The size of the biggest non-typical whitetail deer on this list will haunt your dreams.
With a range encompassing most of Canada, Mexico, and the continental United States, whitetail deer are one of the most widespread and commonly hunted species of big game in North America. Interestingly enough, the biggest non-typical whitetail deer in the major record books were hunted Illinois, Tennessee and Ohio.
The Boone & Crockett, Pope & Young and Safari Club International (SCI) record books use similar methods for scoring non-typical (and typical) whitetail deer, but there are some notable differences between them.
SCI scores non-typical whitetail bucks by measuring the length of the main beam of each antler, the length of all typical and non-typical tines, the circumference of the main beam at the smallest place between each typical tine, and the greatest inside spread of the main beams.
On the other hand, the Boone and Crockett and Pope & Young Clubs score non-typical whitetail bucks using those same characteristics listed above, but only credit an inside spread length for the deer up to the length of the longest main beam. Also, unlike SCI, those organizations deduct points for differences in symmetry.
As you'll see in a minute, the same deer can have significantly different Safari Club International and Boone & Crocket scores for these reasons. Make no mistake though, the bucks listed below are all incredibly large non-typical whitetail deer.
Finally, all of the bucks on this list of the biggest non-typical whitetail deer were wild deer taken on free-range hunts. Yes, they all have some crazy looking racks, but they weren't farm-raised or genetically modified animals killed behind a high fence. In fact, all of these deer were taken by working-class men on self-guided hunts, proving that it isn't necessary to spend a bunch of money to take a world-record, non-typical whitetail buck.
No. 2 Pope & Young, No. 2 SCI Non-Typical Whitetail
Hunter: Michael Beatty
When: November 2000
Where: Greene County, Ohio
Method: Bow
Total Score: 294 inches (B&C/P&Y) and 311 7/8 inches (SCI)
Michael Beatty sent shockwaves through the hunting world when he arrowed a 39-point non-typical buck in Ohio during the 2000 deer season. With an SCI score of 311 7/8 inches and a B&C/P&Y net score of 294 inches, that buck shattered the previous Safari Club International and Pope & Young Club records.
Stephen Tucker's and Luke Brewster's bucks below have since surpassed this buck as the SCI and Pope & Young records, Michael Beatty's buck is still an incredible trophy that stands head and shoulders above the next-closest bucks in all the major record books.
No. 2 Boone & Crockett, No. 1 SCI Record Non-Typical Whitetail
Hunter: Stephen Tucker
When: November 2016
Where: Sumner County, Tennessee
Method: Muzzleloader
Total Score: 312 inches (B&C) and 321 inches (SCI)
Similar to how things happened with Milo Hanson and his legendary whitetail, Stephen Tucker had multiple encounters with this gigantic buck several times during the 2016 deer season before he finally managed to take him down. With a net B&C score of 312 inches and net SCI score of 321 inches, the 47-point deer was the biggest non-typical whitetail deer ever killed by a hunter in the record book until Luke Brewster killed an even more massive buck in 2018. Even so, it's still the largest buck taken with a muzzleloader in the record books.
Boone & Crockett (Pending), Pope & Young Record Non-Typical Whitetail
Hunter: Luke Brewster
When: November 2018
Where: Edgar County, Illinois
Method: Bow
Total Score: 327 7/8 inches (B&C/P&Y)
Hunters all over the United States are still reeling from the news of this 38-point monster taken in Illinois during the 2018 deer season. When the Pope & Young Club officially certified the deer as the new world-record non-typical buck, it upended what was previously thought to be an almost unbreakable record for the organization. If the Boone & Crockett Club also officially certifies the buck at the same net score of 327 7/8 inches as the Pope & Young Club, it will have destroyed the previous records set by Michael Beatty and Stephen Tucker by over 33 inches and 15 inches, respectively.
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