This year’s antler scoring event at the Jay Henges Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center in High Ridge was fraught with the classic good news-bad news situations. The weekend’s weather on Feb. 9 was not the winter wonderland so much of the season has been, so driving on I-44 to Antire Road was without complication.
Personally, the Department of Conservation’s free annual event was really good for me because for the first time in years I didn’t have something else on my schedule that Saturday morning. I have had three mounts I have wanted to know about officially, but I never had the right opportunity.
On the bad news side of the ledger, I didn’t figure out that the annual assembly was scheduled until it was too late to share the news with Leader readers who may also have been waiting to have their deer trophies receive official scoring attention.
For years, this event has been set up about 60 days after the end of firearms season. That’s how long the antlers are required to dry before they can be measured for the state and national record books. Still, I was caught by surprise when I noticed the notice in the department’s regional Conservation Connection email newsletter.
That lack of publicity, while bad for many others, probably worked in my favor and those who did attend. I had no idea how long I might have to wait my turn when I arrived, but when I walked to the check-in table, the volunteer instructed me to have a seat, and said, “It looks like you’ll be up next.”
With more than a half-dozen conservation agents and other volunteers on hand with their tape measures, yard sticks and other devices, they went right to work. They even let me hover, watch and take some occasional pictures. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t get them to fudge the numbers in my favor.
We did have a few good conversations about who is the best conservation agent I know, and who supervises whom in Franklin County. I defended Jefferson County agents Kyle Dunda and Lexis Riter as my current favorites and gave shout outs to our former protection division guys Jeff Breuer and Steve Lenz. I’m smart enough to know that my favorite agent is whoever is standing closest to me asking to see my permit.
I am familiar with the Boone and Crockett Club’s official scoring system and tried to measure the antlers myself in the past. Unlike the agents and other certified scorers, I am sure I fudged a few fractions and misread some rules.
In short, the system measures the length of all antler points and the main beam. It also adds the circumference of the main beam between each point and greatest inside spread. The first flaw in my unofficial scoring was pointed out plainly on the data sheet. The circumference measurement is to be taken at the smallest place between the points. I am sure I wrapped my tape measure around wherever the antler was fattest.
The data sheet also records the total number of points, measurement from tip to tip of the antlers and the greatest spread distance. Those are just for bragging rights, agent Ben Pursley explained, but don’t get calculated in the final score. I believe I took some liberties with that rule when adding the totals myself.
So when all of my errors and omissions were considered and the final totals were tabulated, the only real bad news of the event for me was revealed at the bottom of the score sheet. The three trophies I have at home and had estimated in the 120- to 140-point range scored 109, 115 and 120 (still rounding up the fractions). I knew none of them qualified for any record book, but they are still treasures and reminders of some great memories.
I promise next winter to be more diligent in letting others know about the opportunity to find out their true scores.
John J. Winkelman is community relations manager at Mercy Hospital Jefferson. If you have news for the Leader’s Outdoor News page, e-mail ogmjohnw@aol.com and you can follow John on Twitter at @johnjwink99.