# Mystery of the Northgate Buck



## texasbagman (Oct 1, 2007)

Mystery of the Northgate Buck
What was thought to be an Internet hoax turned out to be a 'big' story
By SHANNON TOMPKINS Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Dec. 24, 2008, 11:59PM

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/6181324.html

Shannon Tompkins Chronicle

The blurry photo and the brief accompanying text that seemed to be on scores of hunting-related Web sites and in hundreds of thousands of e-mails shuttled across Texas and the rest of the nation over the past month or so might as well have been just another Internet hoax.

There seemed no way a buck deer with antlers as large as those had been hit by a vehicle almost within Houston's city limits.

The buck, which was obviously dead or knocked out cold and being held up by an orange strap around its head, looked like something out of a deer hunter's dream - or maybe some secluded nook on an isolated South Texas ranch.

Its antlers were at least 2 feet wide, with each main beam sprouting at least five main tines and, on the right antler, a tremendous drop tine that must have been 8 inches or more. It was a record-book-quality animal.

According to the text sent with the photo, the big - monster, really - buck was hit and killed by a vehicle near Northgate Country Club right off FM 1960 and Kuykendahl, barely outside the northwest boundary of Houston's city limits - not exactly an area known to produce giant-antlered bucks (or any bucks at all) since it's surrounded by homes and businesses.

The veracity of the photo, story and disposition of this tremendous buck were the subject of much speculation on the Web as the photo "went viral."
The photo looked legitimate; landmarks such as trees, buildings and vehicles were visible. And people who knew the area around the country club confirmed that the little islands of forest in the urbanized area and along nearby Cypress Creek held a few deer that had somehow survived being surrounded by urbanization.

But no one claimed to know the real story or could answer the most often asked question: What happened to the buck and his antlers?

William Skeen was determined to learn the truth.

Skeen is a deer hunter, and a serious one. And he, like an untold number of hunters, had his inbox stuffed with forwards of the buck's photo and saw it on hunting-related Web pages.

Stay off the road

"It was a really unique animal - very impressive. It was not the kind of deer you'd expect to see coming out of Harris County," Skeen said.
But his interest in its fate went beyond mere hunter's curiosity. He had a professional interest.

Skeen is a lieutenant with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's law enforcement division - a game warden.

If the deer had been hit and killed by a vehicle, whoever took the deer had violated state law.

Under Texas law, roadways (including the road right-of-way) are closed to taking of all wildlife resources. The law is primarily aimed at poachers and others who intentionally take wildlife resources from roadways. But it also applies to wildlife accidentally hit and killed by motor vehicles.

A deer or any other wildlife hit and killed by a vehicle can't be legally possessed. And that applies to all parts of the animal.

"You can't use a tag off your hunting license on a road-killed deer, and you can't just take it or any part of it, including the antlers," Skeen said."

Plot thickens

Also, the Northgate Buck was of interest to law enforcement because of its potential to make a considerable amount of money for whomever possessed it.

Antlers of deer legally taken and possessed in Texas can be bought and sold. And antlers the size and configuration of those of the Northgate Buck could be worth thousands to a collector.

Of course, the Northgate Buck's antlers couldn't be legally sold, as it hadn't been legally acquired.

Through determined investigation, Skeen eventually found the man who retrieved the buck. He was a maintenance worker at the nearby country club who was on the scene when the buck was hit by a car.

"We never have found out who actually hit the deer," Skeen said.

The worker, who spoke no English, eventually admitted to Skeen that he had taken the dead buck.

The antlers?

He had sold them. For $400.

Skeen eventually located the antler purchaser. The man, who at first thought he'd done nothing wrong, eventually surrendered the antlers when convinced they had originally been taken in violation of state law.

The man who had taken the road-killed deer faces a couple of Class C misdemeanor charges - taking a deer from a closed area and illegal sale of white-tailed deer parts, each of which carries a $500 maximum fine.

The antler buyer got off with a warning.

One in a million

"We were not out to crucify anybody, but when there's a clear potential violation of the law, we have to follow it up," Skeen said.

So how big are the antlers on the Northgate Buck ?

Big. Huge. Amazing.

The buck's antlers had an inside spread of 25 7⁄8 inches; it had 10 "scoreable" antler points (including an amazing 9-inch drop tine) on the right antler and six on the left.

Using the standard Boone and Crockett Club scoring measurements, the antlers had a gross B&C score of 188 5⁄8 points.

For most Texas deer hunters, a buck scoring 150 B&C points is the trophy of a lifetime, and some estimates are that only one wild white-tailed buck in a million grows antlers scoring 170 B&C.

Under TPWD's civil restitution program, which can impose a civil fine for the "replacement" cost of illegally taken wildlife resources in addition to any criminal penalties, the Northgate Buck was worth $9,600 to the state of Texas.

The buck was estimated to be 4 1/2 years old.

"It's the biggest buck I've ever heard of or seen from Harris County," Skeen said.

Plans are for the antlers, which are the state's property, to be used for educational purposes and display at TPWD events such as the agency's annual wildlife expo.


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## TooShallow (May 21, 2004)

Wow, a near 190 class buck in Harris County. Makes you wonder what is still out there wandering around in the area.


