The Times They Are A-Changin'

Wed, 21 May 2008 13:05:58 GMT

By Mike Handley

Two significant changes are being implemented in Buckmasters' Full-Credit Scoring System, both inspired by actual incidents. For starters, we're revising the fair chase affidavit on the backside of our scoresheets to allow for the states and provinces to dictate what is and isn't legal within their borders. We're also going to accept and give full credit to racks with broken points or beams, as long as the scorer sees them BEFORE they're repaired AND can get an accurate measurement when the pieces are put back into place.

Defining Fair Chase
The decision to change the wording in the fair chase affidavit for free-roaming whitetails is based on two Missouri deer. The first was taken back in 2000 by Randy Simonitch, whose neighbor called him on the morning of Oct. 3 to tell him that a monstrous buck was bedded in the soybeans next to her house.

Randy wasted no time in driving over there. He mounted an hour-long stalk in the wide open - keeping to the buck's backside - and made it to within 30 yards, as close as he dared go. He grunted, the buck stood, and the arrow hit home. At 260 5/8 inches, the Simonitch Buck was a runner-up to the world record among bow-killed Irregulars.

Flash forward to Dec. 12, 2005. Bill Wise met his friend, Donald, that afternoon. Donald was carrying a rifle loaded for doe - the only legal option for a rifleman that time of year. Bill, on the other hand, was planning to bowhunt.

Donald went north so that he could watch a pasture, while Bill headed for his usual bow stand. When Donald reached his destination and glassed the terrain, he saw what had to be the enormous buck over which Bill had been obsessing all season. It was lying down at the edge of the distant woods.

He whipped out his cell phone and called Bill, who quickly reversed direction.

The buck was still in its bed when Bill arrived less than half an hour later. With the wind in his favor, Bill managed to stalk to within bow range and arrowed the 216 3/8-inch buck, whose antlers were still clad in velvet.

Randy Simonitch's buck never raised an eyebrow among keepers of whitetail records. Bill Wise's, however, was rejected by the Pope and Young Club, and it almost was disqualified by Buckmasters.

At issue was the use of the cellular telephone, an electronic communications device. While the state of Missouri has no game regulation banning the use of them, both P&Y and the BTR did. Buckmasters' rule, made long before cell phones were the norm, has been printed on the backside of each scoresheet for the past decade. It states: "Buckmasters Whitetail Trophy Records does not consider fair chase hunting to include the use of aircraft, motorized land vehicles, motorized water craft or any electronic communications devices in the act of harvesting wild game."

Other than the fact that the phone used by Randy Simonitch had a cord and Bill Wise's didn't, there's really very little difference between the two scenarios described. So why penalize one deer and not the other, when both were harvested within the legal guidelines established by the Missouri Department of Conservation?

After considering the matter for many weeks, we decided to accept Bill Wise's 2005 buck. And in doing so, the rule quoted above is being dropped.

From now on, Buckmasters will simply defer to the individual state regulations.

I'll address the issue of broken points in my next blog.

Last Call for New Record Book Entries

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:15:39 GMT

March 1, 2008, is the deadline for bucks to appear in the next edition of "Buckmasters Whitetail Trophy Records." All entries received after that date will not appear in print until 2011.

Like other record-keeping organizations, Buckmasters updates its record book every three years. The fourth edition, which included more than 9,000 awesome whitetails, was published during the fall of 2005. The fifth will be published next fall, and it'll contain an additional 1,500 to 2,000 deer - those that have been measured since the last book rolled off the press.

The fifth edition will feature the most up-to-date roster of trophy whitetails, including several new state- and even a couple of new world records.

Anyone interested in having his or her trophy included in the next printing should contact a BTR measurer as soon as possible. The state-by-state list of scorers is accessible through Buckmasters' home page: under resources, and then Buckmasters Trophy Records. There is no charge to have your deer's antlers measured, but there is a $20 fee to enter it into the record book if it qualifies.

The $20 entry fee does not entitle record-holders to a copy of the hardbound book, which typically sells for around $30. Everyone who has a whitetail included in the book (and for whom we have a reliable address) will be notified when it will be available for pre-order or purchase. Those wishing to buy one of the few remaining copies of the soon-to-be obsolete fourth edition, however, can get it now for $14.95. Call 1-800-240-3337 and ask for someone in customer service.

The fourth edition contained 575 pages and black-and-white photographs of the top deer in every category. And that's saying a lot, since the BTR breaks its records down into individual weapon categories with FOUR classifications of antlers in each.

If you have trouble connecting with a measurer, if there is no scorer within a reasonable commute, or if you have any questions, please e-mail me at mhandley@buckmasters.com.