Colorado Velvet Mule Deer Buck Could Be New World Archery Record, But Questions Remain About Hunt

A mule deer killed with a bow in Colorado on opening day could be a new world record, according to a recent report. Instagram post by beast_broadheadsThe deer was shot by local hunter Seth Craft and measured as a typical, with an unofficial green score of 238 6/8 inches.

When the deer is officially scored by Pope & Youngand if it passes the P&Y judges’ test, it could easily replace the current world archery record for typical mule deer in velvet: Bowdy Gardner’s 218 1/8-inch Utah buck. The organization has created separate record book categories for velvet bucks in 2021 and a special P&Y judging panel made Gardner’s record official in May 2022, almost 10 years after he shot the deer.

At this point, however, the status of Craft’s potentially record-breaking buck is in limbo. P&Y Director of Records Tim Rozewski tells Outdoor living that he knows nothing about the muley buck, and that he will remain skeptical about measurements until the 60-day dry period is over. Rozewiski says that while beast_broadheads refers to Craft’s buck as a “pending” world record, that doesn’t mean the buck is under consideration at P&Y yet.

“In treatment is a word that people like to use,” Rozewski says. “I hope they measure it… All these giant bucks that I see on [social media] At this point I would like to see them all come in.”

Craft declined to comment on the deer when reached by Outdoor living Tuesday. He said he wants to remain discreet as he is inundated with interview requests from various other media outlets. He did share a few details with beast_broadheads that were in the Instagram post.

“After weeks of tracking this elusive mule deer, our patience and persistence finally paid off,” Craft said, though he didn’t specify who he was hunting with. “Two weeks before the season, we only saw him fleetingly at dawn and dusk.”

Craft said the deer was “completely gone” just two days before the opening of archery season on Sept. 2. After searching for miles, they found the deer on the evening of Sept. 1, the post said.

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“With permission to hunt three properties he frequented, we waited for the right moment. As the sun rose, we saw him again,” Craft said. “I crept to 22 yards, pulled back my Matthews Lift bow, and let my Beast Broadhead fly. He only went 30 yards before peacefully resting, ending an unforgettable hunt.”

Other than the fact that he was on private land with permission, Craft gave no other information about the hunt. The local archer and Marine Corps veteran works for The M4 Ranch Group, a real estate brokerage in southern Colorado that specializes in ranch homes and also has listings in New Mexico and Wyoming. He lives in Montrose, according to his biography page at the group’s websiteThat page also describes Craft as a “tremendously skilled big game hunter” who “knows big deer” and works as a hunting guide for Mossback Outfitters.