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## royboy42 (Apr 28, 2007)

I grew up 5 minutes from there and have never seen any "big" bucks in the area. I now live in the Woodlands right off Kuykendahl, still 10 minutes away. I see deer quite often around the woodlands area, but about 95% of the time its does and fawns, yearlings, usually always small deer. There are times where I see deer off Kuykendahl near Louetta and wonder how in the hell they survive living in tiny lil thickets, wondering between houses and businesses. They truely are very intellegent animals and can adapt to darn near any atmosphere. I have seen a few bucks over the years, always at night, but only a couple (over 30 years) looked like solid shooter bucks. Im sure between hunters, illegal hunters, vehicles, and just construction taking their habitat, its nearly impossible for a buck to reach full potential around here. I did see a huge buck off of Branch Crossing in woodlands about 3 weeks ago, but his rack was small, maybe 5-6 pts, but he was a bruiser, had to be 4-5 years old and looked very healthy strength/muscle wise. Anyways, that deer "mystery buck" obviously is a true freak of nature, im more impressed by far with a deer like that surviving that long over there near Northgate 1960 area, than a monster buck out in the country. Must have been one super smart deer!!


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## royboy42 (Apr 28, 2007)

Incredible story by the way, thank you for posting it. Enjoyed reading about something like that right down the street, just proves their out there!!


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## Silverspoon (Jun 1, 2005)

I am not surprised at all that there are 190 class bucks in Harris county. 

I have also learned that an old high school friend is still with TP&W and a lieutenant at that! Although he was more a friend of my brothers at the time, I actually graduated with his older brother. Good job Lt. Skeen!


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## Redfishr (Jul 26, 2004)

Dont surprise me, I've seen 170 plus deer in harris county


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

Fifteen years ago I lived near Louetta and Vets Memorial. Behind the subdivision was a large tract of undeveloped forest, bordered on three sides by the subdivision, Louetta road, and Airline Stuebner. Before a large church complex was built on that property, deer were common in our neighborhood and one of my sometimes tennis partners, a bowhunter, was seen several times during bow season returning home around 9 a.m. and his truck was noted before daylight parked at the edge of the subdivision. Never asked him about it but rumor was he'd arrowed a few deer over the years next to the subdivision. 

During that time I had an eighth floor corner office at Beltway 8 and JFK boulevard. There was a "thicket" of 10-12 acres almost directly under my window to the north. Couldn't see down through it in most places, but there was a tiny clearing almost in the perfect center of it, no more than 1/4 acre and I saw a very large buck there early in the morning on two occassions. I could never guage his antler real well from my vantage, but he was wide and heavy - either a ten or a big eight. That thicket was subsequently cleared for a motel and a fast food restaurant, I think.


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## D.L. (Sep 13, 2007)

I grew up 2 or 3 miles away and worked at Northgate C.C. in high school. We never saw anything like that maybe 130's.


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## Quackerbox (Feb 6, 2006)

I know of another one hit near Stuebner Airline and brightwood that had 5 1/2 inch bases was only 17" wide but managed to score 134 and some change. This deer was found about 1/2 mile thru the woods from the north gate deer.


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## GregM1 (Dec 26, 2008)

Hi folks. I am a photographer and live here in northwest houston. i was taking my girlfriend to work and she spotted a large deer from the road. I dropped her off at work and went back to get some shots if it was still there. here is one. i got a few others also but this was best. From back on june 19th. he was still in velvet. we saw him several other times also. 
My gal and I have been calling him the Juggernaut for the last few months, but the internet has changed that. I just heard about him being dead on the chron.com site. I have been saying the worst part about seeing him out here is he will either be poached or run over, since he was in a no hunting area. 
i saw him from cypresswood dr near kuykendahl in Northwest houston. He lived on the Northgate Forest golf course. Lots of deer there but he was the biggest i have seen out there.


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## CROAKERSOAKER67 (Mar 14, 2006)

*NG BUCK*

BUCK was a residents pet in NG he was part of there POST CARD CLUB. EARLY FALL PICS!


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## CROAKERSOAKER67 (Mar 14, 2006)

*PICS!*

HE EAT WELL!


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## Chase4556 (Aug 26, 2008)

I have seen a buck and two does in the piece of wood right behind where I work. Its a 4 point I belive, but the fact that these woods are all but 100 yards long, and only so thick. I can see through the woods to the other side, its maybe 30 or 40 yards wide...not a big area for deer, but they are there. It is also bordered by a major highway, and I have seen one deer dead on the feeder that was part of their herd. So, there were 4, now only 3 that I know of. Disapointing that these animals get pushed out of their habitat.


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## Solid Action (May 21, 2004)

Wow. I'm doubting the scorer on this one though. He is a heck of a deer and should make upper 170s pretty easy, but not sure about 188.


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## Quackerbox (Feb 6, 2006)

GregM1 said:


> i saw him from cypresswood dr near kuykendahl in Northwest houston. He lived on the Northgate Forest golf course. Lots of deer there but he was the biggest i have seen out there.


Thats a good strecth of land to travel in this part of the county to where he got hit, amazing he hasnt been seen more...I guess he went under the bridge when traveling the creek


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## Slayer-o-Ling (May 21, 2008)

Awesome waste of TXPWD funds. If they only went after the "real" criminlas like they were taking dead deer from the side of the road, we would live in paradise.


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