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That's a little tough to believe
It may not be true. It was third hand info so I can't verify any of it. But that's in the ballpark of what was reported. I hope for the kids sake that it is true because it would pay his way through college and set him up with gear for life, but after hearing the testimony of several of the others here, it sounds like the numbers may not be accurate. I can't say for certain either way.
 
Record-setting 'Lovstuen Buck' sold

Outdoors Almanac: Record-setting 'Lovstuen Buck' sold
Doug Smith, Star Tribune
Published February 15, 2004

Sold: one legend.

The 38-point "Lovstuen Buck" -- the largest whitetail ever killed by a hunter -- has been sold by the Iowa family that bagged it last fall.

The buyer: Johnny Morris, owner of Bass Pro Shops. The record rack will be on display at Morris' flagship store in Springfield, Mo.
The price: unknown. Speculation is that it fetched around $100,000.

The mammoth deer, shot by 15-year-old Tony Lovstuen near his home in Albia, Iowa, sent the hunting world into a tizzy. The 38-point nontypical rack scored 319 and 4/8ths under the Boone and Crockett Club scoring system, making it the No. 3 buck in the world, behind two famous whitetails that were found dead and not killed by hunters.

That means it's the No. 1 whitetail, based on antler measurement, killed by a hunter.

While Bass Pro Shop officials were tight-lipped last week, Christy Lovstuen, mother of Tony, confirmed that the family had sold the rack.

"It will be on display at the Springfield, Mo., store," she said. "It will be nice to have everyone able to go see it forever."
She scoffed at speculation that the rack might be worth millions to the family. "No, not even close," she said.

Christy Lovstuen was in Las Vegas over the weekend attending the SHOT (Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade) Show. A replica of Tony's deer is on display there. The family has made several replicas and retained rights to display them at shows, she said.
Since word of the big buck spread last fall, the family has been swept up in a whirlwind, fielding calls from reporters around the nation. The family gave exclusive rights to photos and their story to North American Whitetail Magazine.

"We had no idea it would be like this," she said. All of the attention has been "mostly good," she said.
Tony was with his dad, Doug Lovstuen, and an uncle when he shot the buck with a muzzleloader during a special youth hunt in September. The buck was well-known because of photos the family had taken of it while it was alive. It was called Iowa's walking world record.

"They didn't do it for money and fame," Christy Lovstuen said. "They did it for the hunt."
 
In my CPA firm, I represented an estate with a big collection of B&C animals, world class taxidermy work, and more unique specimens than I could have imagined. You would be surprised what Cabela's offered. Insulted and working off rumors similar to the stories here, the family ask that we approach other groups. We did. Same prices.

The market is flooded with big animals, especially replicas. If it is an all-time world record, and the original, it might sell for big money. Just top 50 to top 100 B&C animals, as impressive as they are, are not worth a ton, just a couple times more than the cost of taxidermy.

This family eventually sold to Cabela's. Good money, but not one of the B&C animals sold for over $10K, and most for under $5K. That hardly covered the cost of this museum quality taxidermy. I laugh when I hear people talk about these five and six figure numbers. When talking to those groups who are supposed buyers at such high prices, they laugh about these stories. I would suggest they are just that, stories.
Good Post! The stories of big $$ are usually started by some real gems.
 
I work at BPS and we do buy mounts. If its only one mount it usually has to be an absolutely phenomenal buck. Otherwise they just buy in groups. I have never heard any prices but I imagine they aren't that high.
 
Discussion starter · #67 ·
I would think it would have to be a world record or a very very unique buck to get 25k+. Heck I'd settled for a big ole gift card lol
 
I know a guy from Indiana that sold one last year to Cabelas. It seems like I heard he received $76,000 and $2500 per year in free gear for life and he got a replica.
After 3 pages I was still laughing my ass off about this one.
That's a fantasy land I wouldn't mind visiting.
Record-setting 'Lovstuen Buck' sold

Outdoors Almanac: Record-setting 'Lovstuen Buck' sold
Doug Smith, Star Tribune
Published February 15, 2004

Sold: one legend.

The 38-point "Lovstuen Buck" -- the largest whitetail ever killed by a hunter -- has been sold by the Iowa family that bagged it last fall.

