200” poll numbers
Whitetail Deer
How many 200” gross score bucks have you guys seen in your hunting career. Give the number of 200” or above and years you’ve been hunting.
3 bucks
42 years
Shane
2 and I’ve been hunting since the mid 80s. I arrowed one of them, almost got the second.
0 and I have been bow hunting for 37 years.
Zero. I missed a buck in middle school with a rifle that the neighbor killed the following week and it grossed low 190s. Biggest I’ve ever seen but honestly looking back I’m glad it played out that way. That experience sent me full send mode into my hunting obsession.
1 in 39 years. I passed that buck up because Dad had been hunting it for several years. That buck was his White Whale. I just put my hands in my pockets, bit my tongue, and watched him work a scrape broadside at 15 yards for a couple minutes. My wife and I picked up the sheds one day that spring. Sheds scored low 220’s nontypical. Dad never killed that deer. I have the sheds from that year and 3 singles from other years.
R
Saw one in the mid 1980’s. Shot a doe in a narrow strip between a new clear cut & a swamp. Watched her go down in the clear cut. Stayed put waiting in case a buck was following her. About a half hour of staring at my arrow in the ground I had an overwhelming urge to retrieve my arrow. Just minutes after I got back in the stand a 250”plus non typical came following her tracks. Smelled where I had been & walked out of my life with no shot.
1 in 35 years. I almost killed him the year before he was in the 180s. He spent two years over 200 before decline. He was a typical 12.
0 - 57 years...I saw one 6-8 years ago that might have gone 190", that's it.
Ryan Rothaar - that was a great "sacrifice" for you to pass on that buck to hopefully give your Dad a chance at him. It shows what you're made of! I'm not sure I could have done that.
Bernie
2 in 40 years. Killed one and just laid my eyes on the other one for a short time
I’ve seen at least 6 mule deer bucks over 200” in 52 years of hunting but never killed one. Had one at 15yds but couldn’t get a shot.
1 in 26 years in a region with great genetics/habitat
0 in 31 years of hunting. Sadly, I could count on one hand the number of p &y caliber bucks I have seen.
Whitetail or Mulie???
I have seen one or two absolutely freakishly HUGE mule deer in the past 35-40 years, but never while I was actually hunting, and I know for sure that all but the very largest were on private land. The Monster may or may not have been.
Whitetails…. I may once have seen a 160 on private land for which I had permission…. I was just running a good hour and a half late that day, and he had just passed almost directly under the tree in which I had planned to sit that evening….. Figures, right?
0 in 42 seasons. I did kill a 205 mule deer. 200 sure is big.
20 years hunting, saw 1 whitetail and killed it, 215”.
Saw a mule deer while hunting bighorn in Colorado that the guide said would go 220”.
A couple NW Ontairo, early 2000's. Shot none
I’ve seen a few that weighed 200
16 years 1 - 202" and killed it
Whitetails 2 maybe 3.
Mule deer 5 35 years of hunting
0 since I started deer hunting in 1978ish.
Zero whitetails over 200”
19 years of bowhunting
Mark
Hard to say with 100% certainty, but I’d guess somewhere between 6-7 in 40 years of bowhunting. Killed one that greened 196” and broke off a 4”-5” extra tine before I killed him. Hit another big non-typical too high and above the spine in 2021. Would guess him around 205”+. Saw him a few more times that fall/winter, and he was none the worse for wear. Unfortunately, wounding him on his left side really screwed his rack up the following year, especially on his right side. Of course, I had gimmee 15-20yd shots at him three different times in 2022, and let him walk. He made it through the season in good shape, but never showed back up in 2023 or ‘24. Saw a huge typical 10 point twice the same day at 60-80 yds, in the late 80s that I’m pretty positive was the same buck that a neighbor killed during shotgun season that same year. It grossed around 202” I believe.
Also chased a huge mainframe 10 with tons of trash for 3 years, back around 2010ish. Missed him just barely under his chest at 47 yds. Guessed him at 40. Got close on him a few other times over that 3 year period, but no cigar. If I could have ONE shot back in my bowhunting career, it would be that one! Pretty sure that buck was pushing 220”-230”. Pretty sure I’ve seen a few others one or two times over the years, as well.
0- Since Hector was a pup !
1 whitetail in about 10 seasons - 206” gross 198" net NT killed
3 mule deer in about 16 seasons- 0 killed :)
Where you hunt is way more important than how many seasons
0 in 27 years.
