About Time Buck
by Todd Cole

1/04 Central Ohio

About time!! That is what I tell my uncle. I hunt with my family and it seems like they all come up with a big buck every year but I never get a chance at one. Well, the first day of muzzle loader season in central Ohio changed my whole hunting outlook.

I have always shot what I had a chance to shoot. I have always gone along for drives during gun season but never did much sitting. This year I put a lot of time into hunting and seen numerous deer but still never had a good shot at a decent buck.

I began to give up; I decided I was done sitting and would go back to drive hunting for muzzle loader season.

My uncle told me I was crazy because it is hard to get a good shot with a muzzle loader at driven deer; I told him I knew but it was to cold and I would try next year. So he told me he would call me in the morning after he and my cousin were done sitting so I could go to his house and get a drive going.

It was December 27th, the first day of muzzle loader season when my phone rang at about 8am. It was my uncle saying that I was right, that he was freezing, and was ready to make a drive. I told him I would be right over and hung up. I through on my clothes and headed out the door to start my truck when I noticed three deer across the road working there way down a fence line right towards my property. (I live in the country in a house my family just built in a woods so we have about an acre of yard and the rest looks like unclaimed terrain.) I ran back in the garage, grabbed my brand new knight 50 cal. disk rifle and headed back my four wheeler path to get in front of them.

It was one of those deals were if someone seen me running back the path they would of laughed and said I would never have a chance. As well, I didn't figure I would see them again let alone get a shot. It worked though and three does come into sight and another deer was following, but it had its head down behind all the brush. I felt disappointed for a split second then he raised his head. It all went so fast, I could see he was of vary good size so I didn't hesitate in taking a shot. I squeezed the trigger off when he was broadside at about fifty or sixty yards.

I could tell I hit him, he ran off but I could hear him bouncing off of ever tree in his path, then I heard him go down. So I ran back to the house and called my uncle, "I'm going to be late, I just shot a buck and he looked big," I said. He just laughed and told me not to make excuses and to get my butt out of bed. I told him I was serious, that I heard it go down and to come help me with it. He said he would be right over, I knew I wanted to give the deer some time but I was so excited I waited about five minutes, (which seemed like a hour) and went back to find it.

I went straight to where I saw it last and looked for blood which I saw plenty of. I followed the trail for probably about sixty yards and there he was. He looked like a moose compared to deer I was used to taking. I field dressed it and began to drag it towards the house, needless to say I didn't make it vary far before I decided I would head back to the house so I could call my uncle back to make sure he was coming. About the time I made it back into the yard he was pulling in.

I took him back to it and I will never forget what he said, "I have seen many deer in my life but never one with that big of a rack." That made my day because I have always envied him for all of his bucks and now I have taken one to compare. I have not had it officially scored but it has been rough scored at over 200".

Todd Cole