How to Judge a Trophy Elk
Judging trophy elk is also known as "scoring an elk." While the size, age, color and height of an elk are important for photographs, judging a trophy elk is based solely on the length, girth and span of the elk's antlers. There are typical and nontypical racks. These aspects of the elk's antlers are scored using a number system. The number system is derived by measuring different aspects of the elk's antlers and adding the numbers together.
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Instructions
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Count the number of points on each antler. Exclude nodes and bumps on an antler. Measure from the beam--the trunk of the antler--to the tip of the point--the limb. If a projection is under an inch long, it is not considered a point.
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Measure the distance from the right tip to the left tip. The tip is the end of the main branch. The tip is typically the last point on an antler. While it is counted as a point, it is called a tip.
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Measure the greatest spread. Stand in front of the pair of antlers. Measure the widest distance--in a horizontal line across--between the two antlers. This may be between two points or between the two branches or between a branch and a point. Find the greatest distance for your measurement. You cannot measure diagonally, simply straight across, and you cannot use an abnormal point for a traditional score, only nontraditional scoring.
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Measure the inside spread of the main beams. This is also a horizontal measurement. You want to find the measurement for the greatest distance, perpendicular to the centerline between the two antlers, from inside branch to inside branch. In some cases, this distance will only be a few inches less than the distance of the elk's greatest spread.
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Measure the lengths of all abnormal points. Abnormal points are those that branch off another point or face off the back or side of the main branch. Measure an abnormal point the same as you measure normal points, from the beam to the point.
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Measure the length of the main beam. This is from the tip to the burr. The burr is the calloused ring around the base of the antler next to the animal's head. Do not go straight from the burr to the tip. Run the cloth tape up the spine of the branch, making sure the tape is touching the branch at every inch.
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Measure the length of each normal point. Again, measure from the branch to the tip of the point, on the outside of the rack. The outside of a point will always be longer than the inside of a normal point.
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Measure circumferences. Circumferences are the smallest-diameter portions of the main branch between points. The first circumference is between the burr and the first point, the second is between point one and two and so on up the branch.
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Add all your numbers, minus any abnormal points, to get your typical antler score. Add all your numbers together, plus any abnormal points, to get your nontypical score.
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References
Resources
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