I have never laid eyes on a buck, hunting or otherwise, that would score 170 or above. I did have pics of a buck one year that I estimate would have been in the 180s but I never saw him. He was wounded and lost by a rifle hunter that year and never seen again
3 WT,1MD I see 2 of them everyday and another one I passed a standing still neck shot at 8 yards and got to score him for 30minutes with my 10x binos.MID 150’S 8 with drops and stickers everywhere (about 58 inches worth)Never seen a buck so rut exhausted I almost climbed down to stalk him and probably should have.
2 in 26 years Brother killed one of them and the other died of old age
0 whitetail……you wouldn’t believe me on mule deer.
I take it “seen while hunting”.
Seen 1 in Kansas, 3 in Illinois. None killed by me.
43 years bow hunting.
Zero that I'm aware of...three biggest bucks taken off the farm in Indiana (two bow kills and one rifle) grossed 180"+...each more than 10" shy of 200".
1 for certain in 22 years. Already tagged out that season and unfortunately watched my brother miss.
If this is a 200 inch deer then once in 28 years. Not killing him still haunts me.
It's near impossible to know how big a deer is without verifying when they are down so tough to say if you see a 190 or a 200. I don't think I've ever seen one, cause the biggest I think I've ever seen I killed and it was 195. But if I wouldn't have killed it I'd never know what it was. Been hunting 25 years.
Zero in 40 years of deer hunting. :(
Never seen a deer over 150.
I’ve seen 2. One in Ohio and one in Illinois in 43 years. No shots but close on the one in Illinois. Was get ready for the shot and he was spooked by a couple ‘yotes as he was walking straight to me following a couple does.
53+ years of deer hunting Ohio, probably a few would gross over 200" but hard to say without a tape measuring on them... Back before hunting pressure was nothing like it is today, I'd seen some monsters in the 70's and early 80's... One I know would surpass the 200" was the biggest wild buck I've ever seen alive still to this day... He had it all, a wide massive rack with kickers and stickers all over the place with drops coming off both main beams... He was a monster in rack and body size too... It was gun season of either 1973 or 74 and I was armed with a 20 gauge single shot on my grandfather's farm... His image still burns in my head...
Have seen a few net typical Booners that might gross 200", but again, hard to say without a tape on them... The last one I've seen was either late 90's or early 2000's was a big typical frame with points like a saw blade alternating in and out off the main beams and although he didn't have drops, points off both main beams were like shark teeth on both sides... Didn't get a chance to count all the points but there were a lot of them... It was a cold January day and although I wasn't hunting, it was still during bowseason and he was just leaving the CVNP boundary during mid-day cruising alone across a private property mini farm between their house and horse barn... He was right next to the rural road getting ready to cross and I stopped probably 20-30 yards away to watch him... Actually, I cut him off from crossing the lightly traveled road... Didn't see him until I was almost by him... He stopped for a few seconds looking at me and I got a good look at him, then he got nervous turned and trotted back across the field/yard and disappeared back into the national park... It was a beautiful sight, but I never got to see him again... At that location he was headed for private properties and could have been killed legally... His image burns in my mind too...
1, 45 years. I am 100% sure I saw a 210+ net typical in Kansas 15 years ago. Two other guys saw it too and would concur.
Nobody killed him. Before trail cams.
1 in 49 years, after dark at McAlester AAP in OK. He was in an area no one could hunt. The guards say he never leaves that area.
Pat - Didn't you kill a 200+ incher in Canada a few years ago?
47 years bowhunting.
Two bucks definitely over 200. One day close to Christmas I was late getting to my hunting area. As I pulled in, I saw a really nice 10 that was truly dwarfed by a giant following him. Another I one I estimated 210. The first time I saw it, I had already used my one buck tag, and saw it during gun season at 10 yards chasing a young doe. The next year saw it twice on one day being dogged by coyotes. Later that year, nephew was scouting with a spotting scope and found it bedded in a CRP field. He studied it for more than an hour and confirmed that it was definitely over 200.
