Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting The Legend of Giant Mule Deer

I know this for certain. The largest WT I've seen was killed by my hunting pard in S W Miss.
He weighed 250 lbs on the hoof. I was hunting with him but not at his side when he killed it. We were in a Mature Hardwood forest and obviously he wound up in the 'bottom'! ha

I put him on the back of my wheeler and to climb up a hill with 2 what I call Water Bars. I had to stand up and lean forward over the handlebars as I topped the roll overs.

That was a big WT for this part of the country. We DO have some toads in/around the farmlands of Ar. but I've never hunted those areas.

GREAT pix and GREAT bucks fellas.

Congrats

Jerry

My brother-in-law


245" Utah Mule Deer


https://www.ksl.com/?nid=1112&sid=18430775



Deer Hunt on Antelope Island
December 9th, 2011 @ 4:30pm


Often referred to as "Utah's Yellowstone." Antelope Island has been considered by some as a sanctuary for the giant mule deer bucks and the transplanted California big horn sheep that reside there. That changed in the 2010 legislative session when the legislature passed intent language to allow two deer hunts and two sheep hunts in an appropriations bill for Natural Resources.

In 2011, two tags were auctioned off, two more were drawn through the public draw. The two auctioned tags were purchased by W.D. Martin who spent nearly three hundred thousand dollars. 90% of that money is designated to stay on Antelope Island. Despite the money, many were still angry with the decision.

Joe Hull, a member of the State Parks Board that voted in favor of the hunts, says their vote was fiscally responsible. Over two thousand people applied for the Antelope Island deer tag. Brad

Kendrick beat the odds, drawing the coveted tag Kendrick, his brother and his closest buddies spent many days scouting for the hunt. That's when they ran into Doyle Moss, the outfitter who would be guiding the auction tag holders.

Kendrick said, "a lot of times the public hunter kind of get the short end of the stick but that wasn't the case at all. Doyle jumped in we shared information we scouted together. Like I said he didn't charge me a dime. He just wanted to be part of the hunt cause he's spent so much time out here this summer like we had putting his heart and soul and you kind of get fond of these animals. That bridge was gapped between the public draw and the outfitters."

It was Kendrick long time hunting buddy Jeff Post who on the first day of the hunt, while walking this ridge found the buck. It was the deer Brad had always dreamed of.

Kendrick and Moss, set off on a three mile hike to get into position. But then, the buck disappeared, dark was coming and just when it looked like the hunters would have to wait. Kendrick sealed the deal with a 500 yard shot.

Was the Sonora guys name Rich?




Sounds familiar.

FANTASTIC ! ! !

Jerry

I was hunting on top of Escuidilla mountain in Nov 2002 with a buddy. We both had bull elk tags. packed in with horses and stayed up there at 10,200'. There were some slammer bulls up there. One morning we worked around a bedding area and I saw an animal standing behind the brush. I got down on my knees and looked at his legs. I figured it was a rogue hereford steer they were so big. Could see one eye through the brush. It stood there for maybe 60 seconds while we discussed him having NO idea it was a mule deer buck. When we moved towards him to press on, we fully expected to see a beef. All we saw was a GIANT muley buck turn and stot away. He easily weighed 400 lbs on the hoof. We were both dumbfounded. I don't know what he would have scored since his body was so big it was tough to say. I reckon he was 205-220 and perfectly typical. Never saw him again. He bailed off into a quaking aspen thicket that was about 40 years old and dog-hair thick.

A few years later a friend in Holbrook killed a big old buck up by Witch Wells in N/E Arizona. It was two feet longer than the other bucks they killed. Buck had 31" spread but no mass or heighth. He had worn out teeth. Was probably 12-13 years old. Don't know how he got so big with those teeth. His feet were 4" long and not elfen shaped like some bucks are that live in sandy soil. Rick told me he weighed 400 lbs. The taxidermist that mounted him was a friend of mine and he said that when he ordered that form they called him to confirm. It was a form for a small bull elk. His neck measurement was like 29" I think.

There are a few really big ones out there for sure.

Man I hope that camera angle was different than the shot angle. Shooting skylined really bothers me.

Great buck though. And eventually the right shot

Man, awesome buck!

rosco1, yes his name was Rich L. I had those books by Darner too. There were some huge bucks in there that I couldn't quit thinking about. Too bad the guy was a fraud.

Awesome. Must have used a Creedmore !!!

On whitetails there is no such thing as an eyeguard.

Yup:)

Here's a group that definitely were not poached...and that is Dustin Stetter, a friend and Outfitter/Guide. I would love to know how tall those two bucks stood at the horn tips that he is comparing. To me, that last deer standing with a group of does looked more like an elk in comparison body-size...:)

Weight-wise, the mule deer that sported the rack he is holding looked heavier to me than the heaviest whitetail that ever came my way at 265# dressed after hanging close to two weeks in the bush & shop, losing weight every day. I imagine Canada can turn out some real whoppers. Here in the MI camp, 200# dressed is the target for a "big" buck as it is in a lot of whitetail camps, and we do pay attention. It has never crossed my mind to consider their height...but would think that goes to the big mulies, no contest.

Eyeguard brow tine same thing. Potatoe pattado
Tomatoes tamatoe.

Kreedmor's Daddy


6.5x284 Norma

That's good. Sometimes the gene pool gets diluted ! (grin)


Jerry

This is the biggest bodied Buck I've ever killed, or seen in person. 8.5 years old. Don't know what he weighed, but just holding head up for pics was a chore!



On the hoof picture

Looks like a toad 2five7! Nice pic.

A couple big bodied bucks.





Not the biggest rack wise but these two were both tanks. Sorry for the poor pictures you can’t really tell. Surprised I even have pictures of them actually. Never took pictures when I was younger. Still don’t take a lot..wish I did tho.

Great stuff rosco. I never get tired of looking at big mule deer.

This guy isn't 8 feet tall, but he made me pop wood.
Never did see him during the deer season.