Video: Johnny King Buck is Record Class!

 

According to Boone and Crockett scoring rules, the Johnny King Buck could easily be the deer hunting world record white tail!

That is the opinion, anyway, of one longtime deer antler scoring expert.

In an exclusive video obtained this morning by Deer & Deer Hunting, certified antler measurer Marlin Laidlaw examines the rack and, in meticulous detail, explains why it should be scored as a typical. Laidlaw is one of Wisconsin’s most experienced antler scorers. He has measured deer heads for more than 30 years.

In this 8-plus-minute video, Laidlaw explains the rules that pertain to typical-racked white-tailed deer. He also shows how the buck’s right G-3 satisfies all of the requirements listed in the popular scoring rules used by clubs like Boone and Crockett and Pope and Young. Laidlaw is clear that these are his personal opinions, not those of any of the clubs he is affiliated with.

In talking about the rack’s matching G-3s, Laidlaw states, “If you look at both of them, they both come off the top of the main beam(s). You can see real easily when you look down, that there’s beam material on both sides.”

The video also shows the precise measurement lines of the main beams, circumferences and tines lengths.

King Buck is world record whitetail
Marlin Laidlaw meticulously explains why the right G-3 is a typical point, according to official antler scoring rules and regulations.

“You have a pair of points, and they actually mirror each other,” Laidlaw said. “They look a lot alike; this one (the right side) is a little smaller (shorter), but other than that, this appears to be a typical 6-by-6 frame.”

Laidlaw has been an antler scorer for many years, and has measured hundreds of record-class deer.

“As I learned more about it, I actually struggled sleeping,” Laidlaw told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last year. “I would lay awake and say, ‘How could something like this have happened?’ ”

Johnny King killed the giant 12-pointer in Grant County, Wis., in 2006.

B&C, which has not responded to interview requests by D&DH, has steadfastly stood by the opinions of its former records director to not review the buck. The King Buck has not been officially scored or submitted for entry to B&C. Furthermore, the Wisconsin Buck & Bear Club has not requested a panel score on this deer. As reported previously on deeranddeerhunting.com, much of this controversy apparently stems from the fact that antler scorers from the state have been pressured to ignore the buck or risk their membership in official scoring programs.

This newly released video comes on the heels of developments last week, where B&C fired two of its longtime measurers for their continued insistence that the buck should be reviewed.

KING BUCK FIRES B&C MEASURERS

Deer & Deer Hunting broke Duncan Dobie’s story behind the controversy last year.

D&DH talked with several official antler scorers while at the Madison Deer Expo in Wisconsin earlier in 2012. None of them wanted to speak on record, yet all of them told me they thought the deer should be scored as a typical 12-pointer.

“There’s really no chance (B&C) will change their mind,” one scorer said. “They’ve dug in their heels, and don’t want to admit they went about this the wrong way. It’s frustrating, because, if anything, this deer should be scored by the Wisconsin organization. If it was, it would unseat the Jordan Buck as the state’s all-time largest typical ever.”

The Jordan Buck was the World Record typical for many years. The Hanson Buck unseated it in 1995.

D&DH also talked with several Wisconsin Buck and Bear Club members, and they said they wished their organization would stand up for what is right … and score the buck. One member told me he was puzzled why this hasn’t already happened, because WBBC is in no way affiliated with B&C. When asked why there was then a problem with scoring the King Buck, he shrugged his shoulders and said, “Some of these guys are B&C-certified scorers and others aspire to become B&C scorers some day. They don’t want to jeopardize that by not towing the so-called company line.”

“I talked with most of the guys, and the vast majority of the Wisconsin Buck and Bear scorers think it is a typical 12-pointer,” another scorer said. “Not one of them said they thought it was a nontypical. However, we can’t do anything because B&C made their decision on it, and we just have to let it go away. It’s not right. It’s not fair. And it definitely is making me rethink how I view both organizations. This should be about giving a deer its due. It should not be about placating some guy’s ego. Some of these guys are acting like a bunch of little girls. It’s almost as if they’re saying, “We don’t care if it is the biggest buck ever killed. We have to save face and rally around our guys.”

Said another scorer, “This all very saddening. If you want my opinion, there are a lot of cowards in this building (where the rack was on hand). Someone needs to man-up and do the right thing.”

For the details behind the King Buck, check out these related articles:

World Record Whitetail Denied Day in Court

There is No Gray Area with the King Buck

Video of the King Buck

 

 

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3 thoughts on “Video: Johnny King Buck is Record Class!

  1. I’d like to see the King buck get this kind of close attention by the B&C Club — and defend that view that the G3 points are non-typical, with an explanation that’s as clear as this.

  2. This deer is long overdue for the accolades it deserves! I am glad to see Deer and Deer Hunting pushing to make something happen with this. I grew up in Grant county and went to school with Johnny King and there couldn’t have been a nicer guy to shoot this deer. I have to believe that Wisconsin hunters will do what’s right and demand to get this deer recognized. Let’s start a petition and I will be the first to sign it

  3. Good video.
    Presented in the manner it was………….clearly an injustice has been done.

    On a side note, interesting that the Wisconsin scorers don’t put as high of a value on their integrity as they do the B&C “club”.

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