The massive antlers are unlike anything seen in Minnesota.
And the half-million hunters out Saturday on Minnesota's firearms deer opener almost certainly won't see a whitetail like it this season — or in their lifetimes.
Only in their dreams.
But now the world-record rack from an 8-point Minnesota whitetail deer killed by a poacher in 2009 will get plenty of exposure. Seven nearly identical replicas of the now-famous Goodhue County buck, including four that will mounted on deer heads, are being made and will be displayed for hunters to admire beginning this weekend at the Governor's Deer Opener in Fergus Falls.
The four shoulder mounts will go on the Department of Natural Resource's Turn in Poachers "Wall of Shame'' displays with other poached trophy bucks, collections that always draw crowds at county fairs, sports shows and other events. Of the three remaining racks, one will be displayed in Goodhue County, one will be used for education purposes by the conservation officer who handled the poaching case, and one will be kept at DNR headquarters in St. Paul.
The antlers, unofficially called the Minnesota 8, are the stuff of legend — the largest 8-point "typical" rack recorded by the Boone and Crockett Club.
"It's absolutely breathtaking,'' said Chris Wallace, 52, of Ham Lake, an avid hunter and owner of Wings & Things Taxidermy, who did the shoulder mount with replica antlers that will be displayed this weekend at Fergus Falls.
"It's a freak of nature,'' he said. "It's so impressive, you have to see it to believe it. Photos don't do it justice.''