The North Missouri Sportsman’s Alliance is sponsoring its annual free deer antler scoring day Saturday, March 16, at the Elks Lodge in Chillicothe.
“We will again be providing certified Pope & Young and Boone & Crockett and Missouri Big Bucks scorers for area hunters,” said Steve Shoot, president of the NMSA. “This is free to all who attend.” Shoot said antlers would be accepted from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, with the scoring of the antlers taking place throughout the early afternoon hours. “We hope all of the deer racks can be scored, but if we get overwhelmed with numbers the scoring will end around 4 p.m.,” said Shoot.
When hunters arrive at the Elks Lodge, located at 402 Harvester Road, there is a sign-in process and the antlers will be given a number in the order they are registered. The scorers are separated from the hunters when the antlers are scored.
“There are specific guidelines to follow when you bring your antlers to be scored and also when you pick them up to take back home,” Shoot said. “You will be asked to provide some basic information on how the deer was taken, your name and address, and so on.”
The NMSA and the Missouri Department of Conservation will be also teaming up to provide something new this year. “Conservation Department personnel will be initiating roundtable discussions on deer in Missouri and they have a lot of interesting information to offer to area hunters,” Shoot said. “Plus, Bill Wehrle, an NMSA board member and well-known outdoorsman in the area, will be providing information on wild turkeys and the upcoming spring season, which at the time of the event will only be a month away.”
Members of the Chillicothe High School Hunting & Fishing Club will also be on hand to assist the scorers throughout the day. Free refreshments will be provided throughout the day, as well.
According to Shoot, it is important to bring the antlers to be scored in as early as possible. They will be measured by the scorers in the order in which they arrive at the Lodge,” said Shoot. “The only exception to this will be for those antlers which must be scored by those certified for Boone & Crockett or Pope & Young.” Shoot said the entrance to the Lodge where the scoring will take place is located on the south side of the building.
