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Hi Mike: My wife, Lyla, harvested this buck with her muzzleloader near Osceola, Iowa on December 22, 2016 at 3:30 pm. The deer known as “The Freak” has 26 scorable points, an inside spread of nearly 24 inches and main beams 27 inches plus. He was 6 1/2 years old.

The Freak lived most of his life on a 4,300-acre farm located 10 miles south of our farm and managed by Steve Snow. Every year in mid-October the deer would come back to our farm, except for 2016, when our first picture of him was on Nov. 2.

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The Freak remained in velvet last year, we believe, because he was wounded by a neighboring bowhunter the previous year.

This is a great story on how we put all the pieces together on this buck’s life, until Lyla harvested him. We have not had the buck scored, but estimates from Steve Snow and others are that he is in the 240-inch range or more. Could he be the largest free-ranging buck ever taken by a female muzzleloader hunter in Iowa?

We watch your TV show religiously and thought that this was an intriguing story like the ones you often tell. Thank you, Dave and Lyla Nennig

Thanks Dave, great story and amazing buck! This could well be the highest green scoring buck ever shot by a lady not only in Iowa, but the entire United States. The largest velvet buck shot by a woman for sure! Way to go Lyla, and thanks for your support.