Ask The Biologist

What's Up With the G?

What's Up With the G?

By Bob Humphrey

Did you ever wonder what the mysterious “G” stood for when you were reading about a buck’s antler points?

QUESTION: Last year, after more than 50 years in the woods as an outdoorsman, I stumbled upon the shed of a 16-point buck ... and the rest is history.

Shed hunting is my new hobby! It just makes me nuts to find a trophy side and NEVER find the match. That is, of course, what happened with the (estimated) 16-pointer.

Now that I’m obcessed with antlers, I’d like to know why points are always designated with G as the first letter, as in G1, G2, etc. What does the G stand for, and how long must a tine be before it is considered in the count?
— Jim T., Bloomington, Minn.

ANSWER: I must admit you had me stumped on this one. Probably like most folks, I’ve used the term “G” to refer to a specific point, but I never knew what it stood for.

I consulted the experts and learned the answer is not nearly as interesting as I had hoped.

A rack is measured in different stages and in a specific order: number of points (A), tip-to-tip spread (B), greatest spread (C), inside spread (D), total length of abnormal points (E), length of main beam (F), length of points (G), circumferences (H). So it’s purely a matter of the alphabetical order in which measurements are recorded on a score sheet.

The Buckmasters Trophy Records scoring system uses P, for “point” instead of G; and C for circumference. Makes sense.

Your second question is a common one. To be counted as a point, the projection must be at least one inch long from base to tip. Additionally, the length must exceed width at one inch or more of length.

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