Records of North American Mule Deer by Boone and Crockett Club

Records of North American Mule Deer is the definitive history book for trophy mule deer, Columbia blacktail, and Sitka blacktail in North America. This first-ever records book dedicated solely to mule deer and blacktail deer features: n

Over 4,500 listings of mule deer, Columbia blacktail, and Sitka blacktail from the Boone and Crockett Club’s Records Program dating back to the late 1800s up through January 31, 2009. Over 28 new state and provincial records. Geographic analysis from the lower 48 states including detailed county maps and corresponding tables. Individual state and See over 40 portrait provincial lists for typical images of state and and non-typical mule deer, records, Columbia blacktail deer, and provincial like the current Sitka blacktail deer. Colorado state record and current Informative chapters World’s Record from today’s top outdoor typical mule deer (top). Also included is writers, plus the Mule Deer a special bonus section featuring dozens of color field photographs. Foundation.

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published by the Boone and Crockett Club 250 Station Drive, Missoula, MT 59801

ADDITIONAL SPECIES RECORDS BOOKS available from B&C: Records of North American Elk, First Edition Records of North American Whitetail Deer, Fourth Edition Visit our official web site for a complete list of available books: www.booneandcrockettclub.com Cover Photo by Donald M. Jones

Records of North American Mule Deer First Edition First Printing Copyright ÂŠ 2009 by the Boone and Crockett Club. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Boone and Crockett Club. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2009907361 ISBN Number: 978-0-940864-67-2 Published September 2009 Published in the United States of America by the Boone and Crockett Club 250 Station Drive, Missoula, MT 59801 406/542-1888 406/542-0784 (fax) www.booneandcrockettclub.com

Records of North American Mule Deer first edition A book of the Boone and Crockett Club containing tabulations of Mule Deer and Blacktail Deer of North America as compiled from data in the Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Big Game Records Archives Edited by Jack Reneau and Howard P. Monsour, Jr.

BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB Missoula, Montana 2009

Courtesy of R emington A rms Company

Remingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meaningful links with, and support of, the Boone and Crockett Club and conservation stretch back for decades. Not surprisingly, the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s partnership with those who hunt the wonderful big game animals of the American West has endured even longer. 12

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CHAPTER 1: The Remington Story

By Jim Casada

For almost two centuries, from the company’s founding in 1816 to the present, Remington Arms Company runs as a bright thread through the fabric of American sporting history. An integral and important part of that ongoing legacy has been production of big-game rifles. As the country expanded westwards, Remington rifles went along. Then, as subsistence hunting increasingly gave way to pursuit of game for sport, Remington led the sport hunting industry with its cutting-edge guns and ammunition.. By the time Theodore Roosevelt, George Bird Grinnell, Gifford Pinchot, and a score of other visionaries—determined to protect the country’s great sporting legacy and present a sound conservation ethic for posterity—created the Boone and Crockett Club, Remington was already well-established as a gun of choice for a nation of hunters. In the aftermath of the Civil War, Remington made the transition from manufacturing arms and ammunition for military forces to serving the sportsman, with a notable milepost: the launch of the rolling block sporting rifles in 1868. By the time the Boone and Crockett Club was founded, the Remington Arms Company was already solidly focused on the sporting market. However, as Roy Marcot indicates in The History of Remington Arms, whenever the threat of war called for America to supply quality arms to equip our men, Remington was there. This was particularly the case in the two world wars, with Remington making upwards of a million and a half Enfields in the Great War and then in World War II, redesigning the Springfield to make it lighter and more functional. Some late 19th century long guns even had names which made their sporting purpose manifest—among them, the “Buffalo Rifle,” “Deer Rifle,” “Hunter’s Rifle,” and “Black Hills Rifle.” With the development of smokeless powder in the 1890s this era spawned the modern cartridge. From that point forward, Remington rifles have become, for generations of devoted big-game hunters, almost an extension of the hunter’s body. Now, as then, they treat their guns with much of the same affection pioneers held for the early Pennsylvania or Kentucky rifles. Military men’s experience with Remington products in the two world wars was unquestionably a factor in the Remington being a gun of choice for soldiers as they returned home after the conflicts. In the aftermath of each war there was a significant upsurge in hunter numbers and interest in hunting. The Remington Model 30 bolt-action rifles, introduced in 1921, are a prime example. Originally chambered for the .30-06 cartridge, the Records of North American MULE Deer ■ FIRST Edition

