Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Scoring system scares off entries
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor's Outdoors column and notebook appears regularly in The Roanoke Times.
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In the wake of an all-time record deer kill in Virginia last hunting season, it stands to reason that trophy antler contests would attract record numbers of entries.
That's exactly what happened at the recent Virginia Deer Classic, the contest held in conjunction with the annual Virginia Outdoor Sportsman Classic in Richmond last month.
The contest attracted 361 entries.
But then came this past weekend's western regional of the Big Game Contest, the popular show that's held each September at the Rockingham County fairgrounds.
Entries were down.
What's the explanation?
Two words: Boone and Crockett.
This fall marked the first time the Virginia Deer Classic used that scoring method instead of the traditional Virginia scoring system.
When Denny Quaiff, the executive director of the Virginia Deer Hunters Association, says the move to the Boone and Crockett system was "well received," he's being modest.
The Virginia Big Game Contest stuck with tradition.
As he prepared to hand out awards Sunday afternoon, longtime contest coordinator Jon Ritenour talked up the Virginia system.
He pointed out that it came first, and that the Boone and Crockett system actually has its roots in the Virginia system.
He also said that the Virginia system is designed to reward the "classic" whitetail rack, which is why the system rewards antlers whose beam tips sweep back in and nearly touch, while penalizing racks that have a wide tip-to-tip spread.
It also can penalize funky racks.
One of the most impressive deer at the contest was a massive and thick, double-beamed non-typical that was shot near Shenandoah. With a Virginia score of 182 and change, the deer didn't come close to placing in its class, though it's almost certainly large enough to make the Boone and Crockett all-time record book.
There's something to be said for maintaining tradition.
By sticking with the Virginia system, we can get an idea how today's trophy measure up against those from previous generations.
That's kind of neat.
But there's no getting around the fact that the Boone and Crockett system has become the national standard.
When celebrity hunters sit behind the monster buck they just shot and tell their TV and video viewers, "This is a 180-class buck," they're not talking about the Virginia scoring system.
Granted, a hunter who kills a big Virginia buck can track down a scorer for the Boone and Crockett Club-- or the Pope and Young Club for archery records -- to get their antlers measured.
Most who bring really big bucks to Harrisonburg probably do that at some point.
That's a fairly select group.
But even though the vast majority of bucks brought to Harrisonburg were not book-worthy, many hunters would be curious to know what the Boone and Crockett score would be.
That curiosity helped contribute to the entry bump in Richmond, where a historical class was offered so hunters could bring in deer from previous seasons.
It will be interesting to see how entries trend after the initial rush of historical bucks. The numbers will probably be similar to the pre-Boone and Crockett days.
With the Richmond contest having made the switch, the folks behind the Virginia Big Game Contest couldn't switch even if they wanted to, nor should they.
That contest will be the one that maintains the historical record.
But it would be great if they could measure bucks using both systems.
Yes, that would create more work for the show's staff and the measurers. Maybe that extra work could be justified by charging a modest extra fee -- $5 maybe? -- for hunters who wish to get both measurements.
Check out this Friday's Outdoors page for photos of a few of the show's best trophies, as well as the stories behind the hunts.
Crumley's honor, and camo buck
Camouflage pioneer Jim Crumley was recently inducted into Garry Mason's Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame.
Mason, a Tennessee fishing guide, started the organization in 2002 to honor outdoors industry figures who he felt weren't getting deserved recognition.
Crumley and his wife, Sherry, traveled to Nashville for the Aug. 22 induction ceremony.
"It was pretty neat," said Crumley, whose original Trebark pattern gets a lot of credit for launching the modern camouflage craze.
Others in the group included pro angler and fishing lure savant Gary Yamamoto, wildlife artist Terry Redlin, longtime National Wildlife Turkey Federation leader Rob Keck, hunting personality Eddie Salter, Mossy Oak camo's Toxey Haas, and the late Herb Parson, a legendary trick shot artist.
Roanoke Valley residents who might not be familiar with Crumley's famous first pattern may get a chance to see it in a unique way this month.
Crumley recently made a trip to an Indiana outdoors expo, returning with a full-sized mounted deer that's covered not with deer hide, but with Trebark polar fleece.
The mount was made in 1988 for promotional purposes, and had been in storage in Indiana for the past few years. Crumley lashed the buck into the bed of his pickup for the eight-hour drive back to Roanoke.
The deer mount, which carries a set of massive replica antlers from a 185-class -- Boone and Crockett system -- Illinois whitetail, drew lots of attention.
Crumley would often look over to see the gawking occupants of other cars snapping photos with their cell phone cameras.
The deer will eventually find a place in Crumley's Outfitter Tough office and outlet in Roanoke County.
But he said for at least a couple more weeks he plans to leave it in the truck.
As Crumley makes his commute from his home near Buchanan to his office the deer is sure to keep getting attention, but in these parts a few more folks will likely understand what they're seeing.
For a preview, check out my Wild Life blog at roanoke.com.
