Special Report: New World-Record Mule Deer Tagged in Canada?

It happens every year: Deer seasons open, and rumors start zipping around the Internet about the latest record-breaking buck. Lots of these tales never check out, but here’s one that appears to have legs: A potential Pope & Young world-record nontypical muley was reportedly taken in Saskatchewan in early September.

Canadian Cody Robbins, host of the “Live 2 Hunt” TV show and a longtime camera man for professional hunter and TV host Jim Shockey, arrowed the potential world-beater during the first week of September. Robbins could not be reached for comment and no official photos have been released. But two online hunting forums have reported green scores of 294 to 295, and a source close to the situation confirmed for Field & Stream that those score estimates are accurate. The current Pope & Young world record for nontypical mule deer is a 274 7/8-inch buck taken in 1987 in Morgan County, Colorado, by Kenneth Plank.

Nothing is final, of course, until an official Pope & Young measurer puts a tape to the rack after the 60-day drying period passes. But a green score nearly 20 inches above the current world record certainly sets a high bar for the 2011 season–and makes the Saskatchewan muley a buck to watch.

We will provide more details as soon as they are available.