therefore cannot cleanly cut what he eats, but rather has to 'rip' the vegetation off.

Foods Eaten by Deer

The whitetail has a sophisticated four part stomach that digests everything from cactus to acorns, and produces heat as a by-product. They can live in a wide variety of habitats because they eat so many different types of foods.

Whitetails require an abundant food supply consisting mainly of forbs and grasses. In the winter, deer eat crops and crop residue, nut, buds and twigs. Whitetails can survive for a long time without water if their food has a high water content. The less water available in the food, the more they must depend on streams, lakes, potholes, creeks and other surface water sources. Lack of water will limit deer populations.

Field Care & Mounting Deer

Once you've taken the trophy buck down there are several things you must do before the mounted head will end up as one you'll be proud of. When removing the deer's cape, you must not cut the throat or make any incisions in the neck skin whatsoever. If you do so, it will cause the taxidermist many problems in preparing the mount.

It's extremely necessary to leave much more neck skin intact that you might think. Most poorly mounted trophy heads result because the taxidermist doesn't have enough neck skin or cape to work with. You should start by making a cut on top of the buck's head just behind the ears. Cut towards the rear along the top of the neck to a point behind the front shoulders.

Then you should make 2 vertical cuts, one down each side of the body to the point where they meet. This point where the cuts meet should be behind the brisket, or just ahead of the forelegs. When you finish these cuts you'll see how the excessive skin is needed in order to make a good mount.

What you want to achieve is to get the head and cape removed from the rest of the deer carcass. You should start peeling the skin at the point where the horizontal and vertical cuts meet, just behind the front shoulders. Using a skinning knife, peel the flaps of skin away from the body toward the head. Contine until skin is removed from the base of the skull.

At this point, you can cut the head free from the carcass by cutting straight through the neck. You need to get your buck's head to a taxidermist within a very few days so that it doesn't spoil. You may want to freeze the head if you find it difficult to get it to a taxidermist in a timely manner. When you freeze the head, make sure that you put the head in a cardboard box and seal the box, and then take it to a meat-packing plant if possible. Good luck and safe hunting!

Breeding Behaviors

Several months before whitetail deer begin to mate, the bucks begin to establish dominant behaviors. A social hierarchy which consists of three phases is formed during the whitetail breeding season. The three phases are prerut, rut, and postrut.

During the summer, usually about 5 or 6 bucks live together in open grasslands or prairies along with some does and fawns. Dominance among bucks is determined by the size of the bucks and their racks. Deer with small racks avoid those with larger racks, and will often groom the larger bucks by licking them on their shoulders and necks.

Smaller bucks will avoid eye contact and will even move out of the way of larger bucks. In the summer, bucks will rarely settle disputes with their antlers because the antlers are very sensitive and can be injured very easily. The antlers are "in velvet" and will stay in open areas to avoid damaging their antlers. By the end of the summer, almost every buck knows his own position in the hierarchy.

In the fall, summer groups break apart and the bucks become increasingly antagonistic as their antlers begin to harden, usually between September and October. This is known as the prerut stage. The dominant bucks will stay near the home front in order to maintain the social order.

During this period, bucks will begin to make rubs, which is the bucks way of marking his territory and making his presence known to the other deer These bucks will scrape small trees with their antlers, knocking the bark off around two feet from the ground. Early rubs are about 6 inches long and a third of the way around the tree. Later rubs can be twice as big. A buck will deposit scents from their preorbital glands as they rub these trees. Bucks often tend to rub aromatic trees such as cedar, pine, and cherry and will rarely revisit a rub.

As soon as bucks start making rubs, they will challenge each other by sparring. One buck will approach another buck, holding his head low. Then they will begin pressing their antlers or foreheads together, and begin pushing each other. Sparring typically takes place in the daytime. This sparring helps to reinforce the social ranks that were established earlier in the summer. Sparring is most common among similar sized bucks. Later in the prerut, bucks will become increasingly aggresive and will challenge each other more often,

Sparring ends with the beginning of the rut phase, which begins when the does go into estrus, which typically lasts between 24 and 36 hours. During this time period, does are receptive to breeding. Does go into estrus at different times, so the rut can continue for a month or more. Rutting activity usally begins in mid October and can last well into January, depending on the location.

Before the rut begins, bucks will start creating bare patches or depressions in the ground, which are known as scrapes. As the rut becomes underway, more and more scrapes will be made. Scrapes are usually 1 to 4 feet long. Scrapes are usually made where there isn't much ground cover. A buck will make several lines or clusters of scrapes near his home turf, which will increase the odds of does finding them. Bucks will also deposit scents and urine on these scrapes.

The urine is the strongest and most important scent used to mark the bucks territory. Bucks will urinate on their legs, mixing the urine with scents from the tarsal glands. This strong smelling mixture is then deposited into the scrapes, and can last several days. Does will signal the bucks when ready to breed by urinating into these scrapes. Does sometimes make their own scrapes. The rut is the best time to hunt, when bucks are preoccupied with breeding activities. Bucks will become careless and vulnerable during breeding.

Courting activity is initiated when a buck catches a whiff of a doe in estrus. He will begin to give chase to the doe once he has her tracked. The buck holds his head low with chin upward as he begins the chase. He then makes deep and long grunts, and will also make snorts and wheezes during the chase. When a buck approaches a doe, she will flee until she is ready to begin breeding. During mating, bucks are very intolerant of each other and will lock their anters together in battle, even to the point of killing each other. Once a doe goes into estrus, the buck will feed and bed with her. This behavior is called tending. At this point, he will sniff her rump and chase her. They will copulate several times while she is in estrus.

The final phase of the breeding season, postrut, begins once all the breedable does have been bred. At this point, the male hormone levels will drop, and rubbing and scraping activities diminish. Most bucks will lose their antlers in a month after rut ends. Some healthier bucks may carry the antlers for several more months. When breeding is completed, bucks will begin feeding heavily to put on extra fat for the upcoming cold weather.

When the 6 1/2 month gestation period ends, does leave the family groups and go off to deliver in May or June. Does will usually give birth to twins or triplets. Does will remain isolated from the rest of the group until the fawns are fully nursed. After approximately one month, the doe and fawns will join the family group.

Acorns
Alfalfa
Browse (buds and attached twigs)
Cactus and other succulents
Corn and other agricultural crops
Crop Residues
Emergent Aquatics
Flowers
Forbs (low-growing, broad-leaved plants)
Fruits
Grasses
Legumes
Mushrooms
Nuts
Soybeans
Vegetables

Breeding Behaviors

SCENTS: While it is nearly impossible to disuise the human scent, masking scents can confuse deer and give you enough time to take a shot. Masking scents include fox urine, skunk musk, and fresh cedar leaves. You should use scents familiar to the deer in your hunting area. You should apply masking scents to your clothing and boots, and to the vegetation near your stand.

Attractant scents are effective because they take advantage of a deer's inclination to investigate any urine smell he notices. Doe-in-estrus scent is the most commonly used attractant and is intended to attract bucks who are in rut.

Many hunters sometimes will put scent canisters near their stand and make scrapes by clearing away some grass and leaves beneath an overhanging branch. Doe-in-estrus scent is then applied into the faked scrapes to attract bucks.