In This Guide
The Scoring Sheet
This is the typical whitetail layout. Print the page, or hit print and save as PDF if you want it on your phone in camp. Every measurement is taken to the nearest one eighth inch.
Spread and Point Count
| A. Number of Points, Right Antler | |
| A. Number of Points, Left Antler | |
| B. Tip to Tip Spread | |
| C. Greatest Spread | |
| D. Inside Spread of Main Beams |
Only D counts toward the score, and only up to the length of the longer main beam. Anything wider than that gets credited at the beam length, not the actual spread.
Right and Left Antler
| Measurement | Right | Left | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| F. Length of Main Beam | |||
| G-1. Length of First Point (Brow Tine) | |||
| G-2. Length of Second Point | |||
| G-3. Length of Third Point | |||
| G-4. Length of Fourth Point | |||
| G-5. Length of Fifth Point | |||
| G-6. Length of Sixth Point | |||
| G-7. Length of Seventh Point | |||
| H-1. Circumference Between Burr and G-1 | |||
| H-2. Circumference Between G-1 and G-2 | |||
| H-3. Circumference Between G-2 and G-3 | |||
| H-4. Circumference Between G-3 and G-4 | |||
| Column Totals |
Abnormal Points
Kickers, stickers, drop tines, anything not part of the normal frame. List each one with its length. On a typical frame these get subtracted. On a non typical frame they get added.
| E-1 | |
| E-2 | |
| E-3 | |
| E-4 | |
| Total Abnormal Points |
How to Fill It Out
Work in order. The sheet is built so that if you go top to bottom you never have to double back.
- 1. Count points first. Do it before you touch a tape. A point has to be at least an inch long and longer than it is wide, measured at least an inch from the tip. Count the beam tips as points but do not measure them separately.
- 2. Take the three spreads. Tip to tip and greatest spread are for the record only. Inside spread is the one that scores.
- 3. Run the main beams. Start at the low outside edge of the burr and follow the outer curve out to the tip. This is where a cable tape earns its keep.
- 4. Measure every normal point. Measure along the outer curve from the top edge of the main beam to the tip. Do not measure from where you think the beam is. Lay the tape across the beam, mark the line, measure from there.
- 5. Take the four circumferences. H-1 through H-4 go at the smallest place between the burr and G-1, G-1 and G-2, G-2 and G-3, and G-3 and G-4. On an eight point with no G-4, H-4 is taken halfway between G-3 and the beam tip.
- 6. List the abnormals. Anything that is not part of the matching frame goes in the E column.
Adding Up Gross and Net
Gross is everything added together with nothing taken away: inside spread, plus the right column, plus the left column. That is the number your buddy quotes at the tailgate.
Net is gross minus the difference column, minus the total of any abnormal points. That is the number the record book uses. A perfectly matched rack nets what it grosses. Most bucks give back somewhere between two and eight inches.
Gross = Inside Spread + Right Column + Left Column
Net = Gross − Difference Column − Abnormal Points
If you would rather not do the arithmetic, the free B&C score calculator takes the same measurements off this sheet and returns both numbers.
What You Need
A scoring kit is three things, and only one of them costs real money.
- A quarter inch steel cable tape. Flexible enough to follow a beam, stiff enough not to stretch. This is the one piece you should not cheap out on. A cloth tape will read long.
- A flexible steel measuring tape marked in eighths. For circumferences and spreads.
- Something to mark with. A grease pencil or a strip of masking tape on the beam so you can mark where a point stops and the beam starts.
Alligator clips and a folding carpenter rule show up in a lot of kits. They help. They are not required.
Where Most People Lose Inches
- Measuring tine length from the wrong baseline. The measurement starts where the point leaves the main beam, not at the bottom of the visible tine. Lay the tape across the beam first and mark it.
- Using the actual inside spread when it exceeds the beam. A wide, short beamed buck does not get credit for all that air. Spread credit is capped at the longer main beam.
- Calling stickers normal points. If it does not come off the top of the main beam in the normal sequence, it is abnormal, and on a typical it costs you.
- Rounding to quarters. B&C works in eighths. Rounding up on twelve lines adds a phantom inch and a half.
- Scoring green. Antlers shrink as they dry. B&C requires 60 days before an official measurement. Your green score will read a couple inches high.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the official Boone and Crockett score sheet?
It uses the same measurement lines and the same math as the official B&C typical whitetail chart, so the number you get will match. It is not an official entry form. Boone and Crockett requires a trophy to be measured by one of their designated Official Measurers after a 60 day drying period before it can be entered in their records program. Use this sheet to know where you stand. Use an Official Measurer when you want it in the book.
Do I need a special tape to fill this out?
You need a flexible quarter inch wide steel cable or steel tape. A cloth sewing tape stretches and a rigid carpenter tape will not follow the curve of a main beam, and both will cost you inches. B&C measures to the nearest one eighth inch, so a tape marked in eighths saves you converting decimals in the field.
What counts as a point?
A projection has to be at least one inch long, and it has to be longer than it is wide at one inch or more from the tip. The main beam tip counts as a point but is not measured as one. If you can hang a wedding ring on it and it is an inch, it is probably a point. If it is a nub, it is not.
Why is my net score lower than my gross?
Net score subtracts the difference between every matching right and left measurement, plus the length of any abnormal points on a typical frame. A perfectly symmetrical buck loses nothing. A buck with a nine inch G2 on one side and a six inch G2 on the other gives back three inches on that line alone. See our full breakdown of gross score vs net score.
Can I skip the sheet and just use a photo?
You can get close. rackline.ai returns a B&C estimate, an age estimate, and a growth projection from a single trail cam photo in about 30 seconds, which is what you actually want in August when the deer is still walking around. The tape and this sheet are for after the season, when the rack is in your hands and you want the real number.
Related Guides
How to Measure Deer Antlers →
Where to put the tape on every line, and the gear that matters.
Gross Score vs Net Score →
Why deductions happen and which number the book uses.
Boone & Crockett Scoring Explained →
Record book minimums, typical vs non typical, entry rules.
Free B&C Score Calculator →
Enter the numbers off this sheet and get gross and net.
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