On April 21, 2000, Cody Kelch completed the third leg of a tremendous Grand Slam of hunting. On that date Cody harvested his first turkey, albeit a Jake, never-the-less it was a turkey and required all the skills and stealth of a veteran hunter. The Jake sported a 4 3/4 inch beard and was harvested on the first day of a special youth hunt. You see Cody has reached the ripe old age of 10. Having successfully passed the Ohio Hunter Safety Course in 1998, he is permitted to hunt under adult supervision. And so he filled his tag as did his sister Jessica, that same day, while the birds were called in by their father... Leg three!

And just why do I call this a grand slam? In the fall of 1998, again while hunting with his father and sister, Cody harvested a leg and “neck” banded Canada Goose, tagged at St. James Bay, Ontario, Canada. Something most veteran waterfowlers have never accomplished even once. Cody however has managed on two separate occasions to do just that... Leg two!

On November 30, 1999, Cody, his sister Jessica and their father David were lined out along the east side of a woodlot with their backs to a picked soybean field. There was a scrape line just inside the woods and David had been freshening it every other day with Jackie’s doe estrus scent to keep the deer in the area interested. Jessica was on the south end of the line and Cody was posted in the center. It was the second day of the Ohio
shotgun season, Cody was equipped with a 20 ga. H&R single mounted with a scope. The cold overcast day was nearly ended, when at 20 minutes to five, Cody spotted a doe moving along the scrape line from his left and about 70 yards away. The doe was closing the distance at a steady pace but was not running. Some yards behind the doe came a very nice buck.

Raising the 20 ga. to his shoulder, Cody took what he felt was a clean 50 yard shot to the chest area of the buck. The buck seemed to stagger slightly but did not go down. Instead, it changed directions and came straight at the youngster. Cody reloaded the single and put the second shot into the chest of the rapidly approaching deer, now at 20 yards. The buck took the shot through the heart and dropped on the spot. Cody reloaded once again and ran to the fallen deer.

David, having heard two shots, thought that each of his children may have had a shot, he quickly moved towards them. As he came close Cody hollered out, “Dad, come over and see my deer.”

David said, “As I came up on the deer I was stunned, almost speechless, the rack was huge, bigger than I could imagine. It was a while before I could think straight. What an incredible buck my son has taken.” They looked at the deer and the rack and David counted the points several times. There were seventeen points, and several inches of the right main beam was broken off. Cody did not yet realize the enormity of the rack on this buck, it would be a little longer before the realization would come.

The three of them pulled and dragged the deer to the edge of the woods where they cleaned up the animal for some photos before field dressing. The monster buck was then hauled out to the check station in Wellington, Ohio. It was here after tagging and examination by local game warden, and congratulations by several onlookers that Cody began to appreciate his good fortune and shooting skills. A large crowd seemed to materialize as if from nowhere to admire this awesome trophy... Leg ONE!

The deer weighed 174 pounds field-dressed and sported 17 points, 12 on the right and 5 on the left. The Buckmasters score for this buck is 189 2/8 inches of antler, with 24 3/8 of those inches being irregular. It is an incredible trophy, for an incredible young hunter!