Jake Whiteman isn't out to etch his name in a record book, and until Ohio's 2022 shotgun opener he was a self-proclaimed freezer filler. Does, button bucks, it didn't matter. If it was brown, it was down.
Now, the Ohio native has 210 reasons to let the little guys grow and potentially create memories for other hunters, not to mention one heck of an introduction to hunting for his 20-year-old son Jacob.
Jacob left the city slickers in New Jersey last year, came home to the Buckeye State to be closer to family, and was along for the hunt with his dad.
"This was my son's first deer hunt. He just moved back to Ohio from New Jersey and wanted to get back into country living and actually moved into the property with my mom and dad where I harvested the buck," Jake told Buckmasters. "Growing up a freezer filler, we didn't care if it was a spike or 6-pointer. Just seeing what a deer in our area can grow and mature to, I'm letting a lot of freezer opportunities walk from now on. Let the younger guys walk, you could fulfill dreams for other hunters. This experience totally changed my life as far as hunting goes."
Jake's parents' 5-acre hobby farm in Portage County was smack-dab in the middle of this bruiser's home range. North of the property features a wood block clear-cut 20 years ago by Amish men that's super thick and heavily bedded. There's a handful of ag fields south of the farm, and Jake says deer funnel through an old gate opening on the backside of his parents' property.
Opening morning was calm and damp. Jacob set up in 20-foot ladder stand overlooking what used to be a cow pasture while dad was a stone's throw away in a retired livestock trailer. Both had a look at the funnel point but neither had a clue this 200-inch giant was walking this earth.
"I have never seen this deer on camera before; I had no idea he was walking this planet. Because the property rolls a little bit, I could only see the back of the deer but noticed him thrashing around in some brush and was thinking to myself, man, he's really getting after it," Jake recalled. "He raised his head and what I thought was brush, was actually antlers. He took a few more steps, I could see his entire body, and pulled the trigger at 7:48 a.m."
Jake says this buck had an 8-inch tine broken off that wrapped down his right side toward his eyeball. He's noticed other bucks in the area with similar genetics, like same-side drop tines and crab-claw P2s, but nowhere near the size or age of his November harvest.
Buckmasters master scorer Toby Hughes measured this irregular giant at 210 3/8 for Buckmasters Trophy Records.
"People started reaching out, sharing stories, pictures and videos and I got to meet with a handful of people hunting this deer. They got to put hands on the rack and add closure to their stories," Jake said. "I've been able to meet some really cool people."
This summer Jake plans on getting his son comfortable with different equipment to prepare for Ohio's 2023-2024 hunting season. It'll be here before you know it.
— Read Recent Blog! Peakaboo with a 200-inch Big Boy! Ohio native Thomas Clark struck gold on a small piece of land in Stark County, sending a bolt through a 200-inch giant with his grandfather's '94 Huntsman crossbow and a little luck.