Then, just as I turned to retrieve the bow rope that was hanging from my seat, I saw movement directly behind me. One quick glance told me that it was a shooter! He was 30 yards out, walking at a steady pace, and closing the distance fast. I immediately reached for my bow -- and remembered that the quiver was on the bow and no arrow was on the string.

Forget the quiver, I told myself; my main focus had to be on nocking an arrow. As I took a shaft from the quiver, I peeked down to see where he was. I couldn't believe it! There he was, standing 10 yards behind me, with his nose pressed against the pad dipped in doe-in-heat lure. Boy, did I ever change my tune about that stuff! I'd be forever glad that I'd put it out, as it gave me just the extra time that I needed to get an arrow on the string.

I peeked at him a second time. He was 20 yards from the tree, standing broadside. It's now or never! I thought. If he goes 10 more yards, I'll have no shot because of the brush and tree limbs.

I drew back, settled the sight pin behind his shoulder and let my arrow fly. He bolted about 10 yards and stopped dead still. It all happened so fast that I wasn't sure where the arrow had entered. As I watch him walk away and disappear, I searched the ground with my binoculars. I spotted my arrow covered with blood sticking in the ground. I decided to climb down, retrieve the arrow and sneak out of the woods. I wanted to give him a couple of hours to stiffen up.

When I was halfway down the tree, I heard something behind me. I turned my head and saw a young 8-pointer passing by at 20 yards. I was stuck halfway up the tree for 10 minutes before he finally moved off.

"See anything?" John asked when I got back to the camper.

"I shot a big one," I answered.

"How big?" John asked.

"I'm not sure how many points he had, but he's big!" I answered.

As we walked toward the house, Trudye came out and called Randy on his cell phone. After a brief discussion, Randy said, "You're hunting on public land, so you had better go find that deer before someone else does."

I had planned on giving the buck another hour, but John and I jumped into the truck and headed back to my stand. We had no problem finding a good blood trail. After we had gone about 100 yards, though, the trail began to get very light. Just as I was starting to get worried, it picked up again. After another 150 yards, we walked over a small rise -- and there he was!

WHAT A DEER!
What a sight that buck was -- even at 50 yards -- 14 massive points towering over his head. After the usual congratulations, we got the deer back to Randy's house and hung him up.

I knew my buck was a magnificent animal, but it wasn't until I took him to taxidermists Keith and Carol Daniels in Mt. Cory that I realized just how big he was! Basically, it was a main-framed 6x6 with a 5 6/8-inch split brow on the right and a 2 7/8-inch sticker point coming off his left G-4. With amazing symmetry -- both G-2s measure over 14 inches in length -- and an inside spread of 19 4/8 inches, the rack has a gross typical score of 211 4/8 inches and, after deductions, a net typical score of 198 3/8 inches.

Everything had happened so fast that I didn't have time to get nervous. I just thank God that I didn't have to watch this deer slowly working his way toward me for 80 yards or so. If that had been the case, my story might easily have had a completely different ending!

(Editor's Note: With an entry score of 198 3/8 inches, Reed's great buck ranks as the third-largest typical bow- kill of all time. It also ranks as Ohio's No. 2 typical buck of all time, behind Bill Kontras' basic 6x6, scored at 201 1/8.)