Nicknamed "Blade" because of its unique eyebrows, this Ohio stag is a deer in a lifetime

By: Bob McNally | Published 9:31 AM, November 11, 2021

In early 2020, 31-year-old Kevin Miller was allowed to hunt a friend’s 40-acre farm in Ohio. Soon, he used velvet to record a huge 10-pointer tracking camera photo. Miller didn't know it at the time, but he spent more than a year chasing the deer and was fascinated by it. This will be the largest sum of money killed by this 12-year Air Force veteran.

Bucks have a unique, large fan-shaped brow, so Miller named him "Blade." As the summer progressed, Miller was still taking photos of the Blades, but soon he realized that the old guy was shy about the camera.

"Once he took off the velvet, he no longer appeared on my camera, so I moved them to a new farm area and took pictures of him again," Miller said. "But once Blades saw the camera or knew it was there, he wouldn't be there."

Miller said he took photos of the Bucks hiding on a camera 50 to 60 yards away. In one place, he set up a tracking camera near the newly scratched area. The stag hit it and he got a night photo of Blades. Miller searched the scraping site, but no luck. A week later, he obtained more photos of the stag at the scratching site, this is the last photo of the stag on the 40-acre farm in 2020.

With an adjacent 400-acre farm next to the smaller 40-acre farm, Miller believes that Blaze is spending time on a larger plot. That winter, he obtained permission to hunt a 400-acre farm, placed a tracking camera on it, and obtained photos of Blades.

Miller spent the rest of the year until 2021, using a camera to try to pattern the blade and explore the 400-acre farm.

"When I got the picture of Blades, I started writing on the calendar, where and what the wind direction was, because this was the only way I could find some patterns about him," Miller said. "I never found the antlers he shed and lost his [camera] track after February 2021."

Miller was obsessed with blades and began to look for two farms seriously, trying to find out where the old money was.

"I set up 7 different mine stations and 38 mobile phone cameras on the farm," Miller said. "I started to take photos of him on the 40-acre farm in early June 2021, which now grows corn. His summer activities are mainly on the 40-acre farm and half of the 400-acre farm.”

Miller learned from the video of deer hunter Don Higgins that adult bucks use the same area on the same date from one year to the next. Based on this information, Miller found that the blade did indeed follow the same pattern as the previous year.

Miller said: "He is doing the same things he did on almost the same days and places the previous year."

To solve the problem of Blade's camera shyness, Miller placed the camera high above the ground, 10 feet high in some places. He set up a camera in a new place.

In the end Miller learned that the blade scratches every five to seven days. In order to make the stags excited about scratching, Miller modified the place with different scraping odors, hoping that the blade would believe the different stags and they were indeed scratching.

"I want to make Blades crazy so that he keeps hitting the wall," Miller said.

Earlier on October 13, Blades used scraping as a cold front and set perfect wind conditions. Miller searched for scraps from a climbing tree stand on the night of October 15th and 16th, only to see a few. Starting in the early afternoon of October 17th, he searched for the location again and refreshed the location with the smell of Black Widow Scrape Master before heading to climb the tree stand.

Soon, a flock of turkeys appeared, and Miller had to remain motionless for 90 minutes because the alert birds were walking through the area. Then he came up with a small 8 points of money.

At about 5:30, Miller noticed some movement. The branches were moving near the scratches, but the deer could not be seen because a big tree blocked his view.

"But once he lowered his head, I realized it was Blades, and I was almost shocked, feeling like I had a heart attack," Miller said.

The blade was scratched and then left in place for a while. He stayed nearby for 15 minutes without giving Miller a chance. Then the blade turned around and started to leave, returning to the cornfield.

At 45 yards, the stag crossed a clearing, away from Miller. He raised his TenPoint Vapor 470 crossbow, aimed and shot an arrow through the top of the blade's heart. The Bucks fell to death just 100 yards from Miller.

The Bucks Farm wears a huge 258 pounds and has an estimated living weight of over 300. The age of the blade is estimated to be 7.5 years. The huge size of the stag makes its shelf look smaller than it actually is. Miller believes that blood pressure will get about 180 points.

But Blades' green Buckmasters rack score is 203 3/8 inches. Miller said that the whole experience is like an emotional roller coaster. This is the biggest fortune in his life.

"Even after he was depressed, I couldn't make it clear for 30 minutes," he recalled. "It's just time. Working between scouting and growing food. Also, all of my friends and family I have helped-it's a great journey."

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