With its rolling plains, wideopen spaces, occasional canyons and creek bottoms, the northeastern texas panhandle is turning out to be a great place for taking great bucks. Texas deer seasons are almost always good, but this one may turn out to be one for the record books for greg simons of san angelo. So, what gives with a breaking story on texas biggestever whitetail during the dog days of august. After more than 70 years of hunting in texas, billy noble bagged the buck of a lifetime. So, what gives with a breaking story on texas biggest.
Free ranging mule deer hank nails down state record title. This was particularly prevalent in the case of trophies submitted with a score that was at or above a current world record score. Merritts buck scored out at 281 28 gross and 264 38 net, according to the san angelo standard times. Sci record book top 10 north american elk hunt forever. Put money directly on the ground for mule deer and blacktailed deer become a conservation partner. And, like it or not, the top10 states for recordbook whitetails impose few or no antler restrictions, unless you count the 3inch spike rule. Most large mule deer bucks are consistently harvested in the northwestern portion of the state each year.
The 3,950 entries 74 percent of the record book total come from 41 states and 1,254 counties. There is some debate on the classification of blacktail under mule deer. Ricks deer gave the state record a run for the money, with a 214 inch typical frame and. The 6 world record mule deer by subspecies deer hunting. Five texas whitetail bonanza winners will each get to experience a highquality. Indiana record book whitetail deer field and stream. San angelo hunter waits to see if monster mule deer will set new. With increasing numbers of deer came more interest in trophyclass deer.
I could just title this article, why colorado is the best overall state for mule deer hunting, but since that wont apply to trophy research for elk in future articles, lets just go with record book research. Similar to the online database, this publication contains trophy records for whitetail, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep and elk taken in nebraska. In that moment, the bullet exploded from the barrel, the buck disappeared in a. Jan 01, 2020 we take a look at the top 40 mule deer to ever be registered in the boone and crockett record books. Texas law bars importing live whitetail deer or mule deer amid concerns about transmittable diseases. Including the world record mule deer set scoring an amazing 307 inches. Texas deer seasons are just about always good, but this may turn out to be one for the record books for greg simons of san angelo.
His passion for large mule deer is has taken him to the best mule deer spots out west. After all, western states mostly credit recordbook elk to limitedaccess hunts, either through long hikes, restricted license allotments, or combinations of both. The order of recent submissions also seems to mirror the all time rankings of these four states, with utah on top of arizona, which is ahead of. Percent of spikes in the yearling mule deer buck harvest, 19761995. Top 10 trophy mule deer producing states muley freak. Searching record book archives is a good place to see what areas have historically produced record book animals and what areas are currently being productive. The simons buck, a 27 pointer, eclipses a 283 inch reeves county whopper shot in 2003 by damon compton of toyah as the tbga state record nontypical desert mule deer. The monster received a final panel score of 2 58 net points. A bow hunter bagged a world record nontypical mule deer that the saskatchewan wildlife federation described as a deer of a lifetime. Dennis bennett took the buck in the arm river region of.
So last october, when my gold tip carbon arrow hit the crease on a bigbodied, symmetrical. Here are the six world record mule deer by subspecies and all the information you need to know about them. That doesnt mean you cant find good deer hunting there, or the occasional booner for that matter. In this muley freak article were going to take a statebystate look and rank the top 10 states where record book trophy mule deer bucks are being harvested and entered into the boone and crockett club records. San stiver has been a member of the record book committee since 1986 and has been involved compiling records since the inception of the program. Landon wittwer and his dad wayne have one of the most amazing collection of mule deer sheds around. Texas deer seasons are just about always good, but this one may turn out to be one for the record books for greg simons of san angelo. Congrats rick on one of the biggest typical bucks i have ever seen. Desert mule deer are found in southern california, southern arizona, southern new mexico, southwestern texas, northern sonora, northern chihuahua, and.
Think of it as a free, online way to record your hunts. Simons has been following the deer on his freerange ranch since it was a 3. These records are stored in a secure location, easily sent to friends and family and will capture valuable data for researchers, wildlife managers and conservationists across the state. It was opening day in colorado and ross family and friends were all on. Statistics on texas bowkilled mule deer and pronghorns. So, for the final installment on mule deer record book research, were going to take a look at nevada, arizona, montana and utah. Of the two primary texas deer species mule deer are the more claustrophobic, preferring to stick to the wide open areas where danger is easily spotted. The top states for record mule deer in the last 10 years.
Driving through the rugged badlands of the tongue river country of northwest texas, mule deer are numerous but the big ones are rare. Panhandle rancher bags record book mule deer sports. Big game trophy records nebraska game and parksnebraska. By day four, doug had set his sights on a buck that one of his hunting buddies. The utah big game records program is designed for the establishment and operation of a comprehensive recordkeeping program for wildlife species native and introduced in the state of utah. Congratulations, greg simons, on a fantastic buck and good luck. It just goes to show you how hard these trophy animals are to come by. Utah big game records llc is a company that produces books. The deer was certified by the boone and crockett club at the same time as james jordans buck, making them the no. After finding the aftermath of a deadly brawl, james sets his sights on the victor. It is important to hunt for big trophy mule deer in areas that produce them on a regular basis. The lotspeich family bags some big whitetailed deer on the ranch and occasionally sees mule deer, but this was the first big buck taken in the ranchs long history, lotspeich said.
