creed_az_88 Report post Posted August 24, 2008 Do you guys have any techniques for scoring deer in the field...especially in high pressure, quick decision situations? What works best for ya guys? I expect to get tons of replies considering all the "professionals" that cruise this forum looking to give out their secrets any chance that they get. creed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snapshot Report post Posted August 24, 2008 I am no proffesional but if it looks good I shoot it. Otherwise I go by what I learned in Duane Adams Coues Whitetail book on field judging. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wklman Report post Posted August 24, 2008 I always try to remember the deer I've already taken and scored and judge the deer i find by what i know what a certain deer scores. say i find a buck that has a rack thats just inside his ears and not very tall. i will go back and say ok he looks like the deer i shot back in 95' and that one scored about 80" so I'd judge him to be close to the same. its a lot of guess work but if i jump a deer and I am in a pressure situation to get a shot off i look for 2 things. width and more importantly height. usually your best scoring bucks carry tall 2nd and 3rd points. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Huntn coues Report post Posted August 24, 2008 I do not see a bunch of replies Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billrquimby Report post Posted August 24, 2008 C.J. McElroy, the guy who founded Safari Club International and took hundreds of trophy animals from obscure places all over the world, always said if you have to ask yourself if it's a trophy then you shouldn't shoot. "You'll know it when you see it," he told me. Problem is, my view of a trophy is different than his or most of you. After editing the SCI record books for sixteen years, such books do not interest me. I no longer measure my trophies with a tape measure but by the experiences of the hunt. A little spike buck I shot years ago in Texas with a $50 muzzleloader ranks just as high in my personal book as any of my "real trophies" because it got me interested in hunting with and building muzzleloaders at a time few others were doing it. Bill Quimby Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snapshot Report post Posted August 24, 2008 Well said Bill. I feel the same way. I hunt to enjoy my time in the mountains and get away from civilization and re-energize the soul. A trophy is nice if the opporunity presents itself, but the hunt is not lost without one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firstcoueswas80 Report post Posted August 24, 2008 First off, straight out tine length is where the majority of the score comes from. If his rack reaches for the sky, hes a good buck, and probably a shooter! Of course, great mass and width add up also. A good way it to look at his frame. If he is as wide/wider than his hears and tall, he has the "frame" of a big buck. And in a pinch, that is good enough for me. If you have time to sit and look at the deer, look for some measurements that stick out... 4+ inch eyeguards, 6+ inch g2's 4+ inch G3's. If his beams reach out and touch his nose = big buck! Like others have said, if he gets your heart goin, hes the right one! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted August 24, 2008 This has been covered a few times: http://forums.coueswhitetail.com/forums/in...?showtopic=5048 http://forums.coueswhitetail.com/forums/in...?showtopic=7334 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DesertBull Report post Posted August 24, 2008 If YOU like him, shoot. If YOU don't, then pass. Can't get much simpler than that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted August 24, 2008 If YOU like him, shoot. If YOU don't, then pass. Can't get much simpler than that. That's pretty much the method I use..... I certainly have spent time estimating tine length and main beams and such, but really when it came down to it, it was just a matter of if I wanted the buck or not. If I have to spend a bunch of time deciding if his 3rds are 6 inches or 7.5 inches, etc....then it's probably not a buck I want. Usually, I know right away if it's a buck I will shoot. Amanda Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snapshot Report post Posted August 25, 2008 Type in the keywords "Boone and Crockett score sheets" and you can download copies from various websites for practice scoring also. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted August 25, 2008 Or you can go to the How To Score section of CouesWhitetail.com and get scoresheets as well as a step by step how to and a spreadsheet to enter numbers into. http://www.coueswhitetail.com/how_to_score..._Coues_deer.htm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ruffcountry Report post Posted August 25, 2008 C.J. McElroy, the guy who founded Safari Club International and took hundreds of trophy animals from obscure places all over the world, always said if you have to ask yourself if it's a trophy then you shouldn't shoot. "You'll know it when you see it," he told me. Bill Quimby I havent hunted coues long enough to know how this applies to them but in my experiences hunting mule deer I would have to say yeah . If you glass up a mule deer and you turn to ask your buddy " Hey do think this buck is very big ?" ,well he isnt . When you spot a big one you say "Holy Cow! , man look at that BIG buck . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coues 'n' Sheep Report post Posted August 25, 2008 Would I be too simple minded if I mentioned........ 'No Brainer'......... or.......... 'Not good enough' Actually... I guess.... sometimes I'm right..... sometimes I'm wrong.... Really.... I'm not joking! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snapshot Report post Posted August 25, 2008 Or you can go to the How To Score section of CouesWhitetail.com and get scoresheets as well as a step by step how to and a spreadsheet to enter numbers into. http://www.coueswhitetail.com/how_to_score..._Coues_deer.htm Sorry Amanda, I forgot that you have that here, my bad Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
