Ohio Bowhunter Tags a 200-Incher

Hunting for a specific buck is a mentally and physically taxing task. But when it works out, it's one of the most rewarding outcomes a deer hunter can ask for.

That happened for Ohio bowhunter Corey Richmond in October with a 5 1/2-year-old buck that he's chased since 2019, when the deer first appeared on a few trail-camera photos. Richmond never caught up with the deer last season, and so the quest continued in 2020.

In August, the buck reappeared, and he hit Richmond's trail cameras in daylight almost daily until the beginning of September.

I knew he was in the area and had pictures of the giant whitetail, but for some reason, it never seemed real, Richmond says.

So, he waited. Not wanting to pressure the buck, he stayed out of the area. Then, the deer disappeared and stayed gone for several weeks. Richmond thought he was still around but almost lost hope. He later learned from neighboring hunters that the buck was seen on other farms up to 5 miles away.

Still, on Oct. 16, Richmond moved in to hunt the deer for the first time, hoping it would return despite being absent from camera for nearly 30 days. The area had everything the buck needed: thick timber, hilly terrain, and nearby crops.

I left work around 2 p.m., Richmond says. I got home, hopped in the shower, and already had my clothes washed and waiting. I got dressed and headed to the property. Once I got to the gate, I sprayed down for a second time, attached a few drag rags with some doe urine, and headed out. I walked an extra half-mile that day, circling my stand so I could walk into the wind.

He climbed up around 3 p.m., and then waited. His treestand location was about 200 yards off a roadway. Being on top of a ridge, he had quite the view. In front of him was standing timber and a bubbling creek. Off to his left was a 40-acre cornfield. To the right was 60 acres of dense timber with tons of falling acorns. Behind him, a 20-acre hayfield swayed in the breeze.

The temperature hovered around 45 to 50 degrees. Barometric pressure was 30.25 and rising. A northerly wind kept his face cool and brought the scent of fall.

As the evening progressed, he wondered if deer would ever begin moving. It was slow. The only wild things stirring were songbirds and squirrels — lots of them.

Finally, a few does entered the field behind him and fed off toward the destination cornfield. A short time later, a mature doe walked into view directly in front of the stand. Then, everything went silent.

I called my wife right after I shot him, and by the tone of my voice, she thought I was hurt.

She stood there for about 10 minutes looking behind her, Richmond says. I knew something was up. She continued looking back, and then I saw antlers. All I could hear was my heart beating out of my chest.

The giant walked out right behind her but didn't even look her way. He walked past the doe, marched straight toward one of Richmond's shooting lanes — and stopped perfectly broadside. Richmond took the 35-yard shot. The arrow soared straight through the vitals and exited the opposite side. The buck ran about 50 yards through dense cover, came to a stop, then crashed, dead.

I called my wife right after I shot him, and by the tone of my voice, she thought I was hurt, Richmond says. I was shaking, and my voice was cracking. I told her I got the big one. She was thrilled. Then I called my buddies and brothers and they all knew that I had done something special.

Once he'd made the calls, he simply sat in the treestand — shaking from the adrenaline — for quite some time. Then he went home to meet up with family and friends.

After dark, they returned to blood trail the deer. The trail was profused, and they recovered the buck exactly where Richmond thought it had fallen.

Richmond says getting the buck was the culmination of hard work and patience. I really just took every precaution, and did everything you're supposed to do, he says. Most of the information I acquired kept coming back to the same points: Don't pressure the area, hunt the wind, and control scent.

Well, it worked. And he has a 204 3/8-inch Ohio buck because of it.

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Hunting teaches you a lot of lessons that you can put into everyday life, Richmond says. I haven't been deer hunting long, but there is nothing else like it. The friendships and memories I've made will last a lifetime.