why do you say coues buck is a 3x3?

[billrquimby]

It's a western thing, and not just for Coues whitetails and Arizona ... and it's not new. I was born in Arizona five years before Pearl Harbor and grew up thinking that people "back east" (any state east of New Mexico) were nuts, probably because they didn't have real mountains. Why would they want to count every bump they could hang a ring on? It's easier to look at the best side of a buck's antlers and count only the three to five genuine tines that grow there. If a buck had 3x4 antlers (not counting eyeguards), it was a four-pointer. Simple as that.

 

Bill Quimby

 

[Jimmer Negamanee]

My guess is that in the West, we were predominantly describing mule deer and mule deer often lack eye guards entirely (or have teensy ones) so it makes sense to ignore them.

Mule deer also tend to be pretty symmetrical so calling it a “4X4” or simply a “4 pt.” worked pretty well because if it had 4 on one side, it was a pretty good bet it had 4 on the other. If it wasn’t symmetrical you could accommodate for that by calling a 4X3, for example.

 

I think this kind of became the “western count” system and spilled over into whitetail. The result is that back in Michigan the same “eight point buck” would be a “three point” here. Is one better or worse? Naw, prolly just different. As the Frogs would say, "Vive la difference!"

[Hoss50]

I am born and raised in AZ and that is how I was taught. 4 points on both sides was a 4 point, brow tines are not counted. 4x3 or similar was the description if it had differing counts side to side. I always thought the difference was Miley vs whitetail but I was raised hunting mule deer. That and I thought people back east just like to boast more by saying they got a 12 point buck instead of a 5 point.