How to Measure & Score a Marco Polo Ram!

I recently received a call from my friend Bill..."can you measure a Marco Polo for me?"

The Marco Polo is a subspecies of  the Argile wild sheep and  is found in the mountainous regions of central Asia.

The next day Bill dropped off his ram's horns and I got to work prepping to begin the measuring chore.

I'am a certified measurer for the Safari Club International Organization and the first item to gather was a measuring form specific for the animal. There are a handful of useful tools for the job and they include, proper measuring tape, calculator, steel cable, calipers and measurer's manual.

I don't expect many people out there will be harvesting Marco Polo sheep but for those who are interested, the following is the proper procedure for measuring your Ram. The SCI  form to use is  Method 11 and pertains to all wild sheep.

I. LENGTH OF HORN (Fig. 1)

Measure the length of each horn on its outercurve. With most sheep, the line of measurement is on the front surface of the horn fairly close to the frontal-orbital edge (or ridge), which is the one that begins on the forehead.

Measure from the lowest point at the base of the horn to the tip, following the hair like grain of the horn material.  Do not deviate from the direction of the grain; it must be followed carefully the full length of the measurement. Keep the cable or tape tight; do not press it down into depressions.

With Cyprian mouflon, Armenian mouflon, bluesheep, aoudad, east Caucasian tur and many*mid:..Caucasian tur, the measurement differs from

that of most sheep in that it incorporates the"three-inch rule" (Fig. 2) at the beginning, then pivots and follows the frontal-nuchal edge (or ridge) of the horn to the tip. (The frontal-nuchal edge does not begin on the forehead, but near the center of the skull where the horns are nearest each other.) To locate the pivot point, measure three inches (7.62 em) from the base of the frontal-nuchal edge toward the tip, and mark this point with a pencil. The actual measurement then begins at the lowest point of the horn base on the forehead and goes in a direct line to the pivot point (pencil mark), crossing the grain of the horn enroute, then pivots and follows the frontal nuchal edge to the horn tip. Keep the cable or tape tight; do not press it down into depressions. The three inch rule was adopted in 1987. Before then, our instructions were not specific enough for these rather confusing horns, and different measurers were interpreting them differently The purpose of the three-inch rule is to ensure that all these horns will be measured the same way

If the horn tip is broken so that its far end is not on the line of measurement, it should be carded off (see General Instruction 25); do not measure across the flattened end of a broken horn tip. *Mid-Caucasian tur are intermediate between east Caucasian tur (which have horns like a blue sheep) and west Caucasian tur (which have horns like an ibex). All tur with horns like a blue sheep should be measured by the three-inch rule.

II. CIRCUMFERENCE OF HORN AT BASE (Fig. 3)

Measure the circumference of each horn at its

base, or as close to the base (or hairline) as

possible while holding the tape tightly in a

continuous loop and keeping it above any scallops or malformations. Keep the tape on horn material at all times--not on bone or hair, or across air space. The measurement should be at the same angle as the base of the horn; it need not be at a right angle. Do not press the tape down into depressions. Do not "walk" the tape around the edge of an irregularly shaped base.

West Caucasian tur horns (Fig. 4) have protruding rings or cross--ridges like an ibex, however, there mayor may not be a ring at the base of the horn. This is because horns grow continuously from the base and produce new rings throughout the life of the animal, so that at different times there may be either a protruding ring or a depression at the actual horn base. If there is a protruding ring at the exact base of the horn, take the circumference measurement around it. If not, in order to be fair, take the measurement around the ring that is nearest to the horn base.

III. CIRCUMFERENCE OF HORN AT QUARTERS

(Fig. 5)

Measure the circumferences of each horn at 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 the distance from the base to the tip, based on the length of the longer horn. First, divide the length of the longer horn (Measurement I) by four. (Quarter-length tables are provided in the measuring kit.) Then, beginning at the base, mark both horns with pencil at these same distances--the shorter horn must be marked at the

same distances from its base as the longer horn. (It may be helpful to put pieces of masking tape at the points where the quarter measurements will occur, and put the pencil marks on the tape for easier viewing.)  Measure the circumference of each horn at these three marks, using a tight tape in a continuous  loop at a right angle to the axis of the horn.  (Note: If the shorter horn is broken off very short, the third quarter mark may fall beyond its

broken end, making Measurement C-3 impossible to obtain.)

Should a growth ring or other depression occur at one of the quarters, it is permissible to avoid it by taking the measurement further toward the horn
tip (but not toward the base). With west Caucasian tur horns, which have protruding ringsor cross-ridges like on those of an ibex, if a quarter does not occur at a protruding ring, it is permissible to take the measurement around the
nearest ring toward the horn tip (but not toward the base).

Record each circumference on the proper line. Circumferences are numbered in sequence, C-l, C-2 and C-3.

IV: TOTAL SCORE

Total all measurements. When measuring in inches, record fractions in 1/8ths of an inch. Record metric measurements to 0.1 cm.

This scoring method is taken from the SCI measurers manual. Anyone interested in having their trophy scored can either contact myself or go to the SCI web site @ http://www.scifirstforhunters.org/ to locate a measurer near you. If you are not a member you should consider joining. SCI is a great advocate for both hunting and gun rights.

Best of hunts,
Larry Stephens