20 Huge Record Deer with Crazy Stories You Won’t Believe

Deer hunters are storytellers, and each hunt is full of worthy words. But some pursuits offer better stories than others. Here are huge record deer with crazy stories you won’t believe. Check out these record-class bucks with legendary tales.

Editor’s Note: Story details courtesy of Antlers by Klaus.

The Jim Cogar Buck

A buck sporting a lot of tines pointing skyward, the Jim Cogar Buck is a special deer. Harvested in Ohio in 2013, it scores a massive 213 4/8 inches. It was tagged on the final day of archery season, which fell on February 3, 2013. It just so happened that was Super Bowl Sunday. Obviously, Cogar had quite the touchdown of his own to celebrate.

Nicknamed “Conan,” this deer was aged at 7 ½ years old. According to Antlers by Klaus, it received the 2014 Golden Laurel Citation Award. The deer was featured on the front covers of Rack and North American Whitetail magazines.

The Joe Franz Buck

Claimed to be one of the largest deer ever taken on camera, the Joe Franz Buck scores 230 7/8 inches, and the legacy is even bigger. This Iowa buck nicknamed “Palmer” proved a challenging deer for Franz and his hunting buddies. Finally, in 2014, Franz closed the gap.

Franz saw the deer once during bow season, but it was 46 yards away, and he didn’t want to risk a poor shot. When muzzleloader season opened, weather patterns brought in wind and rain. He spotted Palmer’s antlers, and quickly touched off a shot. The massive deer disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

The next morning, he recovered the deer. Those familiar with the aftermath should know that Franz was cleared by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources of all wrongdoing. The buck was harvested lawfully. No doubt, it’s a buck for the ages, and one to remember.

The Maurice Berezowski Buck

In a bizarre turn of events, the Berezowski Buck was shot by two different hunters at the exact same time. As the 2006 legend goes, this 200 1/8-inch Saskatchewan whitetail took two bullets by two different hunters … simultaneously.

On December 5, 2006, in the northern portion of the province, two hunting buddies went afield. When this deer walked out, Maurice Berezowski and John Tarala both touched off their firearms at the same times. Incredibly, it scores over 200 inches as a typical, and if not for a bunch of non-typical points, could have challenged the Milo Hanson buck.

The Tim Forret Buck

This buck, which Tim Forret and his son, Zach, call “Ole Two Row,” got its name after they spotted it plowing through one of their cornfields in Iowa. During that 2011 encounter, it knocked down two rows of corn as it ran away.

The next year, during the 2012 early muzzleloader season, Tim shot the buck. Unfortunately, he covered miles in the recovery search, but couldn’t locate the deer. About 55 days later, on a neighboring property, hunters conducting a deer drive found the buck in a ravine. The hunter also has two sets of sheds to the deer. The massive non-typical scores 293 3/8 inches.

The Paslie Werth Buck

In September of 2020, Paslie Werth was a freshman in high school in Cimarron, Kansas. While hunting with her father, she tagged this great whitetail during a youth hunt. The Kiowa County deer scores 283 inches (gross) and 273 3/8 inches (net). According to Antlers by Klaus, it’s the largest deer harvested by a female hunter.

The Johnny King Buck

Once surrounded by scoring controversy, the Johnny King Buck might’ve become the world-record typical whitetail. Killed in 2006 by Johnny King, this Wisconsin whitetail created a buzz greater than most deer.

It sports 12 long tines, long (29-inch) main beams, and incredible mass that carries outward. The rack grossed 224 4/8 inches and netted 213 6/8 inches, but Boone & Crockett didn’t accept that score due to a technicality. The G2s and G3s fuse near the beam, and as a result, B&C claims the buck sports non-typical points, which pulled it out of the running for the No. 1 spot in the typical category. Even despite this ruling, it’s perhaps the most impressive “typical” ever killed.

The Keith Dahlmer Buck

Keith Dahlmer harvested this massive whitetail in Alberta, Canada. In 1993, Dahlmer shot the deer. Unfortunately, he had trouble recovering the buck. Eventually, he couldn’t decide whether he missed the deer, or just wounded it. In April of the next year, his friend called and shared the good news the buck was found.

This non-typical deer scores 256 5/8 inches (gross) and 213 7/8 inches (net). Incredibly, it produced 26 scoreable points, and 14 of these are considered abnormal tines. Its main beams are 26 7/8 and 29 6/8 inches. Four different tines measure more than 12 inches.

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The Field and Stream Buck

Another buck that made headlines, the Field and Stream Buck created a huge buzz in 2008. The story began when someone filmed the deer standing in a field. Eventually, Bob Decker killed the buck in Buffalo County, Wisconsin. He shot it from 7 yards away. This whitetail carries 16 scoreable points, and scores 233 2/8 inches.

The Kyle Simmons Buck

The Kyle Simmons Buck lived and died in southeastern Iowa. Incredibly Lance Simmons found a massive set of shed antlers. The next fall, Kyle Simmons settled into his treestand. Soon after, the buck that dropped the huge sheds walked by. Kyle took the shot, and the buck fell.

Scoring 275 5/8 inches, this non-typical buck is the current record for a non-typical tagged with archery equipment. Kyle and his family hunts, and he’d bagged some deer with firearms. But this was Kyle Simmons’ first archery buck. It’s a mainframe 13-pointer with 13 extra points.

The Helgie Eymundson Buck

A Canadian deer that looks like something straight out of Jurassic, the Helgie Eymundson Buck is truly a spectacle. Also, the Antlers by Klaus crew says this buck looks a lot like Ohio’s famous Hole-in-the-Horn record deer. In 2006, Eymundson shot at this whitetail, but missed. In 2007, he got another chance. He spotted it in the same area, and got another shot off. Incredibly, the buck turned as he pulled the trigger, and one of his shots went straight through one of the buck’s kickers, but it didn’t break off the tine. Fortunately, the hunter got a follow-up shot opportunity.