I have seen at least seven that were definitely Booners. Some I saw only once. Others I saw more than once. One was killed by a kid who did not have hunting permission. One was killed on adjacent property. Some disappeared forever with no idea what happened to them. One i am hunting this year. Another, one i hunted exclusively for two years. Passed some very nice bucks while hunting him. I had scouted him and learned some patterns that made him nearly unkillable. He had it all - high, wide, forward, heavy mass, and classically symetrical - at least in the high 180s Finally made a plan that was a longshot for one of his occasional patterns. Late one afternoon I saw him crossing a picked cornfield with two does. I was in a treestand just back from the edge of the field and had a decoy in front of one of his daytime bedding thickets. He slowly worked over and for nearly an hour, i rattled, grunted, and let the decoy work on him. Finally he and the the does hung up at 75 yards. He could not resist the decoy and after 15 minutes he left the does, They stood like statues while he slowly approached then turned to face off with the decoy. Ears back, fur standing on end, and walking stiff legged quartering. He was in the trance! By then, I was totally unglued. I did my best to regain my composure and missed him at 16 yards. The arrow went over his back and he jumped and moved out ten yards. He got back in the trance and I missed him again at 26 yards. I saw him the next day at about 200 yards. I frequently dream about that buck.
after four decades, i'm only familiar with 200" bull elk. i don't recall every seeing a 200" deer but i don't know that i would be able to tell. my measurements involve words like spike, forky, nice 3x3, he's a good 4x4, or wow, that's huge!
Z, he grossed 187. Two weeks later I killed a 191. I never shot a 200. But still trying.
Sorry….I thought this was the 100” whitetail thread. I have a lot of experience in that arena.
67 years hunting, 52 with bow. Zero
Only one dead in camp in the late 90’s west central Illinois. Saw 2 in those years that I would say were booners, but couldn’t say 200. Did see a 200” mule deer this year and I was within 40 yards of him 3 times.
Been bowhunting seriously for 36-37 years. And, I’ve never saw a 200” buck.
New York State. Zero 200. Zero 170-190. Zero 160. Probable three or four 150. Probably a dozen 130-140. Mostly hunt a private 200 acre lot and various state lands. 48 yrs bowhunting.
The odds of seeing or shooting one have dramatically increased in the last 20 years.
Especially if you hunt one of 5 certain states.
So if you did most of your hunting 40 yrs ago. The odds were not with you.
Maybe 1, in 1999, at a butcher shop in western Illinois. Huge non-typical. 34 years.
in 2003 IIRC I had a buck I called Pitchfork come to within 100 yards of me - he was close to 200"
a buck run out in front of us one night and slipped on the road - we got a really good look at him and he was flailing trying to get his footing and he was a 200" buck
in 2009? I had a buck come in to about 15 steps, maybe closer .... as I was pulling my bow up into the tree ... I watched that deer for 3-5 minutes ... 5x5 frame, blocky/square beams and tine he was so massive .... had like 5-7 kickers coming off each G2 ..... that buck was 200" and I never ever got draw on him (compound and I'd have killed him)
3 bucks that were honest in the 200" category and no shot
probably 30-40 through the 35+ years of hunting and side gig of doing euros. Zero killed. Came close on two, 194" and 197". In the last ten years I havent seen one while hunting and only did two euro's. Both dead heads.
Not sure if he would have gone 200, but I saw one while bow hunting in Pike County IL, standing in the middle of a bean field that would have surely gone 180+.
Never got closer to me than 150 yards...never saw him again. Other than that one, nothing ever remotely close in close to 50 years.
"The odds of seeing or shooting one have dramatically increased in the last 20 years."
How did you come up with this Altitude? I would have said the opposite is true.
0 in 43 years...they just do get that big where I hunt in NY, although I have seen a few monsters in Ohio none were 200" or better.
BJ
2 bucks missed one of them.
44 years.
Seen a handful of others in the high 80’s and 90’s
SD, simple math.
More deer
More managed properties
More people educated on deer management
More P&Y and B&C class deer killed in the last 20 years
That makes sense Altitude. I live in a state that used to manage for age class but doesn't anymore, and 20-30yrs ago nobody I knew entered deer into the books like they do now. So my perspective may be skewed a little.
I was a PY Club measurer from 1979 to 2016. I've bowhunter whitetails since 1970. I got pretty good at estimating whitetail antlers before I scored them. I would measure about 75 per year.
I believe I've seen one buck that would have scored over 200 non-typical. A handful that would have scored 170 or so. That big non-typical was on a 1,100 acre farm on the Indiana/Michigan state line in Elkhart County, IN. It was an evening hunt on Election Day, 1984.
