Ohio Man Tags 201 Inch Buck Captured on Browning Trail Cameras
In 2022, Chris Duve of Ohio caught images of a giant buck that he nicknamed "Zeus" on his Browning Trail Cameras, only for him to disappear the following year. 2024 was the year for Chris, as Zeus reappeared briefly on his Browning Trail Cameras and walked under his stand at the perfect moment. Chris shares the incredible story of Zeus below.
Some of my first photos of the deer we nicknamed "Zeus" were on my first Browning Trail Camera. This deer was only on camera at night from the beginning! He would visit a community scrape not far from my stand. He stuck around for about 45 days from the first picture of him, and then he vanished.
One year goes by and no photos of him at all during the 2023 hunting season. We had assumed he was harvested the previous year. Fast forward to 2024. My son and I have three shooter bucks on our list. It never crossed our mind that Zeus was still lurking in the shadows!
This year on 11/3/24, I knew conditions would be ideal for rutting activity. It was a cool morning in the mid-thirties with a stiff East wind in my face! I had seen two does in the distance, and not long after that my number two hit list buck chased a doe, along with two other bucks, past my stand at 40 yards with no shot. I wasn’t concerned, as it was still early in my hunt.
Around 8:15 am, I noticed a small buck near the creek, and he was watching something. After watching the small buck for a few seconds, I noticed another deer close to him through the trees and instantly knew it was a big buck! It felt like I was holding my breath as the angle the big buck was taking was going to lead him straight away from me. Next thing I know, he turns on a dime and is headed straight for me!
As he walks through the woods, sunlight glistening off his antlers, I prep for the shot. I go through my mental shot process checklist as I realize I am about to get a shot. As he got closer, I thought it was my number one hit-list buck: a main frame 12 point with a sticker. The buck crosses the creek just in front of me, comes up into my small food plot, and stops at 23 yards. As he stopped, I came to full draw. I settled my pin and pulled through the click on my hinge release! Just as he took a step to start walking again, my bow fired!
The shot felt good, and I immediately noticed I had placed a perfect shot that had resulted in me breaking his off-side shoulder! He runs 60 yards and I lose him in the brush next to the creek! I watched that spot like a hawk for 10 minutes waiting to see if he got up! As I call my wife who had just got up, she tells me that my son was looking out his bedroom window and saw a big buck crash in the bushes by the creek! I think I finally took a deep breath and realized I had just shot the biggest buck of my life!
But wait, there is more! After I get this information from my wife and son, I call my brother to tell him the news. As I am talking to him, I realized the deer I had just shot had way more tines, mass, and height than my hit-list buck. I mentally refer back to the deer I had pictures of two years ago and realize it could be Zeus!
With my heart still pounding, I get out of my tree and go inside for a few minutes. My wife and kids then watch me walk over to the creek to make sure the deer is down. Once I realized he was down and not injured, I think I did a back flip (I am 6ft tall and 275lbs) 🤣 My wife and kids come out to help me recover the deer and we quickly realize it is Zeus! My eight-year-old son counts all 17 scoreable points and gives me a big smile!
It was a hunt of a lifetime for sure and we have been celebrating since! My Browning Trail Cameras are still in use, and I am planning to purchase more ASAP!