The buyer: Johnny Morris, owner of Bass Pro Shops. The record rack will be on display at Morris' flagship store in Springfield, Mo.
The price: unknown. Speculation is that it fetched around $100,000.

The mammoth deer, shot by 15-year-old Tony Lovstuen near his home in Albia, Iowa, sent the hunting world into a tizzy. The 38-point nontypical rack scored 319 and 4/8ths under the Boone and Crockett Club scoring system, making it the No. 3 buck in the world, behind two famous whitetails that were found dead and not killed by hunters.

That means it's the No. 1 whitetail, based on antler measurement, killed by a hunter.

While Bass Pro Shop officials were tight-lipped last week, Christy Lovstuen, mother of Tony, confirmed that the family had sold the rack.

"It will be on display at the Springfield, Mo., store," she said. "It will be nice to have everyone able to go see it forever."
She scoffed at speculation that the rack might be worth millions to the family. "No, not even close," she said.

Christy Lovstuen was in Las Vegas over the weekend attending the SHOT (Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade) Show. A replica of Tony's deer is on display there. The family has made several replicas and retained rights to display them at shows, she said.
Since word of the big buck spread last fall, the family has been swept up in a whirlwind, fielding calls from reporters around the nation. The family gave exclusive rights to photos and their story to North American Whitetail Magazine.

"We had no idea it would be like this," she said. All of the attention has been "mostly good," she said.
Tony was with his dad, Doug Lovstuen, and an uncle when he shot the buck with a muzzleloader during a special youth hunt in September. The buck was well-known because of photos the family had taken of it while it was alive. It was called Iowa's walking world record.

"They didn't do it for money and fame," Christy Lovstuen said. "They did it for the hunt."
$100k for the largest whitetail ever killed by a hunter seems legit.
Beyond that, as sad as it may be the 200"+ deer are so common these days, that they probably fetch well under $10k.
 
I have first-hand knowledge of a BPS deal...

Good friend of mine killed a 200 2/8" net typical in 1993 (something like 10 days before Milo Hanson killed his WR). Deer also grossed over 231" as a typical (could have also netted near 150" NT). At the time... highest grossing typical of all time. Only deer with 2 main beams over 32". Also had a 28 1/2" inside spread. Very unique deer. He sold it to BPS for $25K and it still resides in their King of Bucks collection (just saw it on last year's TV show). He was also featured in a Monster Bucks video (same year as Milo). In addition to selling the rack, he got a $10K appearance fee for 4 days during their Fall Hunting Classic in 1994. I hung out in the booth with him and Milo for 4 days that year. He had to have his own replicas made (at his expense) before selling.

Hunter's name... Brian Damery from Illinois. Google it... I think there's still some NAW articles online about it.
 
the damery bucks is my favorite monster bucks profile they have ever done. that deer is amazing, and doesnt even look real he's so big. i've seen it in springfield in the King of bucks collection. awesome deer.
 
I have first-hand knowledge of a BPS deal...

Good friend of mine killed a 200 2/8" net typical in 1993 (something like 10 days before Milo Hanson killed his WR). Deer also grossed over 231" as a typical (could have also netted near 150" NT). At the time... highest grossing typical of all time. Only deer with 2 main beams over 32". Also had a 28 1/2" inside spread. Very unique deer. He sold it to BPS for $25K and it still resides in their King of Bucks collection (just saw it on last year's TV show). He was also featured in a Monster Bucks video (same year as Milo). In addition to selling the rack, he got a $10K appearance fee for 4 days during their Fall Hunting Classic in 1994. I hung out in the booth with him and Milo for 4 days that year. He had to have his own replicas made (at his expense) before selling.

Hunter's name... Brian Damery from Illinois. Google it... I think there's still some NAW articles online about it.
Good stuff. That is about what I would expect for a buck like that, now a days that deer probably would of fetched closer to 75k no doubt. That sounds like a very very unique and impressive specimen. I just think a lot of guys think that any 200 inch buck is gonna get them 25k. Not that 200 inches isn't amazing, it is, and most likely i'll never see one let alone kill one. But there are what 25 200 inch deer killed a year, many more probably. 25 a year for 20 years is 500 200 inch bucks since 1990. The market is just not there for every great buck to be bought. It has to be truly spectacular.
 
