The Metzner buck has exceptionally long tines and remarkable symmetry, with only 4 inches of deductions. Photo courtesy of Justin Metzner

It doesn’t take much to make Hunter’s Soup: Take three brothers who are competitive and love to hunt, add a dad who’d rather give up his shooter’s spot on a deer drive so his son can take his first deer, and throw in a young man dedicated enough to get up at 3 a.m. so he can drive nearly three hours to sit in a tree all day, and you’ve got something cooking.

Now toss in one 10-point 196 6/8-inch whitetail buck and have yourself a bowl of Justin Metzner’s Hunter’s Soup.

Being a resident of Ohio and holding the Pope and Young world record for non-typical whitetails, I am privileged to hear of just about every giant buck that hits the ground in Ohio.

This year was no different. It seemed that Adams County was one of Ohio’s hottest spots, first with the famous Amish Schmucker buck, and now with the Justin Metzner buck.

Metzner has been hunting for several years. His biggest buck so far scored around the mid-130s. His dad, Tony, and his brothers, Bill and Chad, have always been a big part of the family tradition.

On Oct. 21, 2006, Justin and his hunting partner, Jeremy, headed out to one of their favorite hunting spots.

It was a 2 1/2-hour drive to their destination, and they had to leave home at 3 a.m., which didn’t leave much time for sleep.

“I always see deer when I go there,” Justin said. “It’s my favorite place to hunt. I see more deer in one day in Adams County then I do in a week of hunting around my home.

“But I only get down there two or three times each year during bow season. I’ve hunted that farm for four or five years now.”

After stopping for some snacks and drinks, the hunters arrived at their spot around 6 a.m.

The farm is a mixture of corn, wheat, pasture, and gently rolling clover fields. It shares a back boundary with a public hunting area in northern Adams County.

Justin had taken a couple of small bucks during previous gun seasons and knew the area well. Prior to the 2005 season, however, he hadn’t done any pre-season scouting.

“With work and everything, it’s hard to get time to scout,” Justin said. “But I knew the spot where I wanted to hunt because I’d seen a lot of sign there before.”

Justin had about a 10-minute walk to the ridgeline he wanted to hunt.

He’d picked the spot based on all the sign (rubs and scrapes) he had found the year before. Plus, other hunters had seen a couple of good bucks in this area.

Justin normally hunts from a ground blind, but decided to try his climbing tree stand. By the time he found a tree and had ascended to about 20 feet, daylight was breaking.

At about 25 yards, the buck slowed and hesitated in an opening. Already at full draw, Justin settled his pin on the buck’s vital area and let fly.

He tried calling a few times with The Can and a grunt tube. At around 8 a.m., a couple of does came in, and Justin decided to take one.

The deer had worked their way up the hill and were just about eye-level with him, so his movements had to be limited. Picking an open lane, Justin drew his bow and took the shot. The doe jumped up and took off.

Justin surveyed the situation and found only hair -- there was no blood.

While making sure he had missed, he found a spot where deer were crossing the creek frequently.

As he went back to his tree, he ran off a few deer from around this stand, so he gathered his gear and went back to the car.