The James Jordan Buck is the 2nd highest scoring typical

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

ever harvested by a hunter in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

(only behind the Huff buck) and the third-highest scoring in the world. James (Jim) Jordan was a 22-year-old hunter from

Burnett County, Wisconsin Burnett County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,526. Its county seat is Siren, with the majority of county governmental services located at the Burnett County Government Center. T ...

when he shot the record buck on November 20, 1914. The Jordan Buck measures 206 1/8 net typical points under the

Boone and Crockett Club The Boone and Crockett Club is an American nonprofit organization that advocates fair chase hunting in support of habitat conservation. The club is North America's oldest wildlife and habitat conservation organization, founded in the United Stat ...

scoring system.

History

Jim Jordan was hunting with his friend Engus Davis in Danbury, Wisconsin on November 20, 1914. A recent snowfall allowed the men to follow a fresh set of tracks, which ultimately led to the world-record buck. Jim shot the buck with his

.25-20 Winchester The .25-20 Winchester, or WCF (Winchester center fire), was developed around 1895 for the Winchester Model 1892 lever action rifle. It was based on necking down the .32-20 Winchester. In the early 20th century, it was a popular small game and ...

rifle and later recovered the deer in the middle of the Yellow River. A bizarre chain of events followed the buck after it was left in the hands of local

taxidermist Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body via mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the proce ...

, George VanCastle. After several months of waiting to get the mount back, Jim travelled to George’s house in

Hinckley, Minnesota Hinckley is a city in Pine County, Minnesota, United States, located at the junction of Interstate 35 and Minnesota State Highway 48. The population was 1,800 at the 2010 census. Hinckley's name in the Ojibwe language is ''Gaa-zhiigwanaabikoka ...

only to find out he had moved. However, unbeknownst to Jim, the mount was still in the attic of George’s house. In 1958, the original Jordan Buck mount showed up at a

rummage sale A jumble sale (UK), bring and buy sale (Australia) or rummage sale (U.S and Canada) is an event at which second hand goods are sold, usually by an institution such as a local Boys' Brigade Company, Scout group, Girlguiding group or church, ...

Sandstone, Minnesota Sandstone is a town in Pine County, Minnesota, United States, along the Kettle River. The population was 2,849 at the 2010 census. Interstate 35 and Minnesota State Highways 18 and 23 are three of the main routes in the community. Banning S ...

. They were purchased by Bob Ludwig. In 1971, the Jordan Buck was sent to Pennsylvania to be officially scored by a Boone & Crockett judges’ panel. The deer was declared a new world record with a final net typical score of 206 1/8 points. It wasn't until 1978 that James Jordan was finally declared the hunter and Danbury, Wisconsin as the location of the kill. Unfortunately, James Jordan died two months prior to the decision by the Boone & Crockett Club. The Jordan Buck was the world record typical white-tailed deer for close to 80 years. It was eclipsed for the top world spot in 1993 by a buck taken by Milo Hanson in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. After 100 years, the Jordan Buck remains the highest-scoring typical whitetail ever taken in the United States. The Jordan Buck is one of the most famous bucks in the world due to its enormous set of antlers and bizarre history. The Jordan Buck was part of the original Legendary Whitetails collection owned by Larry Huffman. The original set of antlers were purchased with Huffman's entire collection of Legendary Whitetails by

Bass Pro Shops BPS Direct, L.L.C, doing business as Bass Pro Shops, is an American privately held retailer which specializes in hunting, fishing, camping, and other related outdoor recreation merchandise. With headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, Bass Pr ...

in 2002. The mount now hangs with the King of Bucks Collection in the

American National Fish and Wildlife Museum The Johnny Morris Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium, also known as simply Wonders of Wildlife is a not-for-profit educational conservation-themed attraction in Springfield, Missouri. It is located adjacent to the Bass Pro Shops Nat ...

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

. Replica mounts of the Jordan Buck exist in several locations throughout the country, including Crex Meadows State Wildlife Area, Legendary Whitetails,

Cabela’s Cabela's Inc. is an American retailer that specializes in hunting, fishing, boating, camping, shooting and other outdoor recreation merchandise. The chain is based in Sidney, Nebraska. Cabela's was founded by Richard N. Cabela in 1961. Cabela' ...

and Bass Pro Shops.

External links

Legendary WhitetailsJordan Buck TimelineJordan Buck Turns 100

References

{{reflist 1914 animal deaths Deer hunting Hunting records Individual deer Hunting White-tailed deer

History

See also

External links

References