The controversy surrounding the potential world-record Johnny King Buck just got a lot more interesting.
After Deer & Deer Hunting broke Duncan Dobie’s story about the dispute surrounding the Johnny King Buck, Boone & Crockett Club officials issued a statement saying they believed the buck was a nontypical because the buck’s right "G3" was offset from the main line of the main beam.
In a statement posted today on its website, B&C now claims the right antler does not a have G3, but "an abnormal point that rises off of the G2."
Confused? You’re not alone.
In an interview with D&DH this afternoon, 30-year certified B&C scorer Ron Boucher said he thinks the club is wrestling with its worst scoring problem in 35 years — and is going about it the wrong way.
"I still believe strongly in what the Boone and Crockett Club stands for, but I just believe Jack Reneau is wrong on this deer — using the words of the official measurer’s manual," said Boucher.
He also had strong words for many of the individuals who have posted comments on blogs, forums and article links.
"These people claim to be experts on scoring, but they are expressing opinions without ever having held the rack and scored it themselves. They simply don’t know what they’re talking about," Boucher said. "The point does not come off of the G-2. You cannot determine that from a photo. You have to put your hands on the rack. It is a common base-point [has the Figure-8 at the base line]. You ask any scorer who has actually put his hands on this rack, put masking tape to it and a straight edge, and 95 percent of them will tell you it passes the Figure 8 test as described in the Boone and Crockett scorer’s manual … and that it is a straight 6-by-6 typical all the way."
In its online article, B&C went on to state, "… it makes more sense to enter this deer as a non-typical at a score of roughly 217 points. However, this deer should end up being ranked among the top non-typicals of all-time from the book-dominating state of Wisconsin."
Boucher scoffed at that notion. "That is absolutely absurd," he said. "To say this is a 217-inch nontypical, you’re going to look ridiculous. Furthermore, there are probably more than two dozen deer from Wisconsin that netted more than 217."
Boucher is not the only prominent B&C scorer or whitetail expert who has handled the rack and expressed opinions that it should be scored as a typical or, at a minimum, be called in for a panel-scoring session. Others who have actually scored the rack include Marlin Laidlaw, Herm Feller and John Ramsey of the Wisconsin Buck & Bear Club, and Mike Handley of Buckmasters. Gordon Whittington of North American Whitetail has also inspected the rack on several occasions and has made recent statements that he believes it qualifies as a typical and should be panel-scored.
Click here to read the entire King Buck story from the beginning.
I have lost all respect for B&C.
Holy %&*$#^%@ are you fools dense lead by MR John Keel the fact you even mentioned Rompola tells me someone should have monitored your comp time at the tard centre where you live. Rompola was a fraud and a fake and so is Jay Fish the guy that keeps bringing up Johnnys buck. It was shot in 06 and has been declared a 6X5 at 180 and for that reason it can’t be panel scored those are the rules and have been the rules for 80 years and they aren’t going to change them for Jay Fish. Look at the point in question its clearly a split off the G-2 anyone thats ever scored a rack can see that and i’ve scored horns for 25 years. There is NO Veining coming off the main beam. There is a pair of sheds that have disappeared from this buck NO PICS EXIST because they are from the year before it was shot and are 5X5 which is proof that this deer is a 5X5 that split both its G-2s the year Johnny shot it. Jay has shopped this rack all over the country for 5 years and that is score shopping and not allowed No B&C scorer will touch so the $ 35,000.00 grand Jay paid was about $ 20,000.00 more than its worth. The King buck is dead and buried and Milos STILL THE KING and will be for 50 more years
The ONLY thing B&C has going is its FAIR CHASE rules. (As well as P&Y and all the other "record" keepers). I feel the Gross score should be the score to recognize and dump the NET score. These groups have done good at creating competition amongst we antlered pursuing hunters. King buck is a good deer and has its spot in the hunting community w/out even being a World Record!
"Monday, June 13, 2011 by buteo12:
I have spoken to several scorers who insist there is a bias against any animal harvested in Wisconsin."
That is interesting first time I have heard that comment made. It makes a lot of sense though. Has anyone seen the new Nebraska record buck? This deer was just recently accepted into B&C with a score of 202 and some change as a TYPICAL! Look at the G3 and G4 in the right side of the photo…B&C said this was NOT a shared base. What???? How is that typical and Johnny King’s buck isn’t????? Explanation please!!!!!! Photo of the Nebraska deer can be viewed here … http://tinyurl.com/3lsd5bd
What about the fact that this deer was missing an antler at the time it was killed? If the guy in the stand across the field would have shot the antler off before King killed it would there even be a valid argument? The B and C & P and Y is founded on records of harvested live game and the ethics that go along with that harvest. You cant legitimately score shed antlers for the record book so why even think of letting a rack that has a "shed" antler be considered.The antler was damaged before the animal died! Beautiful deer, COULD have been a new record,but in my opinion shouldn’t be called as such. Maybe with the money that King got for the deer ( there is that ethics thing again) he could buy himself some shooting lessons.
The problem for B&C is to have a single person with that much say and power over an organization such as this. B&C is suppose to be gate keepers to record animals and not make dumb excuses and cover up potential errors from its members. It is B&C’s resposiblity to step up and say that a member may have made a misake. By simply allowing a panel to objectively review this animal this issue could have been adverted. The panel may have supported or denied Mr. Reneau’s position. But now the issue has been so corrupted and its more important for B&C too agree with the opinion of a single member than to admit a potential error.
A simple lets allow this buck to be reviewed by a panel would have sufficently given this issue a proper evaluation. B&C will not give it a fair shake now. They are closing ranks and making excuses just like politicians. And just like in politicians sometimes its the arrogance thats worse than a simple aknowledgement of a mistake. Absolute power corupts absolutely !!! I say shame on B&C. Man up !!! God made this beautiful animal show it respect.
SHAME ON B&C. As a lifetime hunter I now see you in a different light.