L/R Russell
Thornberry, Ed Waite, Jackie Bushman
Buckmasters
is a national organization of whitetail deer hunters with a magazine
published during the fall and winter months for and by deer hunters.
They also have a TV program on one of the cable channels.
The Founder
of Buckmasters and its driving force is Jackie Bushman. The organization
came into being in 1986, and now has over 250,000 members in
N. America and continues to grow each year.
The magazine contains articles of interest to deer hunters, bow
hunters, muzzleloader hunters, shotgun hunters and rifle hunters.
If you have the urge to write or have a good deer hunting story,
you may submit it for publication. Even I had an article published
in the December 1996 issue.
I have been a member of Buckmasters since 1989. When announcement
was made in the magazine they were going to start certifying
scorers for the new Buckmasters Trophy Records Full-Credit Scoring
System, I immediately mailed in my application to attend one
 of the scoring
clinics.
I
attended a clinic in Columbus, Ohio given by the systems founder,
Russell Thornberry. I was certified as a scorer for the new Full-Credit
Scoring System (BTR) on March 18, 1995 (I am scorer #76).
I became a Master Scorer shortly thereafter and then became a
scorer-instructor. I have taught scoring clinics in Ohio (5),
Oklahoma, New York, Tennessee, Connecticut, Texas, Delaware,
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Alabama, (12 at the Buckmasters Expo
from 96 to '08), and one each in Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.
I was invited to assist in the scoring of the collection of whitetail
heads at the Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, Mo. in February 1996.
Six Master Scorers were involved in the effort and we measured
over 15,000 inches of antler and put more than 85 racks into
the record book. The Tony Fulton Buck (321 7/8“) was officially
scored for the BTR at this event also. I have also been invited
to participate in the last two Buckmasters’ Expos in Montgomery,
Al. where we scored more than 250 racks each year.
I am now the Regional Director of Buckmasters Region 7, which
includes the lower peninsula of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky,
Tenneessee. I am responsible for all training in this region
and anyone wishing to become a Certified Buckmasters Scorer should
contact either myself or Buckmasters for information on upcoming
Scorer Clinics.
In the
ensuing years I have scored 5 racks that have been certified
new world records within the BTR. They are the Barnicle Buck,
Mike Beatty Buck, Jerry Bryant Buck, Troy Wilson Buck and The
Brad Jerman Buck.
If have
scored more than 50 racks that have had a BTR score in excess
of 200 inches (not counting the inside spread) and have recorded
more than 500 entries for the record book now in it's fifth printing. |