MORE ON THE REMINGTON STORY Most aspects of the Remington story have been well documented. For the legions of hunters for whom “Big Green” has long been the go-to source for guns and ammunition, the Remington Society of America (RSA) is, in what amounts to a mission statement, “an organization dedicated to the collection and study of Remington firearms, ammunition and history.” Members of the RSA delve into the most obscure aspects of Remington’s past. They seem able to provide answers to every imaginable question related to the company’s products, even as the society serves as a forum and place for meeting individuals with shared interests and enthusiasm. Full details on the RSA can be found on its web site, www.remingtonsociety.com. Also, thanks in large measure to one individual’s farsightedness and devotion to the Remington story, a trilogy of books, all beautifully illustrated, delve i nto t he Remington legacy from various perspectives. Art Wheaton, whose career with Remington spanned more than three decades, was the driving force behind the publication of these works. The first to appear was Tom Davis’s The Art of Remington Arms (2003), a lavishly illustrated book featuring paintings from the company’s impressive art collection featuring originals by renowned wildlife artists such as B&C professional member Bob Kuhn. Most of these paintings were acquired in connection with advertising campaigns connected with artwork for calendars, promotional materials, and the like. The second book in the trilogy, The History of Remington Firearms: The History of One of the World’s Most Famous Gun Makers (2005), features the research and writing of Roy Marcot, a noted authority on historical arms who started his long stint as editor of the RSA Journal, which is published quarterly, in 1991. The work opens with a historical overview of the company and then devotes separate sections to pistols and revolvers, rifles and carbines, and shotguns. Finally, Jim and Ann Casada’s The Remington Cookbook (2006) promotes ethical sport through an eat-what-you-kill approach involving scores of game recipes along with appropriate illustrations from the company’s art collection.

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Courtesy of R emington A rms Company

Remington Arms Company combines a corporate conscience and a core belief in ethical hunting with practical recognition that dedication to the future of sport also figures prominently in the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future.

Model 30s utilized Enfield parts and design and spawned a whole series of guns in various calibers. The Model 30 design would, for a generation, be one of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s key offerings. Eventually, in the 1940s and 1950s, a series of new models would supersede the Model 30. This began with the introduction of Model 720 bolt-actions just before the outbreak of World War II, followed over the next decade and a half by Model 721, 722, 740, and 760 rifles (the first two were bolt-actions, the third an autoloader, and the latter a slide-action). This ongoing evolution in sporting firearms culminated in the Model 700, which has to be reckoned the most popular high-power bolt-action rifle the world has ever known. First introduced in 1962, the Model 700 really dated back to the 1940s and the design work of Merle Walker and others who worked with him in creating the Model 721 and 722 bolt-actions. Over the ensuing years there have been enough grades, calibers, special designs, custom models, and variants of the Model 700 to challenge the memory bank of even the most picky gun enthusiasts. For present purposes Records of North American MULE Deer â&#x2013; FIRST Edition

though, suffice it to say that Model 700s, in one caliber and design or the other, has been an enduring favorite among elk and mule deer hunters for almost half a century. Since this work and its companion piece provide records of those two big-game species, and given the enduring popularity of the Model 700, perhaps sharing a personal anecdote regarding mule deer is permissible. Sometime in the mid-1990s, after a day of fishing Montana’s Musselshell River, I stopped at a restaurant/bar in the tiny town of Martinsdale for a brew and burger. To my amazement, trophy mule deer heads, dozens of them (many of which would have scored high enough to qualify for the pages of this book), adorned the establishment’s walls. They dated from the late 1950s and 1960s, and after wandering around the room admiring the mounts, a chat with a couple of local old-timers brought a telling comment: “There were big muleys everywhere around here in those days,” one of them said, “and those old boys farming in these parts killed some mighty fine bucks with their Remingtons.” The taxidermy work surrounding us as we conversed may have been somewhere between mediocre and miserable, and the setting seemed to me an unlikely one. Yet the racks I was exposed to in this delightful moment of serendipity were astounding. Similarly, mention of the Remington brand in a casual fashion suggesting the company’s guns were standard equipment among local hunters told an interesting tale of brand loyalty. Mind you, this was a single small community in the rural West, but similar scenarios and shining moments in the sporting sun have been an ongoing, integral part of the lasting love affair between elk and mule deer hunters and their Remington rifles. Remington has also been keenly aware of the needs of those who hunted these species. While it is appropriate to think of whitetails first and foremost when considering modern Remington rifles and ammunition, it should also be remembered that most of those same guns and bullets were equally effective for mule deer. Similarly, the company has long been at the forefront in developing rifles, chamberings, and loads suitable for elk. Remington’s meaningful links with, and support of, the Boone and Crockett Club stretch back for decades. Not surprisingly, the company’s partnership with those who hunt the wonderful big game animals of the American West—elk and mule deer—has endured even longer. REMINGTON AND CONSERVATION Remington Arms Company combines a corporate conscience and a core belief in ethical hunting with practical recognition that dedication 16

