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Giant Whitetails of the 2011 Illinois Deer Classic

By Justin ZarrMarch 28, 20111 Comment

LAST UPDATED: May 8th, 2015

With the “show season” in full swing it seems like just about every weekend from now until the fall there’s a deer show being held somewhere. From coast to coast there’s no doubt that deer hunters love to get together, check out some new products, enjoy a few tasty beverages and look at BIG whitetails! This past weekend the Illinois Deer & Turkey Expo, commonly referred to as the “Deer Classic”, was held in Peoria, IL and I was there working in the Bowhunting.com booth. For those of you who stopped by and said hello or purchased a hat or DVD from us – THANK YOU! It’s great talking to fellow bowhunters who share our passion for being in the woods.

For me personally, the highlight of the show is always the vast number of HUGE whitetails on display. Every year I am simply amazed at the sheer number of world class whitetails that are harvested here in my home state. I just hope that some day one of them will have my name next to it! And what’s even more amazing is that these deer represent only a small fraction of the giants taken here in the Land of Lincoln each fall. Illinois may have high taxes and be short on jobs right now, but one thing we’re not short on is trophy bucks – that’s for sure! 

Below are a few of the trophies that really caught my eye this weekend. If you happened to be at the show and snapped photos of any bucks that I missed, feel free to post them on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bowhunting. For those of you who will be in Madison, Wisconsin this weekend please stop by and say hello to us. We’d love to meet you!

Now that my friends, is a bunch of bone!

 

For me, this was the coolest buck of the show.  The new IL State Record 8 point buck which scored 173 inches.  Now THAT is impressive!  Even more impressive, is that it came from the same county where I live.  Why don’t I ever see deer like that??

 

One of my favorite mounts of the show.  I really like those wall pedestal mounts – especially when they have 190 inches of antler attached to them.

 

A couple of true Illinois brutes.

 

You certainly don’t see brow tines like those every day.

 

A great looking mount for a great buck.

 

Another one of my favorites – this deer was an absolute HOG.  The taxidermist did a great job replicating his “Roman” nose.  This deer had a mane too!

 

Another 170 inch 8 point.  Incredible!

 

One of this year’s main attractions – “Shag Nasty” scores over 237 inches!  Truly a remarkable animal.

 

Possibly the coolest pedestal mount I’ve ever seen – the pedestal is made from shed antlers found on the farm where this buck was harvested.  How cool is that??

Justin Zarr
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General Manager at Bowhunting.com
Justin has been bowhunting for more than 30 years and co-hosting the popular bowhunting show Bowhunt or Die since 2010.  He lives in the NW suburbs of Chicago with his wife, 3 children, and semi-smelly dog.
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