Not to be harsh on the OP, but I look at how an animal gets to a gross score as much as the score itself.
My best bull gross scores 338". He is 50" wide and heavy but with shorter tines. He looks cool as hell to me and I wouldn't trade him for the world. He has a front tine that drops low that caused us to name him Snuffleupagus. He has character and is a trophy to me. Another guy shot a 347 bull that hunt that he was a little disappointed in because he was holding out for a 350" bull. I know he passed a 307" bull and several others waiting for a 350" bull and he came darn close to his goal. My buddy shot the 307" the next day so I know the score. I celebrated my bull much more than he did his, he failed in his mind because he shot one 3" shy of the number he had in his head. He was young, in excellent shape, and dedicated. I appreciate his effort on one hand, but wish he could have taken more pride in what he accomplished on the other. That hunt was a failure to him because he didn't hit his goal. He took a great mature bull that almost any hunter would be proud of but not the one that made him happy.
Animals need to be judged on what they are, not on a number. I've been as guilty as anyone in previous years about what an animal measures deciding what it meant to me. I had a whitetail help me change my mind. It was 2012 the first time I had a chance at him, a 20" plus wide 3x3 that probably scored over 140". I had one more shot in later years but he was broke up. I passed him because it was opening day that first year and I was hunting a giant 10pt, but I always regretted it a little. That year I took a great buck but not the 10pt I passed the 6 for. I had that 6pt deer on my radar for 4 years but never truly appreciated him until he disappeared. There are more giant 10pt bucks in the world than there are 6pts like him, I missed out on something special by waiting.
I shot a whitetail that was on his way down last year, an old buck, that has short main beams and tines. His shed the year before I shot him has a 25" main beam and long tines, a 4pt whitetail shed measured 73". The next year he had a 21" main beam, short fat tines, and still looks more impressive. He had 47" of mass. Score isn't everything, cool factors in too.
I guess what I'm getting at in my rambling is not to overlook game that just has the right mix of everything to be special. Some of the best scoring critters one will ever see are just really good everywhere but not great anywhere. That said if something looks mature and is special in even one area that you like, don't get to hung up on inches and deductions. When you see the one you want 90% of the time you know it right off. Don't second guess your gut unless it's a very special tag.
