|
.
 |
|
New Ohio
Muzzleloader Record Could Have Longest Main Beams Ever
Recorded
 |
|
Okay, it’s not official quite yet. But unless a
buck’s main beam can shrink by almost two inches
in 60 days, you are looking at least the longest
left main beam and likely the longest two beams
recorded on a whitetail deer—ever. On November
30th, the opening day of Ohio’s gun season,
39-year-old software developer Brian Stephens
dropped this 18-point colossus at 80 yards with
his .50 caliber T/C muzzleloader. The enormous
buck should shatter The Buckeye State’s
nontypical muzzleloader record and will almost
certainly set the new mark for whitetail beam
length.
Here’s his story, as told to Dave Hurteau.
|
 |
|
"The first time I
saw the buck was in 2007, on November 24th. My
Dad and I looked out onto a field on our
property and there he stood, about 450 yards
away. I happened to have a video camera in my
truck. As I filmed, it wasn’t until he turned
broadside that we could see how big he was, and
we were both blown away. What’s crazy is that
the buck wound up dying about 10 feet away from
the spot where I last got video of him. Here are
some grainy stills from that footage." |
 |
|
"On opening
morning of our gun season, I headed out before
dawn with my Dad, my uncle, my brother-in-law,
and a few friends to hunt our 180-acre family
farm in Highland County. If you look past the
pond in this picture, you see a CRP field and
some scraggly pines. My stand is in the timber
just beyond. Deer bed in a brushy draw in the
CRP, as well as on a bunch of wooded knolls
behind my stand. Between the field edge and the
timber is a path, and on it, in the middle of
one my shooting lanes, was a fresh scrape." |
 |
|
"I climbed into
my stand and just after daybreak, a small doe
jumped out of some cover and cruised right
toward me. Immediately, I saw this absolute
monster right behind her. They stopped at 50
yards, directly behind the only tree with any
leaves left on it, where they milled for several
minutes. Once they started to move again, I
needed them to take just 10 steps for a shot.
But the doe winded me and disappeared into a
ravine. Unspooked, the buck ran after her,
through the only spot where I could have shot,
but it happened too fast for me to get on him. I
was sick. I knew the opportunity of a lifetime
had come and gone." |
 |
|
After just two
minutes of hanging my head, I looked up and
there were four bucks standing right behind the
same leafy tree: a good 8-pointer, a 120-inch
10, and two yearlings. Then came three more
bucks, another 8 and two more yearlings. They
must have had that doe’s scent because they
followed right in her footsteps--except for the
10-pointer. He took a slightly different route
and gave me several shot opportunities that I
would have taken in a heartbeat if I hadn’t just
seen that giant. |
 |
|
A saw two more
does and another small 4-point buck a little
later, and at 9:30 I heard a fairly close shot.
Around lunchtime, I was debating whether to stay
put or go in and grab a bite. I was leaning
toward the former. I was thinking,
How can I go
in and tell the guys I saw 10 bucks with nothing
to show for it? But then, I heard our
John Deere Gator coming off the hill and I knew
someone had killed one. I decided to go in, and
back at camp found out that my neighbor Glenn
had shot a nice 8-pointer. I was really excited
for him. I told my story over lunch and everyone
said “Yeah, right.” |
 |
|
Back in stand
before one o'clock, I started getting that
feeling like my chances had come and gone. I
spotted a coyote coming toward me and feeling
the way I did, I said the heck with it and shot
him at 50 yards. Not 10 minutes later, two does
came, walked within 10 feet of that dead coyote,
and never flinched. About 3:20, eight does
crashed down the hill from where the big buck
and doe had disappeared earlier. I saw a flash
of horns behind them, but it was just a forkhorn.
The group moved toward the CRP field and got
about 150 yards away where I couldn’t see them
but could hear all kinds of running, and
crashing, and grunting. Then everything went
quiet for about 20 minutes--and suddenly, I see
the monster, about 250 yards downhill, straight
in front of me. |
 |
|
He’d heard the
racket, too, and was up to check it out. For
several minutes, he just stood still, then
starting moving directly at me. I couldn’t
believe it was happening. He swayed side-to-side
like a moose as he walked. I whispered to
myself,
Stay calm . . . stay calm. And I
whispered to the buck,
Keep coming. .
. keep coming.
I figured he was
headed for the scrape, about 80 yards below me.