Were talking big big enough to make the prestigious boone and crockett record book. Culberson county mule deer buck could be recordbreaker. Audion hubenak was one of the 2018 winners and bagged this buck, which. The nevada wildlife record book celebrates the big game animals we have in our state and recognizes the achievements of the hunters harvest. Including the world record mule deer set scoring an. The contest is open to current and active texas chapter mule deer foundation immediate family members ages 917 as of september 1, 2018. I was obviously way overdue, and looking at 50 year old records from the heyday of mule deer hunting just doesnt really apply any more. Incredibly, the years 19902001 account for 2,811 or 52 percent of the record book entries during this period. It had been a while since i last picked up a boone and crockett record book, as my last edition was dated 1996 records of north american elk and mule deer, 2nd edition. Whitetails, the cousin of mule deer and the source of the ascendant dna in which. Though this bull will not make the record book, the official score sheet will be kept on file by the boone and crockett club. San angelo hunter tells the story of the big buck he.
Nov 20, 2019 texas deer seasons are just about always good, but this may turn out to be one for the record books for greg simons of san angelo. It can be your first buck, your biggest buck, or anything in between. The top 40 typical and nontypical mule deer of all time outdoor. Big, mature mulie bucks with archery tackle aint easy. The objectives of the program include the following. Jan 28, 2010 his passion for large mule deer is has taken him to the best mule deer spots out west. Statistically speaking, its the toughest trophy to put in the record book if you hunt in texas. Show all this season last season record book animal. Oregon, south dakota, nebraska, north dakota, texas and california all harbor decent populations of mule deer. The record had previously been held by the james jordan buck, shot in wisconsin in 1914. Mule deer populations are calculated by texas parks and wildlife biologists through 945 miles of aerial transects and 393 miles of spotlight surveys. Panhandle rancher bags recordbook mule deer mule deer. George harms shot the new world record typical mule deer in mexico with his bow in 2009.
Oct 30, 2018 congratulations to chad for his successful hunt in texas. The sci record book of big game animals uses scis unique allinclusive record keeping system, the most used system in the world, to document our hunting heritage. The club is dedicated to preserving our hunting heritage, scoring and keeping big game records, maintaining hunter ethics, and furthering conservation education. Texas biggest open range buck in 100 years texas fish. Mule deer typical records nevada wildlife record book. The top 40 typical and nontypical mule deer of all time. Mule deer management in texas texas parks and wildlife. So he settled his gun on back of his pack, took careful aim, and eased down on the trigger. There is no entry fee required for acceptance in the utah big game records program. In addition, the funds collected by sci record book directly aid in protecting your freedom to hunt and hunting for our next generation. But they arent known for pumping out the biggest mulies like the other 10 states that precede them in the record books. He retired from the nevada department of wildlife in 2003 after a 30year career, as the upland game staff biologist. Only deer entered into the boone and crockett records database were considered for this article. Congratulations to chad for his successful hunt in texas.
Ensuring the conservation of mule deer, blacktailed deer and their habitat. Whopper whitetails the biggest bucks on record grand. The current tbga state record nontypical mule deer record is a reeves county buck that scored 283. The nevada wildlife record book celebrates the big game animals we have in our state and recognizes the achievements. Record books are considered to be the epitome of encyclopedias of big game animals and may be purchased individually. Ten 10 winners, each accompanied by a nonhunting chaperone guest, will be invited to hunt mule deer doe in the transpecos region of texas during the 20182019 hunting season. Approximately 8085 percent of the mule deer in texas. Hunting on a 40,000acre culberson county lease shared with two buddies, simons recently shot a desert mule deer buck that grew a magnificent set of antlers much larger than most deer hunters have seen. Apr 19, 2017 landon wittwer and his dad wayne have one of the most amazing collection of mule deer sheds around. Lubbock hunter sets state record with 222pound, 17point. San developed our record database, enters and formats the records for the book. Tbga also follows the 60day drying rule on top tier bucks.
Brett cooter ross had a buck tag in his pocket and an antlered deer of unknown size in front of him. Each year the nebraska game and parks commission publishes an updated edition of the big game trophy records book. Deer whopper whitetails the biggest bucks on record. Greg simons mule deer buck has massive main beams that turn out and down, almost. Jul 29, 2011 after more than 70 years of hunting in texas, billy noble bagged the buck of a lifetime. The tale of the tape is official on an enormous texas desert mule deer shot last fall by greg simons of san angelo. Whitetailed buck poached in denton county couldve been in record books, instead itll be on wall of shame a photo of travis johnson posing with the deer in the daytime began. Panhandle rancher bags recordbook mule deer sports. Jan 10, 2009 statistics on texas bowkilled mule deer and pronghorns. Recognize outstanding trophies in size and symmetry taken by. Based on his greenscoring, greg simons thinks his mule deer buck will.