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to the future of sport also figures prominently in the company’s future. The company has long played a prominent role in supporting organizations devoted to conservation. From waterfowl to wild turkeys, from the Boone and Crockett Club to the U. S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, Remington has always supported the conservation cause with its voice and its dollars. Ample evidence of that commitment is demonstrated by Remington’s ongoing support of the two non-profits connected with the big-game animals covered in these pages. The Mule Deer Foundation has benefited from monetary support, donations of guns for auctions, and in other ways. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has enjoyed similar backing and production of a series of Model 700 commemorative rifles. Since this is a Boone and Crockett Club publication, it is also worth noting that Remington has a Model 700 Boone and Crockett series with a wide range of chamberings available at most fine sporting good stores.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jim Casada, who was born on January 28, 1942, is a son of the Smokies. He grew up in Bryson City, N. C. and cut his sporting teeth hunting and fishing in and around this small mountain town. He says that “a corner of my heart” still belongs to the high country. Casada is the author of more than 3,500 magazine and newspaper articles and columns on hunting, fishing, firearms, conservation and other outdoor-related tops. Author of a number of academic books and more than 100 articles in scholarly journals. Senior Editor and Book Columnist for Sporting Classics magazine; Editor-at-large for Turkey & Turkey Hunting magazine; Contributing Editor for Petersen’s Hunting, Sporting Clays, Whitetail News, The Hunting Magazine and Tennessee Valley Outdoors magazines; Field Editor for Cabela’s Outfitter Journal; Editor of the Outdoor Tennessee Series (University of Tennessee Press) and the Firearms Classics Series (Palladium Press). Casada is also a regular contributor to dozens of regional and national magazines. Records of North American MULE Deer ■ FIRST Edition

ABOVE Typical Sitka Blacktail Deer Score: 100 7 / 8 Location: Prince of Wales Island, AK Hunter and Owner: James F. Baichtal Date: 2004 52

OPPOSITE TOP LEFT Typical Sitka Blacktail Deer Score: 116 6 / 8 Location: Wild Creek, AK Hunter and Owner: George R. Gonsalves Date: 2003 Color field photographs

TOP RIGHT Typical Mule Deer Score: 183 4 / 8 Location: Coconino Co., AZ Hunter and Owner: Gene A. Perry Date: 1994

ABOVE Non-Typical Mule Deer Score: 230 4 / 8 Location: Harney Co., OR Hunter and Owner: Mitch S. Crouser (R) Date: 1998

Records of North American MULE Deer â&#x2013; FIRST Edition

top left Non-Typical Mule Deer Score: 237 3 / 8 Location: Yuma Co., CO Hunter and Owner: Kerry S. Smith Date: 2003 54

TOP RIGHT Non-Typical Mule Deer Score: 236 1/ 8 Location: Gove Co., KS Hunter and Owner: Matthew C. Palmquist Date: 2006 Color field photographs

opposite bottom Typical Mule Deer Score: 185 2 / 8 Location: Gunnison Co., CO Hunter and Owner: James P. Graf Date: 2004

ABOVE Typical Mule Deer Score: 203 5/ 8 Location: Ravalli Co., MT Hunter and Owner: Keith Balfourd Date: 2005

