Did you ever wonder what the mysterious “G” stood for when you were reading about a buck’s antler points?
QUESTION: Last year, after more than 50 years in the woods as an outdoorsman, I stumbled upon the shed of a 16-point buck ... and the rest is history.
Shed hunting is my new hobby! It just makes me nuts to find a trophy side and NEVER find the match. That is, of course, what happened with the (estimated) 16-pointer.
Now that I’m obcessed with antlers, I’d like to know why points are always designated with G as the first letter, as in G1, G2, etc. What does the G stand for, and how long must a tine be before it is considered in the count?
— Jim T., Bloomington, Minn.
ANSWER: I must admit you had me stumped on this one. Probably like most folks, I’ve used the term “G” to refer to a specific point, but I never knew what it stood for.
I consulted the experts and learned the answer is not nearly as interesting as I had hoped.
A rack is measured in different stages and in a specific order: number of points (A), tip-to-tip spread (B), greatest spread (C), inside spread (D), total length of abnormal points (E), length of main beam (F), length of points (G), circumferences (H). So it’s purely a matter of the alphabetical order in which measurements are recorded on a score sheet.
The Buckmasters Trophy Records scoring system uses P, for “point” instead of G; and C for circumference. Makes sense.
Your second question is a common one. To be counted as a point, the projection must be at least one inch long from base to tip. Additionally, the length must exceed width at one inch or more of length.
Send your questions to: askthebiologist@buckmasters.com