Ol ’ Toothless turns 20
TROPHY WHITETAIL ON PUBLIC LAND
By Jeff Morrison
EVERYONE has their own special hunting story , and my favorite was one I wrote back in 1998 for Rack : Adventures in Trophy Hunting magazine . It ’ s the story of my Quebec Record whitetail known as ‘ Ol Toothless – a buck like none other and a true diamond in the rough . Hard to believe it ’ s been its 20 years already .
Our hunt camp is in the Laurentian Mountains north of Montreal in Quebec ’ s Argenteuil County . It has been in my family for over 50 years and the saying , “ knowing the woods like the back of your hand ” would be apt for our hunting gang .
Even though it ’ s on public land and host to many other Quebec deer hunters each fall , we are successful enough in our hunting . Our strategy of finding quiet corners to pursue whitetails has really paid off , rewarding us with some nice bucks over the years . Quebec ’ s increase in deer herd since the early 1990s also helped . Most mature bucks harvested , albeit few , are usually found on private land with the landowner getting first dibs . This is why the story of “ Ol ’ Toothless ” is even more surprising . Alarm number 1 shattered the silence at 5 a . m . that fateful morning . Since I was assigned to be the gang ’ s catalyst and prod , I dragged myself from the bunk and began preparing the last breakfast for everyone that time around , while pondering our morning destination . Since it was the last chance to hunt for the 1996 season and the last chance at a buck , I was eager to get to the bush .
I thought , maybe starting with a short chase closer to camp would be wise . This drive formed a natural funnel between two lakes , flanked by a stream to the east . We have taken deer on this drive , but have not pushed it recently due to the number of hunters frequenting the area .
Breakfast over , the drive began 7 a . m and I made my way along the creek bottom and back up on the ridge , slowly moving through the funnel . Approaching the middle with a lake on either side , shots started sounding off across the lake . Bang ! Bang ! Bang ! They echoed off the water . Then two more shots . Sounds like the old man ’ s 30-06 Remington I thought . Something told me to run to the lake ’ s edge to cut off any escaping deer . I ran full out , clearing spruce and balsam branches from my face . The last shot seemed a lot closer I thought , just as I broke into the open on the shore . Wondering if my father got one , I watched in disbelief as the largest-racked deer I had ever seen was swimming across the end of the lake , at about 80 yards . Staring for a moment , I thought I had better nail him or he will be up the bank and gone in a second . A well-placed shot in the back of his neck , just as he stepped ashore and the big boy was down . I sprinted my way around the end of the lake and across an old beaver dam , like a mink jumping from log to log . The buck was lying at the edge of the lake , and I yanked him up on the bank just as my father arrived . Neither of us could believe the size and beauty of its crown . He was a heavy 13-pointer with long tines and sweeping beams . As we hugged and shook hands all we could say was , “ I can ’ t believe it !”
The rest of the guys finally made their way to where we were with the buck . Nobody could believe a deer this size existed up here . After we field dressed it , I examined it more closely . Having recently finished the fish and wildlife biology program at Sir Sandford Fleming College , I was curious about the big fellow ’ s age . To my surprise , this deer had no front teeth whatsoever , and his molars and pre-molars were extremely worn . “ An Ol ’ toothless one ,” my friend Harold said , and we all chuckled .
I estimated the old boy with his sunken face to be 8½ to 9½ years old , based on dental condition . We measured the main beams at just shy of 26 inches apiece , an outside spread of 23.5 inches and both G2s between 11 and 12 inches .
I later had the head caped out and mounted , but it was not until I scored it myself that I thought it had potential to be a new provincial record , according to the Buckmasters Trophy Records . The late , great Rick “ Whitetail Guru ” Poulin of Barrhaven scored the old boy officially at 141 4 / 8 inches BTR , a new Typical Provincial Record whitetail for Quebec .
It was a day I wouldn ’ t soon forget and I was so grateful to have shared it with my Dad and hunting companions .
Harold Dawe , Jim Bindon , Rathwell Morrison & the Late Great
Ron Swail pose with Ol ’ Toothless .
Ol ’ Toothless displayed in author ’ s basement .
Jeff Morrison and his father Rathwell shake hands .
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