Kentucky vs. Indiana: A Sweet 16 Record-Buck Showdown
_Bona fide hoops junkies circled this game with the glitter pen the instant this year’s NCAA tournament brackets were revealed:...
Photo by Dick Vance Courtesy of Outdoor Life.
No. 1 Indiana, No. 46 World Score:
195 5/8 typical
**
Skinny:** Taken by Dave Roberts in 1985, the state-record typical is now owned by Bass Pro Shops.
No. 1 Kentucky, No. 113 World Score:
191 3/8 typical Skinny:
Actually a pickup buck found in Meade County in 1977, Kentucky’s top typical belongs to William N. Burrell.
No. 2 Indiana, No. 51 World Score:
195 1/8 typical Skinny:
B. Dodd Porter shot this bruiser in Parke County in 1985, the same year Roberts set the new state record. Only a ½-inch separates the two top typicals.
No. 2 Kentucky, No. 160 World Score:
189 3/8 typical Skinny:
The Bluegrass State’s biggest hunter-killed buck was taken by Jim Cooper in Lewis County in 1999.
No. 3 Indiana, No. 57 World Score:
194 2/8 typical Skinny:
Two hunters–D. Bates and S. Winkler–double-teamed this buck, taken in 1983 in Vigo County.
No. 3 Kentucky, No. 176 World Score:
189 typical Skinny:
On the books since 1971, the Shelby County bruiser taken by Frank Kendall reigned as the state’s top hunter-killed buck for 28 years before slipping down the list, where it now sits in a tie for third.
No. 4 Indiana, No. 83 World Score:
192 3/8 typical Skinny:
This Monroe County buck has held down fourth place since Donald Fritch shot it in 1992. It was almost unseated in 1997, by Walter M. Johnson’s Jennings County whitetail. The two trophies now share fourth place with identical scores.
No. 4 Kentucky, No. 176 World Score:
189 typical Skinny:
Jason Newcomb shot this buck in Pendleton County in 2003, making it the most recent addition to Kentucky’s top four. It ties Frank Kendall’s 1971 whitetail for third place on Kentucky’s top typical list. Halftime recap:
Kentucky’s biggest typical wouldn’t even crack Indiana’s top four. On the other hand, Hoosiers haven’t added a new buck to their top quartet since 1997, and Kentucky has rewritten its top bracket twice. Advantage Indiana–for now.
No. 1 Kentucky, No. 23 World Score:
271 7/8 nontypical Skinny:
Just as on the typical side, Kentucky’s biggest nontypical is a pickup too. Found in Henry County in 2004, this buck is owned by Bass Pro Shops.
No. 1 Indiana, No 74 World Score:
251 4/8 nontypical Skinny:
Indiana’s champion whitetail has ruled the top of the record book since 1980, when Timothy J. Goode tagged the buck in Hendricks County.
No. 2 Kentucky, No. 35 World Score:
260 1/8 nontypical Skinny:
Kentucky’s biggest hunter-killed buck claimed that title in 2002 and has fended off some strong challengers since. Also owned by Bass Pro Shops, the buck was taken by Benjamin Brogle in Garrard County.
No. 2 Indiana, No. 83 World Score:
250 5/8 nontypical Skinny:
Another long reigning monarch, this Switzerland County bruiser tagged by Zoltan Dobsa in 1977 is into its fourth decade as Indiana’s runner-up. Cabela’s owns the bone.
No. 3 Kentucky, No. 91 World Score:
249 6/8 nontypical Skinny:
Robert J. Taylor tagged the most recent addition to the top four in Butler County in 2008.
No. 3 Indiana, No. 101 World Score:
248 4/8 nontypical Skinny:
Robert Sears entered this Fulton County buck into the Hoosier record book’s third slot in 1990, and it has stayed put ever since.
No. 4 Kentucky, No. 92 World Score:
249 3/8 nontypical Skinny:
Dann T. Hughes connected on this Trigg County buck in 2005.
No. 4 Indiana, No. 198 World Score:
238 2/8 Skinny:
The most recent addition to Indiana’s top four–a Henry County buck shot by Steven Padgett–moved into the No. 4 spot in 2007. Final buzzer: No matter how you slice it, Kentucky is an up-and-coming state for nontypicals, completely rewriting its top four in the last decade. Indiana, on the other hand, has lagged behind, its top quartet welcoming only one new addition since the turn of the century. Word is the Hoosier State will add a couple of new studs to the lineup once all the 2011 scores are in, but that’ll have to wait for next year. Indiana gets points for tradition, but Kentucky takes the title.
_Bona fide hoops junkies circled this game with the glitter pen the instant this year’s NCAA tournament brackets were revealed: Kentucky versus Indiana.
This pair of college basketball bluebloods squares off Friday night in the marquee matchup of the Sweet 16. Featuring two of the most hallowed traditions and rabid fan bases in the college game, the Wildcats (with seven NCAA championships) and the Hoosiers (with five) have claimed the tourney’s ultimate prize a combined dozen times. Judging by their thrilling battle in December (which Indiana won on a three-point buzzer beater), the rematch could go down as an instant classic, with the winner well on its way to hoisting the Wooden Trophy in April.
But that’s not the only trophy competition represented by this heated border-rivalry: Both states are big buck strongholds that vie for bragging rights in the deer woods as well as the hardwood.
So let’s take a look at Kentucky and Indiana’s all-time top tines, as recorded in the Boone & Crockett Club record book through the 2010 deer season, the most recent year for which complete stats are available. Here are the top four typical and top four nontypical bucks from each state–truly a Sweet 16._