Records of North American MULE Deer â&#x2013; FIRST Edition

250 Station Drive Missoula, MT 59801 (406) 542-1888

Records of North American Big Game

BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB

® ®

OFFICIAL SCORING SYSTEM FOR NORTH AMERICAN BIG GAME TROPHIES

mule deer Columbia blacktail Sitka blacktail

TYPICAL MULE DEER AND BLACKTAIL DEER

MiniMuM ScoreS AwArdS All-tiMe 180 190 125 135 100 108

kind of deer (check one)

 mule deer Columbia blacktail Sitka blacktail

Detail of point Measurement

e G4

Abnormal points Right Antler left Antler

B c

H3 H4

2 5/8

G1 H2 H1

e SuBToTAlS ToTAl To e

See oTheR SiDe FoR iNSTRuCTioNS

A. No. points on Right Antler B. Tip to Tip Spread

28 5/8

D. inside Spread of D. Main Beams

30 7/8

No. points on left Antler C. Greatest Spread

ColuMN 1

ColuMN 2

Spread Credit

Right Antler

2 5/8 2 5/8 ColuMN 3 left Antler

ColuMN 4 Difference

33 2/8

SpReAD CReDiT MAy equAl BuT NoT exCeeD loNGeR MAiN BeAM

30 1/8 2 5/8

e. Total of lengths of Abnormal points

30 1/8

F. length of Main Beam

28 6/8

1 3/8 3 2/8

2 3/8

2 6/8

G-2. length of Second point

22 4/8

22 3/8

3/8

G-3. length of Third point, if present

14 2/8

14 3/8

1/8

G-4. length of Fourth point, if present

14 6/8

13 6/8

1/8

5 2/8

5 3/8

1 0/8

G-1. length of First point, if present

h-1. Circumference at Smallest place Between Burr and First point h-2. Circumference at Smallest place Between First and Second points

4 4/8

h-3. Circumference at Smallest place Between Main Beam and Third point

4 1/8

h-4. Circumference at Smallest place Between Second and Fourth points

4 2/8

4 4/8

2/8

102 0/8

100 4/8

6 1/8

ToTAlS

ADD

Column 1

30 1/8

Column 2

102 0/8

Date killed:

Column 3

100 4/8

Trophy owner:

Subtotal

232 5/8

Trophy owner’s Address:

SuBTRACT Column 4

6 1/8

finAl Score

226 4/8

exact locality Where killed:

30 1/8

1/8

Dolores County, Colorado

october 19, 1972

hunter:

Cabela’s, inc. (2002)

Trophy owner’s e-mail:

Doug Burris, Jr. Telephone #:

Guide’s Name:

Remarks: (Mention Any Abnormalities or unique qualities)

oM i.D. Number

WORLD’S RECORD Typical Mule Deer Score: 2 26 4/8

Location: Dolores Co. Hunter: Doug Burris, Jr. Owner: Cabela’s, Inc. Date: 1972

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Arnold o. haugen i, i certify that i have measured this trophy on pRiNT NAMe

, certify that i have measured this trophy on

STReeT ADDReSS

02/27/1974 MM/DD/yyyy

CiTy

STATe/pRoviNCe

and that these these measurements measurementsand anddata dataare, are,toto the best knowledge and belief, made in accordance the instructions given. the best of of mymy knowledge and belief, made in accordance withwith the instructions given. Witness:

Signature:

