Official scorers say Ohio deer sets state record

COLUMBUS – A white-tailed deer killed last fall in Warren County is an Ohio record, and if approved by national scoring organizations, will also rank among the top 10 all-time largest “typical” deer in the world, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife.
Official. Deer hunters have been waiting for the official scoring of a huge white-tailed buck shot by crossbow hunter Brad Jerman Nov. 10 in Warren County.
A panel of judges put together by the Buckeye Big Bucks Club met to decide whether the deer would become the top typical whitetail ever taken in Ohio, and possibly the biggest ever taken anywhere by a crossbow hunter.
‘Adventure.’ Jerman’s adventure began when he shot the huge 11-point typical whitetail.
Jerman contacted Buckeye Big Bucks President Gary Trent of Waynesville, an official scorer for several antler-scoring organizations, including Boone and Crockett.
Trent initially scored (green scored) the buck at 202 1/8. Antlers are required to “dry” for 60 days before an official score can be taken.
A deer’s antlers are classified as being typical when they are symmetrical and regular in shape.
Nontypical antlers are those that have uneven or unusual tines, irregular points or outgrowths.
Records. The Buckeye Big Buck Club keeps records of trophy bucks taken by hunters in Ohio.
Trent organized a panel of six judges to measure the buck and come up with an official Buckeye Big Bucks Club score.
At the end of the session, Jerman’s buck came away with a score of 201 1/8, tied with a buck taken by William Kontras in Clark County in 1986.
The Kontras buck was never scored by the panel. Buckeye Big Bucks Club bylaws state that to be recognized as a state record, antlers must be scored by a panel of scorers.
World record? For world records, the Boone and Crockett Club does an official scoring panel only once every three years so the Jerman buck will be officially scored for Boone and Crockett world record consideration in 2007.
“I’m basically a meat hunter, but always interested in a trophy animal,” Jerman said. “We feed our family on venison. I was blessed to be at the right place at the right time.”
Records eclipsed. In the last five years, Ohio has seen a number of records eclipsed.
The nontypical title was awarded to Mike Beatty of Xenia for his 2000 bow-killed deer in Greene County.
The Beatty buck scored 304 6/8 and currently ranks as the No. 1 nontypical buck in Ohio, the largest nontypical ever taken by a hunter, and the top nontypical in the country on the trophy lists for Safari Club International.
A panel for the Pope and Young Club will score the Beatty buck in March.
The score sheet on the Jerman buck will be submitted to the Boone and Crockett Club for future inclusion in the world records.
Jerman’s buck should end up listed as the No. 10 typical in the world, but will be the largest taken by a crossbow hunter according to Safari Club International records.
Safari Club International’s current record for a free-ranging crossbow killed deer is 192.