It was cold, foggy, and icy in north-central Kansas on Dec. 15, and Josh Keltner had been looking forward to getting out with his family on the final day of the state’s gun deer season. A retired U.S.

After years of online detective work by a 23-year-old Kansas bowhunter, the Sunflower State appears to have a new record typical whitetail buck for the first time in 50 years.

I photographed this young whitetail buck as it sprinted past me at the edge of a sunflower field. It is a healthy beautiful deer with a shiny coat, but there is an indication that something has ...

That should give you an idea. Here are 11 incredible whitetail bucks, both typical and nontypical, that came oh-so-close to breaking the B&C world record, but, for one reason or another, fell short.

After all, comfort was the last thing on his mind. The 52-year-old hunter had been chasing the most unique whitetail buck he’d ever seen since South Dakota’s archery opener in mid-September.

The mule deer’s large ears are usually set at about a 30-degree angle to the face. In contrast, whitetail ears are sleek, a bit pointy-looking and typically held more erect.