October 28, 2011
By North American Whitetail Online Staff
Hunting with grandpa is a grand occasion, especially when a trophy buck of two lifetimes comes strolling in.
Spending time in the deer woods is something all hunters cherish. Spending time in the deer woods with a grandson takes things to an entirely different level. And watching your 12-year-old grandson shoot a buck of a lifetime while looking on from the blind? Well, moments like that are often met with moist eyes and an overwhelming sense of pride.
On October 25th, Ronald Gleason Sr. had his 12-year-old grandson (and best hunting buddy) in his deer blind for the first time during Ohio's archery season. Opportunities for hunting have to be scheduled around the multi-committed life of an active 12-year-old: school, fall baseball and the start of basketball practice.
The pair settled into their ground blind that was positioned along the edge of a field at 5 p.m on a piece of private land in Perry County. Thirty minutes into their sit, Zach spotted a doe venturing in that eventually stopped to feed 20 yards from the pair of hunters. Shortly after, a small six-point buck entered the picture followed by the wide-racked trophy that Ronald had been chasing for the past two years.
With more than 100 trail camera pictures of the buck, Ronald was well aware that there was a fantastic trophy in the area. The buck appeared to be nocturnal in nature as almost all of the trail cam images were taken in the middle of the night. The buck was a mainframe 10-point that was wider than back end of a Buick. A definite shooter by anyone's measure.
When the doe spotted the two bucks, she spun around and darted for the woods across from Ronald and Zachary with the bucks in hot pursuit. Several minutes later, Zach spotted the doe again and Mr. Wide was with her.
Ever so slowly, the monarch crept closer to the blind, eventually getting to within 18 yards. Zachary shouldered his Parker Bushwacker Crossbow and made a perfect shot!
After a slow tracking job, the bruiser was found 75 yards from where Zach shot him, setting off a celebration between grandfather and grandson and creating a memory that will stretch past multiple generations.
The buck featured an inside spread of 25 inches and green grossed at 173 4/8.
Congrats on a fantastic buck Zachary and Ronald!
