I see a lot "score it" threads and thought I'd share this presentation I found to be helpful.

* One of the most helpful points was to know the measurements of a typical buck's head in your region.

* Another is once you have calculated the bucks guessed tine lengths, beams and inside spread, you can divide by .8 for a young buck, divide by .7 for a 3 1/2 year old buck, and divide by .6 for an older buck to get a good estimate for the score.

http://www.slideshare.net/tonypugh1/...xt_slideshow=1

For determining the age of a buck, try this site:

http://www.1atexasdeerhunting.com/bodyagingdeer.htm

That's a great resource for scoring and familiarizing yourself with what class each individual buck is in. Great post!

I don't know about scoring on the hoof but I have learned that if I think a deer "might" be mature he usually isn't and if he is there is usually no question.