Is it a 10 point, 5 point, 5x5, 4 point with eye guards, or a 4x4?

[ForkieLivesMatter]

I live in WV. A whitetail buck with 10 points is called a 10 point. I also lived in Idaho at one point of my life for 8 years. When I was there we called a buck a 5x5 counting the browtines (eye guards) but locals we met would call that same buck a 4 point. Just curious on what other members call them and what region or state refers to them as such so when I’m out there hunting I don’t get cross eyed looks when explaining to someone what I saw or what I’m after!
(Also, if you have a 3x4 in an area that calls a 4x4 a 4 point would that 3x4 be called a 3.5 point???? Lol)

 

[coloyooper]

It’s whatever you want it to be

 

[2five7]

Mule deer hunters generally don't count the brow tine when describing how many points a buck has, simply because not all bucks have them.

 

[JohnnyB]

Whichever method you choose, always round up. Throw in descriptors like mass monster, deep, tall or heavy. Be sure to include kickers, cheaters and drops.

 

[Fitzwho]

You count them all in Texas. With doing more western hunting than anything lately, I tend to "read the room" depending on who I am talking to. But for the most part for Whitetails its an 8, 9, 10, etc. Mule deer a 3x4, 4x4, and so on.

 

[nobody]

Mule deer - don't count eyeguards, 4 point, 4x4, 3x4, however you like. Then you get screwy stuff like cheaters and such, most guys I know don't count the cheaters and say stuff like "a mainframe 4 with a 3 inch hook cheater off his left"

Whitetail - even when I lived in Idaho, they were always just a sum total of the number of points on their rack. That being said, there's some strange vernacular surrounding whitetails too. For example, why is a 3x3 a 6 point, a 4x4 an 8 point, but a 2x2 not called a 4 point? Most guys I've talked to call them "fork horns" or "forkies," same as the mule deer guys I know. So there's some commonality amongst the smaller statured deer, no matter the species.

 

[Jethro]

NE PA, we call a 2x2 a 4 pointer. Or "Y" buck. 3x4 we call a 7 pointer.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

In my part of IA (and all deer hunters I know) its either the total points if symmentrical or (a x b) if non-symmetrical. For example:

My 13 pointer is a 7 x 6 (mainframe 12 with a kicker off right hand base).
Similarly, my 9 pointer is a 4 x 5 (mainframe 8 with a short G4 on the left hand side).

Brow tines, or eye guards, can make things interesting for sure. Split brows add to overall "points" as do kickers or drops coming from the bases of brows. For example:

10 pointer (mainframe 8 with split brows on both sides).

EDIT: forgot to mention that spikes are spikes are forks are 2 x2. Then there are "baskets" which can be any number of points on a small immature buck's rack.

 

[CorbLand]

Idaho and Utah here.

Its a 4 point and you don't count the eye guards. If it has 4 on one side and 3 on the other, you call it a 4X3.

 

[RMM]

Central PA here. Whitetails are referred to by the total number of points and mule deer are 4x4 3x3 4x3 etc

 

[displacedtexan]

Whitetail is an 8 point, count anything pokey.

Mule deer is a 4x4, don't count eye guards or cheaters.

Anything over 10 is a BOAL.

 

[svivian]

Dont forget the purists..... Does it have inline cheaters or a drop tine then it could have 5 or more points on each side but still be a 4x4 with trash/extras...

 

[MallardSX2]

One year I shot a main frame 10 point wt and it had a bunch of 1" stickers and I jokingly called it a 14 point and my father-in-law threw an absolute fit. So now I know what pisses him off so I call them all out. If I can hang a ring on it then they are getting called a point. lol I have killed lots of 12 points, 9 points ect ect. I love making him get all flustered.

Elk are 5X5 or whatever they are.

Mule deer are 4X4 without eye guards and a 5X5 if they have eye guards for me.

 

[william schmaltz]

I like as much description as possible so I can paint the picture in my head. For instance if you have a 6x4 whitetail that's what I call it. Some would call it a 10 point and in my brain I would guess that's a 5x5. Some would call it a 4 point, some a 6 point. That all just leaves too much to the imagination. If it has junk, then I would say a main frame 5x5 with a drop on the left (11 points). Or a main frame 5x5 with split g2s (12 points).

No matter how you describe it, just make sure you call it an "old warrior" when posting it on the gram!

 

[BBob]

Coues deer hunters do not count eye guards nor do we count them for mule deer. We tend to count just typical main frame points and will call out non-typical points as we see them.

 

[FLATHEAD]

If it's got 10 points, then it's a 10 point.
An 8 point is an 8 point.

 

[Jstumbaugh]

In NY we have to identify points over 1" when filling out the tag. Left antler points and right antler points. I always assumed that was normal everywhere. Do you guys with mulies that don't count inlines or cheater points not count them when filling out the tags?

 

[Btaylor]

Just call it a little ol' cull or management buck and no one will even ask how many points. Prolly wont ask for pictures or where you kilt it either.

 

[FLATHEAD]

In NY we have to identify points over 1" when filling out the tag. Left antler points and right antler points. I always assumed that was normal everywhere. Do you guys with mulies that don't count inlines or cheater points not count them when filling out the tags?

Here in Bama some of our WMA's have gone to must have at least 4 pts. on one side coming off the main beam an inch or longer (main beam point counts), so everything gets counted.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

I live in WV. A whitetail buck with 10 points is called a 10 point. I also lived in Idaho at one point of my life for 8 years. When I was there we called a buck a 5x5 counting the browtines (eye guards) but locals we met would call that same buck a 4 point. Just curious on what other members call them and what region or state refers to them as such so when I’m out there hunting I don’t get cross eyed looks when explaining to someone what I saw or what I’m after!
(Also, if you have a 3x4 in an area that calls a 4x4 a 4 point would that 3x4 be called a 3.5 point???? Lol)

I would call any those a shooter!!!