Outdoors: Patience pays off for determined bow hunter

Nov. 6—If patience is a virtue, then Andy Caputo soon might be declared a saint.

The 44-year-old Toledo native had been deer hunting for about eight years before he harvested his first deer. But the trophy-class buck he took recently in Wood County made the extensive wait pay off.

During Ohio's archery season, Caputo took a 16-pointer that should earn an official score in the 200 range. That is a monster buck that has rewarded Caputo's perseverance, diligence, composure, poise, and persistence. The right shot at the right time at the right deer came along, and he took it.

"This was my eighth season of deer hunting, and even though I never got anything, I never lost interest," the Sylvania resident said. "I just decided a long time ago to enjoy being out there. There is something cathartic about getting out and spending time in the woods."

On a recent October evening, Caputo was up in a tree stand by about 5 p.m. hunting the property of a friend. His buddy had captured images of a big deer on a trail camera and had texted a picture of the brute to Caputo that morning, and the hunt was on. With the wind favorably out of the west, the temperature started to cool from the afternoon high of about 60 degrees.

As Caputo surveyed the area around the "skyscraper" tree stand, which put him more than 20 feet above the floor of the woods. He saw thick, heavy brush growth inhibiting his view, and few potential shooting lanes available.

"I thought to myself that a deer would have to walk right up under me in order for me to get a shot. My options were limited, but I figured I'd make the best of it and enjoy a peaceful sit outside on what looked to be a beautiful evening," said Caputo, who attended Southview before his family moved out of state.

The woods was quiet for the first 90 minutes or so, with just an occasional acorn dropping to the ground the only distinguishable sound. Then movement to Caputo's right revealed a six-point buck about 20 yards away, but with his bow still hanging on its hook, Caputo could not move as he watched the deer disappear into the dense cover.

"With such tight shooting lanes, I knew then I needed to be ready as things would develop quickly," said Caputo, who had continued to scout, practice, and update his gear though his previous hunts had not ended with venison in the freezer. "I grabbed my bow and got ready. I was now in my eighth deer season with zero deer to show for all my time hunting."

He had decided not to take a doe on this hunt, dipping into his patience reserve once again. A few minutes after the six-pointer had vanished, Caputo saw the brush moving in the same area where the first buck had emerged. It became apparent this was likely the beast his friend had captured on the trail camera.

"I can see that this deer is huge, with a big, heavy body and most noticeably a giant rack. I can't believe my eyes," said Caputo, who received a degree in accounting from Ole Miss and currently works as the CFO for a construction services company.

The buck Caputo was locked in on had the unusual "winger" or horizontal point on its right side, so he knew it was the deer they had named "Splitter" due to another distinct pattern in its antlers — the fork in its second set of tines.

As the anticipation cascaded through him, and his heart was pounding, Caputo drew his bow back while waiting for the deer to move into a tight open space that would afford him a clear, ethical shot. The big buck stopped and began scraping the ground and rubbing its antlers as the six-pointer returned and started circling the base of the tree where Caputo was stationed.

As he slowly relaxed the bow so as not to spook the nearby six-point buck, the arrow nearly dropped to the ground where the smaller deer was positioned. As the big buck started to move, Caputo drew his bow again.

"I knew this would be it. After watching him rub for five to seven minutes, I got a reprieve and had time to calm down," he said.

The big deer paused again before moving into view in the narrow shooting lane that Caputo had measured earlier at about 20 yards away. When the deer appeared full broadside, Caputo used a grunt call that stopped the big buck.

"At this point, I was in auto-pilot mode. I released the arrow and it was almost like slow motion," he said. The shot landed right behind the buck's shoulder and Caputo heard the 'thwack' of the arrow hitting true.

A short search revealed that his aim had been ideal and the huge buck was down nearby. The deer weighed an estimated 250 pounds and was likely five or six years old. Caputo called his wife to let her know his years of steadfast deer hunting had produced a true trophy.

"All those years of maybe doubting myself, and there he was. It's weird to have people tell you that your first deer is definitely the deer of a lifetime," Caputo said.

After the season after season of waiting, the fruitless deer hunts in South Carolina and Illinois when he was working in those states, and the empty hunts in his native Ohio, was Caputo a bundle of nerves when it finally became time to release that arrow with a monster buck in his sights?

"Not really," Caputo said. "I had practiced that shot 500 times this past summer."