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Ohio hunter Mike Ferriman harvested a large non-typical whitetail buck with a crossbow on Oct. 20, according to Outdoor Life. The deer weighed 290 pounds before field dressing and its rack measured 250 3/8 inches across 28 scorable points, according to Ferriman and an Ohio Buckmasters scorer.
Ohio hunter Mike Ferriman harvested a non-typical whitetail buck with a crossbow on Oct. 20, with the deer weighing 290 pounds before field dressing and its antlers measuring 250 3/8 inches across 28 scorable points, according to Outdoor Life. The reported measurements make it an unusually large deer, though the rack score is attributed to a Buckmasters official scorer and the animal’s age has not yet been confirmed.
Ferriman, a 42-year-old agricultural sales representative from Caledonia, Ohio, told Outdoor Life that he first saw trail-camera images of the buck on Sept. 22 on a farm where he had permission to hunt. He said the rack resembled that of a heavy buck photographed on the property the previous year, but appeared larger. Ferriman had only a small number of images of the deer before the hunt.
After trail-camera activity at a mineral site on Oct. 18 and 19, Ferriman hunted from a 21-foot ladder stand on the afternoon of Oct. 20. He said the buck approached from about 90 yards away and came within 30 yards before he shot. Ferriman used a Ravin crossbow and a 100-grain, two-blade Rage Hypodermic arrow, according to the report. He said the buck ran about 50 yards before falling.
Ferriman reported the deer’s 290-pound weight was not field dressed. He took it to Ohio Buckmasters official scorer Toby Hughes, who measured 28 scorable points and a score of 250 3/8 inches. The buck’s age is estimated at 5.5 to 6.5 years; Ferriman said its teeth will be examined for an official age estimate.
A Large Buck by Two Measures
The harvest stands out for both the deer’s reported pre-field-dressing weight and the size of its non-typical antler rack. The weight and score offer separate ways to describe the animal: one is a scale measurement, while the other reflects the rack’s scorable points under the scorer’s measurement system. The figures are notable, but the report does not establish a state or national record, and no such status should be inferred from them.
For hunters, the account also documents how a short stretch of trail-camera activity informed Ferriman’s decision to hunt the site. He said he waited for a favorable northeast wind after the buck visited the mineral spot on consecutive nights. That sequence is his account of the hunt, not a guarantee that the same approach will produce similar results elsewhere.
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Two Nights of Trail-Camera Activity
Ferriman told Outdoor Life that the buck appeared at the mineral site on the night of Oct. 18 and returned the following evening, remaining there for a while. He said the animal checked the location three times on Oct. 19, prompting him to plan a hunt from the nearby stand if the wind was suitable.
On the evening of the harvest, Ferriman said he saw does near the stand before spotting the buck. He also reported that another large buck was in the area. The account describes the harvested animal as a non-typical buck, a term used for antlers with points or growth that do not follow the usual symmetrical form. Ferriman said he had photographed a heavy buck on the same farm the previous year, but the report does not establish that it was the same deer.
“But this year his rack had just blown up.”
— Mike Ferriman, speaking to Outdoor Life
Age and Record Status Await Confirmation
The buck’s age remains an estimate. Ferriman said its teeth will be examined, but the report provides no result from that process. The stated 250 3/8-inch score is attributed to Ohio Buckmasters scorer Toby Hughes; the source does not describe any separate certification or record review. It also does not identify the animal as a state or national record.
The article reports that the deer weighed 290 pounds before field dressing, but does not give the scale’s calibration details or a dressed weight. Ferriman’s account of the shot, the buck’s approach, and its recovery is reported by Outdoor Life and has not been independently corroborated in the supplied material.
Official Aging Still to Come
Ferriman said he plans to have the buck’s teeth examined to determine its age, as he does with the deer he harvests. He also plans to have the animal mounted and told Outdoor Life he may choose a full-body mount. The report gives no timetable for the aging result or final taxidermy decision.
Key Questions
Where and when was the buck harvested?
Mike Ferriman harvested it on Oct. 20, 2026, on a farm in Ohio where he had permission to hunt. The supplied report identifies his hometown as Caledonia, Ohio, but does not provide a more specific location for the property.
How much did the deer weigh?
Ferriman said the buck weighed 290 pounds before field dressing. The report does not give its dressed weight.
What was the antler score?
Ohio Buckmasters official scorer Toby Hughes measured the rack at 250 3/8 inches, with 28 scorable points, according to the report.
How old was the buck?
Its age is estimated at 5.5 to 6.5 years. Ferriman said a tooth examination will be used to establish an official age estimate; no result was reported.
Is the deer a record?
The supplied report does not identify the buck as a state or national record. Its reported score and weight alone do not establish record status.
Source: outdoorlife.com
