The BIGGEST TYPICAL Whitetail Buck Taken by a BowHunter
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- čas přidán 4. 06. 2021
- Hunters have bagged millions of whitetail deer in North America since the 1960s.
Bowhunting techniques have evolved, new products have emerged and equipment has improved in the past 42 years.
Yet this IL buck Mel Johnson shot in 1965 still ranks as one of the most impressive whitetails ever killed with bow and arrow. In fact after 55 years of hunting seasons, it still stands tall as the largest typical whitetail to be taken with a bow and arrow.
Now what’s interesting with Johnson’s buck is, that it’s not perfectly symmetrical. It is massive. Three tines are longer than 12 inches. The inside spread measures 23 5/8 inches and the right main beam is 27 5/8 inches. No wonder Johnson earned The Boone and Crockett Club’s Sagamore Hill Award (right) in 1965, a medallion bestowed by judges for trophies of “great distinction.”
Back then Johnson worked full-time at Caterpillar Inc. and hunted each night after work. Most fall weekends he left work on Friday and drove to Wisconsin with friends - often returning just in time to work Monday morning.
“We’d hunt all week in Illinois and maybe see a few deer, maybe not, and then go up to Wisconsin just to see deer,” Johnson said. Seeing whitetails recharged his hunting batteries, though that wasn’t really necessary in 1965.
That fall Johnson spotted a huge buck three times without getting close enough to shoot. Then came Oct. 29. That evening after work Johnson set up in brush along a picked bean field. The wind was in his face.
“We didn’t have that many tree stands around then,” Johnson said. “We were just starting to dabble with them and build them.”
From his vantage point, Johnson saw the buck again. This time the deer emerged from the timber 300 yards away. From there Johnson said the buck walked “smack dab in front of me, probably three or four rows of beans away.”
Close. Almost too close. Fortunately for Johnson the wind did not shift. Nor did he.
“(The buck) turned and looked right at me, took two or three steps and I shot him right through the lungs,” said Johnson, a left-hander who was using a 72-pound Howett recurve bow and a Zwickey broadhead on a fiberglass arrow.
From there, the buck ran into the field and disappeared over a rise. Johnson gave chase and found his arrow, which had passed through the buck. Then he saw the deer.
“I had a hold of him when he was still kicking on the ground,” Johnson said.
Antlers were not the only impressive features of the 4½- to 5½-year-old deer. The Beanfield Buck field dressed at 270 pounds, weighed an estimated 340 pounds on the hoof and had a thick, swollen neck.
Unlike today, there was little attention paid to antlers. The only prize Johnson won locally was for an archery contest at a local store.
“People ask me what I got for killing that deer and I tell them I got a dozen arrows,” Johnson said. “They weren’t even good arrows.”
Over time, Johnson has become somewhat of an archery icon and has befriended or hunted with the industry’s most famed figures.
But he never got rich off his Beanfield Buck. In fact, Johnson does not have the actual mount, which belongs to Bass Pro Shops. Overlooking the recliner in his basement is a replica, mounted alongside a few plaques.
Nearby is a photo album that includes a scoresheet measuring Johnson’s buck at 194 4/8 inches. That was filled out by the lone Boone & Crockett scorer in Illinois at the time, a Chicago resident whose tally left Johnson deflated.
“I had a book put out by Minnesota that showed the world record and I knew it was bigger than that,” Johnson said.
Eventually he realized the scorer left off a 10-inch measurement. A panel of Boone and Crockett scorers later agreed the buck rated 204 4/8 inches. No bowhunter has bagged a better typical trophy since.
Johnson has since passed, but the record of his buck still stands strong and his place in the whitetail history books will be forever.
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Mitch Rompola has entered the chat
Such an incredible buck! In my opinion this is the most coveted whitetail record.
That is ur appoinion most impresive ever taken a 10 point ky buck tied the mel johnson buck and it a 12 point. Ky buck the robert smith buck 10 point scored 204 also
Thoroughly enjoyed this!!!
I love history of hunting including such an incredible buck 🦌 taken with a recurve bow 🏹 Thank you for sharing
What a buck! What a story! I never get sick of hearing it. Proof that recurve bows are indeed capable of taking any game. Mel Johnson is a legend!
I met Mel Johnson once. He was married to my grandmother's first cousin. I had no idea who he was as I was just getting into deer hunting and had never heard of him.
In 1993 I was hunting at Jubilee state Park in Peoria County and you had to sign in right above my name was Mel Johnson. I heard he killed the big one near Jubilee Park not for sure of the story though.
that record sure has been time tested! love the fact it went down with a re-curve as well....thinking of the incredibly low odds of actually harvesting a fair chase buck like this just blows my mind!
Incredible buck n great story
He's tough, on his knees for hours, no cover scent
Like that michael sieve painting
AMAZING VIDEOS
Isn’t the Huff buck now the biggest archery typical of all time?
Huff buck was shot with a crossbow, P&Y only allows real bow harvests. So this is the P&Y top typical while the Huff is the top typical in the US with any weapon.
