Syracuse.com - New York State Big Buck Club honors last year's trophy deer

[HuntingNY-News]

To become a member of the club and to get into its record book, one must kill a buck that satisfies the club's minimum requirements for antler size. Currently, there are 7,000 members.

Submitted photoMartin Hale poses with his 12-point buck he shot with his gun in Cato last fall. It scored 159 and 4/8 inches.Very few deer hunters get a big buck each fall. Even fewer get recognized by the New York State Big Buck Club.

The club held its 40th annual statewide awards program and banquet on Saturday at the Rusty Rail Restaurant in Canastota, displaying more than 60 head mounts and antlers from across the state. The gathering also featured several black bear trophy mounts. This year, 275 attended the event.

Most of the deer antlers were harvested during the 2011 season. A few were from years before. The club uses certified measurers who use the Boone and Crockett Scale, said club member Jim Massett, who organized the banquet and is an official measurer.

To become a member of the club and to get into its record book, one must kill a buck that satisfies the club’s minimum requirements for antler size. Currently, there are 7,000 members.

The minimum score for bowhunters is 120 inches for typical (symmetrical) antlers and 145 for non-typical

Gun-killed deer must be at least 140 inches for typical sets and 165 for non-typical.

There’s also a category for found shed antlers. To qualify, both antlers are required, with an automatic 18 inches given for the inside spread. The minimum score to qualify is 140 inches.

Highlights this year included:

- The biggest buck shot last year was taken by Michael Giarraputo, of Suffolk County, with a bow. The atypical rack boasted 23 points and scored 210 4/8 inches. It was a state record for this category.

- The second biggest was also taken with a bow. The head mount of the 21-point buck that scored 201 6/8 inches was shot by Ray Mortimer, of Chautauqua County.

“Every now and then the biggest buck is taken with a bow because there’s a number of places across the state where bowhunting only is allowed, and thus the deer aren’t as pressured and get a chance to grow bigger,” Massett said, noting that Suffolk and Monroe are among those counties.

Submitted photoJames Dowd, of Oriskany Falls, in Oneida County, poses with his 10-pointer that he took with his bow. The typical rack scored 140 4/8 inches.

Here are a few local hunters, their noteworthy bucks and where they were taken last year:

- Bow (non-typical): Jeff Henry, Madison County (12 points, 160 3/8 inches); Paul Carlson, Cortland County (19 points, 153 5/8 inches).

- Bow (typical): Fred J. Whatman II, Cortland County (10 points, 150 3/8 inches); Joseph Larkin, Cortland County (15 points, 148 5/8 inches); Dale Snover, Cayuga County (11 points, 148 2/8 inches); Martin Warner, Oswego County (8 points, 145 5/8 inches); Darrell Baker, Oswego County (9 points, 142 6/8 inches); Gary Nickerson, Cayuga County (8 points, 141, 5/8 inches); and James Dowd, Oneida County (10 points, 140 4/8 inches).

- Gun (non-typical): Jason McDonald, Cortland County (12 points, 179 4/8 inches)

- Gun (typical): Martin Hale, Cayuga County (12 points, 159 4/8 inches); James Hall, Oswego County (12 points, 154 1/8 inches); Bob Knapp, Onondaga County (11 points, 153 7/8 inches); and Nicholas Koldoziejczyk, Onondaga County (10 points, 146 inches).

- Muzzleloader (typical): Keith Schlegel, Cayuga County (13 points, 145 5/8 inches)

-For more information and pictures, go to the NYS Big Buck Club website.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog