Shrinkage for scoring question?

[peakrut]

I should know this but not sure. What actually shrinks the antlers or the skull? I cant see how they would being bone and all. Keep your minds out of the gutter too please. :-)

[GregH]

Both. The drying skull can noticably alter the spread. The drying antler is less noticable but it still shrinks over time.

[Medic]

As soon as it hits the ground Mine all SHRink.[&:]

[chiefks]

I'm not sure how much the antlers them selves will shrink, but they could shrink some I suppose. I tend to think that its the skull itself that shrinks the most. Bear skulls have a drying period before they can be measured for the record books. If the whitetail buck skull shrinks, that will affect the antler spread. You can prop the antlers open and maintain the current spread though. Never tried it, but I've been told that.

[cardeer]

the moisture drys up in the bone

[NEW61375]

Shrinkage is usually worst at the beginning of summer when the beach water is still cold. I really hate that. Kinda like that Seinfeld episode with George Costanza.j/j

[GregH]

ORIGINAL: chiefks

If the whitetail buck skull shrinks, that will affect the antler spread. You can prop the antlers open and maintain the current spread though. Never tried it, but I've been told that.

Technically, for official scoring, it is not legal to artifically interfere with the drying process. To block the spread of a buck means you risk splitting the skull plate of the buck. If that happens it will not be scored. The skull must be intact. The deer I have scored avg about 1/4" shrinkage in spread. All I do is let them dry standing the racks on their tines, upside down.

[Kybuckhunter]

Also you can leave the antlers attached to the skull and it will not shrink as much. When you cut the antlers off the skull the skull plate can draw up and shrink more.