North American Whitetail

Illinois is known for world-class typical bucks, and bowhunter Joel Eggers added to that reputation on Oct. 23, 2007. Joel knew this buck was out there but didn't think he'd ever get a chance. Then the beast proved him wrong, offering an 18-yard opportunity as he trailed a doe. The broadhead quickly did its work, resulting in a net 190 6/8-inch basic 5x5 for the record book. Despite summer damage that had interrupted growth of the right main beam and thus hurt symmetry, the deer tallied a phenomenal gross typical score of 208 7/8. Five tines from 12 3/8 to 14 3/8 inches make this farmland trophy a genuine skyscraper. Joel wrote his dramatic story for North American Whitetail's July 2008 issue.

When Milo Hanson downed his No. 1 Boone & Crockett typical near Biggar, Saskatchewan, in 1993, he set a mark that officially still stands. News of Milo's recent passing at age 80 has led to fond reflection by many in the hunting community, including those of us who broke the hunt story in the February 1994 issue of North American Whitetail. In the magazine's current issue, then-editor Gordon Whittington offers some thoughts on the deer and Milo's unique legacy.

Among the enduring mysteries in whitetail history is this huge buck's identity. We know the hunter was Harold Smith. We know the location was Ta Ta Creek, near the Kootenay River in southeastern British Columbia. We know the hunt date was Dec. 1, 1951. But what we still don't know is whether this was a pure whitetail, a pure mule deer or a hybrid. Harold died in a work accident in 1956, apparently leaving behind no field photos of his trophy. In addition, it's unknown if the whitetail cape used on the earliest mount was the original. But Boone & Crockett accepted the deer into its record book as a 279 3/8-jnch non-typical whitetail, so we made him the star of a "Big Buck Profile" on North American Whitetail TV. We also featured him on the cover of our December 2000 magazine. Whatever the truth about the Smith buck might be, his wide, tall and heavy 32-point rack is genuinely elite.

If a typical archery buck exceeds Pope & Young's minimum entry score by nearly 65 inches, he's huge. When his score even beats the state's existing record for firearm non-typicals, he becomes a certified legend. Scott Borden's 1995 trophy from Monmouth County, New Jersey, is one such monster. Grunting lured the 189 4/8-incher to within 23 yards of Scott's tree on the morning of Nov. 17, and a sharp broadhead did the rest. Scott's thrilling story first appeared in North American Whitetail's August 1996 issue.

Connecticut resident Mark Manca's seventh season of bowhunting southern Kansas yielded this world-class 7x7 typical. Mark grunted him to within 15 yards of his tree stand on the morning of Nov. 5, 2007, while hunting a pocket of fresh rubs and scrapes. Despite an inside spread of just 15 2/8 inches, the well-balanced rack nets a whopping 193 2/8 P&Y. Mark provided North American Whitetail with photos to support author Odie Sudbeck's story of the hunt, which appeared in the magazine's September 2008 issue.