I was in a stand I called the crow's nest. It was simply a quarter sheet of plywood in a triple crotch of a smallish tree. The stand was about 70 yards from a horribly large and impossibly dense button bush swamp. I didn't. use steps to get in this stand. I was only 20 years old, I had to climb the smallish tree next to this one and step into on to this platform.
I saw the buck coming at about 40 yards. He was walking directly towards me. I had to guess which side of the stand he would walk by as he headed for a cornfield past my stand about 80 yards. I guessed correctly, he passed on my left side. I shot RH in those days. I could see his eye lashes, he was no more than 10 yards away. I was afraid to attempt to draw because my stand was low, probably only 10' high. My plan was to let him walk by and get a rear quartering away shot. As he passed me I drew. He didn't see me draw, but he stopped less than 15 yards. There were lots of small saplings between me and the deer. The only "shot" I had was to enter in front of the left hip angling forward. I passed the shot. I don't regret not taking the shot. Such a beautiful dark colored rack. I can see the whole thing in my mind these 40 years later. I never saw him again.
Assuming you are talking about whitetails: Zero in 42 years of hunting
Seen 6 in 45 years of hunting I have killed 2 - 212 4/8 and a 204 7/8 and I have stuck another that I could never find.
One that is a confirmed score. Crossed a soybean field at 80 yards. On public land in 1999. Killed by another hunter later that season, scored 208. I've been hunting deer for over 40 years.
Zero in 63 seasons. Did shoot a 161 4/8 with a rifle, biggest buck seen while hunting. Saw a big one one summer in velvet that I would have loved to seen again! While hunting I have been more of a "doe magnet". No taxidermy bills but lots of good eating.
Just this thread alone.
26 200” WT killed
86 200” WT sightings
Whitetail scores will continue the trend of more 200” deer each year for a while.
Unfortunately 200” Mule Deer are the opposite. Getting less and less of them every year. Plus most of us look at a 180-190 MD on the hoof and think he’s well over 200”
A (true) 180” MD is getting harder and harder to find
One for sure in my 40 years of hunting.
In the woods hunting since 1960 not all that deer hunting but none the less I was in the deer woods.So maybe 4 1 in Illinois 1in Ky and 1 in Tn and possibly 1 in Mo. I do vividly remember seeing each one of those bucks Good luck Lewis
Whitetails Seen 2
Killed 1 (release froze or it would be 2!)
Bow hunting 19 years.
"The odds of seeing or shooting one have dramatically increased in the last 20 years."
I tend to agree with SD - "How did you come up with this Altitude? I would have said the opposite is true"
I seen more bigger bucks back in the 70's and 80's than I do now... Records are similar with Mel Johnson's 204-4/8" Net Typical arrowed with a Damon Howatt recurve bow on Oct. 29 1965, in Peoria County, IL still rains as P&Y's World Record 60 years later... 60 years is a loooog time to hold a world record, and still ranks #7 in B&C after rifle kill by Milo Hansen's of 213-5/8" Saskatchewan Buck in 1993, and recently added xbow kill of 211-4/8" by Dustin Huff in Indiana in 2021, and shotgun kill of 207-7/8" by Sam D. Aiuppa, Sr. in Illinois in 1991, and the James Jordon 206-1/8" Wisconsin Buck rifle killed in 1914, and the Larry W. Gibson's 205" Missouri Buck killed in 1971, and the 204-6/8" Frederick Kyress Buck rifle killed in PA sometime around late 1950's/early 1960's, possibly 1962... ...
Three whitetails, but not sure if they count as they were all high fence deer. In the wild, none.
Not sure how many mule deer over 200”, but a lot. Have never killed one that big as I was really trying hard to get one with my longbow, but have been there with 5 guys that killed mule deer bucks over 200”.
I’ve been hunting for over 50 years.
40 years. 0. Never have even saw a buck bigger than 145-150.
(2) 200" whitetails in 50 years. My son took one and the other died of natural causes.
0......18 years.....I'd love to have a chance to see/hunt a 160" type of deer!
zero 125"'s hunting CT/SENY
I've seen only one, and was lucky enough to take him home.
Zero in 36 years.
I have seen only one on the hoof when I was not hunting. City buck.
