Ohio hunter Daniel Cremeans began hunting this buck in 2022. He finally caught up to it this fall.
December 10, 2024
By Clifford Neames
Daniel Cremeans and his stepbrother, Ryan, love to hunt big whitetails on their 150-acre family farm in Ohio. Ten years ago, Ryan shot a really good one that topped 190 inches, and Daniel has been trying to reach that mark for some time since.
“You can’t expect too many big bucks on a small piece of ground,” he explained. “So, we alternate turns after one of us kills one there.”
In 2022, another wallhanger showed up. Ryan got a shot off, but much to his dismay the arrow flew wide of the mark. That miss was the beginning of a three-year saga with plenty more twists ahead.
The following year, the buck reappeared as a big, clean 10-point. But the local power company was working nearby and staged their equipment right in the middle of his core area, ending any chance of killing the buck that season. That misfortune turned into an unexpected bounty as the buck grew into a real giant over the summer of 2024. Now estimated to be 6 1/2 years old, his rack was much larger and Daniel’s desire to kill him had grown even deeper.
With all of the obstacles now out of the way, he thought he had a good chance at the deer when the 2024 season opened.
26-inch main beams and a mass measurement of 45 7/8 helped the buck break the 200-inch mark — 201 3/8 to be exact — when all was said and done. “The stand where Ryan shot at him was a great spot,“ Daniel said. “But I needed a NW wind to hunt there.”
The conditions were right on October 2nd. Daniel made the 200-yard walk and slipped into place that afternoon, but the buck was leading a charmed life and a deflected arrow saved him again.
“There was a small limb I hadn’t noticed,“ Daniel explained. “He jumped, but didn’t really seen alarmed and walked into the weeds.”
That failed encounter led to five days of nocturnal activity, but the buck stayed in the area. Daniel put fresh food out and waited for another chance. A big temperature drop set things in motion again 11 days after the miss.
“I told Ryan, I’m hunting Monday,” he said!
Unfortunately, Cremeans' first shot this year deflected off a branch and resulted in a miss. He wasn't about to make the same mistake when he got his next opportunity. The following day, Daniel was in the stand by 4 PM, and the big show began an hour later. By 5:30, he was watching eight bucks out in the field.
“They came in from every direction,“ he remembered. “Then they started sparring, and I knew if he was around he would be coming — and he did! He came charging out all bristled up and ran them all off the field!”
Then, the giant buck made his final mistake. Passing by at just 32 yards, Daniel launched an arrow and watched him fall within 60 yards. His big buck was down, and it was time to tally the numbers.
The 26-inch beams each carry a wall of thick tines, and the mass measurement of 45 7/8 brought the score up to a total of 201 3/8 inches. It may be a while before either brother tops this one!