B&C oFFiCiAl MeASuReR

i.D. Number

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MEASURING TYPICAL MULE AND BLACKTAIL DEER All measurements must be made with a 1/4-inch wide flexible steel tape to the nearest one-eighth of an inch. (Note: A flexible steel cable can be used to measure points and main beams only.) enter fractional figures in eighths, without reduction. official measurements cannot be taken until the antlers have air dried for at least 60 days after the animal was killed. A. number of Points on each Antler: To be counted a point, the projection must be at least one inch long, with length exceeding width at one inch or more of length. All points are measured from tip of point to nearest edge of beam. Beam tip is counted as a point but not measured as a point. Point totals do not add into the final score. B. tip to tip Spread is measured between tips of main beams. Tip to tip spread does not add into the final score. c. Greatest Spread is measured between perpendiculars at a right angle to the center line of the skull at widest part, whether across main beams or points. Greatest spread does not add into the final score. d. inside Spread of Main Beams is measured at a right angle to the center line of the skull at widest point between main beams. enter this measurement again as the Spread Credit if it is less than or equal to the length of the longer main beam; if greater, enter longer main beam length for Spread Credit. e. total of lengths of all Abnormal Points: Abnormal points are those non-typical in location such as points originating from a point (exception: G-3 originates from G-2 in perfectly normal fashion) or from bottom or sides of main beam, or any points beyond the normal pattern of five (including beam tip) per antler. Measure each abnormal point in usual manner and enter in appropriate blanks. f. length of Main Beam is measured from the center of the lowest outside edge of burr over the outer side to the most distant point of the Main Beam. The point of beginning is that point on the burr where the center line along the outer side of the beam intersects the burr, then following generally the line of the illustration. G-1-2-3-4. length of normal Points: Normal points are the brow tines and the upper and lower forks as shown in the illustration. They are measured from nearest edge of main beam over outer curve to tip. lay the tape along the outer curve of the beam so that the top edge of the tape coincides with the top edge of the beam on both sides of point to determine the baseline for point measurement. Record point lengths in appropriate blanks. H-1-2-3-4. circumferences are taken as detailed in illustration for each measurement. if brow point is missing, take h-1 and h-2 at smallest place between burr and G-2. if G-3 is missing, take h-3 halfway between the base and tip of G-2. if G-4 is missing, take h-4 halfway between G-2 and tip of main beam. MATERIALS RELEASE FORM FOR ALL NON-HUNTER-TAKEN TROPHIES

i certify by my signature that the information i have provided on this form is accurate and correct. i also understand that all my entry materials, including photographs, as well as any additional photographs taken by Boone and Crockett (our representatives or agents) during Awards programs or Judges panels, or likenesses rendered from these photographs become the property of the Boone and Crockett Club and may be used to promote the Club, and its records-keeping activities. Date:

Signature of Trophy owner:

ENTRY AFFIDAVIT FOR ALL HUNTER-TAKEN TROPHIES For the purpose of entry into the Boone and Crockett Club’s® records, North American big game harvested by the use of the following methods or under the following conditions are ineligible: i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. viii. ix.

Spotting or herding game from the air, followed by landing in its vicinity for the purpose of pursuit and shooting; herding or chasing with the aid of any motorized equipment; use of electronic communication devices to guide hunters to game, artificial lighting, electronic light intensifying devices (night vision optics), sights with built-in electronic range-finding capabilities, thermal imaging equipment, electronic game calls or cameras/timers/motion tracking devices that transmit images and other information to the hunter; Confined by artificial barriers, including escape-proof fenced enclosures; Transplanted for the purpose of commercial shooting; By the use of traps or pharmaceuticals; While swimming, helpless in deep snow, or helpless in any other natural or artificial medium; on another hunter’s license; Not in full compliance with the game laws or regulations of the federal government or of any state, province, territory, or tribal council on reservations or tribal lands;

i certify that the trophy scored on this chart was not taken in violation of the conditions listed above. in signing this statement, i understand that if the information provided on this entry is found to be misrepresented or fraudulent in any respect, it will not be accepted into the Awards program and 1) all of my prior entries are subject to deletion from future editions of records of north American Big Game 2) future entries may not be accepted. i also certify by my signature that the information i have provided on this form is accurate and correct. i also understand that all my entry materials, including photographs, as well as any additional photographs taken by Boone and Crockett (our representatives or agents) during Awards programs or Judges panels, or likenesses rendered from these photographs become the property of the Boone and Crockett Club and may be used to promote the Club, and its records-keeping activities.

FAiR ChASe, as defined by the Boone and Crockett Club®, is the ethical, sportsmanlike and lawful pursuit and taking of any free-ranging wild, native North American big game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper advantage over such game animals. The Boone and Crockett Club® may exclude the entry of any animal that it deems to have been taken in an unethical manner or under conditions deemed inappropriate by the Club. Date:

Signature of hunter:

Date:

Signature of Notary or official Measurer:

(SiGNATuRe MuST Be WiTNeSSeD By AN oFFiCiAl MeASuReR oR A NoTARy puBliC.)

Records of North American MULE Deer ■ FIRST Edition

published by the Boone and Crockett Club 250 Station Drive, Missoula, MT 59801