17-year-old hunter harvests ‘the craziest deer’ he’s ever seen. ‘We were shaking’

A 17-year-old bagged what he referred to as a “once in a lifetime” deer as he hunted with his great-grandfather.

Major Edmonds, of Altus, Oklahoma, shared photos on Facebook on Oct. 22 of the deer, which Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation officers called a “cactus buck.”

”It was amazing,” Major told KSWO. “I was out there with my 82-year-old great-grandfather and he was the best person I could have been hunting with to kill that deer. It was crazy we were shaking when we shot it and walked up to it and saw it.”

The hunter told Field and Stream he and his great-grandfather had “never seen anything like this” — a deer with large, furry antlers.

“The craziest deer I’ve ever seen,” the teen said in an Instagram post.

Wildlife conservation officers said the deer is called a cactus buck because of its “abnormal antler growth patterns that cause them to retain velvet.”

The characteristics are caused by alterations in testosterone level, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“These animals often have multiple short misshapen points and excess ‘globs’ of velvet hanging from their antlers, giving rise to the name ‘cactus buck,’” officials said. “These animals also have small or unapparent testicles.”

Major said hunters in his area are often unable to kill a velvet buck because they shed before the hunting season begins.

“That’s why I was so excited to get this one,” he told Field and Stream. “I’ve heard about cactus bucks, and seen photos of a few, but nothing that crazy with all the trash.”

He said he took the deer to a taxidermist who will preserve its velvet, KSWO reported.

Altus is about 120 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.