It looks like Illinois could have a new state record non-typical whitetail!
The buck was taken by Chris Kiernan in Kendall County Illinois on November 1, 2009 with archery gear.
The hunter had several encounters with the buck before finally killing him in a woodlot. He had been hunting him from around the edges of the woodlot not wanting to take a chance on bumping him by jumping right in the middle of the woods. On Nov. 1 st. the hunter received numerous reports that bucks were on the move and he decided to step up the pressure and move into the woods.
He entered the wood lot from the down wind side and picked out a tree 30 yds into the woods. Just after getting into the tree he spotted the big non-typical step out of the corn and into the woods. The buck bedded down for an hour and a half at less than 70yds. Eventually, a small buck chasing a fawn caused the buck to stand up. The hunter grunted several times and the deer moved his way stopping broadside at 44yds.
The hunter took the shot but hit the deer a little bit far back. He was shooting a striker broadhead. The buck hunched up and moved off into a thicket.
It was 3:00 pm and the hunter decided to stay put until dark. This turned out to be a crucial decision as he eventually spotted the buck with his binoculars, standing at 80yds. He eventually moved off out of sight.
As dark approached the hunter was about to get down when several deer moved thru the woods towards the cornfield. Shortly afterwards he heard the sound of another deer moving his way and it turned out to be the big non-typical! Still on his feet! He passed by at 35yds and the hunter put a second shaft into him and the brute was down!
The Trophy has 37 scorable points and measures 268 1/8". The current state record is 267 1/8". The most notable dimensions is his 22" inside spread and nearly 90" of non-typical bone.
The deer will have to be panel scored to be officially recognized as the new record and that should happen in March of 2011.
You have to keep an open mind when considering what a crippled deer is going to do and don't fool yourself in thinking you have one all figured out. Obviously, the arrow zipped thru soft tissue without hitting and bone and the deer didn't know what had happened. Who would have guessed he would have come back to the same spot he was shot just a couple hours earlier.
Amazing!
Bow season is just around the corner.
Good luck,
Larry S.
Update: 12-20-11
As with all internet stories, the facts are up in the air on this but Kiernan has been charged with taking this deer illegally. The following are the details of the arrest. Hopefully, the true facts of the harvest will be learned in the near future.
"IDNR Conservation Police Make Arrests in Deer Poaching Case
Giant buck valued at $35,000
SPRINGFIELD, IL - Charges have been filed against three individuals after an 11-month investigation by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Office of Law Enforcement in a deer poaching case. The three men were cited for numerous Wildlife Code violations including the illegal take of a potential state-record whitetail deer, and now face charges through the Grundy County State's Attorney's Office and the Sangamon County State's Attorneys Office.
"Our Conservation Police Officers are tasked with the mission of protecting the public and our natural resources and they do it effectively and vigilantly," said IDNR Director Marc Miller. "I am proud of the hard work of the IDNR law enforcement staff and have a warning to those who choose to hunt illegally: We are watching."
"The IDNR Office of Law Enforcement has zero tolerance when it comes to poaching matters," said IDNR Conservation Police Chief Rafael Gutierrez. "Our Conservation Police will continue to protect our natural resources so that legal sportsmen get every opportunity they deserve."
The investigation focused on the unlawful harvest of a 36-point non-typical deer scoring 261 5/8 and valued at $35,000. Charges were filed after a thorough investigation with assistance from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Alberta Sustainable Resources Department, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of Conservation, and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
The following individuals were cited on charges related to unlawfully taking a total of 24 deer in Illinois and Canada over a 10-year period. Specific charges were filed as follows:
Christopher Kiernan (age 45, of Minooka, IL)
11 counts of hunting without permission of landowner and being an accessory to the charge
19 counts of unlawful possession of illegally taken deer
5 counts of hunting with invalidated permit
5 counts of unlawfully taking of deer
2 counts of falsifying harvest records
1 count each of: Failure to report harvest on the same day as killed, Fail to tag deer as required
Garret Armstrong (age 31, of Avon, NY)
9 counts of hunting without permission of landowner and being an accessory to the charge
8 counts of hunting with an invalidated permit
4 counts of unlawful possession of illegally taken deer
2 counts of unlawfully taking of deer
1 count each: Failure to tag deer as required,
Failure to report harvest as required
Falsifying harvest record
Larry Smith (age 49, of Williamsburg, Ontario, Canada)
1 count each of the following:
Hunting without permission of landowner
Hunting with invalidated permit
Failure to tag deer as required
Unlawful possession of illegally taken deer
Unlawfully taking of deer
Failure to report harvest as required
Falsifying harvest record"
SOURCE: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
