Some record shed-finds are the only physical evidence of the 
animals they came from. The animals themselves were never reported seen by human eyes. Even when they were found by farmers who, for all their lives, had lived on and worked the ground that grew them.
In Minnesota, a farmer photographed a non-typical whitetail buck at bulk feeders he set out for winter wildlife.It left its sheds as payment one winter. They scored 334 0/8B&C points.
An Iowa farmer checked a wintry hayfield behind his barn. In the process, he discovered a set of typical whitetail sheds scoring 207 1/8 Boone & Crockett points.
Currently, the B&C’s top typical-rack from Saskatchewan, Canada is the Hanson buck scored at 213 1/8 points. The top B&C non-typical rack (from Missouri) scores 333 7/8 points. The “Iowa Phantom’s” sheds score second only to the Hanson buck. They outscored the top B&C typical head, prior to the Hanson buck, at the time they were found. The “Minnesota Monarch’s” sheds outscore their B&C counterpart from Missouri.
Jeff LeBaron (Cedar, Minnesota), nationally published outdoorwriter, became aware of these two latter deer sheds whileworking various winter sport shows. He began networkingthrough similar contacts met while traveling the winter sportsshow network to locate similar relics.
In December 1991, he founded the North American Shed HuntersClub & Shed Antler Record Book. Certified scorers for the B&Crecord book score and certify those records submitted forLeBaron’s shed antler record book.
In a recent interview, he outlined a two fold purpose forstarting
the shed antler record book: *First, he wanted to recognize all hunters of record shed antlers around the U.S. and Canada ‑ inclusive of all antleredgame (deer, elk, moose, etc). *Second, this effort encourages young people’s exposure to theoutdoors and the habits of the game whose antlers they seek.
“Take a young person not old enough, make that not mature enough, to qualify for hunting big game with high poweredrifles. Yet, they can get out with their folks, or whoever,and hunt sheds with anybody. The process helps mature aninterest in the outdoors. Ice fishing, deer hunts and the likeusually leave kids at home but not shed hunting!” declaredLeBaron.
Attracting LeBaron to reports similar to the Minnesota Monarch revealed a wide spread interest among certain people huntingshed antlers through winter and into early spring.
Stories of his resulting interviews started showing up innational outdoor publications and the interest spread likewarm butter on hot homemade bread.
Comparing LeBaron’s shed antler records to B&C record shedscasts new light on speculative theories about “Alpha”whitetail bucks. Most record sheds have come from deer usuallynever seen by light of day.
Biologists have alluded to “Phantom Bucks” for years but none were ever able todocument these ghosts until recently. Radio telemetry produces most harddata coming from biologists’ field work today. Since theseAlpha bucks rarely reveal themselves, it is not hard tovisualize the enormous difficulties involved in trapping themsuccessfully for radio collar fittings.
LeBaron’s shed antler records have fueled added interest inthe “Phantom Buck” theory.
Good Places to hunt sheds? Try undeveloped urban areas nearresidential dwellings. The proximity to housing discouragesdeer hunting. Yet, it allows bucks to live long lives with anopportunity to grow large racks. Residents usually neversuspect their presence.
A famous example is the world record non‑typical whitetail buckfound in St. Louis County November 15, 1981 by Dave Beckmanand Michael Helland. It lay dying (apparently from natural causes)on St. Louis’ outskirts near a chain link fence when discovered.
Despite its demise in a densely populated residential area coupled withwidespread publicity about its demise, no one ever came forth that reportedsighting that tremendous animal when alive.
The mounted head is now on display at the MDC Runge NatureCenter in Jefferson City, Missouri – Missouri’s state capitol.It scored 333 7/8 B&C points and ranks as theBoone&Crockett world record non‑typical. It would havescored much higher but for broken tines underneath bothsides of its rack.
LeBaron cautioned shed-hunters to respect landowner trespassrights. “Shed-hunters submitting antlers for record scoringmust sign a form that they acquired their antler-sheds legally. Withconsiderable value attached to a set of record antlers today,hunting sheds on property without permission could reachsensitive levels in a civil court. Any controversy surfacingabout a shed-antler record could subject that record todisqualification besides resulting in criminal charges,” heconcluded.