As past president of the Ohio Big Buck Association, Mike Rex had numerous mature animals to his credit, but none like the buck he took on October 1, 2005.
Rex works as a chemical engineer, but he lives to bowhunt and spends as much time as possible on his hunting club lease in Athens County Ohio.
Rex had heard talk of a massive deer on the property. All of the club members were after him, including Rex. In fact, one club member had actually wounded the deer with a poorly-placed shot. This buck had a reputation and survived a poorly placed arrow.
Rex knew the deer had survived because some hunters had found its sheds several months later. Rex desperately wanted that deer and decided he wouldn’t give up until he had him.
He scouted intensively for two years and finally got his chance at this buck on opening day of the 2005 bow season. That morning, the massive whitetail followed some other deer in from the left of Rex’s stand. By the time Rex got a good look at him, the buck had made it past the stand and was looking back toward him. Devastated, Rex thought he’d missed his opportunity. But, as luck would have it, the buck turned and walked back in front of Rex’s stand presenting the anxious hunter with a perfect shot angle.
Rex made a successful 34-yard shot on the 5 ½-year-old buck with his Muzzy 3-blade, 100-grain broadhead and downed the main-frame 9-point. When Rex examined the buck, he noticed that the left antler was actually a little smaller than its shed from the previous year, but the buck was still no doubt a trophy.
His 17 scorable points grossed 217 7/8” and netted 205 5/8”. His inside spread measured 23 1/8” and his bases measured 5 4/8”. He had 14” brow tines and 23 1/8” of non-typical mass. Rex is a certified Pope & Young scorer but the rules say he cannot score his own deer. When Mike had the buck scored he did not agree with the final deductions, so he had it scored by a panel of scores. He should have taken the first score because it was a little better than what the panel ended up with. The buck weighed 212 pounds field dressed and ranks as Ohio's 7th largest archery rack.
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Archery only, fair chase harvest, Pope & Young certified, whitetail bucks. |
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All harvested by real, everyday, avid bowhunters with a Muzzy Broadhead. |
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Each rack scores 200 net inches or better. |
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Over 2,600 total inches of antler mass in only eleven racks! |