Last season Don Wilson of Wilmington, Ohio, bagged a "working man's buck." And oh, what a buck it was!

Don Wilson's 14-point Ohio "Hawg" was officially scored by Ron Perrine of the Buckeye Big Buck Club. The massive rack grossed 195 3/8 inches. After deductions, it netted 181 4/8 and is believed to be Ohio's largest bow buck of the 2007 season. Not bad for a working man's buck!

"When I worked at GM, I worked second shift and didn't have to be there until 5:30 in the evening," Don explained. "But I took the buyout and started my own concrete business, and now I don't have time to hunt."

That story resonates with many bowhunters who struggle to balance work, family and hunting.

"I used to shoot 3-D every Wednesday morning at Green County Fish & Game," Don said. "Now I just don't have time since I started this business."

Like many bowhunters, Don primarily hunts public lands, but he also hunts private property whenever the opportunity arises.

"When I first met my wife, her family owned 100 acres in Vinton County, Ohio," Don continued. "And that's where I tagged my first deer. It was a doe that came around the hillside on opening day of gun season."

Since then, Don has taken a number of smaller bucks while hunting on public property. He started bowhunting in 1996, and he now prefers hunting with a bow instead of a firearm. These days Don frequently hunts with his dad.

"On my first bowhunt, I hiked into Wayne National Forest in Athens County at a spot I picked off the topo map and found a place I wanted to hunt," Don said. "That morning I saw a small 8-point buck. I grunted, but he didn't pay any attention to me. So I used a rattle bag, and he turned around and ran toward me. He stopped 30 yards away and I made a good shot. That was my first bow buck.

"Over the years, I've hunted either state land or the Vinton County property," Don noted. "I just didn't have anywhere else to hunt. I enjoyed the hunting whether I took anything or not. I never did any good on big deer. I just don't have the patience to pass on a buck. If he was a 100-incher, that was a shooter to me. It wasn't about getting the big one. Of course, I always wanted a big one, but I wouldn't pass on the smaller ones."

A BIG ONE FOR SURE
Don's luck was about to change forever when he met Chris Snyder, a bowhunting friend who also worked at GM.

"Chris and I hooked up and started hunting together," Don said. "We became good hunting buddies. We both ended up leaving GM, but we stayed in touch. Last season, he called me and asked me to hunt with him in Brown County near Mt. Orab. I told him I'd come down and hunt but that I'd only be able to hunt the rut because of work."

Chris phoned Don again in early November and said, "The bucks are moving -- you need to come down now. I'll put you in a tree stand and you'll get a big one for sure." "As I was talking to Chris on the phone, I looked over at my business partner and asked him how he'd like to have the next day off (Friday)," Don said. "He said, 'Whatever you want to do.' I said, 'Then take tomorrow off because I'm going hunting!' So I had Friday, Saturday and Sunday to hunt."

Don had tagged a doe early in the 2007 season while hunting public land at Spring Valley Wildlife Area, but he hadn't had a bow in his hands since.

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