A 26-year-old man from Tennessee was hunting in Sumner County when he bagged a 47 point deer. The animal had a set of antlers totaling over 300 inches in length, and because of its unique rack, Dale Grandstaff, from the Wildlife Resources Agency, measured it in accordance with Boone and Crocket Club requirements.
After subtracting all necessary deductions, he determined that the buck had a net score of 308 3/8 inches. Grandstaff said that when he first saw the buck, he figured it would be a state record for sure, but was still shocked when it measured at over 300 inches. The current world record for a buck is 307 5/8 inches.
But, even if the measurements are accurate, there’s a chance that the animal’s antlers could shrink below world record status during a required 60-day drying period. Grandstaff says that the antlers are expected to be measured again in January.
The current state record of this type in Tennessee is currently 244 3/8 inches, also from a deer shot in Sumner County. If other certified scorers come to the same conclusion as Grandstaff, the deer will move on to be scored by Boone and Crocket members at an annual awards banquet in the spring.
Regardless of the conclusion, prior to November of this year, only one other buck harvested in the same fashion had ever been recorded as having a rack spanning more than 300 inches. That deer was shot in Iowa in 2003, according to Grandstaff.
