Syracuse.com - Ask the Outdoors guy: What constitutes a 'point' on a deer's antler? Irresponsible hunters

[HuntingNY-News]

Next time something like that happens, call 911 and report it. These guys are not the norm. It's individuals like them who give hunters, the vast majority of whom are law-abiding and responsible individuals, a bad name.

Readers are constantly asking me questions about the outdoors and wildlife.

Sometimes I can supply the answers myself. Other times I go to experts.

The two questions answered this week concern deer antlers and the topic or reckless hunters.

Question: Several readers who are non-hunters have noted I am constantly referring to the number of points on a buck's antlers. Just what exactly is a point and how long does it have to be to be considered one?

Answer: I called Robert Haff, of Fleming, who's an official measurer with the New York Big Buck Club. Haff said a deer's antlers generally have two main beams. Any solitary growth off the main beam is called a tine. A tine has to be at least one inch long to be counted as a point. Nubs or growths less than an inch don't count, Half said.

When he measures a tine, he said, he holds a measurer's cable (about 1/8 of an inch thick) flush to the main beam at the base of the tine.

"I draw an indicator line with pencil on the tine from the tine's tip at its base (using the cable as its end point). I then measure that distance. If it's at least an inch, I consider it a point," he said.

For more on the Big Buck Club or to contact an official measurer, see nysbigbuckclub.com. nysbigbuckclub.com. There's no cost to have your deer's antler's officially measured. If the buck qualifies for entry in the club's record book, there is a $20 fee to have it included.

If the buck qualifies for entry there is a $20 entry fee to have the buck placed in the record book., but it costs $20 to have your deer included in the club's annual publication of big bucks across the state.

Question: About a week ago my wife and I were on Old State Road, a stretch that runs from west of southwest Oswego into the village of Fair Haven. In front of us were two guys in the back of a pickup truck, legs hanging over the back, laughing and possibly sloshed, with their rifles pointing directly at us. Yes, maybe the safeties were on. Nevertheless, do you have an opinion about this? Is this OK behavior?

-Bob, from Oswego

Answer: . Bob, all I know is what you've told me. No, it's not OK. Sounds like these two individuals were being stupid and reckless. It's a basic tenant of gun safety to neverm ever point a firearm at something unless you intend to shoot it. I can understand why you and your wife were upset. Whether they were intentionally or unintentionally pointing it your way doesn't matter. It's an absolute no-no.

You mentioned you didn't know if the guns were loaded. If they were and the vehicle was stopped by a police officer or environmental conservation officer, the individuals would have faced misdemeanor charges of riding in a moving vehicle with a loaded firearm. In addition, pointing a loaded firearm your way could have resulted in an additional charge of reckless endangerment.

Next time something like that happens, call 911 and report it. These guys are not the norm. It's individuals like them who give hunters, the vast majority of whom are law-abiding and responsible individuals, a bad name.

sis an absolute no-no. and I can understand and sympathize with you and wife.

off the main beam is considered and points are the parts of the a

Basically when you have a frqame ofa rack, you have the main beams and any point that comes off the main beans. Have to be an inch or greater is considred a point. You have a point that's 8 inches and you can have a point coming off that, but it still has to be an inch long to be considered a point. Robert Haff, of Fleming,, an oficials scorer for the New York State Big Buck Club. Point is measure.. if cut ppoint off main beam. That would be distance you would use.. cut aoff with a saw and measure.. put some maksing tape around the point and then lay a cable flush to the main beam and then you draw indicator lines on the masking tape and then we measure it.

Tine is length of a point coming off the main ..

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