With the exception of the upcoming Flintlock deer season, our deer hunting is over in most states.
When we run into our hunting buddies, the photos come out, and the success stories follow. Most of the racks are what many of us would consider “average,” but now and again, a really nice rack comes up.
Most of us are probably happy with a six or eight-point buck with a 15-18-inch spread, but larger racks do show up.
Recently, a hunting friend showed me a photo, and the actual rack, of the buck he took during the last week, and it will probably score pretty well.
Like most hunters out there, I am not able to “score” a deer rack; my official evaluation of a good rack would probably come down as “You might want to get that mounted.” If you are really serious about getting a rack scored, you should contact an official Boone & Crockett scorer, some of whom work for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. There are about eight different measurements that must be taken and calculated.
If you are not looking for an official scorer and you want to try it yourself, I highly recommend Tom Fegely’s book A Guide to Hunting Pennsylvania Whitetails. Tom was a good friend and fellow outdoor writer who passed away several years ago, and his book provides an excellent explanation, photos, and diagrams of how to score and age your deer.
In recent years, it seems that we are encountering bucks with larger racks here in Pennsylvania. In spite of some resistance from some hunters, I suspect that the Game Commission’s antler restrictions several years back may have helped to increase the number of better bucks available.
Here again, I’m not the expert, but from what I’ve garnered, there are several factors that contribute to growing big, racked bucks. Age, genetics, habitat, food, environment, and herd management are all factors to be considered. When it comes to environment, extreme weather, human activity, parasites, and predation can all help suppress antler growth. Naturally, a good, nutritious food supply is also needed, but too many deer in any given area can deplete those food sources and lead to reduced antler growth.
Much of this information regarding antler growth that I am referring to here comes from some of the books written by Charlie Alsheimer. Charlie was a good friend who also passed away several years ago. He lived in New York state, where he had a farm and conducted serious deer management and observation — and he was considered one of the most outstanding deer photographers of all time.
In his book Quality Deer Management, The Basics, and Beyond, he writes about doe-to-antlered buck ratios. When the adult doe to antlered buck ratio exceeds 3-1, the rut will last much longer than the normal 45 days and can interfere with maximum antler growth.
So, what’s a good Boone & Crockett score for your Pennsylvania buck? Most really good bucks will probably fall into that 140-150 range. Certainly, a 170 would be a real trophy — but don’t hold your breath on that one.
In most cases, bucks experience a big jump in antler growth every year from ages one and one-half to four and one-half, but the growth in the later two years is the most impressive. So does that mean you will let that two-and-a-half-year-old six-point walk by next year?