2 whitetails and 2 mule deer in 47 years of hunting. One of the whitetails, I saw multiple times as I was driving to work. He was on private property that the owner wouldn't let anyone hunt. The other whitetail was also on private land owned by a shooting club. The 2 mule deer were on BLM land in Wyoming and a lot farther away than I would try to shoot with my 30.30. I haven't seen any in the last 22 years.
Zero - 25 years bowhunting. Killed my “lifetime” buck in Wisconsin (192” gross). Haven’t seen a whitetail >170” in IL, WI, or MI otherwise.
0 in 43 years of hunting.
45 years of whitetail hunting I can say I think 0, but I also dont know how anyone can be sure without a dead deer and a tape measure. Estimate sure, but estimates on live deer can be way off, no offense to anyone.
1 in 40 years. Legit competition for Milo’s deer.
But if I could get my hands on one of those YouTube rubber tape measures, I’d see them much more regularly.
I agree estimate can be high. Of the 3 whitetails I have seen 2 got killed and scored. The third one was way bigger imo.
When they look cartoon big they are big. Almost fake looking imo.
Probably 40% of the sightings would not score 200.
Bou said it.
Half of us don’t know what a legit 150” looks like. I doubt we’re any better on 200”s.
There is definitely less 200 inchers than there was 20 years ago. Every hunter I know will tell you the same thing. I’ve seen several, all confirmed by finding sheds or killing them. None since 2012 in Illinois or Iowa. My Illinois farm had at least 1 on it for several years in a row from 2000 thru 2012. 2 were there in 2003-2006.
203 . Got to see this deer 5-6 times before he was killed. The extras add up fast
I jumped this deer at 10 yards doing drives. 206. Once again extras add up fast.
Yeap, NTs add up quick 200 clean typical is just another level of deer. Night and day between them.
38 years hunting Whitetails in Southern Illinois. On the hoof I’d say 3. 2 were non typicals that had points everywhere. One I heard was poached by a guy that lived about 5 miles from me, the other I saw from a stand in White County, Il where I hunt for a week each fall. The other was a monster typical 12 that lived across the road from my house in the early 2000’s. Everyone who saw that deer, and there were several, said he was the biggest they’d ever seen. For better or worse I had 2 encounters with that buck, but never closed the deal. First time I grazed his brisket with an open sight 20 gauge. The next year I had him a 15 yards broadside during muzzleloader season and when I pulled the trigger, only the cap went off. The buck looked right at me and walked off after the doe he was trailing. Still haunts me and I figure that was my one shot at a 200” buck. Never knew what became of him and never saw him when I was bow hunting, although my Dad did. He absolutely dwarfed the 182” gross buck I bow killed 4 years ago. I did get a few seconds to look at another White County buck years ago that probably cracked 200 but wasn’t much more than a glimpse.
Neighbor boy killed a monster non typical about 15 years ago that grossed over 200”. That buck had a true double main beam on one side and I couldn’t get both hands around that base. He killed that buck in the bottoms south of the house I used to live in but to my knowledge no one had ever seen the buck. I’m lucky to live and hunt in an area with good genetics and it’s pretty common to see pictures of 170” deer killed every year. I’ve only managed to kill 2 over that and have blown a few other opportunities.
I grew up and still live in Iowa. Have hunted here 33 years and have seen one while hunting. Missed him on November 8, 2000 around 8 am. It was brutally cold and I had bought a new mask but never practiced with it. When I hit full draw I could barely see my pins. Grazed him at 30 yards with nothing to show but a pile of white hair. A painful lesson and the one shot in my life I wish I had back.
I made corrections to my post above, Mel's buck is currently ranked 7th B&C typical, #1 P&Y..
I think it was in 2003 I saw what I believe to be a +200in typical. It was during the rifle season and I was after a doe as I already shot a buck with my bow. I got to watch him for quite a while.
And in 2014 I think it was, I saw a mule deer that was so big it didn't even look real. I have a mule deer that I shot with my bow that grossed 198 and my deer is a dink compared to the one I saw.
There are very few people I would believe when they say they saw a 200" whitetail unless it was dead and officially measured.
I can say with certainty that I've never seen one that I would estimate to be that big in 41 years of hunting Iowa.
A pic of the only 200" buck I've ever seen, again he was not able to be hunted where he lived. Last documented photos of him he was at least 11.5 years of age and had declined in size from this pic.
