Field Judging bucks?

[Timnterra]

In my opinion judging antelope horn size is harder than just about any other animal. It seems like they are all very similar and when you are looking at an animal that you might not get to see often, as with those hunting out of state, it is hard to tell which ones are worth a stalk or not.
I've learned a couple tricks on what to look for, since moving to South Dakota but I'd like to hear from others.
Those of you that look at antelope all the time, what do you look for to judge the size of a buck's horns?

 

[Plinker147]

No great tips but antelope are like sheep, they are hard to judge until you get to put your hands on a bunch and measure them. Then you start to get the idea what it takes to score.

Also learning what's average for your area, then use those measurements as a base and judge each part of the horn measuring against your base. Then you can start to put it together if it's more mass or length your looking at a better than average antelope for your area.

For example where I'm at the average mature antelope will score 75-77 inch 15 length with average prongs. I use this base in my mind then judge each part against it, Im in the land of giant antelope country, so our average probably isn't average everywhere.

When they are over 85 their horns looking freakishly big to there head size. The real big ones are easy to pick out.

 

[26Reload]

Profile.......if that bucks horns are 'jutting out' in front of his head he is usually an older buck....
then you have to determine height..i wouldnt base it on ears..but on skull size...ears are tough to see..twice the height of it lower jaw to top of it's head and he is huge....
Next are the cutters...tough to judge because of they vary on the horns...some out to the side..some straight ahead...just try to determine if those cutters are taller where they attached to horn or thin....
Of course all of pronghorns horns growth are subject to how much water is available during horn growth....
Dry spring and growth of even older mature bullies are stunted....

 

[PNWGator]

There is a great tutorial on the pronghorn guide service blog that might be helpful.

 

[HARPERC]

I start with the prong to get a feel for mass. Only 1 length measurement, including the prong 5 mass measurements.
The tops seem to separate good from the best. If it starts petering out above the prong it will generally not make BC if that's the scale we're using.
Monsters seem to look like it first impression.

 

[Schnyd112]

Forks above his ears, that gives you more mass measurements below the prong, that's good for score. Conpare his prongs on his nose but some of their prongs go up more, rather than straight out, so that can be deceiving. Mass up above the prong is hard to judge, especially if it's hot and mirage is bad.

Like anything else, look at a lot of them and you will start to form an opinion. when you find a big one you can tell.

 

[HARPERC]

.......Mass up above the prong is hard to judge, especially if it's hot and mirage is bad.

Tough to tell if it's there at all some days.

...Like anything else, look at a lot of them and you will start to form an opinion. when you find a big one you can tell.

Not living where they live this gets tough. Especially if a good tag can literally be once in a lifetime.

 

[Schnyd112]

This is my dad's from 2008. Horn length isn't over 15" on either side but he missed the book by less than an inch. It is the nastiest antelope I have ever seen. It's got spikes coming out the sides, huge prongs and was just a brute. We found him because he kept chasing smaller bucks out of his canyon, fearing for their lives.

The second one is mine from 2010, he broke off the long side overnight. Saw him alone with both horns, went back the next morning and he had 6 does and was broken. He would be flirting with 80" gross if it was whole. The small side, which is not broken, scored 38".

 

[talltexanrancher]

Like black bears, pronghorn can be tricky to judge. Spending quality time in the field with a seasoned antelope hunter was invaluable to me.

 

[tmmcampbell]

It's like a cricket and a rattlesnake. If you ask is it a rattlesnake? The answer is no. When you hear a rattlesnake you know it is a rattlesnake. When you see a buck if you have to ask if it is a big buck? The answer is no. When you see a big buck you say wow that's a big buck.

 

[codyadams]

There is a great tutorial on the pronghorn guide service blog that might be helpful.

THIS!!!!!

It helps immensely. I live in Wyoming and look at pronghorn daily (there is a heard I see in front of my house every morning, and more in the 5 minute drive from my house to work) and this made a difference. Link below:

http://www.pronghornguideservice.com/field-judging.html

The other thing I do is keep a bunch of pictures of bucks with known measurements in the upper 70's through low 90's, saved in a "pronghorn field judging" file in my phone, and the photos are named the measurement of the buck, and after looking at bucks I then directly compare them to the pics on my phone to help get an idea of where the buck will land. Using this method and practicing on the link above, every buck I have shot or field judged, my estimate was within a couple inches of their actual measurements.

 

[bbckfh]

...keep a bunch of pictures of bucks with known measurements in the upper 70's through low 90's, saved in a "pronghorn field judging" file in my phone, and the photos are named...

Thanks. Great reference and the link helps.

This is a great tip, and based on your results would seem to work. I'll copy that.