When Will Somebody Shoot the New World Record?

It will take a whitetail superfreak to top the 213-5⁄8-inch typical buck farmer Milo Hanson shot near his home in Biggar, Saskatchewan, one snowy November day 29 years ago.

Rack Measurements

My analysis of the top 200-inch typical racks in the Boone and Crockett records shows that the new No. 1 buck will likely possess 11 to 14 points, with the G-2, G-3 and G-4 tines on each antler exceeding 10 inches. For reference, the 14-point Hanson Buck had 11- to 14-inch tines, and the iconic No. 3 Jordan Buck, killed in 1914 in Wisconsin, had 10- and 13-inch G-2s and G-3s.

I predict the new top rack will have an inside spread of 20½ to 24 inches. The average spread of the No. 2 to No. 6 bucks in the book is 22 inches inside. The super-wide Hanson Buck measures an impressive 27-2/8 inches inside.

To me, main-beam length is the most impressive characteristic of a typical rack. The new record will likely have sweeping beams in the 26- to 29-inch range. The Hanson buck had matching 28-4/8-inch beams. The Jordan buck had incredible 30-inch beams.

Every hunter that looks closely at the Hanson Buck thinks, Hmm, not as massive as I would have thought. Milo's record rack has 4-6/8-inch bases and other circumference measurements of 4-1/8 to 5-1/8 inches. Other top 200-inch bucks are heavier, with 6-inch-plus circumferences. I predict the new No. 1 will have 4-2/8- to 6-inch H-1 to H-4 measurements.

Finally, and this is critical, the new record antlers will have to be clean and amazingly symmetrical, with less than 7-4/8 inches of total deductions. The Hanson Buck had 7-1/8 inches of deductions. The No. 3 Jordan buck gross-scored 209-3/8 and netted 206-1/8 — an astounding difference of only 3-2/8 inches.

Tooth wear analysis showed the Hanson Buck to be only 4.5 years old when it was killed. It was old enough to grow world-class antlers with 4- to 5-inch mass measurements, but young enough not to grow stickers and kickers on the beams and tines.

Most whitetail bucks have nontypical genetics. As they age, they start to show atypical stickers and kickers on their antlers, which are cool but increase total net score deductions. Scientists note it's actually pretty rare for a 6- or 7-year-old buck to have a straight-up typical rack, especially on managed lands with nutritious foods. I predict the new record buck will be 4.5 to 5.5 years old when shot.

When Will the Record Be Broken?

For 29 years, people have been saying, This is the year the world record will be broken, and for 29 years, the Hanson Buck has withstood the test of time. The great deer got its biggest challenge this past fall.

Hunting with a $300 crossbow on a hog farm in southern Indiana, Dustin Huff shot a giant that came within a whisker of dethroning the record. Tale of the tape: 12 points with 27-inch beams and 13-inch G-2s; a 21-4/8-inch inside spread; and 7-inch bases with impressive mass carried out through the beams. Official net score: 211-4/8. It's the No. 2 typical in the world. Another inch or two of spread or beam and we'd be talking No. 1.

It will happen, maybe one day this November or maybe in another 29 years. Somewhere, somebody will shoot a superfreak with a clean, smooth rack that nets 214 inches. Until then, the legendary Hanson Buck stands tall and proud.

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