09/28/2026
Amazing
OVER 40 YEARS STRONG — THE WORLD-RECORD 8-POINT, MEXICO’S CACTUS LAND GIANT
In 1985, Dr. Charles “Chuck” Priess stepped into the rugged brush country of Nuevo León, Mexico, and unknowingly walked toward a whitetail that would make history.
More than four decades later, the incredible Cactus Land Giant remains one of the most extraordinary 8-point whitetails ever recorded.
The gigantic 4×4 typical frame grossed 190 inches and eventually finished with an official Boone and Crockett net typical score of 184 5/8 inches.
And it did it with only eight typical points.
But the measurements are only part of the story.
After several extremely difficult days of hunting, Chuck had seen only two does and one small buck. The thick Mexican brush made visibility poor, and mature whitetails were extremely difficult to locate.
Then came one crisp Sunday morning.
Three local Mexican hunters drove Chuck into a section of ranch country he had never hunted before. He settled into a thick patch of brush overlooking a small opening and began rattling — not with whitetail antlers, but with a large pair of mule deer antlers he often carried.
The moment he finished rattling, something incredible happened.
At roughly 175 yards, an enormous whitetail suddenly appeared standing broadside.
Chuck froze.
The buck was staring directly at him, and his r***e wasn’t even shouldered.
As Chuck slowly reached for his Re*****on BDL .270 loaded with 140-grain bullets, the giant exploded into motion.
Chuck shouldered the r***e and tracked the buck through the thick brush. Ahead was one tiny opening where he believed the deer would cross at approximately 200 yards.
He fired.
The giant buck tumbled to the ground.
As Chuck cautiously made his way toward the deer, he dropped into a low wash and climbed the opposite side. From roughly 50 yards away, he finally got a good look at what was lying ahead of him.
The rack seemed to tower off the ground.
When the measurements were eventually taken, it became clear just how extraordinary this whitetail really was.
The rack carries incredible G2s measuring 14 2/8 and 15 1/8 inches, sweeping main beams of 28 2/8 and 29 inches, a massive 23 2/8-inch inside spread, and bases carrying more than 5 inches of mass.
Perhaps even more impressive is the sheer height of the rack. Both antlers average nearly 21 inches from the burr to the tallest point of the G-tines.
All of that built around an enormous 4×4 typical frame.
When the three Mexican hunters returned to pick Chuck up, they were nearly speechless.
All they could say was:
“Muy grande.”
Most deer from that region averaged only around 125 pounds. Chuck estimated this buck weighed roughly 160 pounds, but with its swollen neck, heavy shoulders and towering antlers, the body almost became secondary.
The drive back toward town turned into a rolling celebration. Everywhere they stopped, people gathered around in amazement. Many simply could not believe a whitetail could grow antlers of that size.
Ironically, Chuck would never hunt that dangerous region of Mexico again.
Not long afterward, he met the woman who would become his wife. Her father made one thing crystal clear:
If Chuck was going to marry his daughter, he wasn’t going back to Mexico.
Chuck laughed remembering the conversation.
“My love for her won that battle pretty easily.”
But by then, Chuck had already made whitetail history.
1985.
190 inches of 4×4 typical frame.
184 5/8 inches net typical.
The world-record typical 8-point.
More than 40 years later, the Cactus Land Giant is still a whitetail that almost doesn’t look possible.
Some deer become trophies.
Others become legends.
Have you ever seen another true 8-point frame that could even come close to this one?
