09/08/2026
🦌 13 6/8 INCHES OF MASS ON ONE SIDE — WOULD YOU CALL THIS A TYPICAL?
Take a close look at the RIGHT antler on the Curt Van Lith Buck — the left side as you are looking at the photo.
One measurement on this rack almost doesn’t look real:
13 6/8 inches of circumference.
And what makes it even more interesting is the enormous fused/common-base area involving the G-2 and G-3.
That feature became a major scoring question on a buck that ultimately finished at an incredible 197 6/8 inches net typical.
Before getting into the story and the numbers, I want to say this.
I can only imagine what Curt must have felt after nearly four years of pursuing this buck and finally walking up to a giant of this caliber. No matter where anyone stands on the scoring discussion, what he accomplished and the sheer size of this deer deserve tremendous respect.
I’ve had the opportunity to see this rack in person several times, and hands down, it is one of the biggest and most impressive whitetail racks I have ever seen.
And it came from Minnesota — a state well known for producing absolute mega whitetails.
The story began on Halloween in 1983.
Curt Van Lith had already filled his tag with a doe when a tremendous buck appeared along the same trail.
All Curt could do was watch him.
From that moment forward, he had a new goal.
He wanted another opportunity at that buck.
The giant survived the remainder of 1983.
Curt found sign of him again in 1984, including tracks noticeably larger than those of the other deer in the area, but another season passed without the opportunity he wanted.
The buck survived again.
By 1985, Curt was still trying to piece together where the giant was spending most of his time.
This was classic Minnesota farm country — woodlots mixed with corn and soybean fields.
Eventually, clues began pointing toward a relatively small cornfield worked by Curt’s father-in-law.
The buck had been seen heading toward that corn, and later Curt’s brother reportedly encountered the giant after it was pushed from the same area.
Going into 1986, Curt decided to rethink everything.
That August, he investigated the cornfield himself.
Around the outside, the sign wasn’t especially impressive.
Inside was a completely different story.
The ground was covered with huge tracks.
Curt realized he may have finally found the giant’s core area.
He backed out and began figuring out how to hunt the buck without pushing him out of the corn.
Curt eventually set up along a fence line where a deer trail passed close to his tree.
Then came September 27, 1986.
Late that afternoon, Curt began hearing movement inside the corn.
Soon he could see antler tips moving through the stalks.
After years of hunting this one buck, the giant was finally coming toward him.
At one point Curt had a broadside opportunity at roughly 30 yards, but he believed the deer might come closer and decided to wait.
Then the buck became suspicious.
It looked toward Curt’s position and began moving away.
Years of effort looked like they might disappear in a matter of seconds.
But the giant unexpectedly changed direction and eventually gave Curt another opportunity.
At nearly 40 yards, Curt released an arrow.
The buck was hit, but the recovery turned into a difficult tracking job that continued into the night and had to be resumed the following morning.
Eventually, Curt located the wounded buck bedded in another cornfield and was able to finish the hunt.
Nearly four years after Curt first laid eyes on him, the giant was finally down.
Then people began putting a tape to the rack.
And the numbers were staggering.
MAIN BEAMS
Right — 29 1/8 inches
Left — 30 2/8 inches
INSIDE SPREAD
20 4/8 inches
RIGHT ANTLER
101 1/8 inches
LEFT ANTLER
96 2/8 inches
GROSS TYPICAL 5x5 SCORE 217 7/8 inches "WOWZA"
FINAL NET TYPICAL
197 6/8 inches
But the number that jumps off the score sheet is the mass.
The third circumference on the buck’s right antler measured:
13 6/8 inches.
The corresponding measurement on the opposite antler was:
7 1/8 inches.
That is a difference of 6 5/8 inches on a single circumference measurement.
The scoring question centered on what appeared to be fused G-2 and G-3 tines on that right antler.
The Pope and Young judges ultimately accepted them as separate typical points, allowing the buck to finish at 197 6/8 net typical.
According to the historical account, if those tines had instead been treated as one typical tine with a fork coming from it, the final typical score could have fallen dramatically — closer to the 160-inch range.
That is what makes this rack so fascinating.
But after seeing it in person several times, my personal feeling is that the score almost becomes secondary.
This rack is simply enormous.
The long beams, tremendous tine length, width, mass and overall appearance make it one of those deer that is difficult to fully appreciate until you are standing in front of it.
It is a truly one-of-a-kind mega giant from the North.
Now I want to hear what you think.
Would YOU consider the Curt Van Lith Buck a typical or a non-typical?
If you were scoring it would you allow that massive 13 6/8-inch circumference measurement around the fused/common-base area? 🦌
