April 12, 2023
By Joe Martino
A chance encounter on Nov. 17, 2022, led Jakob Lewellen of Charlestown, Indiana, to a giant whitetail.
The Indiana firearms season had been in for several days when Jakob first saw the deer on a friend’s property in Clark County.
“Up until that point in the season, I hadn’t been seeing any really good bucks while hunting or on camera,” says Jakob. “So on Nov. 17th, I decided to go try a friend’s property for a change of pace.”
That evening, Jakob saw several does and a big buck. “The does would go out in the field and feed, but he would only pop his head out of the woods and look around. I knew he was a big deer, I just didn’t really know how big,” Jakob recalls. “He was a good ways away, and I couldn’t even tell if he was a shooter or not.”
That sighting made Jakob’s plans for the next day simple. He would be right back there the next evening to see if he could get on the buck again. It would be his last chance for a while, as he and his friends were leaving for Kansas early in the morning of Nov. 19.
His hunt started with sightings of a few does and a small buck. Then he saw the big buck from the night before. The deer came out of the woods this time and was headed right toward Jakob.
Jakob Lewellen decided to go hunt a friend’s property when hunting his normal location slowed. That decision led him to shooting this incredible Indiana whitetail. Photo courtesy of Jakob Lewellen “I didn’t call or anything, because he was coming in my direction,” says Jakob. “And I didn’t want him to know I was there.”
When the deer turned broadside, Jakob turned his .243 Win. loose. After the buck was shot, the deer did not react as Jakob had hoped. The deer went back to chasing a doe, and even chased a smaller 6-pointer off!
A second shot anchored him, and upon inspection, Jakob discovered that his first shot hit the deer low in the shoulder. Unlike most instances where a giant buck is shot, Jakob doesn’t know of anyone in the area that has ever seen the deer or had any photos of him.
