Wisconsin Buck Falls Short of World's Record Mark

A whitetail deer taken by a hunter in Wisconsin has fallen short of the score needed to become a new World's Record, according to the Boone and Crockett Club.

Club officials today confirmed the "Johnny King buck" scores 180 typical points, or 217-5/8 non-typcial points, both of which include shrinkage allowance.

The Boone and Crockett scoring system is used to measure the success of conservation programs across North America. The system rewards antler and horn size and symmetry--classic symbols of outstanding habitat, strong recruitment of game animals into older age classes, sustainable harvest objectives and other elements of sound wildlife management and fair-chase hunting.

Two trophy categories are recognized for white-tailed deer. "Typical" antlers are the most representative of the species. Deer may also express antler growth outside the common or typical configuration. To recognize this additional growth, the Club has a "non-typical" category. Boone and Crockett Club publishes a manual and periodicals with rules and guidelines to help official measurers assign normal- or abnormal-point status to all antler projections.

This historic and science-based measuring system was at the center of publicity surrounding the King buck.

Boone and Crockett Club called a special judges panel to make the final determination. The panel consisted of two, 2-man teams of senior official measurers who had not seen nor scored the rack previously.

The teams independently scored the buck using the Boone and Crockett scoring manual plus updated directives and processes outlined in other Club literature. Each team completed a score chart. The teams then resolved any differences and finalized a score.

The panel determined the third tine on the right antler arises from the inside edge of the top of the main beam, and also arises partially from the base of an adjoining point, thus establishing it as an abnormal point. With this confirmation, two of the rack’s tines must be classified as abnormal points resulting in an entry score well below the current World’s Record.

Milo N. Hanson's typical whitetail taken in 1993 remains the Club's current World's Record.

"There's a lot of process and due diligence, and through it all, it's important to remember the chief reason why we keep records in the first place. It's not to aggrandize hunters, rank individual animals or monetize trophies, but to document conservation success," said Eldon Buckner, chairman of Boone and Crockett Club’s Records of North American Big Game Committee. "I'm confident that our panel has upheld the historic integrity of our records. It's not a World's Record, but the King buck is certainly a world-class specimen and another reason to celebrate the conservation work of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources."

Wisconsin is the No. 1 state for Boone and Crockett trophy whitetails, both typical and non-typical, with more entries in record books than any other state.

King, of Mount Horeb, Wis., bagged his big buck in 2006 while hunting on family property in western Wisconsin.

The reigning World's Record typical whitetail scores 213-5/8.