Is This Rumored 300-inch Ohio Buck the Next Pope and Young No. 2?

A bowhunter from Ohio may have bagged the second largest non-typical whitetail buck since the Pope and Young Club started keeping records. The massive deer was harvested by Dan Coffman of The Break TV near Junction City last month. Additional details have yet to surface, but it is rumored that the buck scores just over 300 inches gross and approximately 286 inches net. If those measurements are accurate, then Coffman’s buck could have a shot at becoming number 2 on Pope and Young’s top 10 list for all time non-typical deer harvested by a bow and arrow. Pope and Young’s current world record non-typical is a buck harvested by Michael Beatty in Greene County, Ohio in 2000. That deer measured 294 inches net.

“Congratulations to The Break Team Hunter, Dan Coffman, on his world class whitetail!!! Yes, it is 100% free range,” wrote The Break TV on Facebook.

A few images of the buck have been released online and the startling size of the deer’s rack have drawn skepticism over the deer’s origins. Currently, the hunter and his supporters claim that the deer is a free range wild deer, harvested legally, and a picture uploaded by Coffman showing him posing with the deer alongside wildlife officer Tony Zerkle seems to have silenced any doubts.

Understandably, hunters are wary when someone on the internet claims they bagged a record deer, especially with the number of recent hoaxes. In September, a hunter in South Carolina caused an uproar after he allegedly attached shed antlers to recently harvested buck and tried to pass it off as a state record. The deer was quickly investigated by state officials and found to be a fake. To make matters worse, officials discovered that the deer was also illegally taken, and the hunter now faces a number of charges that could lead to expensive fines and other penalties.

A legitimate trophy deer on the other hand, is cause for celebration.

“Congratulations to Ohio hunter Dan Coffman on successfully harvesting this world class whitetail!” wrote Your Wild Ohio – Hunter on Facebook. “Wildlife Officer Tony Zerkle was impressed with Coffman’s preparation even before season. When Coffman realized he may have an opportunity to harvest the deer, he contacted Zerkle in the months leading up to the season. He advised him of the potential harvest and most importantly he contacted the neighboring landowners and built trust so he may be able to retrieve the deer if needed. That preparation paid off when he got permission to retrieve the deer from a neighboring property. Congrats again, Dan!”

OutdoorHub will keep you updated on this story as more details emerge.

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