"Big 8"

As the weather continues to hold better than normal, we are moving down the back side of the 2015 rut. There will always be a secondary rut later in December for NE Ohio but it is much less active. Our bucks are beginning to move and feed on a more regular pattern again, and it is critical that they build back some of the weight needed for a comfortable winter.

These more normal patterns are what helped us on the last hunt. We were situated in the Ramp Patch stand watching several does and a couple of bucks when the Big 8 showed up. The trail camera photos did not do him justice! He slowly checked the does and easily cleared the food plot of the other bucks. Ethan was very patient and allowed him to walk as it was early in the hunt. The evening hunt was a return trip back to the Ramp Patch and Ethan had decided that he would not wait any longer if given another chance on this beautiful buck. After only a short hour and a half wait, his chance came again. A perfect shot that dropped him where he stood and Ethan took a great 167” perfectly clean Big 8!