World Record Archery Buck Beats Predecessor by More Than 33 Inches

The best-ever archery-killed non-typical whitetail buck was taken in 2018 by Illinois bowhunter Luke Brewster, and was confirmed as a new world record this past March. What’s really notable is the margin by which this buck outclassed its predecessor: More than 33 inches!

On Friday, March 1st, the Pope and Young Club convened a Special Panel of Judges in Omaha, Nebraska for a potential P&Y World Record non-typical whitetail. Luke Brewster’s incredible buck was shot in Illinois during the 2018 archery season. Measurers present for the Special Panel were (LtoR) Stan Zirbel, Gil Hernandez, Kyle Lehr, Ken Witt, Ricky Krueger, Jack Reneau, Eli Randall and Panel Chairman, Ed Fanchin (not pictured). With a final score of 327 7/8″, Luke’s buck was confirmed as the new P&Y World Record non-typical whitetail. This buck surpasses the previous World Record non-typical whitetail shot by Michael Beatty in 2000 by over[sic] 33 inches.

The score of 327 7/8 inches surpassed the buck’s preliminary entry score by 7 2/8, which is a lot. (To me, this shows the lack of precision in antler scoring because so much is left up to the individual, but I digress.)

What a beast!

‘Congratulations to Luke Brewster on the largest hunter taken whitetail in history,’ said Justin Spring, Director of Big Game Records for Boone & Crockett. ‘All hunter conservationists should take great pride in the fact that in the face of the challenges to our wildlife, we continue to see more robust populations than ever before, thanks to the North American model. There couldn’t be a more deserving hunter to be attached to the Brewster buck, which is now an iconic legacy of whitetail deer in North America.’

You can read the full post on the P&Y website.

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.