Double Drop Tine Buck Had ‘Parrot Mouth’

Killing a buck with long double drop tines is something to call your buddies about. Throw in some other rare and unique qualities—like a mouth and jaw that looks like the buck was hit by a 2×6, and an almost miniature body size—you’ve got a story to tell.

Jeff Miles with his very unusual Talbot County buck from last season.

The Talbot County buck killed by Jeff Miles, of Sharpsburg, last season is definitely one to remember. The buck had 13 total points, including the double drop tines that measured 7 7/8 and 6 2/8 inches long, and the drop on the left antler had a 2 3/8-inch fork.

But it’s that face…

The buck’s snout was curved down and appears compressed, like a severe Roman nose that shows up on bucks from time to time. But the upper jaw is also much longer than the lower jaw, an overbite that’s referred to as “parrot mouth.” The term parrot mouth is more commonly used to describe dogs than deer. The longer upper jaw can prevent an animal’s teeth from aligning snugly as they should, and depending on the severity, it may experience difficulty chewing.

In deer, parrot mouth seems to occur more often with piebald deer, and deer with this genetic trait are often smaller—short-legged and with smaller torsos. Jeff’s buck did not have any white like a piebald, but it was definitely small.

“I picked him up by both sets of legs—like a coyote—and put him in the golf cart,” Jeff said. “The deer only weighed 105 pounds field-dressed, and he was aged at 6 1/2. I have been hunting for 40 years and had never seen or heard of a deer having this so-called parrot mouth.”

Jeff shot the buck at about 8:40 a.m. on Nov. 9 while hunting a 100-acre tract they leased for the first time last season. The property is extremely thick after being timbered about nine years ago. 

“It’s basically a bunch of bedding area. It’s not planted pines, it’s just growing up after being cut. We have three little 1/4-acre foot plots, and the only thing we can hunt are food plots or woods roads.

“This was not the deer I was hunting. The deer came into my food plot but was not eating. I knew the deer had decent antlers, but when I looked at him through the scope I noticed that he had double drop tines and was a special deer, so I took him. We have had cameras set up since August but have never seen him before.”

Jeff said the buck had no apparent injuries that caused its odd-looking snout.

“I didn’t notice that till I was able to get to him and look at him. I guess he was born that way because he didn’t appear to have a previous fracture across the bridge of his nose. He is definitely a special deer and a once in a lifetime buck, and I’m very excited about getting him mounted.”

The buck had about 133 total inches of antler and netted best as a non-typical at 124 5/8.

Best Talbot County Non-typical Bucks Of All-Time