Located in Alberta, this non-typical deer scores 274 inches. It has an outside spread of 34 7/8 inches. Overall, it boasts 38 points.

The Larry Raveling Buck

Another impressive record-class whitetail, the Larry Raveling Buck calls Iowa home. Raveling lived there but was new to deer hunting. He gave the buck a special nickname — “Old Rag Horn.” During a deer drive, he spotted the deer, and as the legend goes, he thought the buck wrapped up someone’s raggedy underwear in the rack. In 1973 (his second season of hunting), he bagged this monster buck.

This huge deer has 29 scoreable points. The beams measure 26 1/8 and 27 inches. Its tine length is incredible, too, with G2s measuring more than 12 and 13 inches. The deer even displays nearly 97 inches of abnormal points, including two drop tines and a main beam that turns downward.

The Brian Andrews Buck

Brian Andrews was a teenager when he killed this magnificent Iowa whitetail. In the fall of 2003, he arrowed it with old archery tackle. Sadly, the mount of the deer was stolen from his family’s home. Today, hunters can admire a recreation based on photos and memory. Its rack sports 26 scoreable points, multiple tines over 12 inches, and a score of 253 1/8 inches.

The Wayne Bills Buck

A rack with tine length for the ages, the Wayne Bill Buck is a crazy-tall whitetail. Its Iowa’s top typical deer. In 1974, Wayne Bills was invited by friends to go on a deer drive. According to the story told, he’d never been deer hunting, and thought it’d be fun.

Incredibly, during the deer drive, this massive deer bolted into the open. Bills took a running shot with his shotgun, and the deer fell. Although it was killed in 1974, it wasn’t officially scored until 1992, and would’ve likely scored (and ranked) higher if scored shortly after the 60 days. The buck’s net score is 201 4/8 inches. It’s one of very few typical whitetails to surpass 200 inches.

The John Klucky Buck

One of the most impressive bucks killed in the Northeast, the John Klucky Buck created quite the stir. Klucky and four of his hunting buddies were making deer drives on public land. Surprisingly, they pushed this deer out of cover, and it just happened to be one of their primary spots. This deer scores 199 5/8 inches (gross) and 187 inches (net) as a typical, all thanks to 15 massive typical points. It’s the New Hampshire record typical.

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The Mitch Vakoch Buck

Carrying a club fit for a caveman, the Mitch Vakoch Buck is quite the non-typical whitetail. In 1974, 17-year-old Mitch Vakoch shot the huge Minnesota buck. Shortly before Vakoch shot this deer, another hunter missed it. It ran right into Vakoch’s shooting lane, and he didn’t miss. His 12-gauge connected, and his first ever buck was down. This deer sports 43 points. It scores 295 6/8 inches (gross) and 268 5/8 inches (net). Many years later, a shed to this deer was discovered under a workbench.

The Joe Waters Buck

Drop tines going everywhere, the Joe Waters Buck is one of the coolest deer ever. Waters spent several years hunting in Kansas with little to show for it. In 1987, with two days left in the gun season, he almost shot a doe. Instead, he waited, and soon after passing the doe, this monster buck walked into view. One shot later, and he had a 280 4/8-incher (net) on the ground. Thanks to 100 inches of abnormal tines, and 29 scoreable points, it’s one of the top non-typical bucks in the state.

The Kevin Naugle Buck

Another massive whitetail that became a hunter’s first buck, Kevin Naugle shot this deer on his first ever deer hunt. Bagged in 1988, the huge Illinois deer would’ve been the world record typical. That is, if not for the split brow tines. The 14-pointer scores 218 1/8 inches (gross) and 197 1/8 inches (net).

The Mike Okray Buck

Killed in Colorado, the Mike Okray Buck is one to behold. Native to Wisconsin, Okray traveled a lot for hunting. In 1992, on a trip to southeastern Colorado, he bagged a huge whitetail. While the area was better known for mule deer, he and his guide located this deer bedded down in a sorghum field. They stalked closer to the deer, and he missed with the first shot, but not with the second one.

With 31 scoreable points, and thanks to 112 inches of abnormal tines, this buck scores 258 2/8 inches. It’s the No. 1 non-typical from the state of Colorado. But all the downturned points might be as cool as the world-class cred this deer carries.

The Louisiana Freak

Perhaps one of the most iconic bucks from the South, the Louisiana Freak is just that — a freak. On January 4, 1994, James McMurray shot the deer, and when doing so, thought it had a bunch of vines in the antlers. As it turns it, those were just 30 scoreable points and 85 1/8 inches of abnormal antler tines. Of course, mass measurements ranging from 5 to more than 12 inches don’t hurt its rack, either. The buck scores 273 inches. It’s the largest non-typical ever harvested in the state of Louisiana.

The Edward Pick Buck

A deer packing long tines, big-time mass, and eight drop tines, the Edward Pick Buck has it all. In 1997, with five days left in the season, Pick killed this huge buck in Alberta, Canada. A big water truck pulled into view, and he thought it’d ruin the hunt. Still, Pick stayed, and 10 minutes later, shot this big deer. Two shots and a track job later, and he found the buck.

The massive deer carries 13 points on each antler. It sports 28-inch main beams, tines over 12 inches, and more. The typical frame scores 190 6/8 inches. With added non-typical points, its official score is 240 3/8 inches.

Do these bucks fire you up? Likely so. And if they do, here’s to hoping you get that shot at a world-class whitetail. Then, you might have a crazy deer hunting story of your own.

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