My 2011 Ohio Buck Is Home!

Here is the buck I killed last year while bowhunting in Ohio. The mount turned out great and the base I made from reclaimed barn wood from the farm down there.

finelyshedded said:

:smiley_clap:awesome Chuck!!! Great work on the base! Did you post your hunt and pics of this deer on TOO? I don't remember seeing it. Congrats on taking such an awesome deer! Great character with the drop!

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buckbuster217 said:

Great looking buck Chuck!! congrats buddy, really like the base, you should post up your story on this buck I'm sure everyone would enjoy it

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Well I looked around but I guess I never did post it up. Dang, sorry about that guys I thought I did!

Well here goes......November of 2011 I found myself bowhunting in Ohio one morning when the buck of my lifetime passed by. The shot appeared to be good, maybe back a little but nothing that I ever thought would cause me to not recover him. The first 100 yards or so of the track we had good blood but soon we were having a hard time keeping on the trail. We painstakingly kept on the trail for what we figured to be almost 2 miles before the skies opened up and it began to pour rain. It continued through most of the night and by morning we were out looking and could not find a single drop of blood, not even what we had marked before. Our search was fruitless and the rest of the week continued the rollercoaster of emotions I was having when I came home that Sunday. I honestly contemplated quitting bowhunting and really questioned my sanity when I made the decision years ago to go bow only down there in Ohio.

That Monday I went to work still with the ache in my heart many of you have felt over the years. That was until I received a call from my Dad telling me that my cousin had found the buck. His property was about a half mile away in the direction the buck was traveling. As my cousin and I discussed the deer and confirmed that it was the one I had shot I couldn't believe how relieved I felt. What turned into the longest week of my life it ended with my family and I back down in Ohio to recover what was left of the buck. More uncontrolled emotions came over me as I approached the buck, quite different from what I had in my memory of the moments through the shot. The meat was spoiled, the hide was ruined and the critters had turned the buck into a mess of what he used to be. I was happy to finally put some sort of closure to his whereabouts but at the same time I felt he didn’t get the justice he deserved. The local game warden was contacted when my cousin found the buck and he was to drop off a salvage tag during the week. However, the tag never was dropped off so I was more than happy to use my 2011 tag on the buck as there was not doubt it was him.



(tag is in my left hand, can see the zip tie holding it on)


When we returned from Ohio I decided the buck deserved to be represented in a way that reminded me of those moments up to and immediately after the shot, the way I remembered him. I contacted my neighbor who is an excellent taxidermist and asked for his help. We discussed our options and decided that he would find a replacement cape and that a pedestal mount is what I wanted to do. Several replacement options were found, including one that was apparently from Ohio! So that one was selected and all I had to do was build the pedestal. I could think of nothing better than to use some old reclaimed barn wood from the farm down there in Ohio. After a few days of work on it I was satisfied with what I created. The neighbor took care of the habitat on the top of the base and soon the buck was finished. The first time I saw it finished I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was just how I remembered him, looking over his left shoulder like that back at me when I let the arrow fly! I couldn’t be happier to see him this way and to finally put some true satisfaction to the end of his story.