Texas 3rd Largest Deer Taken With A Knife..??

Snipe · November 15, 2004

Over whose mantel the "Bullis Buck" stops, nobody knows.

State game wardens are investigating the death at Camp Bullis last weekend of a white-tailed deer, the likes of which no one in Texas has seen in nearly 80 years.

The so-called "Bullis Buck" carried antlers with 35 scorable points and an outside spread of more than 27 inches — a monster rack that ranks as the third-largest taken from a native whitetail in Texas.

The investigation centers on how the animal met its demise. Preliminary reports indicate the buck was stabbed to death with a pocket knife by Camp Bullis personnel responding to a call about an injured deer on the grounds of the 28,000-acre military reservation in Northwest Bexar County.

The means by which the buck was taken could lead to an attempt to prosecute the three people involved and could throw into question who winds up with the record-setting rack, which could have a value to collectors in excess of $20,000.

The department's "position is that it is not a lawful means to kill (a game) animal with a knife," said Willie Gonzalez, a warden at the Texas Parks and Wildlife headquarters in Austin.

Base personnel, applying the Boone & Crockett Club's standard scoring method, estimated the buck's antler rack at 2651/8 net inches, a figure based on antler circumferences and point lengths. If the calculation is confirmed, the rack would be the largest taken in Texas since 1925, when a buck, found dead, scored 272 inches.

The Texas record for a nontypical buck was recorded early last century when a whitetail, killed in the late 1890s and measured years later, scored 2843/8 inches.

"Nontypical" antlers are antlers that aren't symmetrical, or even configured side-to-side.

The "Bullis Buck" is thought to be the largest taken on a hunt in over 100 years.

Still, the circumstances of last weekend's "hunt" may hinder the determination of records and of possession. Indications are that state game officials might want to determine something they consider more important — responsibility.

Preliminary reports say two civilian employees and a volunteer worker at the base were involved in the death of the animal.

At question are state statutes regarding the lawful means and methods of taking a game animal, Gonzalez said. The Bullis case was forwarded to Danny Shaw, a warden in San Antonio. Because of Thursday's holiday, most state and government officials involved in the matter were unavailable for comment.

Access by state game officials onto federal property could be at issue, as well. Wardens normally are restricted from the base, a source close to the incident said. Still, game wardens, as well as officials with the federal Fish & Wildlife Service, have scheduled a visit to Camp Bullis next week as part of the inquiry.

The deer was killed about midday Saturday. Within days, dozens of photographs of the rack were spread within outdoors circles via e-mail. Some e-mails included photos of the bloody pocket knife, with a 4-inch blade, which reports indicated was used in the stabbing.

Concerns about the legality of the kill were also expressed in e-mail exchanges. On Thursday, one e-mail making the rounds included a photo in which an unidentified man is shown holding the deer. The man's face and belt buckle were digitally obscured.

The deer remains in cold storage at Camp Bullis.

Because of its unusual configuration, the 35-point antlers are classified as a nontypical rack.

A net score of 265 inches would place the rack among the top Texas deer trophies and assure it a place in whitetail lore.

However, because of the concerns over how it was killed, said one scorekeeper said, technically, it will not be eligible for listing in the record books.

Regardless of official recognition, the "Bullis Buck" is likely to gain legendary status with deer-antler number crunchers in Texas.

RyanH · November 15, 2004