leatherneck Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Daniel Myers of Sioux City displays the rack he brought to Theo's Steakhouse at Lawton, Iowa, on Sunday for the restaurant's annual Big Buck Contest. The 14-point buck weighed close to 300 pounds. (Photo by Tim Gallagher) Deaf Sioux City man never hears his buck a comin' LAWTON, Iowa -- Hunters circle a long table at Theo's Steakhouse, pulling and picking at any of nearly 100 prize racks from deer season. It's the Big Buck Contest, a January rite at the restaurant. Hunters in camouflage caps and boots down a few brews, lie a bit and laugh a lot, spilling their tales of recent hits and misses. One hunter stands quiet, communicating with a smile and his hands. He is Daniel Myers. He is deaf. Myers spends several days each fall in a tree, somewhere in Plymouth County. A seasoned pro, he isn't about to divulge his precise location. The 52-year-old sits and waits at about the same spot each October, soaking up sun, wind, rain and cold. His season began Oct. 1. Ten days later he shot a 14-point buck that stood 20 yards away. The 300-pound animal ran 50 yards after Myers' arrow pierced its heart. Myers sat for 30 minutes before climbing down to inspect his trophy. Sioux City taxidermist John Bunch says Myers' buck scored 182 7/8 points, one of the top racks showing Sunday at Theo's. The point total surpasses the hunter's expectations. In sign language, Myers uses his hands to show "horns" atop his head. He then wipes his chin and finishes the statement with a sign of thumb and pinkie outstretched. "Buck. Best. Ever," his daughter Jenny Christophersen interprets. "He's hunted for 20 years and this is the best he's gotten. He couldn't wait to see how it scored. It's better than he thought." The rack will join others in his bedroom at home. When I ask him about hunting and his inability to hear the grass stir below, he smiles and points to his wide green eyes. "His eyes," his daughter Jenny Christophersen says. "That's all he can use." Myers practices calling deer by rattling antlers together in a shop owned by buddy Rich Stolpe. Stolpe motions to him when the rattling is too high or too low. When Myers hunts, he feels the vibration of the antlers, his only guide. "I told him he got a helluva deer because he's so quiet," says Bunch. "I bow hunt and when the squirrels make noise or the leaves rustle, you know a deer might be coming. I don't know how Dan does it." Myers shrugs his shoulders when I ask. He thinks, glances at the other racks on the table and signs his answer. "He likes to bow hunt because it is more challenging," his daughter says. "He likes hunting in general because he's alone and out in nature." Myers will spend the rest of the winter shoveling and doing odd jobs for neighbors. Come spring, he'll practice his turkey call for Stolpe, then head south for turkey season. When I ask where he hunts turkey, his daughter says, "Onawa." I'd like a more specific site. So I ask, "Can you tell me where around Onawa?" Myers reads my lips, smiles and shakes his head. His sign for "No." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddyboman Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 WOW Heck of a deer. Thats really cool.....Can't imagine how hard it would be the call deer and turkeys when you can't hear..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IowaDeerHunter Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Huh, surprised I never heard about that one. Leatherneck did you go to the Big buck context at Theos? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJR Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Great buck and a great story! I can relate to hat guy real good! My hearing is so bad, I never hear anything coming toward me in the woods! Hearing aids are useless! The slightest movement, I can pick that up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NS whitetail Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 great stuff :cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 .....Can't imagine how hard it would be the call deer and turkeys when you can't hear..... Me either. Great deer for sure. Congratulations to Daniel Myers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest adrenaline_junky Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 WOW Heck of a deer. Thats really cool.....Can't imagine how hard it would be the call deer and turkeys when you can't hear..... My thoughts exactly. Congrats to him that is awesome.:cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerClay Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 How can you call a turkey if you don't know what one sounds like? :confused: Must not have been born deaf I guess. Nice deer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Andrea Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Awesome story. And one fine buck!!!!!:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebeilgard Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 if i had to rely on my hearing to find a deer, i'd go hungry.lol. great buck, and a keen hunter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texastrophies Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 if i had to rely on my hearing to find a deer, i'd go hungry.lol. great buck, and a keen hunter. I hear you!!!!!! :D:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckee Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 Quote: Originally Posted by stevebeilgard if i had to rely on my hearing to find a deer, i'd go hungry.lol. great buck, and a keen hunter. I hear you!!!!!! :D:D Yeah, me too, but only cause he typed it. My eyes are my ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leatherneck Posted January 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 Huh, surprised I never heard about that one. Leatherneck did you go to the Big buck context at Theos? No I didn't make it out there. I sure would have liked to though. That and I just want to eat some of that prime rib out there. I drive past it every other day on my way to Cherokee and Storm Lake, but have never stopped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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