Hancock's big bucks

I'm not sure what drives hunters, including myself, to be so enamored with those beautiful, heavy antlers carried atop deer and their cervid relatives. Even so, I'm certain that the feelings aren't new. They surely find their roots in times long before written language; with the elegantly rough paintings found scattered on rock walls across the continents journalizing those ancient hunts. The shaman's prehistoric beat still lingers in our hearts and our breath still catches at the majesty of what we see. While the hunt continues to bring meat to the table just as it has throughout history, the antlers draw many to endless hours of woods-wandering and study. I believe it's an acknowledgment of the dominant buck's ability to survive and become an authoritarian presence in his own kingdom. Those antlers signify strength, longevity and the power to defend its domain and the bravery to ward off predators. Eventually, it will lose its place to a younger rival, an accident, disease or possibly a hunter; whether two or four-legged. That's the way of his world but he won't disappear. His history is written in the DNA of his offspring who will someday challenge rivals for their place in their wooded kingdoms. Ohio's Buckeye Big Buck Club was created in 1957 to celebrate the many fine buck deer that have been collected by hunters throughout the state and the stories that are carried with them. Their records add a bit of immortality to the hunting experience and to the whitetail deer they celebrate. The organization was founded by Merrill Gilfillan who served as a biologist for the Ohio Division of Wildlife and who also doubled down as an outdoor writer. His goal was simple, to increase the appreciation and understanding of the state's then minimal, but expanding, deer herd. Buckeye Big Buck Club strives to encourage wise management of this valued resource while also promoting building positive relationships between hunters and landowners. They also promote trophy hunting, a practice that sometimes garners undeserved negative connotations. Trophy hunting is very selective and allows many smaller, younger bucks and does to pass by a hunter's stand without harvest; deer that in all likelihood carry the genes of the very deer the hunter hopes to take. If trophy hunting has a fault, it can actually be the lack of harvest in certain areas and situations. Poaching, illegal hunting methods and habitat degradation are far larger concerns when managing big game populations. Each year, Buckeye Big Bucks uses the scoring system developed by the Boone and Crockett Club to measure and honor record-worthy deer. A "typical" antlered deer must score a 140 while a "non-typical" will need to measure at least a 160 for inclusion in the records. Well over 19,000 bucks have made this honor roll since the club's inception. Today, the Buckeye Big Buck Club works closely with the Division of Wildlife in tabulating Ohio's deer harvest by making the searchable list available on the division's website, https://apps.ohiodnr.gov/wildlife/bigbuck/. To learn more about the Buckeye Big Bucks Club, visit http://buckeyebigbuckclub.org/. So, who holds the top-spots in each category for the 226 Ohio Big Bucks taken in Hancock County? Typical Buck Records:Crossbow: Larry Rader's deer was taken in 2000, scoring 182.25. Its overall rank is 88.Muzzleloader: David Lammers' 1997 buck scored 181.375. It ranks 99th overall.Modern Shotgun: Jeremy Downing's 2016 buck scored 172.375. It ranks an over-all score of 448.Cartridge Rifle: Jacob Leal's 2022 buck scored a nice 173.87 and ranks 335 over-all.Longbow: Robert Ebert's 1988 buck scored 171.25. Its overall rank is 535.Handgun: Tom Reffitt's 1990 buck scored 140.75. It's the only Hancock County Ohio Big Buck registered that was harvested by handgun. The deer ranks 16,464. The top typical buck taken by a woman was harvested by Alissa Rutherford in 2009 with her shotgun. It scored 166.5 and ranks 1027 overall. Non-Typical Buck Records:Crossbow: Harley Heldman's 2006 buck scored 195.63 and holds the 491st spot in Ohio.Longbow: Matt Brunswick's 2020 buck scored 232.37 and is the number one deer registered from Hancock County and is ranked 36th in the state.Muzzleloader: Brian Lee's 2003 buck scored 178.5. The deer's overall rank is 1,521.Modern Shotgun: Brett Smarr's 2005 buck scored 177.375. It ranks 1388 in Ohio's bucks.The top non-typical buck taken by a woman was harvested by Katie Young in 2017 while using a crossbow. It scored 176.5 and ranks 1,710 overall.I'll give an honorable mention to our local Ohio State Representative, Ty Matthews. He has one in the record books for Hancock County, too. It was taken in 2020 with a crossbow and scored a very nice 140.63 points and ranks 16,615 of the Ohio bucks recorded with the Buckeye Big Bucks Club. The current royalty holding top honors as the largest deer legally harvested in Ohio: Brad Jerman took the biggest typical buck on record while hunting with a crossbow in Warren County. It scored 201.125. Ohio's