North America’s burgeoning deer population of the 1990’s manifested itself in Eastern Ontario, Canada. Not only were numbers of deer harvested growing, so too was the quality of animals taken in this region. Ontario had produced a mere four or five whitetails large enough for the record book, but since the late 1990’s those numbers soared. Any hunter with the opportunity to pursue big farm-fed bucks will not soon forget the experience.
Dave Glitherot of Richmond, Ontario, discovered long ago that the Ottawa Valley farm country produced top-notch whitetails, and he wanted a piece of the action. After hunting a small tract of land in Lanark County for several years, Dave decided to buy it, ensuring the future of his whitetail domain.
Glitherot and his wife Rachelle shared the love of bowhunting. Dave chased big whitetails with his bow for over a decade, and introduced his wife to the sport a few years later. Together, the two have amassed a great collection of trophy bucks. The one Rachelle missed a chance at shooting in the 2000 bow season was definitely the biggest they had seen yet. Little did they know at the time, however, the true size of that particular deer.
First Chance At The Giant
“I remember thinking how impressive the buck was, when I first caught a glimpse of him on opening day of the 2000 bow season,” she laments.
By remaining just outside of bow range, the monster managed to elude her. If that were not enough, less than two weeks later, Dave had the opportunity of seeing the giant deer under his own stand. After waiting for the perfect shot, the hunter nervously shot over top of the great deer, and could only watch in disgust as it disappeared.
Two months passed, and the Glitherot’s’ spoke many times of the monster buck that had eluded them both. In December of that year, Dave was scouting his territory when he discovered a shed antler that was undoubtedly from the same deer, the buck they now called the Lanark Giant. The cast-off antler they found was simply huge, and served as additional fuel for the frustrated hunters’ fire. They really wanted to see this special buck again!
When the 2001 bow season rolled around, the two dedicated hunters already had made it their personal quest to harvest the Lanark Giant. Judging by the antler they found, he had at least made it through the hunting season, and hopefully had faired as well through the winter months.
Opening day was uncharacteristically mild in their part of the world. Glitherot enjoyed a full day of watching the wind pass through the trees, but no deer appeared. Fortunately, he erected a new tree stand with hopes of intercepting the mysterious buck, and he could not wait to try it out. The stand was located at the far corner of his property, on a natural deer funnel area between a bedding and feeding area. Dave had a good feeling about the new locale.
The following morning, Glitherot made his way to the alternate stand location. Perched high in his new stand, he was as excited as a kid in a candy store. The peace and quiet did not last long that morning, however, when the approach of a lovely 8-point buck rudely interrupted the silence. Clutching the bow he had come to know so well, he sat up in his seat. But a quickly as it had arrived the buck moved out of comfortable bow range. Dejected, the hunter dropped his bow to his side. Seconds later, however, another noise came from the direction of the main trail.
The Giant Returned
Glitherot thought the 8-point was coming back. This time though, it was an all-new visitor to his forest stage area. This huge buck sauntered down the trial, like a king of kings, and Glitherot knew instantly who it was.
“I could not believe my eyes, the Lanark Giant was alive and well and running right at me!” Glitherot recalled. By habit he put his bow up into position. As if instructed by some off-stage director, the giant buck stopped and turned his head side-ways. The hunter, already at full draw, gently touched off the shot of a lifetime. The arrow of destiny was on its way toward the enormous animal.
His shot could not have been better, and the buck reacted instantly by jumping so high that Glitherot thought it would flip over. In a cloud of dust and leaves, the monster went tearing trough the bush at a high rate of speed. “I remember thinking that if he did not slow down, he would soon be in the city of Ottawa before too long.”
By this point, his adrenaline was really pumping, so he decided to sit down to think about his next move. After 20 minutes his nerves settled slightly, and the shaken hunter began his search for a blood trail. It was not long before he discovered his blood-smeared arrow lodged in the ground. A short 60-yard walk led him to his ultimate prize. The magnificent buck lay motionless atop a small knoll — the most beautiful animal with the most awesome set of antlers he had ever laid eyes on. Glitherot walked around his trophy several times admiring its’ beauty. The rack seemed to reach for the sky with its long ivory-colored tines.
After field dressing the huge buck, Glitherot returned home to solicit help from a friend. It was no easy task to move the 240-pound behemoth back to his truck for transport, but under the circumstances the elated hunter did not complain too much.
After some time had passed, Dave and Rachelle decided to have the province’s record book guru the Late Richard Poulin put a tape to the giant. Once the numbers were added up, Poulin informed the Glitherot’s their special deer had officially scored 186-5/8 inches in the Semi-Irregular category, instantly becoming the largest Semi ever harvested for the province of Ontario. The Glitherot’s have continued to hunt their small parcel of land nestled away in a small corner of Lanark County, with hopes of one day seeing an even larger buck.