| It never ceases to amaze me
that every year I hear of several bulls taken that score over 400 points and at least a
dozen sightings of these monster bulls. The odd thing is, most of them never materialize
or show up in the record books. I believe that harvesting a 400 net (typical) bull is one
of the hardest benchmarks to reach. A look at the facts will confirm this. The basis for this study is the last nine years
(1992-2000) of the Boone & Crockett record books. Their books cover records in
three-year segments and include all entries recorded for American Elk (typical). The
B&C Club holds an awards banquet and publishes these record books for three-year
periods at the conclusion of the banquets. This study will cover the three most recent
periods which are the 22nd, 23rd and 24th Big Game Awards.
Top three bulls recorded in the 22nd Big Game Awards,
1992-1994, are as follows:
1st 395 0/8 Arizona.
2nd 393 4/8 Nevada.
3rd 390 2/8 Arizona.
Top three bulls recorded in the 23rd Big Game Awards, 1995-1997, are as follows:
1st 398 7/8 Arizona.
2nd 397 1/8 Nevada.
3rd 396 6/8 Arizona.
Top three bulls recorded in the 24th Big Game Awards, 1998-2000, are as follows:
1st 425 3/8 Nevada-State Record and #6 all time.
2nd 397 5/8 New Mexico.
3rd 397 3/8 Arizona.
This recording period, 1992-2000, had a couple more bulls entered in
this time frame that scored over 400, but they were harvested prior to 1992. There were
also one or two bulls entered in this time frame that were 400 or better, but they have
not been panel scored yet. The scores can't be confirmed by B & C until a panel score
has taken place. In addition to the Boone & Crockett records we need to look at Pope
& Young, which is the main record keeping system for animals taken with bow and arrow.
There are only three entries taken with a bow that score 400 or better, and this includes
all records ever recorded.
As you can see from these recording
periods, it is very rare to take a bull that will net over 400. In contrast there would be
several bulls that would gross score over 400, but on average, a big typical bull will
have approximately 10 to15 points deduction. In order to get a net 400, more than likely,
you will have to take a bull that would have a gross score of 412 points or better.
Personally, I prefer the S.C.I. (Safari Club International) scoring method, which is
basically a B & C gross score. I believe if an animal can produce X amount of antler
he should get credit for that and not have deductions for differences from one side to the
other. When talking 400 most hunters are referring to the B & C or P&Y method, as
these seem to be the standard for the majority of hunters.
A few reasons for this fallacy.
1. Because 400 is the magic number for giant bulls, I feel hunters will see a huge bull,
375 +, and because it's head and shoulders above any bull they have ever seen it
automatically becomes a 400.
2. Field scoring shortly after the kill. Many times an animal will be green scored in the
field and the person doing the scoring doesn't really know how to score. This usually
results in a higher score than the official score
3. Someone will harvest a big bull and each time the story is told the bull grows! I think
that's just part of the hunting world.
4. The big one got away and he had to be at least 400 points.
As you can see from the above study, there aren't 400 point bulls
behind every bush as some hunters claim. I guess on the other hand, rumors of monster
bulls and bucks is what keep a lot of trophy hunters going. It's that pot of gold at the
end of the rainbow. It's what dreams are made of. I do believe that often times we get
hung up on score, and not the appreciation of the animal for what it is. A good example of
this is a hunter on a guided elk hunt telling his guide he wants to harvest a 360 + bull.
He ends up shooting a big bull, walks up to it with his guide and is very pleased by his
accomplishment. It is by far the biggest bull he has ever harvested. After taking care of
the bull and getting back to camp, the tape comes out for scoring and the bull scores 349
instead of the 360 +. Now the hunter is disappointed. Another scenario is the hunter that
takes a big bull, but has lots of deductions. We now have a 360 gross bull, but it has 20
points of deduction and nets out at 340. Disappointment again! As they say, beauty is in
the eye of the beholder, and we should not let scoring take that away. In the good ole'
days it was a lot more about the animal, and not so much about score. I think over the
years we have lost some respect for the animal and have put too much emphasis on score.
John's Tips. Field Judging bull elk.
The following are a few tips on field judging big bulls that would score over 375 B&C
points.
Big bulls on average will have the following:
1. 40-44 inch inside spread.
2. 30 inches of mass per side for a 60 inch total.
3. 55-58 inch main beam length.
 Judging the main beam length is one of the hardest
lengths to estimate. A good rule of thumb on a big bull is it will be approximately 30
inches from the base to the royal. Visualize the length from the royal to the end of the
beam, add 30 to that, and you should be in the ball park. A couple of other measurements
that will help are from the base of the beam to the end of the nose. This is generally 16
to17 inches. If you use this standard to judge the brow and bez tines you should be pretty
close.
The distance between the eye and the
bottom of the chin is 9 to 10 inches. This will help you with your measurements from a
side view, and should help with royal and the fifth point. Lots of times during scouting
trips I will take video of bulls and then look at them on TV. I will freeze frame
different angles of the bull and then make
judgement from that.
These are just a few guide lines that I
hope will help you on your next great hunt.  |
