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BuckTracker: Monster November Velvet Buck
Iowa is well-known as a destination for serious whitetail hunters, but this month the Hawkeye State coughed up an unusual trophy: A trophy buck still velvet-clad in November!
Georgia bowhunter Chris Rivers ventured north to hunt his 40-acre property the first week of November. His first afternoon on stand, he spotted several bucks feeding on a 2-acre food plot; among them the tremendous whitetail pictured below. Chris decided to focus his efforts on this deer, knowing he had two weeks of prime rut hunting ahead. Only two days later, the buck approached within easy bow range, and Chris made good on the 15-yard shot.
Then things got weird. As he tracked the deer, Chris spotted another buck standing in the timber. This deer, a 2-1/2 year old buck, saw Chris coming and stood his ground. Then the buck walked to within 10 yards and left only when Chris talked to it in a loud, clear voice. After the smaller buck left, Chris saw his deer lying not far from where he’d first spotted the aggressive buck. Puncture wounds to his buck’s ribcage proved that the younger buck had been goring Chris’ dead trophy!Sometimes, bucks that don’t shed velvet are antlered does or hermaphrodites, but Chris said his buck had both testicles. “I did notice a really strong rotten smell when I field dressed him, and I didn’t gut shoot him,” he notes. “All I can think is that he had some injury awhile back that prevented him from shedding his velvet.”
Regardless of the cause, this velvet buck could rank extremely high in the Pope & Young record books.
The super 6X5 gross-scored 186-5/8” and may net in the mid-160’s when the 60-day drying period ends in January. According to my research, this would place this amazing buck among the top 7 or 8 typical velvet whitetails recognized by P&Y. Congrats to Chris!
Congratulations man that's a awesome deer.
Posted by: justin d | November 17, 2008 at 05:04 PM
AWESOME buck! Seen 14 deer in 17 days but nothing of that magnitude!!!
Posted by: Wanda | November 17, 2008 at 07:59 PM
Thats a beautiful buck! Congratulations, I bet he got your heart pumping!
Posted by: adam | November 18, 2008 at 02:16 PM
Wow, nice buck! I've seen bucks in velvet the fist week of bow season in Southern Wisconsin but that is Mid September. I've never heard of that in November.
Posted by: Foremost Deer Hunting | November 18, 2008 at 05:33 PM
An awe-inspiring buck! Congratulations! How long did it take for your heart to stop racing? Or has it, yet?
Posted by: Carel Two-Eagle | November 19, 2008 at 09:14 PM
The #1 Velvet Whitetail was aslo from Iowa and it was also taken in November. It was just shown in a segment of NorthAmerican Whitetail Television in their Big Buck Profile.
Great buck, one to truely be proud of!
Posted by: Jim | November 20, 2008 at 12:47 AM
Im jealous thats one hell of a buck velvet or not what a bonus!
Posted by: mike degen | November 20, 2008 at 06:34 PM
Awesome buck great story too
Posted by: Casey Chitwood | November 20, 2008 at 07:19 PM
Very Nice deer to be taken with a bow. Congrat's man.
Posted by: Debbie | November 20, 2008 at 08:45 PM
This is the biggest Buck ever! The stories grate and it's a good one to tell around a camp fire.It was strange to see the other dear eating on it though.
Posted by: Bronsen | November 21, 2008 at 11:35 PM
thoose are huge where did u shoot them
Posted by: | December 06, 2008 at 07:44 PM