(Photos courtesy of Antlers by Klaus)
January 13, 2025
By Josh Honeycutt
A lot of big deer have been killed the past two to three decades. But we often forget that big whitetails have been bagged for thousands of years. While we don’t have the records for all whitetails ever to live, we do for some. And a lot of big deer were killed many decades ago. From the late 1800s to mid 1900s, some of our biggest record-class whitetails strive to stand the test of time. Here are 12 of them, courtesy of Antlers by Klaus .
1. The Clifford Pickell Buck The Clifford Pickell Buck (shown above) was killed in 1966. Incredibly, he arrowed this deer using a recurve bow. Equally impressive is that he got it on the last day of the season, which was December 1. It’s a Kansas king, if there ever was one.
The deer scores a magnificent 248 7/8 inches. Of course, having a double beam on one side, and a total of 19 scoreable points, pushes that score on up there. Toting 27 6/8- and 28 2/8-inch main beams Factor in great tine length and top-shelf mass. It’s a no brainer — this deer is big.
2. The Del Austin Buck Another freak of nature, the Del Austin Buck fell in 1962. It was harvested in Nebraska by Austin himself. That said, his friend Al Dawson hunted the deer for five years. Then, he invited Austin to join him, and the latter ended up with the buck after 45 minutes of hunting. Equally interesting is that he got the deer with a recurve bow.
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This deer sports an array of points. It even displays unique drop tines that extend down past its eyes. Overall, the rack has 95 2/8 inches of abnormal points. It scores a whopping 277 3/8 inches (non-typical) of bone.
3. The Larry Lander Buck The Larry Lander Buck has tines that just don’t quit. They keep going, and going, and try their best to touch the sky. They unofficially qualify as mobile 5G cell towers. But there was no need for such tech when this deer was killed sometime in the mid 1900s.
Jokes aside, the deer has 13 6/8- and 14 3/8-inch brow tines. Plus, the G2s are 14 4/8 and 16 4/8 inches. While it’s mass is just average, the tine length pushes its score up to 234 1/8 inches.
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According to the Antlers by Klaus, the story of this non-typical deer is a winding one. A trapper named Hans acquired the rack in the 1950s. He had these for 40 years before giving them to a friend named Larry Landers.
4. The Kent Petry Buck Tagged in 1966, the Kent Petry Buck is as cool of a typical whitetail as you’ll see. This Montana whitetail is one of the top typicals in the state. It has sporty mainframe with 10 points. The long, curvy beams turn upward at the ends, and each tine is almost equal in length. The mass isn’t overly special, but with beams and tines like that, it doesn’t matter. It scores 199 2/8 inches.
5. The Lloyd Goad Buck The Lloyd Goad Buck used to be a world record typical. (It was beat out by the Mel Johnson buck in 1965.) Today, it’s still a top-ranking deer. It has no abnormal points. All that antler greatness is completely typical.
Even though it isn’t a record now, it’s still a massive 7x7. With nearly identical tallies of tines on each side, this big whitetail shows off in a big way. Goad bagged the buck in the 1960s with a recurve bow, wooden arrows, and an 18-yard shot.
6. The Mel Johnson Buck Speaking of the Mel Johnson Buck , if you haven’t heard of it, you’ve been living in the Amazon since before Elon Musk brought internet to the indigenous. This Illinois deer is big-time famous, and it’s the current world record typical archery whitetail. According to Klaus, it was taken with a 72-pound recurve. Johnson arrowed it in 1965.
The buck scores 204 4/8 inches. Incredibly, it has only 6 1/8 inches of difference between the two sides. There is only 1 1/8 inches of abnormal points, too. That translates to minimal deductions in the net score. Add on tines over 12 inches and heavy mass, and it’s a dandy deer.
7. The Gary Smith Buck Those who love palmated deer will love the Gary Smith Buck . At the time, Smith was just 24 years old. He shot it during the 1970 season in southeastern Kansas. It has mass for days. It even has bases over 7 inches. The third circumference measurements are over 10 inches on each side. Klaus notes that even some of the points measure 8 inches around. What about those extra points and the drop tines? It’s magic. Altogether, the deer has 62 1/8 inches of abnormals and scores 227 non-typical inches.
8. The John Breen Buck The John Breen Buck is as pretty a 10-pointer as you’ll ever see. This deer was killed well over 100 years ago … in 1918. Klaus says it wasn’t officially scored until 1950. At that time, it held the world record. It’s still a top typical, though, most literally in the state of Minnesota where it was killed.
This deer has an impressive rack. It features heavy mass, towering tines over 12 and 13 inches, and some extra junk to check out. The main beams measure 31 and 31 2/8 inches. It scores 202 inches.
9. The Jordan Buck Another long-standing record-class whitetail, the Jordan Buck is one to impress. It was harvested in 1914 by James Jordan. He shot the deer along the Yellow River near Danbury, Wisconsin. Incredibly, it remained obscured for decades. Then, in 1958, it popped up in a garage sale in Sandstone, Minnesota. In 1971, It was officially measured and deemed the world record typical whitetail. It held that title until the Milo Hansen buck entered the scene.
The Jordan Buck scores 206 1/8 inches. It only has 3 2/8 inches of deductions. This Wisconsin typical will reign supreme in the minds of many for years to come.
10. The Homer Pearson Buck A wild-looking non-typical, the Homer Pearson Buck was killed during the 1937 hunting season. This Wisconsin whitetail was a product of Mr. and Mrs. Homer Pearson teaming up to hunt this deer. They got it, and the rest wrote itself. Klaus says the U.S. Vice President John A. Garner even mentioned the massive buck. Oh, how times have changed.
The deer boasts 192 inches of typical antler and 46 1/8 inches of abnormal points. It tallies a total score of 233 7/8 inches. Wildly enough, it only has 4 2/8 inches of deductions.
11. The Robert Snyder Buck A deer that’s somewhat flown under the radar, the Robert Snyder Buck offers a lot. Hailing from Nance County, Nebraska, it was killed during the 1961 season. Snyder brought the beast down with a gun. Overall, the deer scores 242 5/8 inches.
12. The Mike Unzen Buck The Mike Unzen Buck is no slouch. It was killed during the 1969 season in Lac Qui Parle County, Minnesota. The huge deer scores 224 3/8 inches as a non-typical. It gets there with tall tines and some extra points. It’s wide and has sweeping main beams.