When did you start talking inches instead of points?

I have been hunting for awhile now and have always referred to bucks by the number of points they had. Like, "I saw a nice 8 pointer today". Up until last year I didn't even think of a bucks rack in terms of a score, or inches. I still mainly think, "hey, that is a nice 7 point" instead of "that buck was around 100 inches". I am now starting to think a little more in terms of inches as compared to the past. So what about you, when did you start talking inches instead of points? Did your change of vocab correspond with anything in your hunting career or how you view hunting altogether?

 

Probably solely because of these hunting boards. It makes it easier to convey how big a buck is if you know inches.

 

I always referred to bucks in points growing up, talking to buddys at school and such... but when I joined the forums, where everyone talks in inches I picked up on it and do it now also...

 

Well when talking to knowledgable (modern day) hunters to say an 8 point is open to a lot of speculation. Even if you say a big 8...well what's "big" to the person talking??

Inches is something a person can visualize.

 

Easy. When I started reading forums

 

Kind of what I am getting at is...do you think talking inches instead of points takes some of the magic out of hunting? For example here are two stories a grandpa tells as the kids sit around the camp fire.

A) I was hunting back in 1959 in the middle of the Ozarks. It was December and had just snowed 18 inches the night before the big hunt. As I walked out to my hunting spot hours before dark I anticipated a great hunt. Once I climbed my stand I sat down and began to drink a hot cup of coffee to warm me up. As soon as I finished my coffee I turned around and saw a monster, a massive, gnarly, ghostly 9 point crossing the creek. He was the biggest buck I have ever seen, the likes of which I will probably never see again. His antlers were so wide he could barely fit through two small saplings as he walked past. His antlers cast a shadow over the ground that made the squirrels run for cover. I never got a shot at him, yet I can remember him to this day.

B) I was hunting back in 1959 in the middle of the Ozarks. It was December and had just snowed 18 inches the night before the big hunt. As I walked out to my hunting spot hours before dark I anticipated a great hunt. Once I climbed my stand I sat down and began to drink a hot cup of coffee to warm me up. As soon as I finished my coffee I turned around and saw a monster, a 163 2/8th inches buck. He had a 22 inch spread and two double droptines that were at least 10.5 inches each. I shot and arrowed him with my 400 grain carbon arrow tipped with a 125 grain broadhead.

 

Thanks to these forums. It get's you a better visual of the real size of the deer.

 

"Hell just shoot the 80" buck and tell the story ANY WAY YOU WANT!:D"

83 inches.

 

Most of my life I did.. truthfully.

But not because it had anything to do with inches.. it was just (like said already) a better way to visualize a buck.

If you tell me you saw an 8 pointer.. okay.. but it doesn't tell me much. Tell me it's a 100" 8 pointer and you just painted a Monet.

 

Thats cool Duke. I am beginning to do it more myself.

 

The forums got me too.

 

I'm with GMMAT, it's all about helping to paint the mental picture and for comparision to past deer that you knew the score of. I do a little of both today, "Hey Gri22ly, just seen a nice 10 today, 130-140's, shooter for sure." Something to that effect.

 

I've been referring to inches insteat of points for about the last three years probably. I will say this, I only go to inches if he's 110" or above. If he's not I'll say "I saw a decent 8 this morning.. probably a two year old.. he needs a couple more years." Anything over 110 paints a better mental picture like many of you have said.

And it drives me up the wall when someone describes a buck just by its spread. "Yeah dude.. I shot a nice 10 over the weekend.. spread was probably 20 inches!" well great what about mass his 2s 3s or 4s.. fill me in! Shoot we've had yearlings running around that sport 15-17" spreads but I'm not going to shoot the little man!

I know not everyone is familiar with inches in a B&C or P&Y system... just a pet peeve of mine I guess.

 

I never have and never will talk Inches. I talk pounds. I have some really nice sets of bone if you want inches... but I've never put a tape measure on the first one. I know, anal, but it's my thing. I refuse to become a trophy hunter of inches. Pounds of meat... certainly, but I'm not measuring any horns. So when did I become an inch measurer???? Not in your lifetime sunshine.... Not in your lifetime. I haven't changed my vocabulary at all. I still "Kill" my dear. I've never "Harvested" the first one in over 50 years of hunting. I really doubt I'm going to start now. MY horns will not be measured while I live. I don't care what they are. It's a nice deer, a big deer or a bodacious deer. Beyond that, I don't care.

 

For Tyler and me... it had more to do with sheds at first to size them up. If you found a shed bigger then 65 inches it was something special. It just carried into scouting and hunting. Great for estimating bucks when scouting. Been doing it for years now... heck Tyler could score a shed or a buck when he was 8. He grew up with it. He got a lot of practice scoring sheds... and would score most of our finds. We started out finding 60 - 70 sheds a year with the 246 sheds being our best year. The boy has burned up a lot of pencils/ink and paper in the last 10 years. LOL

Tim

 

I started this 18 years ago in 1991.

 

I don't. Still use points when describing bucks

 

I started doing it about 5 yrs ago when I joined forums. Its hard to discribe a buck but just saying a big 8 pt or so on. I always include my thought about their age as well

 

Same Here.

 

I started talking inches about 12 years ago when I first learned how to measure racks.