A velvet mule deer buck that was killed with a bow in Colorado on opening day could be a new world record, according to a recent Instagram post by beast_broadheads. The buck was taken by resident hunter Seth Craft and measured as a typical, with an unofficial green score of 238 6/8 inches.
If the buck is sent in to be scored officially by Pope & Young, and if it holds up to scrutiny from P&Y judges, it could easily replace the current archery world record for typical mule deer in velvet: Bowdy Gardner’s 218 1/8-inch Utah buck. The organization established separate record-book categories for velvet bucks in 2021, and a P&Y special judges panel made Gardner’s record official in May 2022, nearly 10 years after he harvested the deer.
At this point, however, the status of Craft’s potentially record-breaking buck is in limbo. P&Y Director of Records Tim Rozewski tells Outdoor Life that he doesn’t know anything about the muley buck, and that he’ll remain skeptical of any measurements until after the 60-day drying period ends. Rozewiski says that even though beast_broadheads refers to Craft’s buck as a “pending” world record, this doesn’t mean the buck is already under consideration by P&Y.
“Pending is a word people like to use,” Rozewski says. “I hope they get it measured … All these giant bucks that I’m seeing on [social media] right now, I’d love to see them all come in.”
Photo via Instagram
Craft was unwilling to comment on the buck when reached by Outdoor Life Tuesday. He said he wants to remain discreet as he’s being inundated with interview requests from several other media outlets. He did share a few details with beast_broadheads that were included in the Instagram post.
“After weeks of tracking this elusive mule deer buck, our patience and persistence finally paid off,” Craft said, although he didn’t specify who he was hunting with. “For two weeks before the season, we caught only fleeting glimpses of him at dawn and dusk.”
Craft said the deer “vanished entirely” just two days before the archery season opener on Sept. 2. After miles of scouting, they located the buck the night of Sept. 1, according to the post.
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“With permission to hunt on three properties he frequented, we waited for the right moment. As the sun rose, we spotted him again,” Craft said. “I crept up to within 22 yards, drew back my Matthews Lift bow, and let my Beast Broadhead Fly. He went just 30 yards before peacefully going to rest, ending an unforgettable hunt.”
Other than the fact that he was on private land with permission, Craft did not provide any other information about the hunt. The resident bowhunter and Marine Corps. veteran works for The M4 Ranch Group, which is a real estate broker based in southern Colorado that specializes in ranch properties and also has listings in New Mexico and Wyoming. He lives in Montrose, according to his biography page on the group’s website. That page also describes Craft as a “hugely accomplished big game hunter” who “knows big deer” and works as a hunting guide for Mossback Outfitters.