It takes an average of an hour or two for Ohmer to measure each set of antlers, and those are the easy ones. Photo by Richard P. Smith.

John Ohmer has measured more than 1,000 sets of deer antlers, the first Commemorative Bucks of Michigan scorer to achieve such a milestone.

That’s more racks than most hunters see in a lifetime, and it took much of Ohmer’s time as a volunteer to come up with a score for each of those racks.

It takes an average of an hour or two to measure each set of antlers, and those are the easy ones. Some non-typical racks with numerous tines require hours to measure them properly.

“I became real interested in the scoring thing after I learned a system for measuring deer antlers existed,” Ohmer said. “It’s a standard by which all deer can be compared. I’m always willing to help a hunter who has bagged a big buck become a part of history. All of the deer that qualify for state records end up being published in our record book, which I consider a history book.”

CBM uses the Boone and Crockett Club measuring system where tine and beam lengths are measured along with circumferences at four places on each beam. The inside spread is measured between the beams. Judgments must be made regarding whether tines are typical or non-typical. Differences in symmetry between the antlers are scored as deductions. Adding the measurements and then subtracting deductions derives the final score.

Ohmer, from Yale, was able to measure such a large number of racks by volunteering at shows like Woods-N-Water Weekend and the Deer Spectacular. Hundreds of successful hunters bring antlers from big bucks they’ve bagged to these shows, among others, each year to find out what they score and enter them in state records maintained by CBM.

Ohmer also visits taxidermy shops in his area to score multiple racks.

There is no charge to have antlers measured, although an entry fee is required for racks that meet or exceed state-record minimums. CBM members may enter racks at no additional charge.

Ohmer’s first book buck eventually led him to CBM and becoming a measurer himself. He killed a 9-pointer with bow and arrow that scored 125 4/8 in 1987 in Iron County. At the time, Ohmer and his cousin, Bernard Ohmer, were en route to an Upper Peninsula deer camp the week before firearms season opened.

“On the way to camp, two bucks went across the road ahead of us and they were fighting,” Ohmer said. “We went after them and got them both.”

The brothers had planned to hunt the entire two-week gun season after a week of bowhunting, but their pickup truck was fully loaded with gear.

“It took a half hour just to get my bow and arrows out of the back of the pickup,” Ohmer explained. “It took so long to get the one bow out that we took off after the bucks without it. The fighting bucks were a half-mile into the woods by the time we went after them.

“We couldn’t hear them, but they were easy to follow because the ground was all torn up where they had gone. Their antlers weren’t locked, but they were engaged in serious combat. They were oblivious to what was around them.

“For that reason, it was easy to shoot the bucks when we caught up to them. I shot the smaller one first, then handed the bow to Bernard. I shot the 9-pointer in the heart, but you couldn’t tell he was hurt. They kept fighting.”