Missouri Sportsmen's Information Network

Kevin Thomas

THOMAS BUCK
By: Allen “horntagger” Morris


Year after year, Missouri has been re-writing the Pope and Young and Boone & Crockett record books for whitetails.

November 10th, 2001 in Saline County, Missouri again was no different. When Kevin Thomas stepped out of his truck, the opening day of Missouri's firearms season at daybreak, he was just like any other veteran deer hunter. Just enjoying a day of deer hunting.

Kevin made his way to the ground blind set up, that he had hunted in the past years about 200 yards away, on that cool morning with some light fog covering the hilltop, planted in corn and soybeans.


KEVIN THOMAS & THE MISSOURI MAMMOTH

At the same time a Missouri mammoth whitetail was making his way along a stand of corn that had been partially cut the day before. Headed to an area at the edge of the field that had some green grass growing.

When Kevin walked within 200 yards of the ground blind, he spotted mammoth whitetail buck feeding about 150 yards off on the edge of the field.
 
 


THE MISSOURI MAMMOTH
Just like any other whitetail in the woods, you never know what they are about to do next, this 33 point mammoth whitetail was no different. The 33 point mammoth whitetail started walking right in the direction of Kevin.
Walking onto terrace and closing in on Kevin’s location. Raising his Remington 700 30.06 as the mammoth whitetail buck closed the distance and came off the terrace at 50 yards. Kevin pulled the trigger and the bullet
found its mark in the right shoulder and into the spine. Dropping the buck with one shot.

Once Kevin made it over to the buck then found out that now lying in a Missouri Field was a record book 33 pointer with velvet covering 95% of the rack. Now that he saw the huge bucks rack up close, excitement set in. But,
he decide that he needed help get this huge buck in the pickup and nervously left the buck and went to the neighbors house ¾ miles away.

Once he arrived, he told them that he had a once in lifetime buck, they ask how many points. Kevin told them he did not know. Even the neighbors 84 years of age mother, wanted to see the buck that had roamed the countryside
without ever being spotted before. 


THE MISSOURI MAMMOTH

They drove up next to the buck and got out and, the neighbors where amazed at the rack, and were very proud of Kevin since they have known Kevin since he was a little boy.

After getting it loaded and checked in. Kevin made his way to his brother house. In about 45 minutes, people from the area started showing up to see the huge Missouri buck, around 150 people had stopped by to see. Same thing
happened again when he made it to the taxidermist.


Kevin Thomas stopped by the MISSOURI SPORTSMEN'S booth at the
Missouri Deer Classic for an interview and some photos.

An elite fraternity! Andrew French and Kevin Thomas
both Missouri hunters with a deer listed high in the
record books.
Kevin Thomas age 31 from Sweet Springs, Missouri is a veteran hunter taking a few deer including 7 pointers with a bow and rifle over is 16 years of  hunting. But nothing like this before.

With hundreds and hundreds of trophy whitetails on display and getting their final score, at the Missouri Deer Classic on March 2nd in Columbia, Missouri. The Kevin Thomas mammoth rack took over center stage, not only
breaking a new state record but also shattering it.

This 33 point Missouri non-typical whitetail scored 282 2/8” Boone & Crockett. The Boone & Crockett officials will have to determine if the buck was scored properly due to the way the antlers come off the base, and then
will have to decide if they will accept the score. When a panel of judges officially scores this buck in 2004, it has the potential of being included in the top 5 in the world.


THE MISSOURI MAMMOTH

Also talked with Lonnie Hanson the Missouri Department of Conservation Biologist for Missouri's Deer herd. Since the velvet was still on that leads him to believe some type of hormone imbalance, but it is still just a guess. Also Lonnie asked if the rack was heavy or light. Kevin says it is light, weighing around 8 lbs. Which means the antler did not hardened correctly and that is also signs of hormone imbalance. Also, Lonnie said a friend that researches and raises deer said, that deer that survived hemorrhagic fever sometimes grew cactus type racks. But no reports of that in Saline County were reported. So he rules that out. But still always a chance of anything, being the cause.

Top five Missouri Non-Typical whitetails provided by: Dale H. Ream, Jr.Director of Records - Missouri Show-Me Big Bucks Club. Also the man who measured the Thomas buck at the classic for over 5 hours. He also stated that it did not grow like a typical cactus rack and does have main beams.


Missouri Non-Typical Whitetails
MISSOURI TOP 10 WHITETAILS PAGE

Missouri Monarch St. Louis Buck 333 7/8 - found in St. Louis County - nt points R 15 - nt points L 21 - total 36 - nt inches R 94 2/8 - nt inches L 89 6/8 - total nt inches 184 0/8 - year 1981 - total points R 19 L 25 total 44.
 
Kevin A. Thomas - 282 2/8 - Saline County - nt points R 14 - nt points L 15 - total 29 - nt inches R 92 0/8 - nt inches L 88 4/8 - total nt inches 180 3/8 - year 2001 - total points R 15 L 17 total 33.

Randy Smonitch - 269 7/8 - Pike County - nt points R 12 - nt points L 11 - total 21 - nt inches R 47 5/8 - nt inches L 43 5/8 - total 91 2/8 - year 2000 - total points R 17 L 16 total 33.
Duane R. Linscott - 259 1/8 - Chariton County - nt points R 8 - nt points L 6 - total 21 - nt inches R 23 1/8 - nt inches L 35 2/8 - total nt inches 58 4/8 - year 1985 - total points R 14 L 13 total 27.
Pick-up owned by Terry Lovekamp - 259 1/8 - Jackson County - nt points R 16 - nt points L 11 - total 27 - nt inches R 57 3/8 - nt inches L 40 0/8 - total nt inches 97 3/8 - year 1996 - total points R 20 L 15 total 35
Congratulations to Kevin Thomas for a once in lifetime great Missouri whitetail, also I would like to thank Kevin and his family for taking time to talk with me at the Missouri Deer Classic.

Allen (horntagger) Morris

THE MISSOURI MONARCH meets THE MISSOURI MAMMOTH
Kevin Thomas with his 33 pointer and the
Missouri Monarch.  Is there something in the water?  The Missouri Monarch was found dead in 1981
In St. Louis County.


 
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Kevin Thomas and son.  PASS IT ON!

KEVIN THOMAS AT THE MISSOURI DEER CLASSIC.

IT DOES NOT NOT GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS.
 

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