Did you ever have a set of antlers hanging in the garage or attic that have been a subject of speculation as to their origin or what they might score in a Boone and Crockett measurement?

Have you been fortunate enough to harvest a trophy buck, elk or black bear but never had it officially scored?

Well, this year the Pennsylvania Game Commission will offer big game scoring sessions at each of its regional offices. This is part of the commission's Big Game Records Program, which allows hunters to see how their trophies stack up to the record holders.

The scoring sessions will be in June and individuals who would like to have a scoring opportunity must make a reservation before the session date.

In our area, you should contact the Franklin office at 814-432-3187 this week to set up an appointment. Current listings and rankings for the program are maintained on the agency's Web site at www.pgc.pa.us.

I took the time to review the big game records and found that our region was well represented in the scoring lists.

Remember that thousands of deer, bear and elk have been harvested over the past six years and that there are some minimum standards that you should keep in mind.

With a rough score measured at home, your trophies should at least match these numbers:

n Typical firearm: 130

• Typical bow: 95

• Nontypical firearm: 150

• Nontypical bow: 125

• Black bear firearm: 18

• Black bear with bow: 16

These figures will keep frivolous scoring to a minimum and allow the scorers time to make serious trophy considerations.

What does it take to get to be number one in the Pennsylvania Big Game Trophy Book? Actually, it takes a lot to unseat the reigning champions in some categories.

The best score for the typical firearm harvested buck was a 189-0 measurement. This trophy score has stood the test of time since Fritz Janowsky of Bradford County harvested the deer in 1943. For 65 years, no hunter has challenged that mark or even cracked the top 10.

The closest score came in 2004, when Robert McKane of Sullivan County scored a buck at 174-4. The same can be said of the deer bagged by a nontypical firearm when a trophy with a whopping score of 238-6 was harvested by Edward Dodge of Erie in 1942.

Records are meant to be broken and the archers of Pennsylvania have scored three new records out of the top five scores in the recent past.

Typical records taken with a bow include the 2004 top mark bagged by Michael Nicola Sr. in Allegheny County, who scored a 178-2.

R. Stoltenberg Jr. of Butler holds the No. 3 spot with a score of 174-2, while Michael Heckathorn of Grove City scored a buck at 171-6 in 2000 to hold the all-time No. 4 spot.

A nontypical archery buck that holds the top spot was taken by Gerald Simkonis of Allegheny County that measured a 209-1. In an unusual top score for a pick-up deer, Butler's Calvin Ripley rounded up a buck that scored a 169-2.

As you can see, our area was well represented by these men over the past four years, but this likely will change with this new round of big game scoring sessions.

Remember, every deer is a trophy to someone and none should be treated with disrespect, as they provide our commonwealth hunters with the best part of our outdoors experiences and camaraderie.

The scoring sessions in our area will be held on June 14 and 15 at the Rocky Grove Fire Hall on Route 417 north of Franklin.