Babe Ruth was best known for hitting home runs for the New York Yankees, but his love for baseball was nearly eclipsed by his love of big-game hunting.
Ruth spent many an off-season chasing deer, moose and other critters across the continent. He loved whitetails (and venison) and shot his biggest deer ever during a November 1940 hunt in Nova Scotia.
Full details of the hunt and the deer remain a mystery; however, we do know a few things. For example, the buck was posthumously entered and accepted into the Boone and Crockett Club’s record book (in 1949). The record scoring system changed after 1950, however, and the official score is unknown.
We do know the buck’s main beams both measured more than 26 inches, and the inside spread was more than 18 inches. The symmetry of the rack (9 scorable points) is what catches the eye, as does the impressive way the tips of the main beams nearly touch each other.
The antler bases measured 5 and 6 inches, respectively.
For more information on how to measure whitetail racks and for record-book listings, visit www.boone-crockett.org
You can also find a Boone & Crockett scoring sheet, as well as a detailed tooth aging guide, the 2024-2025 North and South rut forecasts, and even more big-buck stories inside our new Buck Shots Book. Click here to order your copy!