Roe Buck: Possible Trophy?

[on-point 0]

At long last i have managed to get the camera working and all linked up to the laptop and everything and can now pick your brains, if i may.

 

at the opening of the bucks this year, must have been first week in april but the exact date i can't remember, i was stalking on a friend's spot over ripon way. we went for a long old hike about and evetually came to a set of hay field on the edge of a piece of woodland. i spyed a young buck at the far end of the field looking intently down and to my left. He got very angry, barking walking away a bit, barking and walking away a bit and then galloped off. So we thought to ourselves that there was likely to be something else there, staking an early terriotry and pushing the youngster out. so we watched and waited and sure enough we were right. from the woodside there was a stream with some trees on it coming down the field and down this line came two roe. they came from a long way off (4 - 500 yards) and were thrashing the barnches and scraping as they walked and fed. twice they squared up to each other and walked in circles next to eachother showing off. as the stream came in to our left about 140 yards away there was going to be a limited time when they were within comfortable shot but before they got into the wood. we had got as close as we could before being hampered by a band of brambles and roses that came right up to the fence.

i got set up lying down, firm rest on one of the fence posts, mates spaniel whining with excitement behind me. we had decided through the glasses which to shoot, the "smaller" of the two which seemednot to have such a good head and to be weaker in the backend with a thinner neck. he came out to a gap between the trees, stopped to have a rub on a young branch and fell like a sack with a neck shot that meant he didn't move an inch. perfect.

 

so we got up to him and he was much better than we thought: prob to good for me to be shooting as a guest.

 

anyway here are some photos of the head (don't give me grief about the shoddy boiling job, i realize. i had to get my bro to do it as i was going away on holiday and i haven't got round to tidying it up and sawing off and all that.

 

 

 

the measurements are:

LHS length (base of corronet to tip) 213mm

RHS '' '' 245mm

spacing at tip 73mm

 

 

 

don't know what else is needed (volume etc?) but there are the standard 3 tines on the RHS but five on the LHS (which presumably accounts for the reason it is shorter than the other side.

 

question is - would/does it make a medal. i showwed it to a stalker that works for the BDS and he said that it could be silver.

yours thoughts,

 

yours

On-point

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[Guest remmy]

yes mate that will make a medal no probs, nice buck good perling, whos land a ripon was it because i have a mate paul he's a farmer has alot of land at ripon rgds remmy.

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

What weight is it ? This is the crucial part to determine if its a medal !!

[on-point 0]

i wouldn't be able to say, i haven't got a decent spring ballance and there is some trik to dipping it in water isn't there - saw a bloke doing it at a game fair once. if anyone can tell me how to i would love to be able to find out it it was a medal.

 

remmy - this was out galphy way - close to studley royal - but NO it wasn't in the deer park at night with a lamp and a couple of dogs.

 

on-point

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

Just weigh it first on some kitchen scales to get the weight , the volume is done by immersing in water. The weight will give you a rough idea though !!

Edited August 23, 2008 by FOXHUNTER

[on-point 0]

right, because our kitchen scales are like something from gosforth park (old and knackered) i have had to go down to the post office. only the local one so i just waited until there was no one about and asked if i could wiegh it...thank you sarah but i doubt if you are on here...

 

it came to 0.499 KG that is just whats seen in the photo

 

does that make it any clearer?

whats the actual procedure for working out the marks/points?

 

cheers

[Tulkinghorn 0]

A lot of the main deer books (notable Richard Prior's Roe deer handbook) have the table in them. You will lose 90gms for the type of cut (i.e. full head without lower jaw). You then measure the length of the antlers and take the average. The span is measured, as are the length of the other tines. The volume is measured by dunking the antlers (but not the skull) into water whilst suspended on a spring balance. Then factors are given to all of the measurements and some other points are added for regularity, colour, pearling and miscellaneous beauty. All of that gives a points total. 130 points for gold, 115 for silver, 105 for gold.

 

Ok, very rough (bit like 40 grade sandpaper rough...) calculation from about 250 miles away...

 

499 grams - good length, good regular pearling, bit narrow (lot like the bucks I see down in Sussex - completely different to those nearer home in Hampshire!), not going to win any extra beauty points (slightly irregular, one side longer than other), extra points for the extra points (so to speak), fair to good colour (could be a bit darker, but don't get the boot polish out, you'll be penalised). Only bit you can't guess is the volume of the trophy. Looks quite good though.

 

Don't cut the skull though - in my experience its slightly beneficial to lose 90gms rather than cut away possibly more weight in bone.

 

I reckon it'll make a high bronze or possibly a low silver based on those I have had measured in the past. Very very difficult to say with any authority though!

 

Well done in any case, its not all about the silverware, and so long as you enjoyed yourself and took it as part of a sensible cull plan, then its a proper job.

 

Take it along to the next gamefair you go to and get it measure up by BASC or the BDS. Bear in mind that the BASC scheme is not really the "pukka" scheme that everyone normally refers to (CIC - administered by BDS in the UK). Not that it really matters, but if you want to compare like for like with your mates, then for the moment at least, CIC has it!

[Guest Deerstalker]

[

 

 

 

Antler length left = 21.3 cm POINTS

 

right = 24.5 cm av = 22.9

 

 

Weight = 499gm - 90gm = 409 40.9

 

 

volume no measurment normally plus 3 - 8 points av 5 45 .9

 

spread = 7.3 cm av lenght 22.9 = 31.3% 1

 

colour white nil black four points 2.5

 

Pearling small nil points well pearled four points 2

Coronets Up to four points for well developed 3

 

Tines Max four points 2.5

 

Additions For regularity and tine ends 0

Deductions for irregularitys that spoil the trophy 0

 

 

TOTAL SCORE (EST)

120.7

 

You need your trophy to have been boild out for ninty days so the scull is fully dried out or this score will be way way off.

 

hope this helps in letting you know roughly how the heads are scored (BEST OF LUCK)

Edited September 3, 2008 by Deerstalker