Where is the point count dividing line?

mikekuzara

I know that a sone travels East from Wyoming, at some spot on the map the point count on a deer changes.

Out here, only one side is counted, i.e. a " 4 point buck" would have 4 points on each side. While this same buck would be an " 8 pointer" farther east.

If the count is different from side to side then we say it is a 4 by 5 or a 5 by 6. Does the Eastern point count work the same in those cases or would those bucks be a 9 point and 11 point?

And just where is the dividing line? Michigan, The Mississippi River?

Just curious

Flint54

I can only add that in Minnesota the point count is the total points, same in Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri. I was once informed that the Western Count was a count that began where Mule Deer Habitat began and that originally was a way to differenciate between Whitetail & Mule Deer. I don't know if this is true but if you take a poll I believe that you would find that the two follow very close.

Any other comments would be very welcome. Join in. Cool

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

Whitetail = count everything.

Mule Deer outside of Wyoming, count each point per side, ignore eyeguards.

Mule Deer in Wyoming, count each side including eye guards.

I have no idea why this is but that seems to be the majorty way it works out.

-DallanC

Bushmaster

Last I checked...Oregon, Washington and california count one side, but not the eye guards. If odd sides 2 X 3 and so on...That includes elk.

Guest

Here in NJ you count the total # of points from both sides..

GroovyJack · Member Joined: May 21, 2005 Posts: 621 Location: Bama

I've always heard the line that Flint is going by ..
Jack

mikekuzara

Dallan, I don't know who you have been hanging out with in Wyoming, but no one I know counts the eye guards. Maybe just outfitters trying to make the deer sound bigger.

I don't know, but the mule deer/ whitetail dividing line sounds as plausible as anything.

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

mikekuzara wrote:

Dallan, I don't know who you have been hanging out with in Wyoming, but no one I know counts the eye guards. Maybe just outfitters trying to make the deer sound bigger.

I've seen it very often in magazines like Outdoorlife etc etc and they always refer to it as "wyoming count". I've also seen "wyoming count" mentioned on two different Buckmasters tv shows during muley hunts as well as numorous message posts around the net.

One thing to note: B&C *DOES* count eyeguards when scoring.

-DallanC

Bushmaster

Considering that both Boone and Crocket never crossed the Mississippi River I could understand why the B&C count all points including the eye guards. Growing up I was always told to count only one side and the eyeguards did not count. Personally it doesn't matter. When I hear of a point count of an eastern deer hunter I aways divide it by two and subtract two for the eye guards. Now I have a fairly accurate count.

Sounds like a war brewing in the east.....

Wow...That means that 3 point Blacktail I shot a couple of years ago is really an 8 point. Can you amagin my supprize when I found out when I was around mid teens that when a hunter shot a 4 point and I was all adrool then to find out he had only shot a forked horn...What a let down...L O L Very Happy

Flint54

mikekuzara

I am a fourth generation Wyoming Native. I know, literally, a hundred or more hunters from here. None of them count the eyeguards, I called around and asked 20 or so of my hunting buddies just to be sure.

It may be called a "Wyoming Count" but in your list of people using it, it didn't sound like any of them were from Wyoming. I think the so called "Wyoming Count" may be a bastard hybrid of Eastern/Western counting. A case of the eastern writers and TV hosts being unable to give up counting the eyeguards.

Bushmaster

Hey Flinty...Could you be a little more articulate in your disatation??? Very Happy