Brad is now World Classics` World Record for Men`s Typical Whitetail, Crossbow.

World Classics is proud to announce that Brad Jerman is now World Classics` World Record for Men`s Typical Crossbow. The panel score was conducted by a team of Ohio Big Buck Club Scorers lead by Gary Trent, President of the OBBC. Gary Trent certified the official score for World Classics with the official score of 213 6/8". Brad`s deer has also tied the former state record of 201 1/8", which will certify him as the State Record for Ohio and also place him into the Boone and Crocket Record books.
On November 9th, Brad was fortunate enough to get this deer on film just as the sun was falling into darkness. The next morning (November 10th),proved to be Brad`s day as he harvested the largest typical buck ever taken by a hunter using a crossbow. 

Congratulations Brad! Job Well done!

Here is Brad`s Story:

It began on November 9th, 2004 when at last light I saw a tremendous buck about 100 yards from my stand. It was the first time I had ever seen this deer and I was in complete awe at seeing its magnificent rack.

Not wanting to alert the deer to my presence I waited until long after dark and when everything was quiet I snuck down from my stand and slowly crawled across an adjacent field.

It was impossible to sleep that night and I was anxious to get back in the field. I figured that if I was going to be awake it might as well be in my stand and thought the earlier I could start my crawl the better.

I began my long crawl from the edge of the mowed field, and slid slowly towards the stand. It was a new moon, overcast and it was dark. I felt my way along as much as anything. I arrived proudly at the thicket without making a sound about 45 minutes later (again, this was not quite 100 yards).  While on my knees, I reached up and hung a scent bomb of Tink’s 69 Doe-in-Rut on a limb a few feet from my ladder.  I then stood. When I did, a thorn from a briar pulled across my camo making a rather large ripping and popping sound.

Immediately a deer blew twice and bounded away with three big leaps. By the volume of air and the heavy hoofed sound of its leaps, I believed it was the giant. As we all know, this is the kiss of death for most situations, but in a panic the only thing I knew to try was to blow back. I blew once quite loudly, added some quick grunts I then froze. There was no wind and when I say it was dark, I mean it was dark. With camo head to toe and a thicket between him and me I’m certain he couldn’t make me out. I was also pretty sure he couldn’t smell me. After a few minutes, I heard movement as the deer moved slowly away. I took that opportunity to slip up the ladder to my stand.

Rather dejected, I put my backpack down and started praying. After 15 minutes or so; I heard a snort wheeze from some distance away. It was more like one long sound than two, as if a valve stem was cut from a tire. Thinking the buck knew something was at my location, and was flexing his muscle, I performed my own grunt, snort wheeze. I tried to mimic what I had just heard, but had also practiced the call several years prior along with an instructional cassette tape. This was the first time I ever tried the call while hunting.

All was quiet for 40 minutes or so, and then I heard movement at some distance. I was afraid that the buck would lose interest in the area, so I used my bleat call and then replicated some tending grunts. It got quiet again and there I sat peering into the dark and praying for all I was worth. Another hour passed and I repeated this again when I heard leaves crunching. I repeated this a third time before daylight because again I heard leaves crunching in the distance. I’m not really sure why I did this; I believe I was just trying to keep his curiosity. I have never used a call in the dark before and if he would have come my way at any of those times it could have been disaster.

As dawn approached I was able to see a deer browsing around. Then from another direction a large set of antlers came into view. They seemed to glow-in-the-dark. Soon his body became visible along with another doe. It was not shooting light yet but he was within range and moving between the two does.

Right as it was light and I was getting ready for a shot, one of the does suddenly walked strait at me and stopped directly under my stand. He followed until he was right under me also. I froze since I was only 12 feet off the ground. I’m sure it was shooting light, but I had no shot except straight down. Timing my movement with his, I was able to look at him just as he raised his head and smelled the Tink’s I had hanging there. He was so close I could hear him breathing.

He let the doe keep walking and with a huff he turned away into the heart of the thicket. I immediately had no shot, but was completely awestruck by the way he moved his head though what should have been impossible for a rack his size. He bobbed and weaved like a prizefighter into the thickest part and was out of view. Everything got very quiet. During that time I was able to catch my breath, and glance at my watch. There was now plenty of light, but nothing to shoot at. I was supernaturally calm as I scanned all sides of the thicket intently, but saw nothing and heard nothing. He couldn’t have been more than 25 yards from me.

After about a 15 minute wait, a new doe or possibly one of the previous does walked up. It stood broadside in the shooting lane closest to where I believed the buck to be. He quickly emerged and chased the doe through that very location. He was quartering away and without hesitation I let him have it. He circled the thicket and crashed just out of sight. He only ran about 25 yards and got tangled up. His struggle was over in less than 10 seconds. I hit him on the right side just behind his ribs at a pretty steep angle. The Spitfire mechanical broadhead did its job on the diaphragm, right lung and the arteries where the lungs meet in the middle above the heart. What a great hunt and what a great buck.

I got the deer field dressed, transported back to the house and with some help from a neighbor we got it hung in my garage all before 9:30. I had no idea that I had just taken a state record typical whitetail deer, or that the deer would be the world’s largest typical whitetail ever taken with a crossbow.

See http://jermanbuck.com for more info. Replicas available.