Justin Wigley of Huntington has shot some really nice bucks over the years, but none to compare to the bruiser of a whitetail that came calling on the afternoon of Nov. 3. It was the bewitching hour — roughly 20 minutes before sunset. The buck stepped out in an opening in the company of four does about 80 yards of Wigley’s box blind situated deep in the heart of his 1,200acre lease in Angelina County.
Wigley, 47, said he didn’t have to think twice about lining up the buck in the crosshairs. Pulling the trigger was easy.
“He got by me the day before, so I didn’t waste any time when I got a second chance,” Wigley said. “When you saw him, you definitely knew what your were looking at. There was no mistaking that buck.”
What made the buck so distinguishable was the enormous crown on its head. It’s one of those incredible animals that somehow managed to grow a bizarre set of antlers that look like something straight out of a fairy tale book. Wigley and is son, Matt, sometimes called him “Ol’Freak.”
Nearly two months have passed since Wigley brought down the giant 23 pointer. He still gets charged up thinking about it.
“I’ve hunted my whole life and shot some good quality deer,” he said. “Every time you kill a good buck you wonder if it’ll wind up being the best you’ll ever shoot. This is definitely my buck of a lifetime. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
Not many hunters have. A main frame 10 pointer, the Wigley buck sported 13 additional abnormal points at least one inch in length. Its main beams look to be thicker than baseball bats in places with gobs of webbing and palmation leading upwards to a maze of gnarly tines that go in odd directions.
What makes the non-typical deer even more impressive is the fact it was taken on open range. There were no high fences involved. No breeding programs. Just Mother Nature and a whacked out mix of DNA that somehow blended to create a tremendous mass of chocolate-colored bone that might give some scorers fits.
Wigley contacted Micah Poteet earlyonabouttapingthebuck.
Poteet is a retired Texas Parks Wildlife Department wildlife biologist who is also certified as an official scorer
Happy holidays and hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas! We took off three days to celebrate Christmas and had all my kids and grandkids at the house to help celebrate the day.
Mother Nature figured we needed a Saturday off also as we received some much-appreciated rainfall and cancelled our weekend trips.
On Monday and Friday, we had both boats on the lake and fished with some of our long-term customers and their family members. for the Boone and Crockett Club and the Texas Big Game Awards Program. TBGA is run jointly by the Texas Wildlife Association and TPWD.
Poteet said he could tell by looking at photographs of the deer that it would take some time to measure accurately.
“Typical antlers are generally pretty easy, but some of those crazy non-typicals can be more complicated,” Poteet said. “There are always some judgement calls to make.”
Poteet takes his scoring seriously and wanted to make sure he got this one right. He asked two other official B&C scorers and fellow wildlife biologists — Rusty Wood and Randall Kroll — to assist with the scoring process.
On Dec. 18, the three men met Wigley at TPWD’s Alazan Wildlife Management Area headquarters. There, they spent the better part of three hours evaluating what is sure to be one of the most bizarre sets of antlers either has ever measured.
“They were wild looking — definitely craziest deer I’ve ever scored,” Poteet said.
The biologists used green and red masking tape to differentiate between typical and non-typical tines. They used green tape to mark normal growth, red for abnormal growth. Poteet said the rack looked like a Christmas tree minus the twinkling lights once they were done.
A Buck For the Ages
B&C gross scores give credit for the total inches of antler a deer grows. Net scores account for deductions for lack of symmetry between the two antlers.
The Wigley buck is a true whopper in every respect.
With a gross “green” score of 211 and a net tally of 203 1/8, it may be the highest scoring non-typical ever shot in Angelina County. It is sure to be among the top Pineywoods bucks turned in to (See pics) We stayed on the main lake and avoided the long boat ride up to the normal spots on the Richland Creek Arm that we catfish. We still had good luck and filled the ice chests with channel and blue cats! The mild weather coupled with a brisk South Wind made it feel more like Spring than Winter. Seems that you can find and catch Catfish just about any location on Richland Chambers!
We continue to use Mr. Whiskers Cheese Punch TBGA this season and one of the best reported statewide.
“Green” scores are tallied before antlers are dry for 60 days. Wigley said he placed the antlers in a freezer soon after he shot the buck. The antlers were removed from the freezer on Nov. 23, so they were not considered fully dry during the recent scoring.
B&C requires antlers to dry to allow for shrinkage before scores are considered for entry to the B&C all-time record book. Wigley said Poteet will reevaluate the antlers towards the end of January.
Any shrinkage won’t hurt the official net score much. The buck is a shooin to make the 195 inch minimum score required of B&C non-typical book deer. Amazingly, the deer was aged at only 4 1/2 years old.
Wigley said he was pleasantly surprised with the tally.
“I knew he would be up there, but I had no idea he would bust 200 inches,” he said. “That’s pretty awesome.”
It takes a bounty of bone to run up such a total, and the Wigley buck had plenty stacked on its thick main beams of 18 3/8 and 20 inches. The buck grew around 65 inches in mass measurements and had nearly 38 inches of abnormal growth. Bait ( www.whiskerseeker. com ) on a #4 Treble Hook and catch most of our fish on or near the bottom. A key is to fish the wind-blown points or coves and locate the depth the fish are in. The wind pushes the bait into the area and the Catfish follow the bait. We also “Chum the Area” with a little bit of fermented grain and range cubes. you normally know within 15 to 20 minutes if the Catfish are in the area.
While we may fish a little for White Bass in the next Interestingly, the inside spread was a mere 14 6/8 inches.
Making the Rounds
Wigley wasn’t the only hunter who was aware the big buck was in the area, but he certainly considers himself the luckiest.
Several game camera photos and video clips have surfaced since he shot the deer, some from club members and a few from hunters on adjacent leases.
Wigley’s son actually had the buck in bow range in October 2023. He elected not to shoot because one of its antlers was snapped off about six inches from the base.
“We know now there were quite a few hunters after that deer,” Wigley said. “It was neat be the one to kill him, but it’s also kind of bitter sweet because there are a bunch of other disappointed hunters out there. It’s just one of those deals. You can be good at hunting, but in the end it still comes down to luck. You’ve got to be in the right spot at the right time.”
Wigley’s timing was right on the money.
Matt Williams is a freelance writer based in Nacogdoches, mattwillwrite4u@ yahoo.com.
few weeks, our primary target will continue to be Catfish until about mid-March when the Whites and Hybrid Stripers will be much easier to find and catch. If you’re interested in having some FUN and stocking the freezer with Catfish Filets, give us a call and Let’s Go Fishin’! We have plenty of January and February openings.
Royce & Adam Simmons Gone Fishin’ Guide Service www.gonefishin.biz 903-389-4117
