I had the pleasure of seeing one of these beasts once in my life a few years ago.10 yds away!I jumped it from its bed. And 5 minutes after I saw it a guy shot and killed it,I was hunting Public land. Well to make long story short the Game Warden saw it or heard about it and went to the prosessor to inspect.He investigated it. The guy who killed it did it legally and I was a witness.At least heard it go down and heard the guy talking on cellphone. GW wanted to know exactly where it was killed. I wonder if GW really had doubts or just getting great intel for his buddies. Anyone else have this happen?

Hunted on a piece of property about 200 acres in Garden Ridge Texas, it is now the subdivision "George Ranch" There was an old news paper clipping hanging in the camphouse of a picture of a buck probably scored in the 170's. I asked one of the hunters about it that had hunted the place for over 40 years. He said one afternoon he was walking out of camp to go to his stand and saw that deer chasing a doe, he shot 3 times at the running buck and never hit it, it crossed the road a short distance from camp and he heard a gunshot. The following week the picture was in the paper with a story of how the hunter shot it running a doe on the property just across the road.

Did you ever kill any piebald deer on the George ranch?

Yes. I have heard of something similar on public hunting land.

Big bucks make people act completely out of the ordinary. Im sure that the GW just wanted to document a buck that would become mildly famous just because, and to document quality bucks on state land. Im not big on big buck contest, but decided to enter one a long time ago. I entered a 150 in buck in the contest and would of won it. I was up at the shop that was holding the contest and the GW as up there looking at the buck pictures. He followed me around the store, so I asked whats up? He asked did you kill that biggest buck in that picture on the wall?, and I said yes. He asked where is it and I said at home. He wanted to see it, so I said ok follow me. He followed me home and looked at it and that was it. I went to the shop a few days later and the gay a s store owner took my buck out of the contest. I didn't do anything wrong and received NO tickets from the GW. I didn't know what to do but to never enter another gay a s big buck contest again. I would of won the contest and the buck really wasn't a contest winner. He just didn't have a lot of entries. He pulled a raffle ticket out of a box for a four wheeler and his best buddy won it. Hmmm I think the whole contest was rigged. Long story short big bucks make peoples brains dumb. I heard a story about a buck getting hit last year and my buddy was around a GW, the first thing out of the GWs mouth was how big are the antlers and where is it. Hmmm? and they wont even go pic up a spike or doe off the highway anymore. I don't go to that shop anymore. jealous people suck!

My taxidermist has a picture of a huge clean 8 point that he mounted for a guy that nets in the mid 170's (not officially scored). I was impressed so asked about the deer.

Apparently this guy is driving home near Culpepper, VA and the car in front of him hits a deer....car is driven by an older couple and the deer is on the side of the road ....still alive but apparently a broken back. The guy stops and the older couple are pretty upset....so the guy asks them if the want the deer...they say "no." He takes a knife from his truck and carefully sticks the deer (heart or neck I do not know) and puts the deer down by letting it bleed out. Calls the state troopers ...they come by...do what they normally do and give the guy a salvage permit for the deer. And he takes it home, etc.

A few days later (after the word spread about the huge deer) he gets a knock on the door. It's the game warden (who is well known as an a$$h*le and use to live/work in Kansas as a game warden). Asks to see the deer antlers and cape....then tells the guy that he is confiscating the cape and antlers since the guy killed the deer illegally (when he stuck it with the knife)...and he's going to just give him a warning and not arrest him. So the guy explains, tells him that he called the police, has the salvage permit , etc. Warden tells him that it all doesn't matter and he's confiscating the cape and antlers.

At this point the guys wife who was standing there and hearing all this had called her brother who is a lawyer. So with her husband ready to comply with the warden she speaks up and tell the warden that she has her brother who is a lawyer on the phone and he's advising them that they have not broken any laws and they want documentation on why the cape and antlers are being confiscated, if her husband has truly broken any laws to give him a citation not a warning, and that they plan to take this to court.

At that point the Game Warden apparently backed off and said that he's letting this go by with just a warning.

It's amazing what happens when big deer are involved.

I know right! That was the first and last buck contest that I ever entered. I have a friend that was a hunting guide in south Tx and he said eventually being a guide will take the hunter out of you. Man I don't want this to happen, so I quit doing bass fishing tournaments, buck contest or any thing that may turn my hunting fun into something more like a competition or work rather than just something I love to do. I don't want to loose this natural type of fun. as for the store owner, he had even less entries the following buck contest years. Especially after he wisped his hand around in that raffle box and pulled his buddies winning ticket off the side of the box. Several people will contest to this. I figured with not enough entries in the contest, meaning not enough money to pay for winnings, he maid a deal with his buddy to sell the 4 wheeler after he won it and give himself half of the profits. The contest eventually petered out with just accessories and not rigged out bows and guns. Finally they quit having them. Hmmmm? who really was the cheater?

