Southwest Ohio has produced yet another jaw-dropping record deer, this time an 18-point non-typical buck that is a state record for muzzleloading rifle hunting.
The buck was felled by Brian Stephens, of Clayton, Ohio, in Highland County on the opening day of shotgun week, Nov. 30. Muzzleloaders are legal during that week. The antlers passed officials scorers' scrutiny last Saturday and was awarded a score of 232-5/8, eclipsing a 2004 nontypical buck that scored 225.
A nontypical buck does not show a symmetrical number of points on each side.
The Stephens buck has a left main beam of 35-1/8 inches, which is the longest ever recorded under the Boone & Crockett record system, the Ohio Division of Wildlife said. The right beam measured 34-1/8 inches.
Marty Murphy, of the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association, said the score will be recognized as the largest ever in Ohio in the association's Longhunter big-game record book. The antlers also will be recognized as a record for World Classics in the men's muzzleloading category, according to the organization's Dan Stapleton.
The World Classics scoring system does not include deductions and the main beam outside spread measurement is added. Under these scoring criteria Stephens' buck scores 252-0/8.
The Stephens buck joins several other famous southwest Ohio bucks taken in the last decade, including:
•The Beatty buck, taken in Greene County in the fall of 2000 by Mike Beatty. It holds the record for nontypical bucks at 304-6/8 and currently ranks No. 1 for nontypicals in Ohio and the largest nontypical whitetail deer ever taken anywhere by a bowhunter.
•A typical white-tailed buck killed by Brad Jerman in 2004 in Warren County, with a score of 201-1/8.
•A world-class buck killed by Jonathan Schmucker in Adams County in 2006. It had a 34-point nontypical rack and scored 291-2/8 Boone & Crockett and 305-7/8 World Classics.
•A buck taken by Justin Metzner, also in 2006, scored 196-6/8, positioning it to be the second largest deer harvested with a compound bow in Ohio. It also is the fifth largest typical deer taken in the world in the Pope & Young record book, and Buckmasters' seventh all-time typical white-tailed deer killed with a compound bow.
"When we are continually in the record books with large non-typical and typical whitetails harvested in Ohio, we attract the attention of hunters who might have hunted in another state," said Todd Haines, manager of Ohio Wildlife District 5.
Looking at the honor roll of recent records, Haines said in understatement, "these are awfully big deer." And it's not something in the water that is producing them, he agreed.
"You've got to have good genetics, good food sources, and you have to let them get old enough. In southwest Ohio we've got all three."
Haines explained the region is not as deer-heavy as southeast Ohio, the state's traditional deer country. There especially, deer managers are trying to cut back the size of the herd so there are not so many mouths to feed and individual deer have a bigger share of the proverbial pie.
The southwest in contrast has a good balance of refuges, woodlands, brushlands, and croplands. "It's all about quality, not quantity," he added.
Adams, Brown, Highland, Warren, Clinton, and Greene counties among others all seem to have that perfect habitat balance that helps produce great bucks, Haines said.
Most of the aforementioned trophies, he said, are in the 4 1/2 to 5 1/2-year-old range, which is prime time. In southeast Ohio, similar size bucks might have to survive an extra year to produce similar antlers.
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Western Lake Erie - The game is on, finally, if ice fishing for walleye off South Bass Island suits your fancy.
"It's going really well," summed Put-in-Bay ice guide John Hageman. "Excellent fishing, big fish, good ice."
He said the season settled in last Friday. Ice off the west side of South Bass is locked in at about nine inches between the islands. The water has been clear, making greens and blues the color choices for jigging lures, such as Swedish Pimples and Rapalas, dressed with shiners.
Hageman has been reporting a five-pound average for walleye, with "a lot of sevens and eights" and an occasional nine-pounder. A 13-pounder has been landed.
The weather forecast bodes well for icefishing off the island. But the Ohio Division of Wildlife office at Sandusky warns that the main lake ice between Catawba Island Peninsula and South Bass Island is still very dangerous. It said that most anglers have been flying to South Bass Island or taking air boats.
The wildlife office noted as well that panfish continue to be caught in some of the harbors.
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Wild game dinners - Thirteenth annual stag/wild game dinner, Great Northern Sportsmen's Club, today, 5:30 p.m., St. Clement's Community Center, 3030 Tremainsville Rd.; tickets, call Bud Spaulding 419-475-6337 or Bud McAdam 419-705-0866, or at the door.
Fourth annual South Side Sportsmen's Club wild game dinner, tomorrow, 6 p.m., Millbury Fire Department, recreation hall, 28410 Oak St., Millbury; Johnny Rodriguez band; tickets, call David Theiss 419-320-3584.
Mudjaw Bowman, annual wild game and awards dinner, tomorrow, 6 p.m., clubhouse, 6240 Benore Rd., limited tickets at door or call the club 734-848-4097.
Contact Steve Pollick at:
spollick@theblade.com
or 419-724-6068.
First Published February 5, 2010, 12:05 p.m.
