I'd like to start a debate.....about points....

[standman]

I call him a 3x3 with thumbs.

 

Brian

[johnnie blaze]

Id say its bout 95" DONE AND DONE!

[stanley]

Looking at the results of the poll so far, it's looking like the majority DON'T cound the eye guards!

 

Where I was raised (Kearny) that buck is a 3 point. If he had a different number of points on each side, then we would call him a 3x2 or 3x3, etc... We would NEVER count the eye guards!

 

S.

 

[couesdiehard]

We have always called that a 3 x 3 (plus eyeguards). I think the Western Count system became what it is because most western deer hunting was for muleys where much of the time eyeguards are small to non-existent. I like the more specific way the western count describes a rack. In eastern count a 10-point could be what we true deer hunters in the West call a 1 x 9 without eyeguards!

[desertdog]

Yup, that is a 3 point or 3x3. Don't ask why thats just how it is I guess. Who cares how the eastern hunters count there deer any way???

[SunDevil]

folks east of the rockies count all points. thus the deer in your picture would be an 8 pointer.

 

people in the west say 3x3, 3x4, 4x4, etc. historically, eye guards are not included. I would guess this is due to most of the deer being harvested in the west in the old days were mule deer and they typically do not have very big eye guards, if at all.

[youngbuck]

I think the wole problem is that there are whitetails out west. If you shot an eastern WT back east you might call it a 3pt and the hunter who regularaly hunt there would give ya a hard time about it really being a 8 pt. If they came hear and shot an "8 piont" coues you would give them a hard time. I guess a 3 pt should always have brows so I would think that is implied. A forkie may or may not have eyeguards. I always specifiy forkie with eye guards but when I say 2 point it generally means no eye guards. If isnt a symetrical rack i say 3 by 4. It is kinda strange we have had a difference in clarification for so long. Im surprised it isnt the same all over the US with all the hunting on TV now. I suppose I should start saying 8 point, but im not gonna. Im gonna be weirdo to all those yankees and keep the point counts to where I can keep em on one hand

[TREESTANDMAN]

I call that a 4*4. 3*3 just doesn't make sense to me when there are 4 total points on each side.

[Str8Shot]

Just remember those rednecks to the east of us don't want to confuse their 4x4 whitetail with their trucks they drive through the mud it would just be too confusing.... Really I agree with everyone else being from AZ it is a 3x3 with eyegaurds and it most likely evolved because of the muley hunting that was way more prominent .... But on a side note I like knowing that a deer with 8 points may have 3 on one side and 5 on the other .... think it gives a better mental picture of what the rack would look like if someone was telling you about it ... unfortunatly not all eye guards are created = so when you get bruisers like that and people see them the Wow factor goes up some

 

 

Chris

[tjhunt2]

4x4 in my book...or maybe a 8pt......or wait a minute, I change my mind to a 3x3...... I'm confused now what the heck I shot last year.

 

I really don't think it matters what you call it. Colton, it's a really nice whatever.

 

TJ

[RoughCut]

Definately a 3 point. I think it's hilarious how some people get bent out of shape by it. It's like you are hacking their final score in half by calling it a 3 point. It's always assumed they have eye guards. Have you ever seen a mature Coues without em"

 

Hey Mac did your 3 by have eyeguards???

 

 

That sounds funny to me.

[GameHauler]

SHOOTER.

NO BRAINER

I would call it a 4X4

[ac guy]

Im gonna be weirdo to all those yankees and keep the point counts to where I can keep em on one hand

 

Yeah, there's a lot of Yankees south of Maryland. When I moved back here from NC, I just figured guys couldn't count higher than the fingers on their hand. Either that, or there were no deer in Az, and guys were out shooting construction materials. 10 point sounds a lot better than 4x4. What, are you driving it home after you shoot it?

[AZantlerhead]

Growing up in Arizona and some in Florida I've seen or " heard" it all. Fore me the difference is it's a Mulie or Whitetail. Funny though, in the scoreing systems they fully count a "4x4" mulie with eyeguards as haveing five points per side. I think this disregard for a mullies eyeguards came about because allot of mulies either lack or have short brow tines. And the old saying of " if you can hang a ring on it's a point" used out east accounts for the 8 pointer or 10 pointer way of talkin deer. I'm torn between being a mountain man and a southern man I guess.IMO the eastern lingo gives full credit to each rack. Granted the point is a point if it's longer than it's circumfrence at the base, technically .

 

My Mullie is a 3x3 with nice eyegaurds, and my coues is a 10 pointer I guess. or a 3x4 with three eyeguards .

 

This debate has no end in sight, can't honestly vote on this full heartedly either way. If everyone wanted to be technically correct whitetails and mullies would be counted as a Blank x Blank, eyegaurds included. The way i see it both terminologys(east & west) are wrong.

[willhunt4coues]

Heck you all seen my 11 point I got last year........in my books thats a 44 point buck