Yep. It's always, "A friend of my uncle's buddy was offered 1.6 million and free hookers for life!"... all the while the actual world record animals don't command a fraction of that figure.
Everything is for sale, especially when your talkin free hookers for life..............1.6 wouldn't hurt either...........
 
If you think they don't pay big bucks your diffidently wrong. Guys that quit there jobs and travel the show scenes with there bucks
are getting paid some how. Talk to guy who was with his at the trade show and he did exactly what I said and said he loving it. He
sold alot of Primos cans for them. Believe his buck was the Beatty Buck, still one of the most impressive racks I have ever seen.

I took a picture of a Monster at the trade show and it was harvested by the ladys son with the buck at the show and she told me they were going to sell the buck to help pay his college tuition. Her son was a wrestler and remember the conversation well.

I believe in Oklahoma its illegal to sale the horns, my buddy turned down $5000.00 for his years ago for this reason. It was the
number two buck in are state at the time with a primative gun. It was featured in several magazines.
DB

So remember not only is the head worth something, what you used to shoot the buck with can often pay good money as well.

Kill a world record and see if it not worth a ton of money those who say there not worth anything. Bet those who are saying they wont
bring much would be smiling all the way to the bank.
DB


DB
 
Mom always said not to throw effort after foolishness. If someone offered me 25 Grand for a mount I'd sell it. Plain and simple.
 
I shot bigfoot and sold him to Cabela's, even though they only offered $300 and a couple packs of Slim Jims. But man, those Slim Jims were good!
 
If you think they don't pay big bucks your diffidently wrong. Guys that quit there jobs and travel the show scenes with there bucks
are getting paid some how. Talk to guy who was with his at the trade show and he did exactly what I said and said he loving it. He
sold alot of Primos cans for them. Believe his buck was the Beatty Buck, still one of the most impressive racks I have ever seen.

I took a picture of a Monster at the trade show and it was harvested by the ladys son with the buck at the show and she told me they were going to sell the buck to help pay his college tuition. Her son was a wrestler and remember the conversation well.

I believe in Oklahoma its illegal to sale the horns, my buddy turned down $5000.00 for his years ago for this reason. It was the
number two buck in are state at the time with a primative gun. It was featured in several magazines.
DB

So remember not only is the head worth something, what you used to shoot the buck with can often pay good money as well.

Kill a world record and see if it not worth a ton of money those who say there not worth anything. Bet those who are saying they wont
bring much would be smiling all the way to the bank.
DB


DB
Endorsments for big money are one thing, selling "a big rack for $100K" is entirely different.
 
These threads always have some good stories in them! :)

I have no doubt that if you were to kill a giant animal you might be able to make a little cash, but the idea of making thousands upon thousands of dollars for killing a deer is somewhat laughable. Lots of folks are convinced that if they were to kill a world record or something close to it they'd suddenly become rich at the expense of the companies who make the products they used to take the animal, (not to mention selling the animal itself to a collector in one form or another) and that's just simply not the case.

Working in the industry, you will receive a few requests annually for payoff in return for photos, antlers, mounts, etc of animals taken with your company's photos. In my experience, I have yet to see any amount of money change hands in these situations.
 
Just realized what I typed before... Brian's deer would have also netted 250" NT, not 150". Sorry... not used to typing a "2" when typing in a score!!!
 
I am going to call BS on a lot of the stories about people getting big money for their deer. I shot a 232 inch buck and the most that was offered was $4,500 and it wasn't even for sale. I am not saying that some mounts are not puchased but I highly doubt that anyone is getting 60k+.
^^^^^ What he said. Cabelas told me they are on a buying freeze because they have warehouse full. Heck, I shot my trophy not far from two major BPS stores and a Cabelas. You would think that they would want to use it as a reminder to people that there are big deer out there on public land. I know some minor radio advertising would pull locals in to see the buck and possibly hear the story. My buck has two broken tines that would have pushed him over 200 and I haven't been offered a $10 gift card. LOL But, everyone throwing around the big numbers are just doing that....throwing around numbers. Unless you broke some major records, there isn't much behind the numbers. Enjoy your trophy and sharing the story to friends. OH...and for the record....It cost about $600 to get a mount like mine below....but it would cost about $2500 to get a replica made, so save the heartache and just enjoy your deer.


Photos courtesy of Mike Hunsucker
 
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