Land of the Giants is everything this nonresident was led to believe.
Kevin Solomon of Ridgeway, Virginia, was introduced to hunting during his teenage years by some friends whose father graciously allowed him to tag along. Kevin learned the great outdoors during these ventures and became quite content with chasing the wild game that roamed the hills of his family’s farm.
Not long after a position change at work, Kevin became acquainted with Donnie Ellison of North Carolina. Donnie is also an avid hunter, and lunchtime conversations often turned to hunting whitetails. On numerous occasions, Donnie mentioned his treks throughout the Midwest to hunt deer, which fanned Kevin’s flame.
Following the 2013 hunting season, Donnie and some of his other hunting buddies were looking to add acreage to their Ohio lease. They decided to ask a couple of other hunters to join them so they could offset the additional cost. Donnie immediately thought of Kevin.
The many work conversations between the coworkers about hunting trips to Adams County, Ohio, had definitely stimulated Kevin’s interest in the possibility of joining them. Donnie reiterated that hunting the Midwest was much different than chasing deer in Virginia.
Despite his interest, Kevin was still hesitant as he is a self-proclaimed frugal person. The thought of spending the type of money Donnie had mentioned troubled him. After some coaxing from his wife, however, Kevin took the plunge and joined the lease.
Almost immediately, anticipation for the 2014 season consumed him.
Donnie continued to share his experiences from the previous two seasons. Near the end of summer, the mountain boys made the 6-plus-hour drive to prepare for the fast approaching archery season. The partners in the lease set out to place feeders, hang stands, position trail cameras and scout their ground.
Kevin was pleasantly surprised with the rolling terrain of southeastern Ohio’s Appalachian region, finding it similar to the topography in his beloved Blue Ridge Mountains.
Following the trip, Kevin was even more anxious to return as he believed the prospects were great. Kevin and Donnie made plans to hunt opening day.
Another member of the group had arrived earlier in the week and had pulled the cards from the trail cameras. The best animal was a mid-140s buck.
Saturday, Sunday and Monday were the planned days for the hunt. On the last day, the temperatures dropped and deer movement picked up significantly. Kevin was able to observe a big 10-pointer from well beyond shooting range and knew then that Donnie had not exaggerated when proclaiming the size of Ohio’s deer.
The second trip to the Buckeye State was slated for the week of Nov. 10. When they arrived, the county was abuzz about the 239-inch, 36-point giant that Lear McCoy had killed three days earlier. Kevin observed intently as the buck was taped for the Buckmasters record book. He knew for sure anything was possible in this land of giants.
The early part of the week brought warm temperatures. Deer movement was minimal. Kevin began to stand-hop, trying to catch up to the deer movement.
The week, typically the height of deer rutting activity, was not living up to the hype, and Donnie became very apologetic to Kevin, feeling bad that the hunt had not gone as advertised.
Friday evening ushered in a major cold front. More normal temps arrived and a light covering of snow peppered the forest floor. That morning, Kevin climbed into a stand halfway up a wooded ridge, while Donnie ascended to the crest about 200 yards distant.
At approximately 9:45, Kevin heard rustling leaves and turned in his stand just in time to glimpse an 8-pointer chasing a doe. Almost immediately, another buck circled behind Kevin, but it vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared.
Kevin’s spirits soared immediately.
The following morning, Nov. 16, Donnie and Kevin climbed into the same stands from which they’d hunted the previous morning. At almost exactly the same time, Kevin detected movement. It was the same 8-pointer trailing a doe. Again, just as it had done the previous day, the other buck approached from behind, only this time the deer turned and stopped just to the right of Kevin’s tree.
A right-handed shooter, Kevin had to turn nearly 180 degrees in the stand to prepare for a shot. He knew it was not going to be an easy task. He was thankful that a nearby white oak tree had yet to shed its leaves, which concealed his movement.
Kevin had not been afforded a clear view of the buck’s rack, but he knew the deer was big. And he wanted it.
Through a small opening, he was able to locate the deer in his crossbow’s scope.
With the deer almost directly under him, Kevin knew he needed to avoid the spine in order for the bolt to penetrate the vitals. Conscious of the aiming point, he touched off the shot.
The deer ran approximately 50 yards and stood motionless, showing no indication of having been hit. While trying to observe the buck, Kevin began pondering how to stealthily re-cock the crossbow.
The confined space because of the stand’s shooting rail, along with a bad shoulder suffered in a previous accident, prevented Kevin from reloading the bow. Much to his relief, the buck suddenly began to wobble, and then it fell to the ground.
Kevin got down as quietly as possible so as not to ruin Donnie’s hunt.
Upon his first clear view of the rack, the adrenaline began to flow and he had to sit to keep from fainting. Donnie, meanwhile, was on his way because he’d heard the shot and the commotion of the deer running and going to ground.
Donnie didn’t see the downed animal, which had fallen into a ditch, until he was standing over it. When he peered into the depression, he was stunned. The deer was enormous.
The friends all gazed at it with mouths open.
This article was published in the June 2017 edition of Rack Magazine. Subscribe today to have Rack Magazine delivered to your home.
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