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Was your elk hunting trip a success and do you believe that your bull was a bruiser, but you are not sure if he qualifies for the record books? Well, you do not have to worry. Even though Boone and Crockett need a minimum of 60 days to dry before you can score a trophy, you can still make your measurements so that you can decide if your bull has a chance of making it to the book or not.
Read on to learn how to score an elk!
Boone and Crockett it the most common method when it comes to scoring an elk. The method is so common that when everyone asks you of your elk's score, everyone thinks that the score is based on this method. The method is not only used to rank harvested deer but also to manage their progress.
Things to consider before scoring an elk
Even though there are other methods used to score elk, this particular method is great at measuring the main antler parameters. Factors that contribute to an elk score are mass, tine length, beam length, and inner spread.
With that in mind, heavier antlers come with higher mass measurements than the thin ones. Elks with longer beams are better since more, and longer tines end up adding to the inches and bucks with larger inside spreads adds inches too and later higher scores.
However, there are deductions when it comes to scoring antlers deductions depends on antler symmetry, meaning how different and elk’s right and left antler are from one another. Boone and Crockett's method results in the total scores for an antler that mirror the other.
According to the hunters, the total un-deducted score is the gross score, and the score after deducting the antler is the net score. If the antlers come with less symmetrical, they the difference is smaller between the gross score and the net score.
This is as a result of the fewer deductions. Most hunters love using the gross score when talking about their hunt because this refers to the total un-adjusted measure of an elk’s antler size.
More details on how to score an elk
Count the antlers
Count the total number of points on every antler. When counting for scoring, a point needs to be one inch longer than its width.
Measure the antler
To measure the antler, you need to first spread the antler in three places, tip to tip, the most significant spread, and the widest point between the antlers. This way you can get the right measurements.
Total length calculation
It’s now time to calculate the total length of all the abnormal points. This includes the projections on the antler that brings about another point or the main beam bottom as well as the extra points that are related to the points on the opposite beam.
Find the length of the beams
Here, you can use a measuring tape to measure the length of the two beams by starting at the burr while following the outer side of the beam heading to the tip.
Measure the normal point’s length
Measure the length of every normal point taking all the measurements along the outer side of the antler. Always note the difference between the corresponding points length on each antler.
Take circumference measurements
At the smallest point between any of the five points, take a four circumference measurement. Also, make sure you note the difference between the measurements.
Add the inner spread
After taking all the measurements, now add the inner spread of the main beam, the four circumference measurement, and the length of the normal points. The total gives you the total score!
Bottom-line
Scoring an elk is not as hard as most people thought. All you need is to make sure that you get the right measurement as once you do that, the rest is a piece of cake. Now that you know how to score an elk, it is now easy to know if the elk will get you a trophy or not.
All the best!
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