Not wanting to take a chance with a shotgun, because of the possibility of having to make a 200-yard shot, Rob purchased a .50 Thompson/Center muzzleloader before the 2005 Illinois firearms season opened. That decision turned out to be a wise one.

Rob Brennan and his dad, Tom, knew this was a special moment. The two men were standing over a massive buck in the darkness in central Illinois. Before long, father and son were joined by Rob's wife, Tina, Rob's son, Tyler, and daughters Chelsea and Jenna. Outside of Rob's long-time hunting buddy, Mark Grites, the entire gang was there to share in this unusual moment frozen in time.

For nearly two years, this group had kept the secret about the animal that Rob had just dropped in its tracks with his .50 Thompson/Center Encore. You see, "Big Nasty," aptly named by Rob's children, was not only a world-class buck, but he also had a very special feature. Even though the deer had been shot on the frigid afternoon of Dec. 1, 2006, the rack was still in full velvet. What's more, this wide-spreading megabuck would end up scoring just shy of 300 points, making it one of only a handful of bucks this size ever taken by a hunter.

A VERY SPECIAL WHITETAIL
I'm sure many who live and breathe huge whitetails see a major flaw here. With the velvet shedding process occurring anywhere from late August to mid-September, the date simply doesn't fit. Still, there this buck was on Dec. 1 with his huge rack shrink-wrapped in velvet!

Obviously, Big Nasty had suffered an injury that dramatically affected his antler development in more ways than one. Inspection of his scrotum revealed that a freak injury had robbed him of one testicle and had badly scarred the other. In essence, Big Nasty had only one testicle, which may have been functioning at about 50 percent capacity. The evidence suggests that it still produced some testosterone; at least it had in the past. However, because of the injury, it did so at a greatly decreased rate.

The velvet on the rack had indeed died, but most likely the normally speedy process had taken much longer than usual, probably several months. Because of this, the velvet was still attached to the rack in early December. Basically Big Nasty developed his 2006 antlers like any other buck during the yearly cycle, but his calendar was off. He had shed his 2005 rack in late winter or early spring and developed his new rack throughout the spring and summer of '06. Because of his injury, though, the velvet did not die and begin to separate from the rack during the normal time period. Also, it's likely that the rack itself continued to develop far past the normal growing period (which usually ends in late August).

AN INTERESTING OBSERVATION
Dr. Cliff Shipley is an associate clinical professor at the University of Illinois' College of Veterinary Medicine. He had a chance to examine the scrotum of Rob's buck shortly after the deer was killed.

"There was only one testicle left in the scrotum, and it had scar tissue around it, indicating severe damage from a previous injury," Dr. Shipley said. "I concluded that this single testicle probably had enough testicular function the previous year (2005) and enough of a rise and fall in the testosterone level to cause the antlers to be cast that year and to be regenerated in 2006. I'm just guessing, but because of the damage, I doubt if the buck would have shed his 2006 rack. Had he not been killed, I think he simply would have stayed in velvet from that time on."

The injury also provided another significant advantage in developing such impressive headgear. Dr. Shipley thinks that Big Nasty was incapable of impregnating does. The buck probably had engaged in little or no rutting activity since the injury (which probably had occurred one and a half to two years earlier). Therefore, most of the nutrients he consumed probably went directly into his antler growth instead of bodybuilding due to the stresses of the rut.

The rut takes a heavy toll on a buck's body. Between fighting, breeding, searching for does and sign-posting, a mature buck can lose 25 to 30 percent of his body weight during the rut. By the end of the year, most bucks are physically rundown. It may take months for them to recover. Once spring arrives the following year, much of the nutritional intake consumed by a buck is directed into rebuilding that worn-down body. Only after the body is "recharged" does antler development become a priority.

Because Big Nasty engaged in little or no rutting activities, he didn't suffer the normal consequences brought on by the rigors of the rut. By Dec. 1, when many bucks are lean and gaunt and are often reduced to mere shells of their prime pre-rut condition, Big Nasty had a thick layer of fat covering his back.

Another important factor that worked in the buck's favor involved supplemental nutrition. By putting in a network of food plots on the land he was hunting, Rob Brennan made sure Big Nasty had all the high-protein food he could eat.

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