Not so long ago, deer hunters across North America were absolutely fascinated by big bucks.
The weight of a buck dressed as a hog is still a badge of honor for hunters in the Northeast, the upper Great Lakes, and Canada.
Lee Lakosky shot a male he called “Gnarls Barkely” a few years ago.
This deer tipped the scales at almost 300 pounds on the hoof.
(Photo: Lee and Tiffany Lakosky of The Crush TV)
#1 Heaviest Male Ever Shot: The Annett Buck, 1977
From what we can gather, the heaviest white-tailed deer ever shot was killed by archery hunter John Annett of Ontario in 1977.
The deer field weighed 431 pounds on government-certified scales.
This would have given him an estimated live weight of over 540 pounds.
#2 Heaviest Male Ever Shot: The Lenander Buck, 1926
Second place apparently belongs to a 402-pound Minnesota male killed by Carl Lenander Jr. in 1926.
Conservation officials estimated the live weight at 511 pounds.
This giant male was shot near Gaspé Quebec in the fall of 2005.
He weighed 260 pounds in the field, making his liveweight well within the 300-pound mark.
#3 The heaviest male ever shot: The Hinckley Buck, 1955
Third place would go to a male from Maine killed by Horace R.
Hinckley reportedly spent three days looking for a scale large enough to properly weigh his money.
With a Maine Sealer of Weights witness in attendance, the male officially tipped the scales at 355 pounds, giving him a live weight of 451 pounds.
The Horace Hinckley Buck of Maine, 1955.
#4 Heaviest Buck Ever Shot: The John Doe Buck, 1938
Fourth place goes to a 321-pound male killed in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, in 1938.
We don’t know the hunter’s name, but the weight has been verified.
Fifth place would go to a male killed in New York in 1946.
This deer officially weighed 291 pounds dressed.
Don’t forget the 1907 and 1924 dollars
However, none of these weights have been verified.
Included in this list are a 1907 Wisconsin male that would have weighed 437 pounds dressed, and a 1924 Wisconsin male that weighed 386 pounds.