Nebraskaland

50 Nebraskaland • November 2020 MIXED BAG NEBRASKA'S BUCKS & BULLS By Eric Fowler If you hunt big game, you can appreciate a trophy buck or bull. To go with each is a story: was it effort, good fortune or a mix of both that led to the harvest? If you like that type of story, you will want to read Nebraska's Bucks & Bulls: The Greatest Stories of Hunting Whitetail, Mule Deer, and Elk in the Cornhusker State. Released in September by the University of Nebraska Press, the book by Joel Helmer of Seward tells the stories behind 68 of the top trophy white-tailed and mule deer and elk harvested in Nebraska since the modern era of big game hunting began in 1945. There is a story from that first deer season, and the details behind 24 current and former state records and one former world record. With each story there is a photo. Helmer didn't have to dig too deep to find the information for one of the stories he tells. He was there in 2016 when his daughter, Hannah, then just 14 years old, harvested what is now the state-record 426 7/8-inch non-typical elk in the Pine Ridge in northwestern Sioux County. That trophy inspired him to write the book. The stories run the gamut, from first-time hunters who lucked into a trophy some will never see in the wild to seasoned veterans who spotted their buck or bull while scouting, or through a kitchen window, and never gave up hope of getting into gun or bow range when the season arrived. Helmer also tells us about the hunters, their background, experience and other things he gleaned mostly from in-person interviews with the hunter or, in the case of decades-old trophies, their surviving family members. And he weaves in some geography and natural and cultural history to add another layer of depth to the stories. For a few trophies now in the hands of collectors, the hunter and their story is unknown, and Helmer relied only on what he could glean from the Boone & Crockett Club and Pope & Young Club score sheets. As an official scorer for both clubs, Helmer knows what separates many of these trophies from the rest, and includes those scoring highlights, as well as where the animal ranks in the state and national record books. Randy Stutheit, who curates the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's Big Game Trophy Records Program, wrote the forward for the book. The records program began in 1962 and includes 3,986 whitetails, 2,196 mulies, 177 elk, 190 pronghorn and 8 bighorn sheep that meet the minimum scoring requirements. By comparison, more than 2 million deer and 2,700 elk have been harvested in the state. Stutheit appreciates the stories, especially those of the early trophies. "The stories told by the hunters present a fascinating history of deer and elk hunting through those decades," he wrote. Entertaining and informative, this collection of stories will serve as an important chapter in the larger story of big game hunting in Nebraska and preserve the stories for generations to come. It is available from the University of Nebraska Press online at Nebraskapress.unl.edu/ bison-books and at other retailers. The story behind Mike Lutt's hunt in Sioux County in 2014 that led him to this 232 2/8 non-typical mule deer is included in Nebraska's Bucks and Bulls.

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