Scoring System
The state's antler scoring system is the same as that utilized by both the Boone & Crockett and Pope & Young Clubs which are recognized as the national organizations that record exceptional North American big game taken with firearms and archery equipment, respectfully. The scoring system is based primarily on antler size and symmetry and includes measurements of the main beams, greatest inside spread of the beams, circumference measurements at certain designated locations, and the number and length of the points. To be counted as a point, a projection must be at least one inch long and it must be longer than it is wide at its base.
Deductions are made for points that arise abnormally from the main beams or from other points and for symmetrical differences between corresponding measurements on the right and left antlers. For non-typical antlers, abnormal points are added to the score rather than being deducted as in the typical category. A set of antlers is classified as typical or non-typical based on its general conformation, the number of abnormal points, and a determination as to whether it will rank higher in the typical or non-typical category. Current minimum scores for the South Carolina Antler Records List are 125 typical points and 145 non-typical points. All antlers must undergo a minimum 60-day drying period before they can be officially measured. If a set of antlers meets the minimum score the record is added to the list and a certificate is issued recognizing the outstanding white-tailed deer taken in South Carolina.
This addition of South Carolina Deer Antler Records 2005 is based on activities conducted during the 2005 score year. The reader will notice that this publication contains a number of separate lists. The first two lists contain the records for typical and non-typical antlers that were documented during the spring 2005 scoring session only. Although most of these records represent deer harvested during the fall 2004 hunting season there are some records that were taken in previous years and were not officially scored until 2005. Separate rankings are presented for the score year (2005) and for all-time. These rankings reflect the position of the antlers compared to the other antlers scored during the year and as compared with all historical records.
The third and fourth lists contain the top 100 records for all-time in the typical category and the top 50 records for all-time in the non-typical category. These lists reflect the upper portion of all historical entries and each set of antlers is ranked as compared with the other antlers in the category.
The final list provides information related to the all-time production of antler records by county. The list is broken down by typical and non-typical and provides the rank for each county based on total number of historic entries, as well as, the county rank based on the number of entries in relationship to the size of the county in square miles.
The South Carolina Antler Records List is continually undergoing revisions and editing. However, due to the size and nature of the list mistakes are inevitable. If you become aware of mistakes associated with the records list please contact Antler Records, P.O. Box 167 Columbia, SC 29202 in writing. Proposed corrections will be considered after reviewing the original score sheet that is on file.
The most recent round of white-tailed deer antler scoring conducted by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources revealed 180 new records including one potential Boone and Crockett record. Of the 430 sets of antlers scored at the 9 scheduled sessions, 180 met the minimum score for entry on the state records list, the most in more than 5 years. The 180 racks included 172 sets of typical and 8 non-typical racks. Of the antlers scored, 147 were taken in 2003 or 2004.
The top typical buck taken in 2004 scored 149 6/8 points and was harvested by Clifford Rickett in Oconee County in November. The second highest score was a 148 1/8 inch Orangeburg County buck taken in November by William Jones. Delton Roe’s 187 4/8 point Anderson County buck, taken in October of 2004, was tops among non-typical deer. Not only will this buck qualify for the Boone and Crockett Club’s Three Year Awards Period List, it is currently tied for fourth on the State All-time Non-typical List. The number two non-typical was taken by Jeff Dennis in Colleton County in October 2004, 154 5/8 points.
For score year 2005, Aiken County produced the most State Record entries with 21. Other top counties included Orangeburg with 11, Kershaw with 10, Lexington with 8, and Anderson with 7 entries. These results come as no surprise, which is particularly the case with Aiken, Anderson, and Orangeburg as these counties have historically produced good numbers of record entries. As far as all-time leaders at the county level, Orangeburg County remains at the top with 309 sets of antlers on the lists. Rounding out the top five counties Orangeburg is followed by Aiken 257, Fairfield 223, Colleton 197 and Abbeville and Williamsburg tied with 169 entries.
Although some of the top counties have relatively high deer populations, some of these counties have more moderate numbers. It is important that hunters and land managers understand how the density of deer in an area affects the quality of the animals. Areas with fewer deer typically have better quality animals because natural food availability and nutritional quality is higher. Good nutrition is important in producing good antlers, but deer reproduction, recruitment and survival are also directly tied to nutrition. To continue to have good numbers of large-antlered bucks, the harvest of female deer must continue to be emphasized in order to keep deer numbers from becoming too high. Over the last 10 years, most hunters have realized the importance of harvesting doe deer. These hunters should be commended and encouraged to continue this trend.
South Carolina’s deer herd is in good condition, and it appears that after many years of rapid population growth the herd stabilized in the mid-1990s. Statewide population estimates put the deer herd at about 800,000 animals and the estimated harvest has been between 250,000 and 300,000 deer each of the last eight years. Although the total statewide deer harvest has been down the last two years, indications from the antler records program are that deer quality remains good. This would make sense because fewer deer in the population would benefit from increased nutrition.
South Carolina hunters should recognize that harvesting potential Boone and Crockett bucks is not a common occurrence anywhere in the country. This is particularly evident if you consider that there are only about 5,500 white-tailed deer records listed by Boone and Crockett, which includes entries dating to the 1800s. Similarly, the harvest of deer in the United States in recent years has been about 5 million per year. Essentially, the average hunter stands a better chance of being struck by lightning than harvesting one of these record deer, no matter where they hunt.
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