Third Time’s a Charm on Monster Ohio Buck

Not many hunters have the opportunity to watch a buck grow for four years. But Ohio’s Zac Keim isn’t your usual deer hunter. For starters, he’s self-employed, allowing for excellent flexibility during deer season. He also keeps meticulous notes on the bucks he sees, and he shed-hunts like a madman after hunting season closes. Deer hunting is practically in the blood that pumps through his veins.

Ohio hunter Zac Keim has played cat and mouse with this buck for several years. Images courtesy Zac Keim

Keim first took note of an up-and-comer 2-year-old buck four seasons ago, and he even found one of the buck’s sheds after the season. The next season, he saw the buck, which he estimated to be roughly 130 inches. Many hunters would shoot a deer like that in a heartbeat, but Keim knew the buck had tremendous potential. He found a shed from that season, too, and interestingly, he just recently found the matching side in a pile of sheds at his dad’s house.

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In 2023, Keim was torn: Should he hunt the buck, or wait one more year? In mid-January 2024, he was hunting a picked cornfield during the late season, when there was a slight skiff of snow covering the ground. Conditions were ideal. Deer piled onto the field, and the 4 1/2-year-old buck stepped out 200 yards away. Suddenly, a flock of blackbirds descended onto the field to pick at the corn, spooking the buck, which ran straight toward Keim’s location.

Last season, Keim had several encounters with the buck, including a couple missed opportunities.

“When I saw him up close, I thought he was a shooter,” he said. “I told myself that if he gave me a good shot, I’d take it.”

When the buck turned its head, he started to draw his bow. A doe immediately blew right below. Deer scattered all around his stand, taking the big buck with them.

Keim figured that the evening was over, but right at dark, the buck reappeared. He estimated the distance to be 40 yards, but it was clearly a bit farther, as his arrow passed harmlessly beneath the buck’s brisket. Keim didn’t see the buck again that season, but once again, he found one of its sheds. And based on that shed, he estimated the buck to be mid-160s.

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The next summer, the field was planted in beans instead of corn, and Keim identified a good glassing post from which to observe it during the evenings. He saw the buck once. Even though it had lots of growing to do, the deer was obviously going to be a monster.

“He had sprouted a drop tine and looked really nice out in the field,” he recalled.

When Keim saw the buck feeding in beans during the summer of 2025, he knew it would be his target buck for the season.

During the 2024-2025 hunting season, Keim had four to five encounters with the giant buck. Once, he had the deer at 30 yards. As he drew his bow, it looked right at him, turned and walked away. During the muzzleloader season, he saw the buck on the neighboring property. On Jan. 11, he saw the buck chasing a doe, but didn’t get a shot opportunity.

On Jan. 21, Keim was in a ground blind and got another chance at the big buck. Again, luck was on its side; the shot sailed just over the animal’s back. Keim found the matching sheds from the buck, and depending on the spread, the buck would have scored about 190 inches. The miss hurt badly, but it would be for the better.

This past summer, Keim had a good feel for the buck’s core area. Except for a few trail cameras, he tried to stay clear so as not to pressure the wily old buck. By now, he knew the deer’s routine. It was always a regular on the trail cameras early in the season, disappeared during the middle of the season, and returned late in the year.

“I really wanted to get a shot at him early this season,” Keim said. “All of the neighbors were aware of him, and several were actively hunting him. Since I shot him, I’ve had at least seven neighbors show me trail cam photos of him on their property. I don’t know how he survived.”

In the days leading up to the season, Keim and his dad assumed the buck had always bedded on a neighbor’s property. On opening morning, Sept. 28, he captured a photo of the buck coming onto their property. He knew that, if the buck had stayed on the farm, there was one area of thick cover where he would likely be. Fortunately, a stand was already positioned nearby.

Around 4:30 that afternoon, Keim climbed into the stand, which was positioned in a large red oak tree that was actively dropping acorns. He bumped a few deer on his way in. The bounty attracted squirrels, and lots of them.

“I kept hearing movements and turning to look, only to see another squirrel,” he said. “Eventually, I kind of let my guard down a bit.”

After seeing movement in the direction he expected the buck to come from, but not seeing the deer, he turned his attention elsewhere. When he looked back, the giant buck was standing only 30 yards away.

Keim was standing but didn’t have his bow in hand. The buck was making a scrape with its head up, working the licking branch. After being caught drawing his bow the season before, Keim wasn’t taking any chances. He came to full draw while the buck was distracted. He held at full draw for nearly a minute, waiting for it to turn.

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The buck finally turned and began walking away. Keim grunted to stop him, but the buck took one too many steps, stopping behind a forked tree. He could see what he thought was a clear shot at the vitals through an eight-inch window, took the shot, and hit right where he was aiming.

Due to the limited view, he didn’t realize that the buck had its leg tucked back. The arrow hit heavy bone. The buck fell to its chest, bulldozing for 50 yards before going down. Keim could see the buck with its head up, but he couldn’t get another shot from his stand.

Keim’s shot hit forward, catching the buck in the heavy leg bone.

The buck tried to stand a couple of times and kept dipping its head. Keim remained in the tree 45 minutes after dark to limit the chances of spooking the animal, then quietly climbed down and exited.

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Returning early the following morning, he quietly crept toward the buck’s location, ready for a quick follow-up shot, if needed. Fortunately, the buck had expired.

Keim backed out the evening of the shot, returning the next morning to find the buck.

“He was already pretty stiff. He might have been dead even before I left the tree the evening before,” he said.

The giant buck was even bigger in person than what Keim had estimated. With a deer this big, several of his buddies had to come to see it.

The giant buck featured a 6x5 main frame with several additional points.

“That was one of my favorite parts,” he said. “Probably a dozen friends showed up to see him and hang out.”

With main beams stretching 28 and 29 inches, the buck’s 6x5 mainframe scored a massive 192 inches. Add in the kickers and extra points, and the final score stretched the tape to 213 2/8 inches. It’s the end of a four-year quest that had quite a few unique twists and turns.

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