By Bernie Barringer
Hundreds of factors must come together in one shining moment for a buck to reach world record caliber. A long line of big antler genetics must funnel down through the generations into one female deer. This doe must have hit the genetic lottery with a series of big buck sires in the females of her family tree. Then she must breed with a gigantic buck and she must produce a buck fawn, otherwise, all this genetic information will have to be delayed one more year.
Then, of course, this buck fawn must escape the myriad pitfalls that lay out before him. He must escape coyotes, cars, farm equipment and of course hunters. He must live an idyllic lifestyle in comfort with excellent nutrition readily available, and he must do this for five or six years. If all these things come together, out walks a buck carrying a rack larger than the millions and millions of bucks who have come before him.
This all happened on a ranch in Nebraska in the 1950s. A rancher who will remain unnamed had seen three gigantic bucks on his property during the fall of 1958. There was no hunting in Nebraska at that time, the first modern day hunting season for whitetails would not occur until the following fall of 1959. Whitetails had been off limits for half a century and they were expanding their population. The age structure was balanced, with many mature bucks.
In the spring of 1959, this rancher was tending to his cows, which were calving at the time. He walked into a patch of brush to retrieve a newborn calf and discovered two gigantic shed antlers lying a few feet apart. He later sawed off the back of the burrs so they would fit flat against a wall and screwed them above a doorway in a back room of his farmhouse. There they hung for many years.
In the mid-1990s, an outfitter named Tim Condict was talking to ranchers in the area about leasing land for hunting when he asked a rancher if he had any big racks or shed antlers lying around. The rancher said, “No, but the neighbor across the way has a set you aren’t going to believe. I’ve seen the big bucks in the Cabela’s store and they ain’t got nuthin’ like this one!”
That led Tim to the set of sheds that would become known as The General, the largest typical sheds of all time. Details of the transaction which caused those antlers to leave the farmhouse for the first time in 37 years are not known, but the gigantic buck would finally become known to serious whitetail collectors and big buck lovers.
The buck’s main beams are both over 32 inches and mass measurements are as high as 7-1/2. When mounted in a position that they look natural, they have an inside spread of nearly 24 inches. As it is, the buck scored 240 gross typical and nearly 219 net, more than five inches larger than the current Saskatchewan world record held by Milo Hanson. But the shrinking effects of a warm, dry Nebraska farmhouse have taken a large toll. No one, of course, knows exactly how much, but many antler collectors have some estimates.
Antler collector Dick Idol said about the buck, “It’s hardly fair to compare such a rack to a recently harvested one kept indoors from the time of skinning for the short 60-day drying period and then officially measured for the record book. Just in shrinkage alone, these Nebraska sheds could easily have lost as much as 6 to 8 inches in total measurement, especially in this type of rack, which still has 32-plus-inch main beams and a conservative inside spread of nearly 24 inches. Another 8 to 10 inches overall, which this buck conceivably lost, would have put him at 226 1/8 to 228 1/8 net, had the antlers been measured soon after being found back in 1959.”
There have been some other giant sheds found that would be contenders for the world record if the buck was shot by a hunter. The “Kansas King” theoretically scores 217 as a typical with a spread credit included. One of side a giant Iowa buck was found that scored 112 typical. Even with a small spread credit of 20 inches you are looking at a 244 gross typical. It makes you wonder what might have been. And is there a buck out there now that hit the genetic lottery? One as big or bigger than The General?
UNBELIEVABLE, what a monster!!
about time something crushes Ole Milo Hanson’s record, United States should be separate from Canada, we should have our own WORLD RECORD and Canada their own…
I guess it wouldn’t be a world record then would it?
Then it wouldn’t be a WORLD RECORD now would it? That would be more like an Intercontinental Champion…
That’s why the world record is called the world record, because whitetail deer are only native to North America.
Really just really
Its a world record… 🤦♂️
Why? Because you can’t compete with real monster deer? Sheds don’t ever count for records . Are you just upset Murica doesn’t have the record?
I guess you are not sure of what world means
agreed.
In Canada we leave them to naturally develop.
The states have historically ran multiple programs to enhance genetics for larger deer by releasing farmed animals i to the wild.
They really should not be considered in the same catagories.
Absolutely not true. If you have some evidence to support this preposterous claim you should come forward with it.
There should also be a true in the wild class and a farm or ranch class.
You are a poor hunter! It doesnt matter where a big buck is shot, I’m glad someone can enjoy taking it…even thou it’s our hometown deer that hold the record.. canadian bucks rule!
Why cause Canada normally generates bigger deer. You yankies come here spend huge cash and take home 140-150 most deer lol
How can you separate from Canada and have a world record? Are you a Democrat or just not really thinking that thought through
In case you haven’t noticed, Canada is part of the world.
Wow!🦌
I like the stories of some of these big bucks. Jordan buck killed by a meat hunter and rack thrown in a swamp. Later recovered by someone hearing the story.
Missouri Monarch found dead by hunter who could have claimed him but had already taken one (the most unlucky kill of his life I’m sure).
And Milo’s buck. Shot through the base and was taped so it wouldn’t break and negate the record.
Thats because milo shot his over the hood of his truck after he’d been chasing it for miles
This is why they call Nebraska The cornhusker State. A massive Buck like this has great food stock to become the world’s biggest.
Ok not to be a iowan here but they do call us the corn state ya know, we both have very good corn crop and very big whitetails aswell.
Assome whitetail specimen looking forward to seeing a replica maybe on one of these cables trips.
I’m 80 yrs old been hunting all my life hunting now In Webb co south Texas if a buck walked out like that I’d take him and there wouldn’t be enough toilet paper in a roll to clean my britches. Up. And that’s the truth
Amazing simply amazing that a whitetail deer could grow such a rack. BEAUTIFUL
Nice one that’s once in a lifetime deer if u that luck
J.mac awesome buck! And a great story to go with it!
This is the kind of story we all like to read about, and sure enough the (Buck) we all dream of it rekindles the fire if you no what I mean. Good luck Hunters.
And no hunting for half a century. I bet there was some other monsters around too!
There could be bigger bucks out there no one knows for sure
Probably would have had a heart attack if I seen it in the woods. Absolutely the most awesome looking beast I’ve ever seen.
I like the stories of some of these big bucks. Jordan buck killed by a meat hunter and rack thrown in a swamp. Later recovered by someone hearing the story.
Missouri Monarch found dead by hunter who could have claimed him but had already taken one (the most unlucky kill of his life I’m sure).
And Milo’s buck. Shot through the base and was taped so it wouldn’t break and negate the record.
Is this a real Genetic deer or a Farm raised deer let out into the wild. This hard to believe with all the deer farms and genetic breeding going on. ?
Read the story.
Well ,
It seems there could be Two or More world record Antler Categories..
Boone and Crocket Club.
Pope and Young.
Sheds ( minus spread).
Road Kill / Found .
Doesn’t matter much where they came from , its called ” World Record” for a reason.
Theyre all impressive animals mentioned.
Thanks for bringing this up. What you said is Mostly true. But B&C accepts found, road-kills and kills with any legal weapon as long as the score meets their minimums. Shed antlers have their own record book, and P&Y only accepts archery killed animals that meet their minimums.
Wow, what people will do for a buck$
Like what for example?
Why would it mater a whitetail is a whitetail don’t mater
Tough northern buck or a pussy warm weather buck EY
Great story, Milo Hanson has the world record whitetail an deserves it. Canada is a great place to hunt and so is the U.S..
I think we will see a new world record whitetail in the next 5 years, good luck to all you great hunters.