Every deer hunter loves a monster buck story, so here is a new one about a big buck found dead in Illinois. Like the world’s record non-typicalwhite-tailed deer that was found dead in Missouri, two quail hunters found this big non-typical buck dead, but on a property near Petersburg, Illinois. The hunters had permission to hunt quail following deer season, but the most notable thing they brought home was the head and antlers of this massive buck which unofficially scored 246 Boone and Crockett inches.

The white-tailed buck was apparently caught on candid camera by a hunter’s game cam, but he apparently eluded hunters for yet another Illinois deer season. I do not know how old this big deer was, but preliminary reports state that no wounds were found on the deer, although coyotes had eaten on the carcass.

As hunters, we hate to see dead deer that are not hunter-killed. This includes deer hit by cars, deer hung in fences by their hind legs, and locked bucks. To non-hunters, it probably does not make sense – because each fall hunters harvest hundreds of thousands of white-tailed deer. The big difference is that most hunters have a good understanding of how wildlife management, specifically deer management, really works and why it is necessary.

Hunters and non-hunters that see the photos of these two dead bucks will consider it a bad thing. However, deer hunters realize that not only has some excellent table fare been lost, but the satisfaction of two successful harvests has vanished, as well. But nature can be cruel – and a bit ironic. Was each of these bucks fighting for the right to pass on their genes, or simply to prevent the other from passing on his? If it was the former, they both lose. If it’s the latter, they both, unfortunately, win.        

These two whitetail bucks were found dead on a ranch near Tilden, Texas. They apparently drowned in a stock tank after getting locked together in a fight that really was a brawl for it all. From the photos, the bucks do not appear to be severely locked, but it only takes about 10 seconds to drown. The larger buck scored 166 Boone and Crockett inches and the 12 point buck went 154. Two good bucks, some happy hunters, hamburger, and sausage lost.

Remember the piebald buck that was reportedly harvested in East Texas. Well, the uniquely-colored buck was harvested near Palestine, but it was actually shot this year as opposed to last year, as my original research found. Photos of the deer have hit the deer hunting web and the stories of where this deer was harvested are as numerous as the buck’s spots! In order to clear things up about this news-making buck, here is rest of the story:    

“My husband (James Curtis) is the one who killed the piebald buck in East Texas that has created quite a bit of interest on the Internet. I just wanted to give you the facts so that you can update your website. You can actually see the buck on the Texas Big Game Awards website, as well as on their TropyWatch.

The deer was actually killed November 2, 2008, on a privately owned ranch outside of Palestine, Texas. The piebald deer scored 138 5/8 gross with a total body weight of 195 pounds. My husband is getting the deer full body mounted. Anyways, I just wanted to give you this information since there are lots of emails going around saying the deer was harvested in Michigan, Arkansas, West Virginia, and Georgia just to name a few. One email even says that the deer was sold to Cabelas for $13,000! It is crazy.”

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There are numerous reasons hunters fail to see bucks. But simply stated, if a hunter is doing everything right then the lack of buck sightings is simply because there are no bucks to be seen. This can be for several reasons, including extreme hunting pressure on young bucks, a lack of fawn production because of poor habitat, low recruitment of young animals into the population because of high predation rates, or simply because the bucks in your area are doing this. I am not sure where this game camera photo was taken, but if these two white-tailed bucks get a little closer together, you could get both deer with one shot! (more…)

This is not real new, but this big buck photo is finding its way around the white-tailed deer hunting community. This massive buck was taken by Roger Jarvis in Boone County in northern Missouri. It was originally thought to be a new world record, but it only scored 316 5/8 Boone and Crockett inches. Only. But the buck is not a wild-grown deer. The Missouri Department of Conservation said that this buck was purchased from a breeder and released in a high-fenced ranch. Of course, deer harvested within high-fenced ranches are not eligible to be recorded in Boone and Crockett record books.

In case you didn’t know, the current world record non-typical white-tailed buck was found dead in Missouri, in St. Louis County, in 1981. The big deer was entered into the Boone and Crockett record bok by the Missouri Department of Conservation on behalf of the citizens of Missouri. That buck, called the Missouri Monarch, scored 333 7/8 inches. It is pictured below on the right. And yes, I am looking for a lease in Missouri!

Everything went as exacly as planned for one Kansas hunter. He was in the right place at the right time — and the deer that a neighbor had told him about showed up. After watching the buck for a short time, the deer finally worked its way through the woods and made itself availalbe for a clear shot. It was about 100 yards away and Mike Smith’s shot was true. The excited hunter thought that he had harvested the buck of a lifetime, a gnarly 27 point non-typical deer with double drops and still in velvet. But as he loaded the white-tailed deer into the truck, he realized that his “buck” was actually a 27 point antlered doe! The hunter told the press:

“When I rolled it over there was nothing male-looking on the deer. I looked at the back end and it was definitely a doe. That was a real surprise.”

Not only was the doe he shot in early December a rare antlered white-tailed doe, but it may end up being the largest antlered doe ever shot in the world. The rack was measured at about 179 inches Boone and Crockett inches as a non-typical. A retired Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks biologist, avid hunter, and official scorer stated, “Doe deer occasionally have antlers. Doe antlers are frequently covered in velvet. Does seldom shed their antlers, like bucks do annually.” (more…)

When it comes to unique deer hunts this really is one of those once in a lifetime deer hunting stories. In fact, it is downright amazing! A reader of the site tipped me off to this story, which is making its way into hunting forums around the country — and for good reason. The harvested buck was a good animal, but so was the head of the dead buck he was carrying around on its head! That’s right, apparently the bucks got into a scuffle and the better buck won — but he also ended up carrying around the dead buck because they had locked antlers. It’s wild, check out the story: 

Attached is a picture of my daughter, Morgen, who went deer hunting for the first time this last Saturday morning. Little did she know she would get a trophy that most people have only seen in magazines. Morgen killed a 12 point buck whose rack was still locked with a 9 point buck. The 9 point buck was dead and little more than the bust and remnants of the hide were left. If you look closely at the picture, you’ll see the two bucks are literally cheek to cheek.

This is extremely rare. Hunters will find two dead bucks whose racks are locked together. To make a kill of a live buck is just amazing. For Morgen this was a once in a lifetime event. The 12 point buck is a magnificent animal. We can only speculate that the hide from the 9 point buck was all ripped and tattered from coyotes. (more…)

Non-typical white-tailed bucks are odd. That is exactly why they are called non-typicals. The 4 1/2 year old white-tailed buck featured in these photos was found dead, hit by a vehicle along a stretch of road in Milam County, Texas. By looking at the photos, it is easy to determine that the antlers on the buck are not typical, but what causes bucks to have such odd antler characteristics? Well, deciding on a specific reason for the presence of non-typical antlers is never straight forward because there can be several causes. A past injury, genetics, and the overall health of the deer can impact antler conformation. In addition, hormone levels are believed to contribute to large non-typical, palmated racks. The road-killed buck featured here has palmated G1s and could have had more, but it is difficult to determine since portions of it’s antlers where broken off during the accident.

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