How to Score a Buck

Here's how to score a whitetail rack the way Boone and Crockett and Pope and Young do it. Take the measurements below, write them on our printable score sheet, then type them into the deer score calculator to do the math.

1. Get the right tools

   Use a 1/4 inch wide flexible steel tape or a steel cable and a ruler. Measure to the nearest 1/8 inch. Official scores need the rack to dry for 60 days first, so a fresh green score will usually shrink a little.

2. Measure the inside spread (D)

   Measure the widest distance between the main beams, at a right angle to the center line of the skull. This counts toward the score, but never more than the length of the longer main beam.

3. Measure each main beam (F)

   Start at the lowest outside edge of the burr where the beam begins. Follow the outer curve of the beam to the farthest tip. Do this on both sides.

4. Measure each typical point (G-1 to G-7)

   G-1 is the brow tine, G-2 the next point up, and so on. Find the baseline where the point meets the beam: lay the tape along the top of the beam across the base of the point. Measure from that line to the tip of the point, following its outer curve. A point must be at least 1 inch long, and longer than it is wide at 1 inch, to count.

5. Measure four circumferences (H-1 to H-4)

   Wrap the tape around the beam at the smallest place between the burr and G-1 (H-1), between G-1 and G-2 (H-2), between G-2 and G-3 (H-3), and between G-3 and G-4 (H-4). If there's no G-4, take H-4 halfway between G-3 and the beam tip.

6. Measure abnormal points

   Any point that doesn't fit the normal pattern, like a drop tine or a point coming off another point, is abnormal. Measure each one and total them per side.

7. Add it up

   Gross score = spread credit + both beams + all typical points + all circumferences. Then subtract the difference between each right and left pair. For a typical score, also subtract the abnormal points. For a non-typical score, add them instead. That's your net score.

A worked example

A buck with an 18 inch spread, beams of 24 and 23 4/8, four typical points per side and 2 inches of abnormal points grosses 151 4/8. Left-right differences total 4 inches, so the typical net score is 145 4/8. You can load these numbers with the "Try sample numbers" button on the calculator.

Scored your buck? Plan next season on Texas public hunting land or check deer season dates by state.