Big Buck 411 Blog

Priorities!

Priorities!

By Mike Handley

Not even COVID could keep Derek Walker out of his deer stand on Sept. 25, 2021, not when he knew the No. 1 deer on his wish list was on its feet, near his stand, and after daybreak.

The 37-year-old real estate agent from Marengo, Ohio, might have been weak, his head might’ve been pounding, and his temperature spiking, but he was NOT going to miss the chance to see the deer that had given him the slip for a couple of years. His fourth day of self-quarantine would simply be outdoors.

Derek didn’t wake up with that on his mind, however.

“I was up cooking breakfast when my phone vibrated. It was my Tactacam, showing the deer feeding at 8:00,” he told Gita Smith, who’s writing the story for Rack magazine. “I’m thinking, It’s opening morning! That deer has been in there for an hour, and I’m not there?”

The images cinched his decision to go out that afternoon, and he was in his stand by 3:50. He hunts a 125-acre tract only 2 miles from his home, so he didn’t have to spend a lot of time behind the wheel.

He took his crossbow with him because he was too weak to draw his compound.

“I tried shooting my compound bow a few times, but I just couldn’t pull it back all the way,” he said. “I just couldn’t make it happen. In the end, COVID made the decision for me.”

Two and a half hours after he’d settled in, Derek saw the wish-list buck in some high weeds. It took a couple of minutes for the deer to come out into the open, but it walked behind some briars. He took the shot as soon as its shoulder emerged from the tangle of vegetation.

Although the expandable broadhead failed to open, the bolt hit exactly where he’d aimed, skewering both the deer’s lungs.

“I watched the buck run into thick stuff, and I listened for a crash. As soon as I hung up my bow, I started shaking,” he said. “My head was spinning. I couldn’t believe what had just happened.”

His cousin, Nick Stillwell, answered Derek’s text for help. His father, Jim, soon joined them for the recovery. They got the job done, even though everyone was careful to keep their distance.

The Morrow County 16-pointer tallies 202 5/8 inches by Buckmasters’ yardstick.

— Read Recent Blog! Antlers, to Boot: Jared Selover's Ohio 12-pointer tallies 191 2/8 inches by Buckmasters' yardstick.

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Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd