The fateful hunt for what became the Boone & Crockett world-record typical whitetail — the Milo Hanson Buck — began shortly after dawn on Nov. 23, 1993, near Biggar, Saskatchewan.
Milo Hanson’s hunting partners, Walter Meger and Rene Igini, spotted the massive buck with two does near a willow patch. Soon after, Hanson and John Yaroshko arrived by pickup truck.
Meger stood guard west of the willows, Yaroshko covered an eastern escape route, and Hanson positioned himself to the south. Igini followed the buck’s tracks in the fresh snow into the thicket.
Initial Push and Missed Shots
Shortly after Igini began the drive, the buck burst from the willows and ran northwest. Meger, Yaroshko and Hanson all fired at the fleeing deer, but none connected. The shots were low-percentage attempts because of thick cover and the buck’s speed; distances were not determined.
The buck reached a distant pasture dotted with aspen regrowth, where its average-sized tracks mingled with those of other deer and were lost. As the group checked each aspen bluff, Meger spotted the buck sprinting across a field, crossing onto Hanson’s property and entering another willow patch.
Second Encounter and More Shots
Yaroshko and Hanson took positions west of the new willow patch, while Meger covered the east. Igini again tracked the buck into the brush.
The buck soon dashed out and raced past Hanson and Yaroshko at about 150 yards, offering broadside shots. Both fired but missed. The deer continued north into a set of three aspen bluffs.
Hanson moved to the third bluff, while Igini walked through the southwest one. When the buck emerged, it ran straight away from Hanson. He fired, and one bullet knocked the buck down. It quickly rose and ran about 450 yards to another aspen bluff.
Final Pursuit and Kill
Hanson and Yaroshko pursued. Hanson spotted the buck about 50 yards away in the brush and delivered a killing neck shot. A third and final shot ensured the deer was down for good.
The full details of the hunt appear in the book The Hanson Buck Story, published by Krause Publications in 1995.
This was one of the first projects I helped work on after being named associate editor of Deer & Deer Hunting magazine in early 1995. The buck, officially scored at 213 5/8 inches net typical by Boone & Crockett, remains the world-record typical whitetail more than three decades later.
