December 07, 2010
By Aaron Decker
Three bucks, horns intertwined, found drowned in Meigs County, OH
By Aaron Decker
While surveying land near Albany, Ohio, forester Jason Good stumbled upon a wildlife find that he'll soon not forget. Three trophy bucks -- a 122-inch seven point with a broken tine, 140-inch 10-point, and 169-inch 11-point -- were horn-locked and floating face down in a pool of dark creek water -- dead -- from a battle that one can only guess was beyond epic.
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After finding the bucks, Good reported the find to land owner Brien Burke, who contacted the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
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ODNR officer Josh Shields responded to the call and after a quick look at the scene, verified the event was a natural occurrence, allowing Brien to keep the bucks.
"All deer parts must be tagged and properly account for -- had he just lopped the heads off, he would have been issued a citation. He waited until the DNR officer could see the deer and see what happened, which gives him legal possession," said Susie Vance, ODNR employee.
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The bucks were found during the peak of the Ohio rut and it's been reported that the landscape surrounding the death pool showed evidence of an amazing battle.
"The landscape in southeast Ohio is steep and hilly," said Vance, "most likely what happened is after getting tangled, they pitched over the bank and fell into the creek."
By looking at the horns, Burke thinks the 7-point and 11 point were engaged in battle, when the 10-point got into the fray and locked all three of them up, leading to their untimely demise.
To remove the deer from the water, two of the heads were cut off, while one of the bucks remained whole. The locked horns were then zip-tied to maintain the integrity of how the deer were interlocked and then removed.
Burke reports two of the deer were easily over 200 pounds while a third could have been close to it.
Seeing three bucks tangled up is extremely rare.
"A lot of us have seen two bucks together, but to see three bucks, that's pretty rare and special and unique situation," said Vance.
Burke, who is an avid hunter, has had all three bucks officially scored and is planning on having a mount done with several replicas made for the other people involved with the find.
