Most hunters dream about taking a world record deer, yet cite a current cliche… “Be careful what you wish for.” Stephen Tucker too a giant non-typical buck in Sumner County, ironically the same county from which the previous state record Tennessee buck was taken. Should you be fortunate enough to have a whitetail giant walk into your sights, you’d first need an official scoring to judge its size. In the case of a non-typical buck, this can be difficult due to the nature of the antlers. Non-typical racks often contain palmation, irregular points, and other oddities.
If your new record buck makes it to the “end zone” of the record books, you’ll have to wait 60 days for officials to re-score the antlers which is a long time for the “touchdown” signal to occur. Initial antler measurements are called “green scores” and the rack must be allowed to dry for 60 days.”
Be Prepared
I was fortunate enough to interview two sportsmen with new world records in 1992. Jim Smith shot a monster non-typical in Western Virginia, not far from my home. Hearing about the buck by word-of-mouth, I called a local sporting goods store and was given Smith’s name and address. At the time of the interview, Smith had the rack in a safe and was concerned about the notoriety it may cause. He graciously allowed me to photograph him with the antlers and print the story. Later that fall, Jim Wilson from Pennsylvania took the new typical record with a muzzleloader. The enterprising young man quite his job in the states, moved to Canada and worked for a farmer in exchange for hunting rights.
Monster bucks tend to bring out the dark side of some people and you can bet that rumors will swirl about the legality of the kill. Most state game agencies do a routine check just to be sure, but in the age of the internet. Should you be lucky enough to take that big deer, document everything with your phone camera to keep things positive.
Here’s the full story of the “Tucker” buck and its pending record status thanks to the Realtree website:
“It’s not a typical non-typical,” said one of the Boone & Crockett Club judges who scored the massive 47-point buck killed by a Tennessee hunter last November, in explaining why the buck’s score will be reviewed next Monday as a Boone & Crockett Club official watches. The rack was measured in January and was scored higher than the current world record for biggest non-typical ever taken by a hunter.
