As he emerges from the early fall mists, the deer looks huge. He is big-bodied and sports an impressive set of antlers. Years of hunting and never seeing such a buck are over.

A shot, and the animal dives into the brush. But he expires almost immediately and is recovered by the hunter.

The story does not end there. In the case of this “Show-Me” buck, the anticipation of the hunt is replaced by disappointment in the recovery. The “monster” deer turns out to be somewhat less.

Most whitetail hunters have experienced “ground shrinkage” when they claim their prizes. Ground shrinkage occurs when the animal you pick up on the ground does not appear as large as the one you think you shot.

Advance preparation in judging whitetail antlers is about the only true method of avoiding the disappointment of shrinkage. Practice estimating the size of a rack that you know the score of, and then move to live animals. The more animals you view and the more racks that you score, the better you will be at making a choice in the woods that will result in a trophy animal.

SETTING THE GOAL

It is important to decide before hunting season just what size of animal is your minimum goal. Decide in specific terms what spread, number of points and so on that you are willing to accept, and stick to that goal.

Effectively judging the antlers of a whitetail deer is difficult in the best of light, and when you are not pumped up from the excitement of the hunt. But most trophy deer are taken under poor light conditions and under self-imposed pressure to take a “big one.”

One legend of trophy hunting, the late outdoor writer Jack O’Connor,  was often asked how to tell a trophy deer from a good one. His response was always the same: “The big ones always look big!”

What he was saying can be translated into a need for experience. If you look at enough deer over a period of time, you will know what they are supposed to look like. If you see one that is bigger than anything you have seen before, it is a trophy.

SCORING THE DEER

No single factor makes for a great buck. It is a combination of attributes. Some of the areas where deer score well include the following:

• Antlers – Experience in judging the size of a deer’s antlers can best be gained by viewing live deer. This can be in the woods or in a park or zoo. Another way is by viewing deer racks at sports shows and in taxidermy shops. The more animals you view, the better the frame of reference.

• Record – The next step is to get a copy of a record book. There are many on the market.  The most popular are the Boone and Crockett, Pope and Young and Safari Club International record books. Many states also have record books. Read the introductory material as it usually shows how a deer is measured and what lengths of tines, main beams and mass produce the record-class animals. Not all trophy bucks are record class, but all record-class animals are trophy bucks.

• Points – Some hunters believe that if it has more than eight points, it must be a record-book buck. But you would be surprised how a 10-point buck can still not make the book while an 8-point one just might if his tines are long enough and he has sufficient mass. Study the record books and learn the difference.

• Ears – You know the deer is awesome just in his appearance. Ear spread is the most reliable way to estimate the inside spreads of a deer’s antlers. The distance tip to tip of extended ears is about 17 inches. This is for a mature buck looking straight at you.

• Side view – From the side, it is a bit more difficult to estimate size. The closer the main beams come to vertical line through the end of the nose, the more the chance he is a big one. He needs to have greater length to the main beams to reach that far forward.

• Tines – One expedient way to estimate the number of times on a buck’s rack is to count the number of fighting tines. These are the tines other than the end of the main beam and the eye guards. Thus, a buck with two fighting tines is an 8-pount buck. That is, he has a main beam point, an eye guard and two tines in between. This is on one side; it is a quick judgment to see if the other is the same. End result, an 8-pointer.

• Sides – In a hurry? Count the number of points on one side. If those appear pretty much the same in size and number as the other side, you can then look at the mass of the antlers. Are they thick? Then chances are good it is a trophy deer. If they are thin, the antlers may not measure up well in the long run. I once viewed a 10-point buck that had only two tines more than 3 inches in length. Most of his tines were an inch or less.

SIZE & SYMMETRY

Whitetails come in all sizes and types of an antler configuration.  However, typical whitetail trophy deer have length and mass on their side. Size and symmetry are key elements. Non-typical deer have their own class, but generally speaking they need quite a few non-typical points to make the record books.

When a deer is scored for the record books, they add the length of each main beam, the inside spread, length of all normal points and the circumference of various locations on the points. Thus, the overall mass of the antlers is just as important as the length of the tines.

The more you look at deer in the wild, the better you are at field judging a good trophy. Now is the time to begin scouting deer for the upcoming season if it has not already begun in your area.

Deer are still relatively calm and allow you to look them over carefully. Later, after the velvet is gone from their antlers, and the woods are full of hunters, they are not as likely to stand still while you check them out.  Public land is a good place to look. Places like forest preserves and parks are good for this type of scouting.

Observance of deer in the field in the early fall can pay big dividends during hunting season. Avoid the disappointment of “ground shrinkage” – by doing your homework.