Photo courtesy of the Boone and Crockett Club
November 26, 2025
When it comes to bragging rights for which portion of the United States produces the largest, most legendary bucks, the winner by far is the Midwest. Topping the charts for entries into the famed Boone & Crockett Club record books, it is easy to see why hunters flock to the Midwest every fall in search of their own personal trophy. The states that make up this hotspot of typical whitetail giants are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Surrounded by crops that provide a seemingly endless buffet of corn, soybeans and winter wheat, these bucks grow to be stocky, muscular record breakers, eluding hunters season after season. Here, we count down the top ten largest typical whitetail deer that make up the United States Midwest.
No. 10: Wayne G. Stewart – Minnesota - 201 Photo courtesy of the Boone and Crockett Club As is typical with farm kids growing up, free time was limited to when schooling, chores and work on the farm were complete. Unsurprisingly, this was also the case with number 10 on our list, Wayne G. Stewart of Minnesota. At 15 years old, Stewart was taking advantage of some well-earned free time during the fall of 1961 when a well-placed shot took down the largest buck that Wayne had ever set eyes on. The thrill of the hunt was soon dampened when the enormous rack was stolen while awaiting mounting at the local taxidermist and would not resurface for another 35 years! Eventually, with a little detective work and a persuasive letter drawn up by his lawyer, Wayne’s trophy buck was returned to him, later to be scored at 201 and promptly entered into the Boone and Crockett record books.
No. 9: Bradley S. Jerman – Ohio – 201 1/8 Photo courtesy of the Boone and Crockett Club Topping the record charts in 2004 was Ohio native Bradley Jerman's 10-pointer, which measured in at 201 1/8. Sometimes, the deer you have your eyes on is so close, but it seems so far away. Initially seen over 100 yards away, Jerman’s target buck seemingly disappeared into the night, only to resurface again under the cover of darkness. A few cleverly timed grunts kept the old buck interested in defending his territory against what he thought was another buck. Once it was daylight, Jerman was surprised to find his buck chasing after a couple of does only 25 yards away. At a distance of under 20 yards, the buck was shot, and eventually found down approximately 25 yards away.
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No. 8: Wayne A. Bills – Iowa – 201 ½ Photo courtesy of the Boone and Crockett Club Beginner’s luck doesn’t get any better than that experienced by new deer hunter Wayne Bills. The year was 1974, and deer season was in full swing in the great state of Iowa, notorious for producing some of the biggest whitetails in the Midwest. Shot after shot rang out not too far from where Bills was hunting. Taking this as a signal that a deer was successfully evading hunters it had ran past, he kept a keen eye out for signs of life. It wasn’t long before a single shot rang out from his shotgun. After things had settled down, the buck was measured and placed #8 on the largest typical whitetails to be harvested in the Midwest.
No. 7: David Brenigar – Iowa – 202 Photo courtesy of the Boone and Crockett Club Iowa native David Brenigar solidified his position in the record boo ks, breaking the magical 200-inch mark for typical whitetail deer. This beauty of a buck had a massive 6x6 rack with a final score of 202 inches, despite having a 3.5-inch drop tine on the left beam. The quality of this buck only serves as a testament to the prime breeding grounds and bountiful harvest that fuels these record breakers one after another.
No. 6: John A. Breen – Minnesota – 202 Photo courtesy of the Boone and Crockett Club Traveling back in time to the year 1918, we have a very happy deer hunter by the name of John Breen. After taking a trip to the great state of Minnesota, Breen was able to successfully take down a massive whitetail, which scored 202 inches, landing it at #6 in our top 10 largest typical whitetail deer amongst the Midwest. The main beams on this buck were quite impressive, measuring in at 31 inches and 31.25 inches, respectively.
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No. 5: Melvin Johnson – Illinois – 204 ½ Photo courtesy of the Boone and Crockett Club Adding a bit of variety to the mix is #5 on our list, Melvin J. Johnson. The year was 1965, and Johnson took to the woods with his recurve bow and determination not to leave the woods until his tag was filled. Assessing the conditions and past movement patterns of deer in his area, he opted to build a simple, impromptu ground blind. His hard work and patience paid off, as his target buck eventually emerged from across the soybean field, slowly meandering towards him. It was only a matter of time before an arrow was launched from Johnson’s recurve bow, resulting in a perfect double-lung shot.
No. 4: Larry W. Gibson – Missouri - 205 Photo courtesy of the Boone and Crockett Club There is something special about each rack that calls the Boone and Crockett Club records books home. Some of these unique qualities are a wide inside spread, massive mass or beam length, a high number of clean points, or a combination of any number of these features. What makes Gibson's monster Missouri buck special is the impressive length of its tines, with one tine measuring over 14 inches on its 6 x 6 rack. In addition, the G5 tines on this buck’s rack measured 5 inches in length on the left and 6.25 inches on the right, even further solidifying it in the record books.
No. 3: Dustin Huff – Indiana – 205 ¾ Photo courtesy of the Boone and Crockett Club Go big or go home was the goal of Indiana native Dustin Huff. Setting out to surpass his personal best of a buck scoring 134 inches, Huff set off into the woods on his family’s 185-acre hog farm. During that magical time when last light is coming to a close and the sun begins to dip below the horizon, he noticed something moving near the creek bottom less than 100 yards away. Unaware of his presence, this massive buck slowly made its way to where Huff was patiently awaiting with his crossbow. Managing to keep buck fever at bay, the deer was approximately 40 yards away when it was met with the business end of a broadhead and was dropped in its tracks. To this day, the “Huff Buck” remains at the top of Indiana’s record charts, and #3 in Boone and Crockett’s record book for largest typical whitetails in the Midwest.
No. 2: James Jordan – Wisconsin – 206 1/8 Photo courtesy of the Boone and Crockett Club Back in the fall of 1914, avid hunter James Jordan set out to fill his freezer. While he did accomplish his goal, he also secured his own spot amongst the greats in Boone and Crockett Club’s record books. The massive 5 x 5 typical scored 206 1/8, which held the world’s top-scoring typical for a total of 79 years. Another interesting fact regarding this buck is the firearm and cartridge that were used to harvest it. On this unforgettable hunt, Jordan had used his beloved Winchester Model 1982, which was chambered in .25-20 WCF, a cartridge that many would consider underpowered given the more modern, current-day offerings available.
No. 1: Sam D. Aiuppa, Sr. – Illinois – 207 7/8 Photo courtesy of the Boone and Crockett Club No one expects to down a monster buck that will land them a place in the record books, as was the case with our #1 spot for the largest typical whitetail. Aiuppa had spent the better part of the day hunting birds with his shotgun when he decided to swap out his birdshot for a slug and hunt deer while there was still a little bit of daylight remaining. It wasn’t even an hour later when this unlucky buck wandered under Aiuppa’s stand. A shot rang out from the hunter’s trusty Remington 870, and the deer dropped like a sack of potatoes. The impressive rack soon became his personal best, which he mounted to a plaque and placed in his basement. Fast forward, and the unscored rack was rediscovered while electrical work was being completed in his basement, and with the persuasion of his contractor, the rack was finally scored by B&C officials. It wasn't much later, and Aiuppa found himself at the top of the leader board with the largest typical Midwest whitetail.