I’ve seen one 200” plus when pheasant hunting. My brother arrowed it a week later, a non typical mule deer. I’ve never seen a WT close to 200”, when hunting or not hunting. Actually, in 47 years bowhunting, I’ve not seen a 150” deer when hunting.
Aside from the one 200”+ non typical whitetail I saw there were at least 3 & probably 4 mulies over 200. First was a huge nontypical in the early 90’s in Idaho. Two typicals in Alberta scoring 203 & 208 that were killed by other rifle hunters. The biggest I ever saw was a huge nontypical that was far larger than the Idaho buck. These were around 2010-2015.
The biggest WT I ever saw was in SE Minnesota. I was driving out from a farmI I hunted and under a full moon I saw two does in a hayfield about 80 yds off the gravel road. Standing about 10 ft off to the side of them was what I thot was a pony. It was a NT with beams as fat as a baseball bat. Points everywhere. I’m sure he would have been top five B&C.
Agree with HUNT, extras add up fast. I’ve seen a couple 200” racks that were almost disappointing because they looked like 170s with some eye guards. But when there’s lots of little junk it adds up. I held a 220” rack that was like a 160 main frame but had quadruple brows on each side. If I remember correctly there were 50” of brows on that rack.
In about 20 years of hunting I’ve seen two legit 200” deer. One I killed and netted 196 and the other I had at 10 yards on the ground with a recurve but couldn’t get a shot through some brush. HEARTBREAK. He got killed within days and I saw the trophy photos, and he would have to gross right around 2 hundo. Stunning buck
I forgot one. A good family friend killed a public ground monster about 10 years ago that grossed around 220. 24” inside spread with matching 12” drops and a bunch of other junk. That makes 5 for me, 3 on the hoof and 2 killed.
Zero in 34 years of bowhunting Michigan. Pretty sure that goes for Booners as well.
I also live in MI and it’s likely I’ll never see a booner in my lifetime.
1 in 38 years on places that I hunt and if he survived season I may get to hunt him again next year. At least I think this one will break 200 and if not he is very close. Will see if I can find the pics and let me know if you think he will make it over.
1 dead one. Guy shot it. It was pre trail cams, and while I'm 100% sure that deer walked through areas I hunt, I never saw it alive.
Other than that, I'm pretty sure I've never hunted an area with another 200" buck. I know a decent number of 170-190" bucks in areas I hunt have been shot, one a couple years ago that was 195 I think. But I dont believe anything over 200.
Heck, 150 is a huge number... 170 is ridiculous and over that here is just crazy big.
Pretty sure he would hit 200"
Pretty sure he would hit 200"
Hoping he is still alive but have not seen him in a few months unfortunately. But also never heard that he was shot.
Just my opinion Shiras42, he's a gooood buck, but don't see 200 inches there... Velvet makes them look bigger...
I agree with Zbone It is a nice deer but don't come close to 200 inches
"I agree with Zbone It is a nice deer but don't come close to 200 inches"
Doesn't come close? Pretty sure with a 6x7 mainframe and the extra stuff if he is not there he is going to be close.
I have a number of deer in the 150" to 170" range that don't come close to comparing to this. Tell you what. I will just shoot him next year and we will find out. :)
Never laid eyes on one. I’ve had 1 on camera. 27 years bow hunting
60 years hunting Seen 1 killed 0 all but for a unseen twig !!!
Thought I saw one this year as it came over the hill. Then it got closer and I realized it only had 6 points. :) In all seriousness, I think it was the biggest-framed deer I ever saw.
0 for me in 28 bowhunting years. There have been some shot in the general area; mostly gun hunters I think.
I also love in Michigan. I figure I have seen 3 bucks around 150. 34 yrs of hunting.
In 40 yrs of hunting 1 maybe 2 is all I have seen. Pics of 1 possible
2 or 3 that at the very least wouldnt miss by much. Hard to say for sure, without actually putting the tape on them. Im not throwing rocks, but i dont know if most people know how big a legit 160 looks on the hoof. Especially if it is walking or running away from you. 200 inchers, especially clean typicals, are unicorns. 40 years of living and hunting in iowa.
Wrong pic. It takes a lot of antler to make 200" and most who claim to have seen one, didn't see one at all. I don't think I've ever seen one in 30 years of hunting Kansas. Opening day of rifle, 2005, I watched a monster for ten minutes. A few days later a client killed him a mile away on our ranch and he scored 186" with 15 points. I can't say I've ever seen one as big as this kid shot
Ok Jason, but is that wounding rate for 200” plus deer?
