Truth on Antler Scores.
My purpose in this post is to try to shed some light on the relevance of antler scores. I think there's a trend going on in the hunting community that goes overboard about what every buck scores, as if the number Boone and Crockett, or some other group, attaches to your buck is the sum of its worth. I think this process robs some people of the joy of the hunt, and they could be happier if they sort of eased up on the whole scoring thing.
Let me own right up that I love dabbling in B&C antler scores. I can rarely resist jumping on to one of those 'what will he score' threads and waxing wise. I've measured every buck of any size I've ever taken. I will continue to do so, but the experience of the last two years has taught me to keep those numbers in context. Let me tell you about it.
I've become obsessed with big buck hunting over the past several years. (It is a wonderful obsession when you keep your attitude right.) Over time, I've begun to kill some real veteran bucks. Each of the past two years I've killed bucks that were 6 1/2 years old. Had a genie revealed this to me two years ago I'd have been certain that I was on my way to legend status as a deer hunter. I'd have thought I would now be looking at 300+ inches of deer antler off those two bucks. Not even close as it turns out!
My two titans gross score only 115 and 130. I wouldn't have believed it had I not done it myself. I let magazines color my expectations, and have had to do some serious rethinking of my standards. What I have found has set me free. I have come to realize, completely, that the B&C score is just a number. It cannot in any way stand as the sum of the hunt.
The stories attached to my taking of these two bucks are dear to me. Both were taken with the rifle, but at bow ranges, after long difficult hunts. I can put myself back into those moments and still get a rush of ecstacy thinking about it.
It's about the story, people. That's my message. If you're "in to" scoring them, fine. So am I. But keep that number in its proper place. Don't let a "disappointing number" in any way devalue the joy in your heart.