This awesome 19-point non-typical, scoring 246 3/8, is Kentucky’s No. 1 buck from the 2006-2007 season. It ranks 5th on the state’s all-time list of B&C non-typical whitetails. Taxidermy by Martin Meredith.

Following an early morning turkey hunt on the Pennyrile State Forest in April of 2005, Indiana hunter Bob Burke was making his way along a wooded hillside on the way back to his truck. As he neared the bottom of a bluff, something white lying several yards away in a patch of bright green May apples attracted his attention.

“At first I thought I was looking at bones from an old deer’s rib cage,” Bob said. “But as I got closer, I could see that the object was an incredibly big shed antler.”

Although the hunter spent several minutes searching the nearby woods, he was unsuccessful in finding the matching shed. Nevertheless, the antler’s amazing size was all the encouragement he needed to apply for the area’s annual two-day quota deer hunt later that fall. Unfortunately, he was not one of the lucky hunters selected.

WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
In late March of 2006 Bob returned to Pennyrile to do some turkey scouting for the upcoming spring gobbler season. While there, he decided to check out the area where he had previously picked up the big shed antler.

“I honestly had little expectation of finding the other matching antler,” Bob said. “But, amazingly, I discovered it about 50 yards from where I had found the first one. I simply have no idea how I initially managed to overlook an object as large as the shed, although there was considerably more early spring ground cover at that time.”

Remarkably, the shed was still in very good condition. Weathering had bleached the antler almost completely white, and there were minor signs of rodent gnawing around the tips of the tines, but luckily there was not any significant damage.

Bob knew the 2005 Pennyrile hunt didn’t produce a deer with antlers matching the record-class proportions of the sheds. Therefore, he was looking forward to the fall of 2006 with great anticipation. Unfortunately, he was again unable to obtain one of the 300 quota deer permits.

For obvious reasons, the hunter had remained relatively quiet about finding the sheds, showing them to only a few close friends. Because of this, no general knowledge of the buck’s existence had gotten out, and considering the sheds were then 2 years old, even Bob couldn’t be sure if the deer was still living on the area.

The lucky applicants who were drawn for Pennyrile’s quota hunt included several hunters from an Amish community located near Horse Cave. Having never previously hunted on the 14,000-plus-acre state forest, a small group of the hunters, headed by David Miller, traveled to the area in late October to do some scouting.

“All of us were really impressed with the terrain and habitat,” David said. “It had a great combination of hills and hollows, with a mixture of both open and thick timber. Deer tracks and sign were scattered all through the woods.”

GOING IN BLIND
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) manages Pennyrile under quality whitetail guidelines, which include a 15-inch outside spread minimum for all harvested bucks. During their scouting, the hunters encountered two bucks, one of which would easily have exceeded the spread limit.

Needless to say, everyone returned home enthusiastic about the prospects for the upcoming hunt. David’s cousin, Dan Miller, a schoolteacher, was also selected for the hunt, but had been unable to make the scouting trip because of education duties and a community school meeting.

“Dan was a little distressed about missing out on the scouting,” David recalled. “However, I assured him that we had found an area with plenty of deer sign and if he was up to making a two-mile hike, I could place him in a good location.”

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