The Quest for "Zeus" Has Ended
Tommy Allen from Buckeye Boyz Outdoors shares how his Browning Trail Cameras helped him harvest a 200+ inch buck named "Zeus" that he's been watching the past three years. Check out his success story below!
This journey all started three years ago when I got trail camera pictures of a main-frame 12-point buck. I knew right then that this deer had the potential to be something special!
In 2023 this deer blew up to a 180+ inch deer but would not show himself much on the Browning Trail Cameras that year. I put a lot of time into this deer trying to figure him out but never could. There were a lot of sleepless nights thinking if another hunter was going to harvest this deer or if he would get hit by a car. As the season ended, he went missing for two months. I searched high and low for his sheds but never located them. The fear had set in that he didn't make it.
The month of June rolled around and low and behold, Zues shows up! From that day on I put everything I had to get this deer on the ground. We spent most of the summer evenings filming him in the beans, but after he lost his velvet, he changed everything. I was back to square one trying to figure him out as season was coming quick.
Coming into the 2024 hunting season, I had 21 Browning Trail Cameras deployed trying to figure out his pattern and he seemed to dodge them all. This buck drove me nuts, and I started to feel like it just wasn't meant to be. I was at the point of giving up, but my buddies told me to stick with it. I moved my trail cameras around non-stop, and it finally paid off. I felt like there was hope. The cold front hit last week and he started showing up a lot. I knew it was time to make a move.
On October 16th I hung a stand late morning and prepared for my first hunt after him that evening. I had everything set up in the stand at 5pm, and to my surprise he was the first and only deer I saw when he walked into range at 5:58pm. The nerves really started to kick in when I was staring a 200-inch buck in the eyes. I took a couple of deep breaths and pulled the bow back and sunk my pin right behind the shoulder. The rest is history! I finally had my hands on a buck of a lifetime! The chapter of Zeus has ended.
Rough score 216 4/8"
Browning Defender Pro Scout Max HD Cellular Camera
