by Rana Williamson

Created on: May 13, 2009

More than 50 years ago the Boone and Crockett Club developed the antler-scoring criteria now considered standard for verifying record-setting big game trophies. The system also forms the basis for the calculation of "trophy fees" assessed by many large and small hunting operations. Such outfits keep B&C qualified experts on staff, but every hunter should understand the basics of the measuring technique.

The complete scoring system is replete with intricate fine points, but anyone can understand the essential measurements that go into score calculations. Hunters who will be paying a fee based on the B&C score of their kill should not, however, be shy in asking for an explanation of the final calculation and how it was derived. (If you have access to a skull with antlers intact, it's useful to physically work through the following explanations to better understand the dynamics of measuring the rack.)

Ideally, measurements are taken with a quarter-inch flexible steel tape, although plastic-coated cable is also authorized. Numbers are recorded in inch and eighth-inch fractions. The rule of thumb is that if a dimension goes past the 1/16th mark, the measurement is rounded up to the next eighth. Measurements for right and left antlers are kept strictly separate.

Measurable projections must be a minimum of one inch in length from the tip to the junction with another antler structure and must be longer than they are wide. (Final point count includes all measurable points plus the tips of the main beam.) Qualifying points are classified as either typical or non-typical. Typical points are projections from the top of the main beam and may not themselves be branches of other points. Extra points along the beam tops that create obvious mismatches from side to side are non-typical points. Broken and missing points reduce the final score.

The only spread measurement figured is that derived from the widest point inside the main beams. The measurement when taken must be perpendicular to the skull's center line and parallel with the top of the skull plate. Here's a tricky point to remember. Credit for the inside spread must be equal to or less than the main beam measurement. If it is not, the beam measurement (which in this case would be the larger number) becomes the accepted spread score. Both the tip-to-tip and greatest spread numbers are taken as supplementary information to add perspective to the rack's overall configuration and size.

The beam is measured from tip to

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