record non-typical buck goes to Michael Beatty while longbow hunting in Greene County. That bruiser scored 304.75. The oldest record on file was a buck taken in Scioto County in 1943 by Howard Maham. It scored a respectable 155.00. While these bucks will remain as Ohio Big Buck records, their placement is up for grabs. You know what they say about records…they're made to be broken. Ohio's state-wide archery season opens Sept. 27. "Maybe stalking the woods is as vital to the human condition as playing music or putting words to paper. Maybe hunting has as much of a claim on our civilized selves as anything else. After all, the earliest forms of representational art reflect hunters and prey. While the arts were making us spiritually viable, hunting did the heavy lifting of not only keeping us alive, but inspiring us. To abhor hunting is to hate the place from which you came, which is akin to hating yourself in some distant, abstract way." – Steven Rinella Along the Way Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Director Mary Mertz recently celebrated the opening of the newly renovated Put-in-Bay Aquatic Visitor Center. The Put-in-Bay Aquatic Visitor Center lies on South Bass Island in Lake Erie's western basin. The inside of the center is updated with interactive displays and exhibits that showcase Lake Erie's great and historically significant fishing for species such as walleye, smallmouth bass, and yellow perch. Additional improvements include addressing longstanding structural problems, enhancing waterproofing, and building an ADA-accessible ramp and entrance. Exhibits highlight the visitor center's history as a fish hatchery and features a live fish viewing tank. The displays also show the life cycle of a walleye, South Bass Island's natural history and ecosystem, aquatic research, and conservation efforts, including Governor DeWine's H2Ohio water quality initiative. "The Put-in-Bay Aquatic Visitor Center will welcome guests to South Bass Island for many years to come," said ODNR Division of Wildlife Chief Kendra Wecker. "The visitor center is a great launching point for adventures across Lake Erie, The Walleye Capital of the World." ODNR Division of Wildlife used the building as a fish hatchery from 1907 to 1988, raising walleye, sauger, whitefish, cisco, yellow perch, coho salmon, chinook salmon, and steelhead. In 1992, the division transformed the former hatchery into an educational space. From 2009 to 2023, the center was operated by Ohio Sea Grant before undergoing the current renovation. The $6.2 million renovation project was funded with support of the General Assembly through the capital budget. "The new visitor center is a great location for anglers and others to learn about Lake Erie's natural resources and the work that goes into conserving them," said Director Mertz. "The Put-in-Bay Aquatic Visitor Center connects future generations with Lake Erie's excellent fishing and highlights the importance of preserving water quality for the millions who get their drinking water from the lake." Put-in-Bay's Aquatic Visitor Center is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., between June 1 and October 1. Admission to the visitor center is free. Step Outside • Beginning Sept. 9, the UCOA Sportsman's Club, 6943 Marion Township 243, Findlay, will be hosting a 6-week Tuesday night trap shooting league. For more information, contact Karl Charron, 419-701-8698 or karl.charron@poet.com • Thursday: Trap Shooting, open to the public. 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. UCOA, 6943 Marion Township 243, Findlay. Contact: Karl Charron, 419-701-8698 or karl.charron@poet.com • Aug. 23: 3-D Archery Match, mixed animal targets. Field and Stream Bowhunters; 11400 Allen Township 109, Findlay. Registration opens at 10 a.m. Contact: John Fenimore at 419-957-8764. • Sept. 12-14: Ohio Women's Outdoor Adventure Weekend. This unique weekend is designed to introduce women to a wide variety of outdoor activities in a supportive, beginner-friendly environment. Deer Creek State Park Lodge and Conference Center, Mount Sterling (Pickaway County). Cost: is $395 per person, based on double occupancy. For a complete listing of sessions and registration, visit ohiodnr.gov/owoa. • Sept. 19-21: Rendezvous on the Reserve, a unique living history encampment depicting the fur trade-era in the Indiana wilderness spanning the years of 1760-1840. This gathering will be held on the Blackford County Reservation of Myaamia Chief Francois Godfroy (4400 N. 800 E. - Montpelier, Indiana 47359) who chose this site in accordance with the terms of the 1818 Treaty of St. Marys. Enter the authentic encampment in the midst of life as it was more than 200 years ago. Demonstrations on muzzle-loader shooting, archery, and tomahawk & knife throwing. Visit: rendezvousonthereserve.weebly.com. Abrams is a retired wildlife officer supervisor for the state Division of Wildlife in Findlay. He can be reached at P.O. Box 413, Mount Blanchard, OH 45867-0413 or via e-mail at jimsfieldnotes@aol.com.