Long-time huntin' pal, Troy, GREAT deer and turkey hunter, is pictured here with his best to date white-tail. Using his trusty Oneida Eagle bow, and carbon arrows, equipped with NAP 125 Gr. Spit-Fires, he made a perfect 15 Yd. shot as the buck quartered toward Troy's rattling! He had observed the buck from a distance of about 220 yards, as it crossed the switch grass set-aside on his fathers south 40 and entered the neighbors timber. Troy was positioned on the outside corner his own North West 40, where it and the neighbors 40 acre timber both intersect his father's south boundary fence. Troy said the buck came at a steady trot through the timber, then, at 20 yards out, vered North and crossed back onto his Dad's place, continuing another few yards east, whereupon, Troy's arrow and the buck collided! The arrow pierced one lung, the liver and passed completely through. The deer went about-face and sprinted nearly 100 yards back along the fence before cashing-in, where it expired with it's head resting on the wire - very easy to retrieve! :)
Despite the narrow spread and short main beams, the unusually heavy antlers grossed a surprising 160+ the circumferences total right at 45 inches! The strong-side base (bucks right) measures 7&3/8Ths inches in diameter; the left side 7 &1/4th. This is another rack which would be better served by measuring displacement, as the mass holds up throughout the tines - there is nothing "whimpy" about it! :)
Though invited to go down anytime while Troy was on vacation, beginning Nov. 2, I was unable to get away until the AM troy dispatched this deer - thus, the pic in the back of the truck, of a "rigged" critter, as opposed to a more natural setting. Per my usual Lucas County "luck", during the three days I was able to hunt with Troy (three evening and two morning sessions), the deer were running aroung in GANGS of one! ;) I didn't see an antlered deer until Thursday AM, when I was fortunate to have observed several, but none bigger than a "nice" (130 type) 8-point . . . none of the deer were willing to sacrifice their existance to me - all stayed well beyond my 30 yard maximum range! ;) Needless to say, Troy, armed with several more antlerless tags, continued to see MUCHO deer - both antlered and bald, during every AM and PM session! Mercifully, while I suffered, Troy did not fill any more of his tags. So, frustrated, I returned home and was content to get back to work - again! RG