http://www.deeranddeerhunting....577447&rid=232981169

by Daniel E. Schmidt and Keri Butt

Copyright 2012 Deer & Deer Hunting

This stunning development comes nearly six years after Johnny King killed the big deer with a borrowed .30-30 while deer hunting on family property in western Wisconsin. The massive 12-pointer — a 6-by-6 with no abnormal points — is believed to gross more than 220 inches and quite possibly net more than the current world record Milo Hanson Buck which scored 213-5/8 B&C. Hanson shot his buck in Saskatchewan in 1993. Ironically, both men were hunting whitetail properties that were very similar: strips of woods surrounded by agricultural land. They also shot their big bucks while conducting deer drives.

The panel scorers are being asked to score the buck as a typical. That was the recommendation by the 32-man records committee to the B&C board, which concurred. This is clearly an indication that a vast majority of B&C scorers believe the buck’s right G-3 meets the requirements of a typical point.

King’s buck, however, has been shrouded in controversy almost since the day it was killed. Despite convictions by many longtime certified B&C scorers that the buck is a typical 12-pointer, some, including at least one high-ranking B&C official, believed the buck’s right G-3 tine was an “abnormal point” because of the way it appeared on the main beam. Those beliefs led to a scandal of epic proportions in the deer hunting world that had remained out of the public eye for years until Deer & Deer Hunting broke Duncan Dobie’s expose cover story in the magazine’s Summer 2011 edition.

Dobie, one of America’s foremost outdoor writers for the last 30 years, has covered the King Buck saga since the deer was killed. He is the former editor of North American Whitetail Magazine, has authored six books about big bucks and is an accomplished trophy buck hunter in his own right.

Now, a year and many bitter developments later, the club has apparently decided to score the rack as a typical. According to B&C officials who chose not to be identified, the club will ask a panel of its official scorers to measure the antlers in Montana in about three weeks. The club needs to arrange to have the antlers brought to Montana by Jay Fish, an antler collector who bought the rack from Johnny King several years ago. King previously told D&DH that he sold the rack because he thought he would never have the energy, expenses or ability to fight for its justice.

This recent development comes after two prominent antler scoring experts (including one longtime B&C scorer) produced step-by-step videos of them scoring the rack while explaining in detail the club’s official rules in their measurement determinations. This video proof apparently was enough to convince the B&C records committee that the buck is indeed a typical and should be scored as such. Hence, the panel scorers will not determine if the rack is nontypical. They will score it as a typical and let the chips fall where they may, so to speak.

The King Buck will most likely gross close to 220 typical B&C inches as a typical. It is also believed that the net score will also easily exceed 210 inches.

The panel-scoring session will allegedly take place at the Boone and Crockett Club’s national headquarters in Missoula, Mont. D&DH could not find out when this session will occur, but an inside source said it will most likely happen the third or fourth week of September. It is believed the panel will consist of six official B&C scorers, but no more than two of them will be from the B&C records committee. The panel will also apparently not include any of the men who weighed in on the buck’s rack in the past. This would include Glenn and Kevin Hisey of the Pope and Young Club, and former B&C executive secretary Jack Reneau.

When contacted this morning, B&C Records Director Eldon “Buck” Buckner confirmed the scoring panel is slated to occur in September.

“Yes,” Buckner said when asked if the club requested a panel score for late September. “That’s what we have planned. However, I haven’t heard from the trophy owner.”

Buckner said B&C must hear from the trophy owner to validate proof that he owns the head. The King Buck is owned by Jay Fish of Edgar, Wis.

Deer and Deer Hunting also tried contacting several other B&C officials. B&C Assistant Director of Big Game Records Justin Spring declined to comment this week, while Tony Schoonen, B&C chief of staff, did not return phone calls.

When told of the news, King expressed guarded optimism.

“It’s about time,” said King, an everday deer hunter from Mount Horeb, Wis.

“I don’t want to seem ungrateful, but why did it have to take this long, and why did we have to go through all of this?” he continued. “It’s a shame that (some scorers) had to threaten B&C for them to do what’s right. On the other hand, if it wasn’t for the deer and the controversy, I wouldn’t have met so many great people who have become friends to my wife and me.

“I guess I’m hesitant to believe them (B&C),” King added. “We’ve been here before. I just feel like they still might have something in their back pocket.”

When told of the forthcoming panel-scoring session, longtime B&C and Wisconsin Buck and Bear scorer Craig Cousins was not as guarded in his optimism.

“The Jordan Buck’s reign was long and glorious,” Cousins said. “Its fame and awesomeness are legendary. But there is a new king in Wisconsin. Long live the King!”

How Antlers are Panel Scored

The official protocol of for how to score antlers by a panel is quite simple and consistent. In this case, B&C will select two groups of three official scorers. All six scorers will be flown to Montana to partake in the ruling.

The two groups are placed in separate rooms and are not allowed to confer with each other before or during the process. First, the rack will be given to one group, where three scorers will work together to score the antlers.

One scorer will use a straight edge and lead pencil to draw measurement lines on the antlers. Two scorers will then use a thin, flexible steel measuring cable to determine the lengths of the spread, each point, circumference and main beam measurement. One scorer usually puts the cable in place and announces the measurement. The two other scorers will also look at the ruler and agree or disagree with the measurement. The measurer who drew the lines normally writes down the score. All three scorers must agree on each measurement before moving to the next measurement.


