South Dakota Sioux Falls Buck: The Legend Lives at 10.5!

If you have been with me on BIG DEER since we launched in 2008 you will remember this majestic animal, which I have now posted on 10 times. For you more recent bloggers, here’s the back story:

In October 2008, I blogged about a monster buck (12 x 14, nearly 240" at the time and likely the walking new state record) that was living in the city limits of Sioux Falls, SD. There was a video of him, and it was causing mild hysteria amongst hunters and non-hunters alike. The “East Sioux Falls Buck” became a YouTube sensation. Soon after that first post, people started writing and posting that the very visible and legendary buck was missing and dead to a poacher’s arrow or bullet. Not so.

This is a photo of him in 2009.

And the Sioux Falls Buck in 2010.

Kelly Kirsch, who knows as much about this buck as anyone and who has kept me updated on the buck’s incredible life with pictures and emails, found his sheds 4 years ago and told me: 

I was the lucky guy that picked up the sheds… He scored around the 242” mark (at the time), with a large point busted off--it looks to have been shot with a very small caliber. I know that rumors are flying about trespassing to pick-up the sheds. I don’t have the guts to do that, so I did it the right way and received permission from the landowners.

Well, I got another message from Kelly a week ago and he said:

Mike: The Legend is still around! A buddy of mine e-mailed me this AM and said the buck is alive and doing just fine. He spent the later part of 2011 in an archery range within city limits. The owner and family did not find his sheds this winter/spring, but are sure someone trespassing probably did. The hard horn picture (below) is of the Sioux Falls buck last fall (2011), a couple weeks after Thanksgiving.

I asked Kelly how old he figures the Legend is and he said:

I know of one of his sheds from 2005, and I would guess him to have been 3.5 years old at that time, which would add up to the buck being about 10.5 now.

Amazing. I love this buck and I hope he lives forever. comment