For some reason, the stories of high-ranking whitetails often involve bizarre circumstances. The story of the Jordan Buck is no exception. In fact, it could be argued that this is the strangest whitetail story of all.
Even a century after the Jordan buck's demise, this stunning 5x5 ranks No. 2 on B&C's all-time list of typicals. With a net score of 206 1/8, he held the official world record from when he was panel-scored in 1966 until Milo Hanson's buck shot in 1993 was ruled No. 1 by B&C in 1995. In effect, the Jordan buck was the world's top-scoring typical for 79 years.
In the fall of 1914, James "Jim" Jordan was a wiry 22-year-old with a deep love of the outdoors. Descended from one of the first non-native families to homestead in the area, he'd grown up near the logging town of Hinckley, Minnesota, but from there Jim and his bride, Lena, had recently moved a few miles east to Danbury, just across the Wisconsin line.
When Jim got his iron sights on the giant, he shot . . . and shot . . . and shot. He felt at least one round hit solidly, but the massive buck kept following the does.
Jim dug around in his pockets and found one more round. Then he anxiously began following the oversized tracks. He found a bit of blood and occasionally caught glimpses of the buck ahead. But he didn't dare chance a shot just yet. He knew he had to make this last one count. . . . and the giant fell.
After tagging this giant buck, jim wanted to get a mount. And this is where the wild ride begins.
In nearby Webster lived part-time taxidermist George Van Castle, who agreed to mount the deer for $5 (about $120 today). The antlers and short cape were delivered, and the hunter awaited completion of his trophy.
But soon after Jim handed off the deer, George's wife died. The taxidermist moved to Hinckley, Minnesota, 30 miles from Danbury. When Jim learned of this, he wasn't too worried. But after many months with no word from George, Jim traveled to Hinckley to see what the holdup was. That's when he learned George had moved again - this time to Florida. And he'd left no forwarding address.
Leap ahead right at a half-century, to 1964. Jim was 72 and still in the area. And yes, he still lamented his loss. He'd told his sad story many times.
n 1958, Bob Ludwig was at a rummage sale in Sandstone, Minnesota, 10 miles north of Hinckley, when he spied an old neck mount. It was in bad shape, but that couldn't obscure the tall, wide, heavy and balanced 10-point rack. A deer hunter himself, Bob felt it was worth having, so he and the owner struck a deal: $3.
Nothing much happened with the deer for five more years. Then Bob read an article detailing the B&C system. He decided to try his hand at scoring the "antique" buck - and came up with a net of 205. That was 3 inches more than the Breen buck, which had become No. 1 in 1960.
Bob reached out to a B&C measurer in the Twin Cities, with this news. They agreed to meet, but for some reason that meeting never took place. Then, against all odds, a year later the scorer was driving through the area when he recognized Bob's name on a rural mailbox. Sure enough, it was the man with the old antlers. In short order Bernard put a tape to the rack, coming up with 206 5/8 net.
Bob shipped the antlers to B&C for panel-scoring, and on Feb. 28, 1966, at Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, George Church signed off on the panel's score of 206 1/8. There was a new No. 1 typical: the "Sandstone" buck.
Jim's claim initially seemed crazy to Bob. Sure, he'd heard his uncle tell of that lost buck - but how could this possibly be the same deer? Upon investigation, Bob learned the mount had come from the attic of an old house in Hinckley: the same one George Van Castle had lived in briefly before heading to Florida. And the "killed in 1914" written on the back of the discarded mount was a match to Jim's 50-year-old story.
Behind the scenes, the wheels were slowly turning. Those involved with the deer were pleading Jim's case with B&C. They believed the "Sandstone" buck was his long-lost trophy and that he and Wisconsin should get the credit.
In December 1978, B&C finally agreed. The deer was to be listed as the James Jordan buck from Burnett County, Wisconsin, in 1981's 8th edition of Records of North American Big Game. Jim's dream at last had come true. But it was a hollow victory. Because just two months prior to B&C's decision, the 86-year-old hunter had passed away.
Most deer tales end with a happy hunter kneeling beside the kill. But in a way, that's the point at which the real hunt for the Jordan buck begins.
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