It’s that time of year again when cabin fever gives way to that ever-burning desire to be out in the woods. This time of year, however, is when we all aspire to find shed antlers and, hopefully, a matching set to the next buck of our dreams. 

Shed hunting for deer antlers is a relatively new activity when you compare it to the prevalence of whitetails in North America. And, perhaps surprisingly, the biggest set of deer shed antlers was found more than 50 years ago by a rancher in central Nebraska. The antlers were known by locals for years, but they did not receive national publicity until the early 1990s when a deer hunting outfitter heard about the so-called “rack of a lifetime” and decided to visit the rancher who had them in his house. 

Imagine the outfitter’s surprise when he put his hands on the biggest shed antlers ever for the first time! The sheds once belonged to a 12-pointer featured a near-perfect 6-by-6 configuration that would have scored 218-1/8 inches on the Boone and Crockett scale. Had the deer been shot by a hunter, it would rank as the No. 1 typical of all time.

Reproductions of the antlers belonging to The General can be ordered from Antlers by Klaus