Mike Handley posted on October 10, 2011 07:08
By Mike Handley
Tommy Suiter had already drawn his bow and was about to pick a spot when what he thought was doe-burger on the hoof lowered her not-so-feminine head.
Had he not been drawn and only seconds away from loosing an arrow, Tommy might’ve blown his chance at what turned out to be a massive buck with tines fit to spoke a wagon wheel. The two were 40 yards apart, and the deer had no clue.
It was a Sunday afternoon with 2 inches of snow on the ground. Tommy and his wife had been shopping, and there were a couple of hours of daylight remaining when they returned home.
Eager to watch the sunset from a tree, he quickly showered and headed out the back door with his bow, climber strapped to his back.
“As I neared the crest of the hill behind the house, I slowed down and peered over at the nearest tree line,” he said. “There stood a very large deer right at the edge with its head up in some honeysuckle. I thought it was a doe and figured ‘Why not?’ It was close to the house, standing broadside and only 40 yards away from me.
“I couldn’t believe it when the deer dropped its head, revealing a massive rack,” he added. “I quickly took my eyes off the antlers, lined up my pin and released the arrow.”
The buck kicked, and then took off running uphill. It fought gravity for only 40 yards.
“It was a five-minute deal. That’s all,” Tommy said. “I didn’t even have time to get nervous, at least beforehand.”
Tommy’s clean 5x5 carries 162 4/8 inches of antler, not counting a 16 2/8-inch inside spread that gives it a composite score of 178 6/8. It’s No. 4 among Ohio’s bow-taken Perfects.