And sure enough, he hit that path, turned, and
went right for it. When I got him in my scope,
he stopped broadside, just a few yards from the
pawed dirt. The crazy thing is, I wasn’t
nervous. I was far more calm than I’ve ever been
on any buck. I shot and smoke was everywhere. It
took forever to clear and when it did, nothing.
No buck. No blood. No hair. My heart sunk. I
couldn’t believe I missed. |
 |
|
And it only got
worse when I suddenly caught sight of him 120
yards moving away. On a little knoll 200 yards
out, he stopped and looked back. He was just
standing there, staring at me. Through my
binoculars, I couldn’t see a drop of blood—and I
just knew I missed him. I felt nauseated. I felt
absolutely disgusted. I wanted to throw myself
out of the tree. Then he fell down dead. |
 |
|
I sat down, took
a drink of water. I wanted to savor it for a
little while. I ate an apple, and waited about
20 minutes. Then I got down, picked up my coyote
and started toward the buck. I knew he was big,
knew it was the best buck of my life, but I
still was not prepared. As I walked up the knoll
and caught my first up-close glimpse of the
rack, I almost fell over. My legs turned to
Jell-O and I literally dropped to my knees and
thanked God and my two late grandfathers. My
mom’s father bought this place in the 50s and
just loved to see family and friends gather here
to enjoy the outdoors. My Dad’s father was the
big hunter. They got along great, and between
them, they got this all started. “I know both of
you guys are watching,” I said, “and I thank
you.” |
 |
|
While the other
guys were still hunting, I got the buck with my
truck and put a tarp over it to surprise them
when they got back. The second my Dad came in
and saw the tarp he said, “Let me guess. You
killed a coyote at 1 p.m. and a buck around 4.”
I lifted up the tarp and I can’t tell you what
he said in a family magazine. Let’s just say he
was bowled over. Honestly, the look on his face
made the whole hunt for me. |
 |
|
It’s been pretty
chaotic ever since. At the check-in station,
somebody saw the buck and yelled “Oh my God,
it’s a giant!” Next thing I knew I was
surrounded by people and getting my picture
taken with complete strangers. Heading home the
next day, people were beeping, waving, giving me
thumbs up. |
 |
|
When I got home,
I put both my deer and Glenn’s on the garage
floor. And seeing them side-by-side again, and
knowing that Glenn’s is a very respectable
8-pointer, I began to understand the size of
this buck. And it wasn’t until then that I
realized it was the same buck I’d video-taped
two years earlier. |
 |
|
My 9-year-old
son, Cole, couldn’t believe how big it was. |
 |
|
A couple of
buddies came over and wanted to put a tape on
him. The kept writing down numbers and shaking
their heads. Finally, one says, it’s going to go
over 240. Later, I got hold of Jason Snyder at
Boone & Crockett. He asked me to measure the
left main beam and told me exactly how to do it.
I did and told him it was 35 inches. Jason said,
“No way. Not possible.” I measured it again and
said, “35 inches.” He told me I needed to call
Rick Busse, an area taxidermist who mounted and
measured the famous Beatty Buck. I told him the
main beam was 35 inches. He said “Not possible.
No whitetail in history has ever had a 35-inch
main beam.” I said, “I guess I could be wrong,
but I get 35 inches.” He said, “I need to see
that buck.” |
 |
|
When I got there
the next morning, there were several outdoor
professionals there, including some TV
personalities. Rick said, “You don’t realize
what you have here.” And I’m sure he was right.
Since then, its been pretty crazy, with TV
interviews, magazine stories, and nonstop phone
calls. Not that I’m complaining. |
 |
|
Last night, two
official B&C and Buckmasters measurers put a
green score on it. Numbers aren’t everything,
that’s for sure. But they can be kind of fun, so
I thought I’d share some of the figures:
Left G2: 18
inches
Right G2: 16-6/8
Inside Spread: 24-3/8
Left main beam: 35-1/8
Right main beam: 34-4/8
Green gross: 249-5/8
Green net: 232-5/8
Friends and
family have been joking that I might as well
hang up my gun. I can’t imagine ever seeing, let
along taking, anything bigger. I keep saying to
myself, “How can he have been living on our
farm? How can he have walked past me?” In other
words, I’ve probably used up most if not all of
my luck. But as long as I believe my
grandfathers can see us enjoying the farm each
season, I’ll be out there.
|
|
|
ADAMS COUNTY HUNTER BAGS TROPHY BUCK ON OPENING
DAY
Ohio gaining fame as a trophy buck state |