Love it
I kinda hope this record never falls...
The beaty buck in ihio beat it by 100 inches. 304 it scored killed with bow
I am proud to say I hunt in the same county amongst other counties in Illinois 👍👍
Congratulations Mr Johnson that's the best BUCK ever R. I. P. With your great Boone and Crockett buck in the heavens ✝️🇺🇸☮️🤔
Thanks for this, or if the best episodes yet to date. You need to do a story with Ron Osborne from north Jackson Ohio he’s harvested the whole on the horn jr buck and a 150 plus inch 6 points. Among several others 160 plus. He’s strictly archery. He’s still alive but getting up there in age. It’s worth a look. I have his contact if needed.
Shot a big bull elk last sept, 5x5 that just net scored 332! Longbow
I've been chasing that record for 29 years in Tazewell Co. every opening morning I daydream about that big buck walking by. Back in 1992 the word was if you beat the 'Mel Johnson' Buck it was worth $1000000. How much would it be worth today?
Yeah there is a buck here in va that was killed 32 in spread
What about the huff buck? That was crossbow but still archery correct?
I have this print done by. Cynthia Fisher.
Hanging in my living room.
From wisco!
Already been broke in the 90s. Mitch Ronpola buck. 216'' with A (compound bow). Not officially put in the book for reasons unknown. It will never be broke with A recurve bow because very few people use them anymore.
@@clutch4737 Very fishy. There are lots of stories about him being paid to not put it in the record book to being sued by Milo Hansen if he did.
When i read the title of ur video i thought it was going to b on the hanson buck, which is "the biggest typical whitetail buck taken by a hunter
Serious question.. if it’s 204 4/8” … why would it not be 204 1/2”?
Antlers are measured in 1/8s of an inch
The Title to this video is false and misleading. You failed to mention the word ARCHERY.
You know bass pro gave him a check for that thing
From what he used to say it wasn't much.
I definitely would have kept the buck if it wasn’t an astronomical figure.
The record has been broken. A year ago in fact. The new record netted over 211”. Just saw 3 ideas of it yesterday. It is the largest typical taken in the United States. Missed the world record by 1”. The man that killed the new record is a country singer, songwriter. I just saw it yesterday and cannot remember his name right now. He was on the bone collectors podcast being interviewed by Michael Waddell.
Dustin Huff is the young mans name with the new record of 211 4/8” net score.
A guy in Indiana just killed the 2 all time typical with a crossbow.
Seen that!
How much DID he sell it for?
We couldn’t dig that up, but it would be interesting to know!
I heard it wasn't as much as you think? Bass Pro could have afforded more but they're little too greedy.
Back in 1993 when I start bow hunting the word was if you kill the buck that beat Mel Johnson's buck it was worth $1000000. I've been chasing that million dollars for 29 years now. I hunt right across the river from where that buck was killed.
The Huff buck killed last year broke this record.
The days of Men. Shooting recurves in makeshift ground blinds. Awesome
You’re saying that sitting in an expensive ground blind using high tech bows is feminine?
Love my stands and box blinds but nothing like hunting on the ground
October 29 is my bday
Hate most of those guys don’t hold on to their bucks until at least they pass. Guess it’s hard to turn down big money
That's just a replica he had the original in his house till he died. I heard he didn't make that much money from Bass Pro either?
Sad to hear. Those large companies insure those deer for a million or more on insurance. Clearly that’s not every deer but the true trophy’s and legends are likely higher than the denomination i sited.
I broke this record 20 years ago but when I was taking the skull plate in to get measured they fell out the back of my truck on the highway and got tan over by 18 wheeler
Riiigggghhhhht
@@codylongsdorf7796 oh it’s true!!! It’s damn true!
“Yep let me just toss this world record in my truck bed”
@@thegeneral1955 can’t change the past :(
What an incredible whitetail!!! But I have to say.... records are made to be broke!
Itll be a tall order to break this one! That's for sure
If it's broken it will be in Iowa not Illinois Illinois deer hunting went to s*** when they start having the phone in instead of check stations. Illinois seeing dollar signs$$$.
Let's go!.
Misleading title.
Hanna barranco ain't killed Jack. An ur advertising her .
👍🏻
I love how there are literally hundreds of supposed world record bucks lol. Technically there is only 2 the typical world record abd the non typical world record. End of story
I have eaten diner with Mel years ago.
I would bet you 100 bucks it's already happened and in Ohio.
0:50 is that Babe Ruth?
Yes it is
I noticed him too
"Interesting" story behind how the actual buck came into the Bass pro fold........
Nope, I don't buy it.
Yes it will be best in 2000 in ky a 10 point called the Smith buck typical almost beat it by an 1/8 of an inch. A 10 point scored just as much as the 12 point mel Johnson buck !!! And in Ohio the former world record beaty buck score 304 eat the hell out of it lol. But ya we will beat it here in ky. It's a great deer but it ain't unbeatable at all it ain't that great !!@
Yes it will be best ky did as with a typical 10 point. Almost if ya ask me. 😊 only miss it by 1/8