I see a lot of folks on various message boards asking what this deer will score and what that deer will score. I get that folks are trophy hunters, but I don't get the whole asking online what a deer will score. Shoot what makes you happy and don't worry about what other folks think. I get that some folks are antler worshipers, but I don't know why people feel the need to get justification from strangers on why they should shoot this buck or that buck. I was at home for lunch today and was browsing Twitter when I noticed someone sent a tweet to Tiffany Lakosky asking if a buck was a shooter and what he would score. Really? You need to ask one of the most popular hunting celebs of the day if you are justified in shooting a buck? Seems awfully silly to me. I read a post on the Nock On Facebook page today on this subject that I thought was outstanding...
I'll be honest most guys that request a "score this" or "would you shoot" are harmlessly asking...but I feel nearly all of them are just seeking validation of some kind or a chest puffing session...especially the ones when you click on the thread you're greeted by a 170ish inch buck and the question "would you shoot?"
Yeah, there are some of those folks in the "would you shoot it threads" but I think most of the time it's guys that are looking for opinions in order to validate their own assessment of how a deer scores. Most people don't get to see enough deer to make it easy to look at any given deer and get an accurate idea of it's inches. I see scoring relevant in deer management, if a guy wants to set some standards on what deer to pass up and what ones to shoot for trophy management then he needs to be able to accurately age deer and also guestimate gross score. Sometimes it's easier to ask folks with experience to calibrate your personal assessments than any other way.
The part that kinda urks me personally though is how the stinking record books have made the lovefest with inches. Most guys set a minimum "score" thinking only of inches on a deers head. Just me though, and I'll be honest setting a score minimum does counteract shooting yearlings typically, but occasionally some deer just simply mature without putting on tons of inches.
I get that, but I still don't get it. There is an Indiana forum that has a pass or play thread. Guys are posting pictures of deer that I would be more than happy to tag, but there is a guy on there says he'd pass them all. As I said, I don't get it. That buck you posted on IG would have me shaking so bad I'd better be wearing a harness. Those guys wouldn't even look at their bow on a deer like that. Again, I don't get it. Some people will only shoot a buck that is bigger than the biggest one on their wall. If you're Tim Beck what do you do, just give up deer hunting? I think some of the TV shows have warped people when it comes to what to shoot.
Sure, I agree often too much importance is placed on a deer's score in inches. Likewise there are a lot of ignorant hunters out there with more critical sportsmanship issues. The ability to accurately score inches of antler is just a tool and most of the time it's a valuable one to have. Yes, some deer just have less genetic potential. Those lessor bucks do need managed and removed but they generally aren't that hard to identify. Three year old spikes, forks and sixes (unless they have some unique character that is desirable) generally are genetically inferior. In MO we have point restrictions which are ignorant, deer less than four points on one side are illegal. I would argue that this defeats most management needs. A 2.5 year old with fantastic potential will always meet this four point requirement while a genetically inferior buck may be over 4 years old and only have spikes or splits or six points...that old deer should be culled but is illegal while the 2.5 year old 8-10+ was allowed to be shot. That's where aging comes into play...scoring is a less practical tool but it's a nice one to have.
That's a personal preferrence, those guys (hopefully) are guys that have paid their dues so to speak and if going after something bigger than their best trophy makes them happy then good for them. That doesn't mean it should apply to you. The exception might be if they gave you permission to hunt their property. From that point forward (on their property) you would be a part of their management program. In that case you should be capable of aging and scoring deer to stay within their standards and management goals. Otherwise, I don't see how it impacts you persoanlly. I'm one of those guys...I've hunted deer since I was old enough to draw a bow and shoot a gun...and out here in redneck country that's pretty early...So there's not a lot left to be exciting for someone like me that has extraordinary tophies and more deer kills than can be recalled. I haven't gotten nervous from a buck since I was in my early 20's. What I still find excitment in is producing extraordinary deer through management and laying one on the ground every once in a while. That doesn't make me better in any way tha nanyone else, it's just the way it is and to each his own. In my case, under the circumstances, estimating gross antler inches is a great tool. It shouldn't necissarily set standards for anyone else though. Gross score is also all I concern myself with. I always regarded net score as a symetry score and not really fair to most animals.
Exactly, which is why I quit bowhunting for three years. For some reason the itch hit me hard this year to return to it, we'll see how it goes this year.
Some of the guys are probably bragging about their bucks. But I think most of them are just trying to get another opinion on what a buck would score. I like seeing the bucks and guessing their score. I don't have a problem with people posting stuff like that.
