Field judging methods

[.270]

it all depends on what day o' the season it is. i hold out for a a 4x4 about 30 inches wide the first day, at least until i see the first buck, and then go back to the old "has he got a fork?" it goes down from there. Lark.

[shortpants]

Personally I couldn't agree more with Desert Bull, if you like him shoot him. But being a guide you have to be able to pick 'em apart because some clients read way too many magazines and watch too many videos in my opinion. With that being said I would recommend scoring as many sheds and heads as you can and remember averages for different size racks. For example I use 20'' of mass as an average for an 80'' buck, 25'' for a 90''er, and 30'' for 100''+. If I'm field judging a 90'' class buck I look to see if he is above or below average on mass and them give him 23''- 28'' as I see fit. These are just approximate numbers because there all different. You can use this method for all your measurements. It gets me close enough, hope it works for you. The secret is to score as many racks and sheds as you can get your hands on!

[flagcoueskiller]

I would like to urge soazarcher to chime in on this topic. He seems to have the uncanny ability to get within a few inches for his clients and friends before they make a decision. That's only for the folks that want to know a score, which is veryfew of the folks on this site, which I have to commend. Usually he just tells me "I'd shoot him" and a loud noise ensues.

[SunDevil]

one of the best things is like Wklman said - if there is a buck you have taken that scores say 90" and you can remember the measurements of that buck, you can use it as a baseline to either add to or take away from the buck you are looking at.

 

to accurately field score you will need to see the buck from front and side.

 

from the front and looking at you - if he is out to his ears or beyond than he has good width - usually 13+"

 

from broad side - if his main beams extend out close to his nose than you are good to go - usually 16"+

 

from broad side - if he has good 2nds and his 3rds are longer than his 2nds you are really good to go.

 

like shortpants said about mass - ball park on mass is as good as you are going to get, if you know what avg mass is for a smaller buck vs a medium buck vs a large buck than you can plug those numbers in. it is pretty easy to tell if a buck has avg, below avg (spindley) or above avg (really thick) mass.

 

good luck

[SunDevil]

one of the best things is like Wklman said - if there is a buck you have taken that scores say 90" and you can remember the measurements of that buck, you can use it as a baseline to either add to or take away from the buck you are looking at.

 

to accurately field score you will need to see the buck from front and side.

 

from the front and looking at you - if he is out to his ears or beyond than he has good width - usually 13+"

 

from broad side - if his main beams extend out close to his nose than you are good to go - usually 16"+

 

from broad side - if he has good 2nds and his 3rds are longer than his 2nds you are really good to go.

 

like shortpants said about mass - ball park on mass is as good as you are going to get, if you know what avg mass is for a smaller buck vs a medium buck vs a large buck than you can plug those numbers in. it is pretty easy to tell if a buck has avg, below avg (spindley) or above avg (really thick) mass.

 

good luck

[desertsheep]

Alright I will give away my secert. Its call the 15" rule. Like shorty said you have to be able to pick them apart when guiding. So what I do when looking at a buck to decide if he' a shooter.

 

1. I look for 15" main beams

2. 15"of point length

3. 15"of mass

 

That equals 45" x 2 = 90 plus a spread of 12-13 " you have a 100" buck

 

On average your better bucks wont have 15" of mass so you will have to make it up in either point length or main beam.

 

To be able to do this though I have taped hundreds of racks and sheds. This buck didnt need to be added up. The big ones will stick out.

 

 

[firstcoueswas80]

Alright I will give away my secert. Its call the 15" rule. Like shorty said you have to be able to pick them apart when guiding. So what I do when looking at a buck to decide if he' a shooter.

 

1. I look for 15" main beams

2. 15"of point length

3. 15"of mass

 

That equals 45" x 2 = 90 plus a spread of 12-13 " you have a 100" buck

 

On average your better bucks wont have 15" of mass so you will have to make it up in either point length or main beam.

 

To be able to do this though I have taped hundreds of racks and sheds. This buck didnt need to be added up. The big ones will stick out.

 

 

 

What do you mean by the bolded sentence? Shouldnt the bigger bucks have more mass, not less? Or am I reading this wrong?

[desertsheep]

Most of your 100" bucks tend to have 12"-14" of mass. It take's a big buck to have 15+ inches of mass. I've only seen a hand full.

[shortpants]

Another tip is 5'' for eyegaurds. Unless you get a good look at the eyeguards which most of the time there to far away to really see them 5'' is a good average on any mature 85''+ buck. I don't have a structured system for all bucks quite like Desert Sheep but I just have a whole bunch of numbers trapped in this head of mine. A friend of mine uses the white part of the inner ear as a reference. It is almost always 6''. There is no right or wrong way as long as it works for you.