On the morning of Nov. 2, 2005, Jason Galbreath was bowhunting near his home in Butler County, Ohio, when he missed a buck that would have scored in the mid-130s. The deer was limping due to an injury affecting its rear left leg, so Jason named the buck "Old Gimpy." He never thought he would ever see Old Gimpy again, but he kept hunting in the same area.
In fact, Jason hunted the rest of the 2005 season without seeing the buck. When the '06 season arrived, the hunter was back at it again. On Nov. 7 of that year Jason saw the buck at 70 yards, still limping, but he never was afforded a shot opportunity. That was the only sighting in 2006. When the '07 season opened, Jason stayed out of the area for the first 3 weeks, hoping to see the now 5 1/2-year-old buck.
Oct. 29, 2007, proved to be a cool, clear day with high pressure moving in. The temperature was in the mid 40s and by evening the winds were out of the southwest, giving Jason a perfect wind for his setup. He went to his stand and made a mock scrape on the way in.
"Old Gimpy had used the same 2 scrapes 2 years in a row, so I figured I would 'one-up' him and put another one out there for him. I sat for 2 hours without seeing a deer but at 6:30 I heard a deer coming from the south. I grabbed my bow and stood up, hoping it would be a shooter. As the deer came closer I saw him turn and walk right over to the scrape I had made. When he got to the scrape I saw the rack and thought to myself, 'Oh my Lord.' I knew he was a shooter and the buck I wanted, gimpy or not. To my surprise, when he got through pawing the scrape, he continued down the trail and was limping! I knew it was Old Gimpy! The first thing I said to myself was, 'Thank you God!' He circled my decoy and presented me with a 41-yard shot. He ran about 100 yards and pilled up. This was the best night of my life! I'm so proud of this monster and I hope that every bowhunter can one day experience the amazing feeling that I had. I green-scored him at 167 6/8. To me, this truly was a Cinderella story!"
North American Whitetall North American Whitetail is designed for the serious trophy hunter. It provides authoritative coverage of world-class whitetails, the latest approaches to deer management and advanced hunting techniques.
