3-Antlered Buck Photo Goes Viral

A former Michigan lawmaker snapped a photo of what he believed was an extremely rare, three-antlered deer last week. But just how rare is it?

Steve Lindberg, a former state representative who lives in Marquette, enjoys photographing wildlife and sharing the images to his Facebook page.

Earlier this month, he photographed a buck during one of his regular outings, but he didn't notice the deer's unusual rack until he uploaded it to his computer. He then posted the image on Facebook.

Five days before rifle season for whitetail deer and look who I get to see, along with his girlfriend, he wrote on the post. A three-antlered, 9- or 12-point buck (depending if you want to count the two little tines on the right antler, and the small tine on the left antler). I don't recall ever seeing a three-antlered deer before.

The image went viral. Several news agencies covered the story and a local veterinarian even called the deer's antlers a one-in-a-million thing. But, Dale Weddle, a B&C official measurer, says it's actually not that unusual.

"I thought it was hilarious how widespread the distribution was on that buck photo," Weddle said. "I saw it everywhere. It was a good example of how few people actually get outdoors anymore. Odd racks are not that uncommon in the whitetail world, and I see several each year in Kentucky that are much stranger looking than the one that got all of the exposure."

Weddle said he's not even sure if it's actually a three-antlered deer, with three unique beams.

"From that photo, I'd say it could go either way," Weddle said. "I guess someone's going to have to shoot him to settle the issue."

After his first image of the three-antlered buck went viral, Lindberg posted a second image of the deer on Facebook to dispel photoshop rumors.

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