Here are the links. If the first one is too long, the TinyURL address posted next will definitely work.B&C Fires King Buck Measurers
The Boone and Crockett Club today sent a statement to two of its longest-standing official measurers: You can have an opinion, but we’ll give it to you.
Earlier today, Ron Boucher of Vermont and Craig Cousins of Wisconsin learned that they have been permanently relieved of their duties as official B&C scorers. Both men had been official B&C scorers for more than 25 years.
Boucher is arguably the most seasoned whitetail antler scorer in the world. He gained prominence in the 1990s after serving on the panel that scored the Milo Hanson buck, which was later crowned as the biggest typical of all time. Boucher has arguably been B&C’s biggest champion for many years.
Boucher apparently drew the ire of B&C executives through his steadfast convictions that the Johnny King Buck should be panel-scored. The King Buck, shot almost six years ago in Wisconsin, is a 12-pointer that many professional scorers, Boucher included, believe could surpass the Hanson Buck as the new World Record.
Boucher, in an interview that was completed just minutes ago, said he received the news in a brief typewritten letter signed by Buck Buckner of B&C.
“I’m still in shock, I guess,” Boucher said. “After 25 years, this is how it all ends … no phone call, just basically a form letter.”
The irony here is that Boucher — and all other certified B&C scorers — has worked all of those years as an unpaid volunteer. Becoming a B&C scorer has been considered an honor among scoring enthusiasts.
“I never got a penny for scoring a rack,” Boucher said. “Over the years, many people tried tipping me, too, but I never would accept it. You don’t do this for the money. You do this because you love antlers.”
“I guess I spoke out too much,” he continued. I fought for a deer that I thought was being improperly treated. This was about principle more than anything else.”
The dismissal by B&C is the second blow Boucher has received of late in his quest to have the King Buck receive a fair shake among antler scorers. The Pope and Young Club also stripped him of his certification for being allowed to score bowhunting trophies.
“I’m not being punished because I’m a bad measurer,” he said. “I’m being punished for expressing my opinions.
“I can’t tell you how much this hurts inside. Next to my wife and two children, this has been the most important thing in my life for the past 25 years. It’s going to take a while to process all of this.”
Cousins was apparently let go because of a comment he made to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel earlier this year. In that article, Cousins was quoted as saying, “It’s a shame what is happening to the King buck. It’s a typical 12-pointer in my eyes.”
http://www.deeranddeerhunting.com/deer- ... k-measurer
http://tinyurl.com/cnu5twb
http://www.deeranddeerhunting.com/deer- ... e-story-07
http://tinyurl.com/ckp9fk9
http://www.deeranddeerhunting.com/featu ... uck-denied
http://tinyurl.com/bw75uk5
Don't know why B&C has got their craw in such a knot over this, but it's definitely making them look pretty childish and bad. I already have a really bad taste in my mouth for Pope & Young, looks like Boone & Crocket is joining the list right there with P&Y. My opinion is that the deer should at least be panel scored and let the chips fall where they may, instead of a dictatorship where 1 person decides what does and doesn't get scored.
BTW, in case ya'll didn't know, Buckmasters recognizes and has a category for crossbow taken deer. Here's more info on their scoring system, which I like because it gives credit for all of the antler.
http://www.buckmasters.com/big-buck-central/btr.aspx
A couple of quotes taken from their explanation page:
BTR Philosophy
The philosophy of Buckmasters' new Full-Credit Scoring System is to measure and record whitetail deer antlers without forcing them to conform to a criterion of perfect symmetry. This Full-Credit Scoring System takes nothing away from the rack. It simply measures every inch of antler and classifies it accordingly.
The Full-Credit Scoring System does not penalize a deer's antlers because of their shape or configuration since they have no choice in how they grow. Each hunter may prefer certain antler characteristics, but to call one preference right and another preference wrong would be absurd, especially where a design of nature is concerned.
By simply recording what nature produced and classifying it accurately, the BTR offers whitetail enthusiasts the opportunity to record their trophies with an unbiased, record-keeping agency that allows systematic comparison of the amazing, natural artistry of whitetail antlers.