Dang, that's a monster...
20+ for mule deer but only 1 WT with a strong possible 2nd at night with a spotter. Now a net typpy 200 is the holy grail, and only a couple of the muleys might have sneaked in by an inch or two. One MD would have made that and then some. 50 yrs of looking
My numbers would be based off gross score. 2 killed One was archery grossed 198-201 never officially scored 2nd was muzzleloader and grossed 214 gross score and 198 2/8 NT this was scored at the Iowa deer classic but never entered in B/C The number of net 200 TYP is very small I think there are less than 30 currently in P\Y-B/C. Growing up in northern IL and living now in southern Iowa for the last 25 year I have seen at least 12 including the 2 I killed. Iowa has become a strange place there may be more killed these days but there are far less big deer in general. Many of the giants killed today are grown on large managed properties with massive budgets for food plots and supplemental feeding.
This might surprise some folks... 19 years of bowhunting in NY, 1- 200+ net NT which I killed. Have hunted 3 other bucks that were over 170, one of which I have sheds to scoring 184ish and they are true heavy weights. Ironically, the year before I was hunting the 200 (he was 190s that season) I also drew my first Iowa tag, and the day before I left I saw the 184 I previously mentioned. I promptly filled my Iowa tag on a 144 10pt on the 4th sit (in retrospect that was a mistake) and scurried home :)
I also know/ am friends with multiple people that have killed, or have family members that have killed 170-180 class bucks in the area. This past season I had 2 close friends hunting bucks that were comfortably in the 160s and both made it through the season.
0 in 40 years of hunting.
While I could start with 0 in 360 yrs.....I dont know how well people can judge a 200" starting with myself.
I have seen some mega HOLY CHIT bucks...without ever knowing what they score. Filmed a 19x a few years back based on a friend getting the shed. Had a 212" gross skull cap in my hands this year....honestly wouldnt have guessed it as it was a mf 8 with a gazillion stickers. Have seen pics of multiple deer I wouldve guessed could be in the hunt for it....and were upper 170s to 190s.
Been hunting with the bow since 1966, and have never seen one that size.
Possibly 3, one. for sure, 55 years
A buddy said he saw 3 on one hunt a coupe years ago....I don't want to say where but it was a hard to draw unit.
I'm at about 45 years of bowhunting, Most of my sightings were in the 80's when I wasn't actually hunting. I used to spend a lot of time scouting deer.
Counting seeing them through a spotter at long range or guiding, or on private property, or ones a buddy killed, about 15.
2 were whitetails. The one whitetail I passed on the stand the morning a kid sat that stand and shot and lost a 213"net...and I found it for him the next day.
One was a desert buck I didn't make a stalk on because I only had my recurve, he was bedded in the wide open...but a buddy did stalk in and shot him with a team of us helping- I think he was 38" wide.
The only 200" buck I actually got a shot at was early in my bowhunting exploits, in Nevada high country, the buck had to be 36" wide...after a long stalk he had just got out of his bed and was squatting to pee....I rushed the shot and I hit him in the antler- right where I was looking!
Zero since starting bowhunting in 1987.
Unless folks or someone they know has put their hands on the antlers or have multiple photos to evaluate, more than half the 200s weren't. Maybe you're the exception, whoever you are, but good chance you're not.
I had a taxidermy shop for some years and was rarely surprised that the "I got a big 180" was usually doing good to make 150. Maybe things have changed and everyone is spot on.
A friend of mine has been a measurer for decades and also collects big racks. Very often he gets a call from someone looking to get their "guaranteed Booner" measured. Pretty much every time the guy is very disappointed and sometimes a bit angry and argumentive, claiming some buddies that know big deer saw it and suggested the number. And this is after having the rack in their hands. And more than once the same guy will get caught taking it to another measurer.
Shiras, I think you aren't too far off. Tough to tell how much mass in velvet but he's clearly got decent mass. In addition he's got a lot of points plus extras and long brow tines. Assuming 8" front corner of eye to end of nose, I'm guessing 87 inches and 85" right and left side plus spread. He's not terribly wide, so 190ish gross. I'd love to see you kill him and show us the real score. Good luck. I hope you are correct.
