I know most of you describe a buck by combining the total number or points. I like it when people describe bucks by saying it's a "4 x4", "5 x 5" or what ever it is. My brother shot a "6 x 3" this year. This way of describing a bucks rack makes it a lot easier to picture it. If someone had told me that he or she shot a 9 point, I would think that it had 4 on one side and 5 on the other. When my brother tells people he shot a "6 x 3", people are more curious and ask more questions. Everyone likes to talk about the deer they shoot, so it works out great for my brother when people actually want to see and hear more about his unique buck. Which way do you guys describe your bucks rack and why? Is it traditional to describe them that way in your area or has someone or thing like hunting shows influenced you? I'm curious because it gets to be a big debate between my cousins who live in eastern South Dakota and my familiy who live in western South Dakota. We both think that each other are idiots for describing the deer racks the way we do , but I think I am finally winning them over.

I count all the points. However, I believe it is more a geographic thing. It seems that people from the east and midwest say 10 point where more people from the west say 5 x 5. I don't know if this is accurate. This is just the way it seems to me. I think its because you westerners have more large game animals like mulies and elk that have many more points than a your typical whitetail. JMHO

I count all of the points.

the only correct way of corse...lol....western standard....4x4= four points on one side (no including eye guards) and four points on the other side...

Ialways wondered why westerners never counted the brow tines--it's counted on score sheets.I count the total points

When in Rome do as the Romans do! I havn't started hunting in a cowboy hat yet.

I say 10 point nd so on... although I HATE using points to describe a deer, because points don't truely describe how big or small it is ... there are small 12's and BIG 8's .... [&:]

I count all the points, just eveyone else I know.

It sounds like both systems are flawed. The points method leaves the mystery of how many on each side and the side X side method doesnt tell you if there were any eye guards.

I use both. I usually describe a deer as a mainframe X with X# of stickers. Plus give the gross score.

We do it a bit different from the choices described. If the deer is a 5x5 or a 4x4 it is just called a 4 or 5 pointer assuming both sides are even. If the deer is uneven such as a 6x5 then we say 6x5 and not 11 pointer. When i hear people talk bout a 6 point on here i assume it is 3 on each side because that is how most americans call their bucks.