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Ohio traditional bowhunter Joe McConnell killed an 8-point buck on Oct. 25 with a longbow and a stone broadhead he made himself, according to Outdoor Life. McConnell said the buck traveled about 75 yards after the shot; the antlers have not yet been officially scored.
Ohio traditional bowhunter Joe McConnell killed an 8-point buck on Oct. 25 using a longbow he made and an arrow tipped with a stone broadhead he knapped himself, Outdoor Life reported Nov. 9. McConnell said the deer was hit at about 12 yards and traveled roughly 75 yards before falling, a result that drew attention to his use of entirely handmade traditional archery equipment.
McConnell was hunting from a ladder stand on a narrow strip of woods he owns in central Ohio, overlooking a route deer used to enter a standing cornfield. He had set a mock scrape about 12 yards from the stand and was initially hoping to encounter a 10-point buck he had seen on trail cameras. According to his account to Outdoor Life, another buck came to investigate the scrape on the evening of Oct. 25.
When the deer stopped broadside and quartering away, McConnell released a 26-inch cane arrow from a 64-inch, 55-pound longbow made from an Osage orange limb. He said the arrow struck behind the shoulder. The buck ran through the corn, and McConnell followed a blood trail to where it had fallen. He reported that the arrow was broken and the stone point had passed through the liver and a lung before striking a rib on the far side.
Outdoor Life reported that the field-dressed buck weighed 180 pounds at the processor. Its live weight was estimated at more than 200 pounds, while a taxidermist estimated the antlers at about 140 inches. Those figures are estimates, and the buck has not yet been officially scored, according to the report. McConnell said he plans to have it scored through Buckmasters.
A Handmade Setup Takes a Buck
The hunt stands out because McConnell used equipment he made across nearly every part of the shot: an Osage orange longbow, a cane arrow, turkey-feather fletching and a knapped stone broadhead. His account offers a specific example of a successful deer hunt with traditional gear, rather than a general claim about how such equipment performs.
McConnell told Outdoor Life that he has taken deer and wild hogs with bows and arrows he made and has also taken a buffalo using traditional equipment and a stone point. He described this as his first deer killed with a stone broadhead he knapped himself. The report does not independently test the equipment or establish how its performance compares with modern hunting arrows.
The deer also marked McConnell’s first landowner tag filled on his own property, according to his account. That personal milestone, combined with the handmade point and the reported short distance between the shot and recovery, explains the interest in the hunt while leaving the measurements and outcome grounded in the reported details.
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The October Hunt in Central Ohio
McConnell, 38, said he began archery at age 14 and has spent years learning to make bows, arrows and stone points. He told Outdoor Life that his shooting style is modeled on archer Howard Hill: he leans forward while drawing, anchors the arrow at the corner of his mouth and uses his bow hand as an arrow rest.
On Oct. 25, McConnell said, the wind was blowing toward him as he sat over a travel lane leading into standing corn. The buck he had originally hoped to see was a 10-pointer on his trail cameras, but the deer that approached the mock scrape was an 8-pointer. He decided to take the shot at about 12 yards. The account and quoted descriptions come from Outdoor Life’s interview with McConnell; the source material does not include a separate account from another witness.
“I was really after a nice 10-point buck I had on trail cameras.”
— Joe McConnell, speaking to Outdoor Life
The Buck’s Final Score Is Pending
The antler measurement has not been confirmed by an official scoring process. Outdoor Life reported a taxidermist’s estimate of about 140 inches and said McConnell plans to submit the deer to Buckmasters; the final score and timing of that submission were not provided.
The account of the shot, the arrow’s path and the buck’s reported 75-yard movement comes from McConnell. The source material does not provide independent verification of those details, a formal examination report, or a separate witness account. It also does not specify the exact scoring method behind the taxidermist’s estimate.
Buckmasters Scoring Still Ahead
The next reported milestone is a Buckmasters scoring of the buck. Until then, the roughly 140-inch rack measurement remains a taxidermist’s estimate rather than an official score. Outdoor Life’s report does not state when the scoring will take place.
McConnell has recovered the deer and called friends to help remove it from the field. The source provides no further announced plans for the antlers or the handmade equipment. Any confirmed scoring result or additional account of the hunt would add information beyond what is currently reported.
Key Questions
Who shot the 8-point buck?
Joe McConnell, a traditional bowhunter from central Ohio, took the buck on property he owns, according to Outdoor Life.
What equipment did McConnell use?
He used a 64-inch, 55-pound longbow made from an Osage orange limb and a 26-inch cane arrow with white turkey feathers and a stone broadhead he knapped himself.
How far did the buck travel after the shot?
McConnell told Outdoor Life that it traveled about 75 yards before falling. The distance is his reported account of the recovery.
Has the buck received an official antler score?
No official score was reported. A taxidermist estimated the rack at about 140 inches, and McConnell said he plans to have the deer scored through Buckmasters.
What did the deer weigh?
Outdoor Life reported that the field-dressed buck weighed 180 pounds at the processor. Its live weight was estimated at more than 200 pounds.
Source: outdoorlife.com
