Typical buck may establish new crossbow record [Photo]

Allegan, Mich. — A typical 10-point white-tailed buck taken here could be a new state record for crossbows.

Allegan County resident Trent Smith shot the potential state record typical crossbow buck on Oct. 22 in Allegan County. The buck’s 10-point rack had a net score of 1737⁄8 when scored by a Commemorative Bucks of Michigan measurer.

The previous state record typical among crossbow kills, according to CBM, was another 10-pointer that scored 170 and was killed in Wayne County  in  2015.

All potential state record racks have to be panel measured by three CBM scorers to determine the official score. The final score of the Smith Buck may be different than the original after it is panel measured, but not by much.

Smith said he doesn’t use trail cameras but he had seen the big buck during each of the two previous years. Each time it was too far away for a shot.

“I saw what I think is the same buck that I eventually got on opening day of the 2014 gun season,” Smith said. “He was 160 yards away, running away from me. I also saw him on opening day of the 2015 gun season and the last day. He was always 150 yards (away) or farther. Before the 2015 gun season, I saw him run across a field.

“I knew he was in the area, but there are a lot of good hiding spots around here,” he said.

After having shoulder problems and dropping out of bowhunting for a few years, Smith bought a crossbow and had taken a number of other deer with it before last fall. The biggest buck he had taken with a crossbow before last fall was an 8-pointer.

Smith was hunting from a treestand on an island of high ground that was mostly surrounded by thick cover when he got the potential record buck. He had seen a lot of buck sign in the area. Smith saw the 10-pointer at 8 a.m. about 80 yards away. The whitetail was headed for the swamp around the island of high ground.

“He came back out of the swamp about 20 minutes later and came toward me,” Smith said. “When he was 30 yards away, I shot him, and he didn’t go too far.”

The buck had a dressed weight of 230 pounds and was aged at 5½ years old. Smith wasn’t hunting over bait.