In This Guide
Where the B&C System Came From
The Boone and Crockett Club was founded in 1887 by Theodore Roosevelt and a group of fellow hunter conservationists. The club's early work helped establish national parks, wildlife refuges, and the fair chase ethic itself. The scoring system we use today was adopted in 1950, when the club standardized a single method for measuring North American big game so that a buck killed in Texas in 1952 could be compared, fairly, against one killed in Wisconsin in 2025.
That consistency is the whole point. Seventy plus years of records measured the same way is what makes the book meaningful, and it's why the system measures everything to the nearest eighth of an inch with a flexible steel tape and a strict set of rules. Once you understand those rules, how to measure a buck B&C style stops being intimidating. It's just five categories of measurements and some addition.
Every B&C Measurement Explained
A whitetail score is built from these components, recorded for both antlers on the official score chart. The letters match the labels on the B&C whitetail form.
Add the spread credit, both beams, all normal points, and all eight circumferences and you have the gross score. Subtract the side to side differences on every paired measurement, and subtract abnormal points if scoring typical, and you have the net score, the number the record book uses. The full mechanics of those deductions are covered in our guide to gross score vs net score, and you can run the math on any buck with the free deer score calculator.
Typical vs Non-Typical
Whitetails are entered in one of two categories. A typical frame has points rising in the normal pattern off the top of each main beam: brow tine, G2, G3, and so on, roughly matched side to side. In typical scoring, every abnormal point is a deduction.
A non-typical entry uses the same measurements, but abnormal points are added to the score instead of subtracted. Same tape, opposite treatment of the junk. A buck with significant abnormal growth gets scored both ways, and the hunter enters him in whichever category scores better. As a rule of thumb, once a buck carries roughly 15 or more inches of abnormal points, the non-typical number usually wins.
Note that the categories carry different minimums, which exist because non-typical scores include extra inches a typical frame can't have.
B&C Minimum Scores
Boone and Crockett keeps two records: the Awards book, recognizing entries from each three year awards period, and the All time book, the famous one. Both use net scores taken after the 60 day drying period.
| Category | Awards Minimum | All Time Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Typical Whitetail | 160" | 170" |
| Non-Typical Whitetail | 185" | 195" |
| Typical Coues Deer | 100" | 110" |
| Non-Typical Coues Deer | 105" | 120" |
For perspective: out of the millions of whitetails harvested every year in North America, only a few hundred make either book. A 170 net typical is genuinely rare air. Most hunters will never see one in the wild, which is exactly why the book exists.
The World Records
Typical: 213 5/8"
The Milo Hanson buck, taken near Biggar, Saskatchewan in November 1993. Hanson and his neighbors tracked the buck across several days of hunts before he killed it on his own farm. The record has stood for more than three decades.
Non-Typical: 333 7/8"
The Missouri Monarch, found dead in St. Louis County, Missouri in 1981. Because no hunter took it, it's entered as a pickup. The largest hunter taken non-typical is the Tucker buck from Tennessee in 2016 at 312 0/8.
How to Get a Buck Officially Scored
Wait Out the 60 Day Drying Period
The rack must air dry at room temperature for at least 60 days after harvest. No boiling, no soaking, no freezer. Racks shrink slightly as they dry, and the waiting period standardizes every entry.
Find an Official Measurer
B&C maintains a network of trained volunteer measurers. The club's website lists them by state, and many score for free at sport shows, taxidermists, and state wildlife events.
Get the Official Measurement
The measurer completes the official score chart: spread, beams, every point, every circumference, and all deductions, to the eighth of an inch. Plan on 30 to 45 minutes for a whitetail.
Submit the Entry
If the net score makes a minimum, you submit the signed chart, field photos of the buck, the entry fee, and a signed fair chase affidavit confirming the animal was taken legally and ethically. Deer taken inside high fence enclosures are not eligible.
Start With an AI Estimate
Most bucks never need an official measurer; they need an honest number. That's what rackline.ai is for. Take a photo, or upload a trail cam image, and the AI measures beam length, tine structure, spread, and mass to return gross and net B&C estimates, plus an age estimate, in about 30 seconds. Most estimates land within 2 to 5 percent of a hand measurement.
Use it to inventory summer bucks, to decide whether the buck on your wall is worth a 60 day wait and a call to a measurer, or to settle the camp argument before the dishes are done. Then see how your deer stacks up against what hunters near you are tagging on the trophy map. The app is free to download on iOS and Android, and our step by step scoring guide covers the hands on tape work when you want to measure one yourself.
Get a B&C Estimate Right Now
Drop any photo into rackline.ai and get gross and net B&C estimates in 30 seconds. Free on iOS and Android.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum Boone and Crockett score for a whitetail?
For the all time records book, a typical whitetail must net 170 inches and a non-typical must net 195. The Awards book, which recognizes entries from each three year awards period, has lower minimums of 160 typical and 185 non-typical. All minimums are net scores after deductions, measured after the 60 day drying period.
What is the world record Boone and Crockett whitetail?
The world record typical whitetail is the Milo Hanson buck, taken in Saskatchewan in 1993, scoring 213 5/8. The world record non-typical is the Missouri Monarch at 333 7/8, a buck found dead in St. Louis County, Missouri in 1981. Both records have stood for decades, which tells you how rare deer of that caliber are.
How long do you have to wait before a buck can be officially scored?
Sixty days. B&C requires antlers to air dry at normal room temperature for at least 60 days after the kill before an official measurement. Racks shrink slightly as they dry, so the drying period puts every entry on equal footing. Velvet must also be stripped before official B&C measurement.
How much does it cost to get a deer officially scored?
The measurement itself is typically free. B&C official measurers are trained volunteers, and many score at sport shows, taxidermy shops, and wildlife agency events. If the buck makes a minimum and you choose to enter it, there is an entry fee, plus requirements like field photos, a signed fair chase affidavit, and the official score chart.
Related Guides
How to Score a Whitetail Deer →
The complete step by step B&C measuring walkthrough.
Gross Score vs Net Score →
Understand the difference and why symmetry matters.
How to Tell a Deer's Age →
Body characteristics, antler development, and AI age estimation.
Free B&C Score Calculator →
Calculate your gross and net score online. No app required.
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