The Largest Whitetail Deer Ever Caught in Maryland

Maryland has a rich and longstanding history of successful hunting. Each year, countless hunters make the trek out into the wilderness. All of them are filled with the hope of catching a deer of their very own. As far as success goes, hunting is extremely unpredictable. Some days you may go home with nothing to show for your time. Other days you may come home with the biggest buck of the year! Unpredictability is part of the game with hunting and makes the amazing catches even more awe-inspiring. 

Largest Whitetail Deer Caught in Maryland

According to Maryland’s state game records, the largest whitetail deer caught was a typical deer, earning a field score of 194! Typical deer constitute a category of bucks that are judged in a certain way to produce a field score. In general, field scores between 69 and 169 are considered to be average, so a score of 194 is nothing to scoff at! 

To illustrate, the scoring of a deer is a complex process that uses multiple traits including main antler bean length, symmetry, and length of points, among other things.

The hunter who caught the buck was a 26-year-old Maryland native farmer named Kevin Miller. He got the deer from a hunting stand he had lovingly named “the hotel.” Furthermore, his stand was just 30 yards away from an alfalfa field. Kevin caught the deer only a few hours into the first hunting day of the season! His record is a testament to the unpredictability of hunting! 

As you can probably guess, the deer was astonishingly developed, with large measurements that were staggering when compared to other deer. The catch broke a 63-year long standing record, for both the state and East Coast Boone and Crockett history! 

Deer Lifespan and Size 

One interesting thing to note about the deer that Kevin Miller caught is its size. For a deer to grow so big and magnificent, it has to be fairly old. In the wild, most deer live between 3-6 years old. During this time, they spend most of their lives searching for food, finding mates, and for males, developing antlers. 

Every year, male deer shed and grow their antlers for the mating season. The process of creating brand-new antlers every year requires a lot of energy and power, which is usually seen in older, dominant deer. Males who can gather the most resources to survive likely have the most energy to produce antlers. Anyone who bags a deer as big as Kevin Miller’s should be ecstatic, as it means it was a strong male! 

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Tom Reichner/Shutterstock.com