Ohio Hunter Goes Out for an 8-Pointer, Tags a 22-Pointer

Dale Cooper concentrates on several deer-hunting spots in Ohio, but he always has kept an eye on one farm he used to hunt. It had been four or five years since he stepped foot on it, but when he noticed a massive 8-pointer on there this season, he checked with the landowner to see if he could once again gain access. The landowner agreed, and a few days before the December 2 opener, Cooper and a buddy hung some ladder stands and cameras.

After noticing a giant 8 pointer on some property he used to hunt, Dale Cooper hung a stand in hopes of getting a chance at him during the upcoming Ohio rifle season. He tagged a giant, but not the one he was first after. All images courtesy Dale Cooper

From his previous experience there, Cooper had a pretty good idea where he needed to hunt. The next Sunday morning, his Tactacam App alerted him to a deer photo. He quickly checked his phone, hoping to see the giant 8. Instead, what he saw dwarfed any deer he’d ever killed. He counted 17 points on the massive frame and suspected there were more he couldn’t see. The more he looked at the big buck in the photo, the more he thought this might very well be the magical 200-inch whitetail that all hunters dream about.

Neighboring hunters shared trail camera photos of Cooper’s buck after he had taken it.

Opening day found Cooper in his stand well before daylight with plans to sit all day in hopes that the big deer would show. The morning saw a little deer movement, but no sign of either of the bucks. Around 11:30 a.m., Cooper decided to take a quick break and meet a hunting buddy and his dad for lunch. As the three ate, Cooper casually mentioned that he was going to head out. “I’m going to shoot a 21 point buck this afternoon, I better get to the stand,” he said. His buddy’s dad, not knowing anything about the buck, laughed at what he thought was a joke. His buddy, having seen the trail camera photo, just smiled.

Cooper climbed back into his stand and settled in. He hadn’t been there long when he noticed a massive bodied buck slinking through the timber about 80 yards away. When the deer stepped into an opening and turned toward Cooper, he knew instantly that it was the big buck he was after. “I saw one side with all those kickers and mass and knew it had to be him,” Cooper said.

After telling his hunting buddies he was about to go shoot a 21 pointer, Cooper headed back to the stand after lunch.

Cooper started to raise his rifle. Even though there was quite a bit of cover between them, and Cooper was trying to be as quiet as possible, the big buck instantly picked up the movement and looked straight at him.

“Lucky for me, there was a big tree directly between the buck and my stand, and he couldn’t quite make me out,” Cooper said. “I settled my crosshairs, tried to settle my nerves as much as possible. Then I squeezed off a shot.”

The buck just stood there. Cooper knew his rifle was on and couldn’t believe he had missed at that range. Doubt started to creep into his mind. The big buck turned his head and snapped him out of his trance. Cooper carefully took aim and fired again.

After a clean miss, Cooper took a deep breath and fired a second shot at the still standing buck.

This time, the buck mule kicked and ran back down the trail. After the first miss, Cooper wasn’t sure of his shot. He gave the buck some time to make sure it was down before climbing down to take a look. He had only followed the trail a short way when he looked up to see his buck on the ground in front of him.

“As I got closer, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” Cooper said. “I stopped and took a picture of him there, walked a few more yards, stopped and took another picture, then walked a few more.” Once he got to the buck, Cooper sent his buddy some photos and the message, “need help.” Phone service was poor and the text went through but the photo didn’t. After his frantic buddy reached out to make sure he wasn’t hurt, Cooper explained that he had just shot the monster buck. His buddy didn’t believe him. After finally convincing him that he was telling the truth, his buddy told him he was on his way.

As Cooper approached the downed buck, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing when it came to the deer’s rack.

The buck was every bit as giant as the photo suggested. Cooper was in disbelief as he stared at the downed deer. True to his word at lunch, Cooper was happy to see the buck sporting not 21, but 22 total points. Once they got him out of the woods, Cooper took the buck straight to his taxidermist to be caped. He then contacted the local game warden and had him come out and verify the kill. “I know how people are,” he says. “You kill a big buck and they start accusing you of things. I just wanted to make sure I had everything confirmed and official.”

After the local DNR Officer verified the property where the buck was taken and that Cooper was fully legal, he was able to breathe a sigh of relief. His diligence was deserved. As soon as word got out that he had taken the buck, a nearby hunter reported to the Ohio DNR that the buck had been on his trail camera three to four miles away just days before. The officer was able to confirm that the buck had been taken legally and shut down the rumors immediately.

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Cooper then took the rack to Ohio Buckmasters Official Scorer Toby Hughes for measuring. “I know it sounds funny, but Toby scores so many giant bucks that he has t-shirts made for the 200-Inch Club, and I wanted one of those shirts,” Cooper said.

Buckmaster’s Certified Scorer Toby Hughes measured the buck at 225 3/8 inches.

While he knew the buck was massive, he was a bit worried that it wouldn’t quite reach the 200-inch mark. “I thought he might score around 190 on the low end, so I wasn’t sure,” he said. Hughes started measuring and adding antler totals—and he added, and added, and added. Eventually, Hughes came up with an eye-popping 225 ⅜ inches for the official Buckmasters score, which was easily enough to get Cooper the shirt he’d always wanted.

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