GW in that instance said a deer a few miles away from the kill location had pics of the deer. But I know deer travel more than a few miles sometimes. So it just seems like a bad reason to suspect foul play. I'm kinda slow. People can insult me sometimes and later I relizw it was rude. Lol My buddy is the one who told me ," I wouldn't tell GW a dang thing"!' Btw I don't have anything against GW but I think my buddy is right on this one.

I have been lucky enough to see two free-range whitetails that would honestly score 180-195 in my life. The first was southeast of Waco out in the farming areas between there and Moody. Buck was seen several times over a couple of years. Once I thought I'd shot him only to have him run out of brush at the shot (I shot a different deer that 'only' scored 145). Another time just as I was squeezing on him another friend of mine starts launching rounds at him from 800 yards away. Deer got away clean.
That Thanksgiving, I was telling a cousin about the deer and we came around the corner on a county road and there he was in the headlights. I counted 14 main-beam points and at least one drop tine of 6" and a couple of kickers on his G-2's. MASSIVE deer!
Never saw him again and I believe he died a natural death out there.

Second one was a main frame 12 that was huge. First time I saw him was on a muzzeloader hunt in Missouri. He and a smallish herd of about 15 does and bucks were feeding in a neighbor's wheat field. They worked their way back to within 200 yards of me and he stands broadside to me then poses a couple of times before moving off.
A friend caught him on a game camera and I set up a ladder stand the next year where we'd seen him a couple of times. Get up opening morning and sneak into my stand. Wind is perfect. Get to my stand and some SOB had stolen the ladder portion of the stand.
Never saw that buck again and never heard of anyone getting him either.
This was just to the east of Columbia, Mo.

When an old high scoring buck disappears, it will leave you wondering from here on out. Monarchs of the wild. Kinda leaves a sad feeling because you cant find him to hunt him anymore and you didn't get that particular killing chance to get him. The windows on free range giants are normally ultra small and happen extremely fast, but if you do bag one youll have that memory stamped into your brain forever. Its the best and worst kind of feeling whether you got em or not, but still can be satisfying . Keeps you going for the next.

Most claims to 180+ that I have seen are closer to 150. 150" deer running away from you look 200"!!

Not saying y'all haven't seen them.

Yes well I'n this case just ask Redsnake to show you the pic of thie deer I am talking about . I'm 45 and have hunted deer since I was 6. I know a big buck when I see one. And within 5 inches if I get a good look. Say ten yds! But I must concur most would over estimate

I've seen those pics of that deer

I have been lucky to see some really big deer in the past.

The worst part about seeing or killing big bucks are the jealous people.

I killed a 178 6/8 eleven years ago, and lucky for me (other than shooting that buck), the first person I see was the GW. It didn't stop folks from questioning me about it being poached, but the fact that I wasn't in jail with the buck confiscated after the GW encounter kept the rumor mill to a minimum.

All good stories, guys.

I am a newbie and have not seen any buck in the field yet. However what have jumped out of the stories are the GW actions. Truly sad and it keeps reminding me about that poaching GW and his fellow agents.

There are no conspiracy theories about 125" 8 pointers.

I agree. Just like the post above. How do you mistake a 145" deer for one that is "180-195"? That is one hell of a case of buck fever. I wouldn't be able to ever hunt again had I done that.

I killed a 148 near perfect symmetry old 8 point; not a lot of 8's bigger than that. a 177 11pt is huge, so the 180+ are massive, period. Sure, there are some, but many are exaggerated

Yea Vernon a 148" 8 is a hoss. Congrats!

I'm not the shooter, so it's not my story/pictures to share, but I know the deer in question and it scored a lot more than 180. Let's just say it made Plan A look like a yearling.

Chris Fried, the early years.

ha!

Nope, only neat/unique deer I ever saw on the place was a nice sized buck that had a third peddicle/main beam like a unicorn straight out the middle of his forehead. Was after a morning hunt we were all packed up and driving out the main road out the front gate and him and a couple other bucks were trailing a doe. Area we weren't allowed to shoot.

is the shooter on the forum?

not that i know of