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THE ANSWER AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
The
measure of success in life is that of a man leaving this world having
fulfilled his destiny. But, the standard at hunt camp comes down to inches
by the eighth. Despite all of the subjectives of how everyone enjoyed being
in the woods with his buddies: at the end of the day nothing makes a hunter
happier than knowing big racks are coming home with him.
Big
buck- Western 4x4 or Eastern 8-point? Points are great, but big bucks all
boil down to inches- long, wide, thick- plus points.
Every campfire has had its arguments as to how big one buck or another is.
And unless you take it through the complicated calculating task with steel
cable and tape measure, the argument is left unsettled. This same
complication has also kept many racks hanging, unknown on garage walls,
instead of being listed in the record book. Yet, happily for all hunters,
those days no longer have to be; Rackulator is now here!
I
was introduced to this self-calculating measuring tool just a few days after
it was first offered to the public. This small hand-held unit appeared to be
no more than an LED window and six buttons, with a steel tape measure tucked
into the side, and a rubber wheel on the end. Another gimmick of the
technical age? Who was to know at that point? But, with the nightmare of
horn and antler measurement possibly solved, I dove into the task of working
out this mystery.
Field testing the Rackulator was a pleasure. Within moments of reading the
instructions, I was able to quickly and accurately measure and calculate a
total score on a large elk rack. Antelope and buffalo horns followed. Mulie,
Blacktail and Whitetail antlers were easily completed. Typical and
non-typical situations were tallied. All measurements were subsequently
verified by the “official” steel cable and tape. Impressive, is to
understate my findings. Not only was I able to complete like measurements
much faster with the Rackulator, the final tally showed, if any, only
negligible difference- at most one or two eighths-of-an-inch on the total
score.
To
operate the Rackulator you simply clear any previous measurements with two
button pushes. The screen then reads which measurement to begin with. Make
the measurement, push a button, and the result is subtotaled. You then move
to the next measurement indicated, and so on. Spread and circumferences are
measured with the tape, and automatically read on the screen when the tape
is pushed back into the case, and they calculate with a button push. Beam,
and tine lengths are measured with the wheel, and those measurements
calculate at the appropriate times. Any non-typical points calculate in
turn.
You
can view the spread, right side, or left side as subtotals. Your seven
total-score choices can be viewed as Buckmaster Trophy Record, SCI Typical,
SCI Non-typical, Gross Typical or Non-typical, Net Typical or Non-typical.
The
Rackulator performed exceptionally well. Minimal effort was needed to learn
to use the calculator. The measurements were easy and exacting, and
precisely calculated. The entire measuring process was much quicker than
handling the cable and tape.
Whether you are at hunt camp sorting out notions of the days kill. Settling
a bet over a cold one, or just sitting at home during the winter calculating
your Grandfather’s horn collection- Rackulator quickly turns the work into
accurate fun. It is a master-measurer in a handy package.
Hunters who find themselves hunting on leases or at operations where they
are charged “by the inch” may also find the Rackulator to be a great money
saver. Three readers recently contacted me with a story regarding being
overcharged at one of the high fence elk operations. The ranch’s ‘master
measurer’ over-inched these hunters by more than $8000
in stepped upgrades. Subsequent SCI measurers verified the rancher’s fraud.
Having a Rackulator in hand could have halted the five-month legal nightmare
before the field dressing chores were even finished.
Rackulator is a modestly priced, convenient, durable, easily operated tool
for the hunter. It passed my field test with flying colors. You have my
word on it. ~ Frank Medicine Wolf Springer |
