Measuring Up... Big Game Scoring Part I

Big game hunting across the country has continually grown in popularity. Each hunter is showered with new tactics, state of the art equipment and better game management to help them achieve the success they desire. These successes are paralleled with more trophy bucks taken and more inquires on how to score these animals. In this Three Part Series, I will give you the basics on how to score pronghorn antelope, mule deer and typical whitetail deer. Keep in mind this is just the basic instruction and there are numerous variables that can occur when scoring these trophies.

The western plains are home to the prairie speedster, the pronghorn antelope. Its range in the western United States is as far east as Kansas, south to Texas and Mexico, and north to south central Canada. Its population makes it a popular species for the gun hunter and a challenging trophy with archery equipment.

The pronghorn antelope is a horned animal; therefore, the basic measurements are different than those of antlered animals. The basic measurements that are calculated for the total score for a pronghorn are: Horn Length, Circumference and Prong Length. Supplementary data such as inside spread, and tip to tip spread are also added to the score sheet, but only as identification purposes and not as part of the total score.

All measurements are taken with a 1/4" wide tape measure and/or cable and are listed in eighths of an inch. You might want to obtain a score sheet for pronghorn antelope from a certified measurer so you can score your trophy antelope by following these step by step instructions.

Horn Length...

The length is measured over the outer curvature of the horn. This measurement starts at the lowest point on the outside middle of the horn base and continues on the outer curve to the horn tip. (Illustration A-1)

The base of the horn is sometimes irregular and the lowest point does not always occur at the center of the horn. If the lowest point is at the front or back of the horn, measure from this lower edge up 2" and mark this location on the horn with masking tape. This mark must be transferred to the middle of the horn and from this mark the horn length can be measured. (Illustration A-2) Record both the right and left measurements on Line C.

Circumference...

Circumference measurements are taken at four locations on the horn. The measurements are taken at the following described locations. (Illustration B)

D-1 Base Measurement - The horn base is measured with the tape in contact with the lowest circumference of the horn, the tape must be at right angles to the long axis of the horn. Record this measurement on Line D-1.

D-2, D-3, and D-4 Circumferences -These are determined by dividing the length of the longer horn by four, and mark both horns at these quarter locations. There are always two circumference measurements taken below the prong and two above the prong. If the D-2 circumference falls on the swell of the prong, the D-2 measurement is taken directly below the swelling of the prong. If the D-3 circumference falls on or below the prong, take this measurement directly above the prong. These measurements are taken with the tape at right angles to the long axis of the horn and recorded on the appropriate lines.

Prong Length...

The prong length is taken from the tip of the prong along the upper, outside edge to the junction of the main horn and continuing perpendicular to the axis of the horn to the rear center. (Illustration C) The rear center can be determined by laying a straightedge on the back of the horn, where it comes in contact with both horns is the rear center.

Use either a one-quarter inch steel tape or measuring cable. Right and left prong measurements are recorded on Line E.

Final Score...

Total Score - Calculate the total by adding Columns 1 and 2. Then subtract Column 3. This is your Final Score.

Minimum Scores for Record Book Entry:

Pope and Young (67); Boone and Crockett (82); Longhunters Society (63)

This completes the first of a three part series on scoring pronghorn antelope, mule deer, and whitetail deer. Many questions may arise from the variations of animals we encounter, by following the score sheet; most can be solved without problems. Regardless of trophy size, knowing the score makes us better at field judging the animals we pursue, and understanding these basics of measuring will help us manage our hunting areas to allow them to produce larger, trophy animals.

To enter a trophy in the record books, the hunter is required to have the animal scored by an official measurer and a sixty-day drying period from the time of harvest must have passed. A list of official measurers can be obtained through Fishing Buddy Outdoors or through your local Game and Fish Departments.

Editor's Note: The author, Wayne Muth, is a Fishing Buddy Outdoors Field Staff member and certified Pope & Young measurer. Whether he is hunting elk, deer, bear or any other game animal it is his gifted ability to score animals in the wild that has enabled him to be a proficient big game hunter and appreciated outdoorsman. If you have any questions for Wayne submit them in the comment box below.

After the hunt, I trust Dakota Taxidermy, of Bismarck, North Dakota, to preserve my animals so that they can continue to receive the respect that they deserve. -Wayne Muth