These are the antlers from the King Buck from 2005, the year before Johnny King killed the buck. The sheds are mounted on a cape to show what the deer looked like that season. Interestingly, it was “only” a 10-pointer that year. However, the rack still scored 198 inches.

The process is continued until the entire rack is scored. The group then tallies up the score and determines the net score. After they are done, the rack is then taken to the second group of three scorers who complete the same process. When that group arrives at its final score, the two groups convene and come up with one score. This score is then given to the chairman of the B&C records committee.

Unless there is a discrepancy in judgment (nontypical points, etc.), a panel score is usually an exercise in precision.

“We’re talking about a matter of eighths of an inch,” Cousins said. “Sometimes the scores match identically. You must understand that the scorers select for panel are extremely experienced. They are trained enough in scoring antlers that they will usually be within a fraction of each other.”


In short? Not much. Contrary to popular belief, whitetail antlers do not normally shrink much from the time the deer is killed until the mandatory 60-day “drying period” required by clubs like B&C.

In most cases of a B&C class typical, the rack won’t shrink more than 1 or 2 inches from when it is “green” until it is considered dry.

“It all depends on atmospheric conditions,” Cousins said. “However, the King Buck was hung above fireplace. That is the worst place to put a rack. Heat and dryness could have shrunk it by 3 to 4 inches.”

There is a caveat, however, to this reality. There are B&C rules in place that take shrinkage into account.

For example, if the original entry score has no glaring differences — and as long as it is within a certain percentage (2 percent) — the records committee will accept the original score.

Therein lies the rub for the King Buck. The antlers were first scored by John Ramsey of Wisconsin. Ramsey, who was not available for comment, is believed to have netted the rack at 215-4/8 typical. This final score would obviously shatter Milo Hanson’s near 20-year-old record.

Very Interesting. Good for Mr. King.

Interesting and a piss poor comment on B&C IMO.

Their stupid position has undoubtedly cost the hunter a helluva lot of money.

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
Interesting and a piss poor comment on B&C IMO.

Their stupid position has undoubtedly cost the hunter a helluva lot of money.

If you mean endorsements, I suppose Gato, but I never understood why anyone ever buys anything endorsed by anyone. So what if Milo Hansen shot the biggest buck ever - what else has he ever done in terms of hunting? The guy got LUCKY.

I think people who buy based on a paid endorsement are pretty damn gullible.

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
Interesting and a piss poor comment on B&C IMO.

Their stupid position has undoubtedly cost the hunter a helluva lot of money.

If you mean endorsements, I suppose Gato, but I never understood why anyone ever buys anything endorsed by anyone. So what if Milo Hansen shot the biggest buck ever - what else has he ever done in terms of hunting? The guy got LUCKY.

I think people who buy based on a paid endorsement are pretty damn gullible.

I mean endorsements or any of the other various means he might have received money off the kill. I agree with you and I'm not suggesting buying anything because someone endorses it is a good idea, but it is a common practice and the companies that pay them must think they are monies well spent. I mean, I don't like Wheaties and I don't care who they put on the box.

To me the G3 is indeed a "forked point" and is not scorable typical....JMO

I don't know...B&C homepage still shows a link to this statement from two months ago...
http://www.boone-crockett.org/...ingbuckstatement.asp

quote:

To me the G3 is indeed a "forked point" and is not scorable typical....JMO

If the G3 is considered a "forked point", then what do you consider the G2 point? It appears to me that there is just a little more mass at the base between those two points and I see no reason why they should not be considered typical points. It's not like the 3rd point comes directly off the 2nd one and that is probably why they finally decided it is a typical point.

I hunted out of the same camp in Tanzania with Buck Buckner...you won't find a more honorable gentleman.....Great guy...Man What A Buck!!

Reading the "official" B&C statement, it is my considered opinion that the fix is in and the rack will not be scored as typical without deductions for the disputed point.

I had always held the B&C to be above reproach. The founders were certainly men of high integrity and great moral character. This seems to be the hallmark of all great institutions and those that aspire to greatness.

After wading through all the info presented above it is my opinion that ego has become more important to some than the reputation of one of the most respected organizations in my lifetime. A clash of ideas is not always pretty, a clash of overblown egos never is and I think Gato is right, the fix is in.

At the end of the day it doesn't matter a lot which side prevails, my thoughts are that B&C no longer measures up to the standards of the founders. Another bubble burst! JMO.

I hope The King Buck gets its just due.B&C is rife with Politics which really sucks.

I don't know about B&C records. But that is one heck of a buck, looks even enough to be typical to me. Wow he is HUGE!

Well when you consider how long the Jordan Buck stood at the top, then there was Korbinstein (sp) then Milo about the same time frame. It gets very very dicey when it comes to White tails, if it was an Elk or a Sitka Black Tail I don't think you would have any of this stuff going on. Record Book White tails are rare to begin with considering how many are around and taken any given year. Put one in the top 10 and well people get real funny real quick. And yes there is money part of it. It could be worth several millions of dollars, in endorsements and speaking fees. It is what it is. Good for him never the less.

Amazing. I wonder how much of this has to do with the fact that the point just doesn't match the other side well. I think the point is typical, but measurers might be influenced by its aesthetics. For that matter, in spite of official policy, people might also be funny about a repaired rack becoming the new WR.

JMHO

Well, it's over....the decision has been made:

http://www.deeranddeerhunting....-hopes-for-king-buck

I've lost a lot of respect for the Boone and Crocket Club. No interview after scoring to answer questions. What a bunch of
DIP STICKS!!!!!!