Eighth-Grader Ian Meredith picked the perfect day to miss school on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. Meredith had his sights set on a giant Whitetail buck he’d bowhunted for 3 years and nicknamed “Tackle Box.” And Ian had just seen the huge buck on a trail camera on his family’s 400-acre property in Kentucky. His mother, Beth, wasn’t so keen about Ian skipping school, but one of Ian’s teachers encouraged her to allow him to hunt that morning.
“He was coming into my stand just about every morning in daylight, and it was the first day that the wind was right,” Ian told Drury Outdoors Deercast. “So I just had to hunt.”
The faculty member who nudged Ian’s mom in the right direction is Adam French, an orchestra teacher at Grayson County Middle School. French had gotten to know Ian through his music class, but his role changed in 2020, when Ian and his brother Will lost their father to pancreatic cancer and French became a mentor for the two boys.
Adam went with the boys to the Whitetail woods that fall and helped them set up trail cameras. Soon they noticed a big mainframe 10-point.
The buck was in the trail camera pictures again in 2021, but now his rack was much larger. His rack was a maize of antlers, including a couple of drop tines. The twisted appearance of the buck’s antlers reminded Ian of a messy fishing tackle box and he named him “Tackle Box.”
That fall Ian harvested his first buck during firearms season. Several neighbors now knew about the ‘Tackle Box’ and one got a shot at him. When the 2022 deer season opened several other hunters were hoping to get a shot at ‘Tackle Box’.
On Monday, Sept. 26, Ian’s mother gave him the okay to miss classes that morning. By 9:30 a.m. Ian climbed down from his treestand with the intention of going to school. Walking home, he saw a buck and instantly recognized it as the ‘Tackle Box’ buck.
On foot, and not certain of what to do, Ian called French, who had just dismissed his second period class.
French told him, “I told him to take his boots off, take his time, and make a stalk.”
Ian took Adam’s advice and removed his hunting boots. Barefoot, and with a stiff fall wind in his face he slowly closed the distance between him and ‘Tackle Box.’ In 15 minutes they were 12 yards apart. Ian drew his bow and made a perfect double-lung shot. ‘Tackle Box’ bolted a few short steps and dropped!
Ian hurried to the buck and then pulled out his cellphone and called his Mother and Adam.
After the drying period Buckmasters scored Ian’s buck with an official score of 238 6/8 inches. “Tackle Box” will likely go down as the biggest non-typical whitetail buck ever killed by a youth hunter in the Bluegrass State of Kentucky.
Ian Meredith’s P&Y Buck was 7 1/2 years old. He dropped in a few paces, taken with a Grim Reaper Broadheads 3-blade Razorcut Pro 1 3/4 Inch.
Great day for you young man, That’s a buck of a life time. Good luck with all your future hunting.
Congratulations Ian! And thanks to mom for letting him go! In some way I gotta believe that your dad in heaven helped guide you to that trophy.
Way to go, I got chills reading your story. It’s great to see people who care. Very nice buck young man!!!
keep it up and good luck for upcoming hunting session.
Jeff Link is a moron, that is a better life lesson than he will ever get in middle school, Mom and French are awesome.
His dad would be very proud of him he has an awesome mom and teacher
Congratulations young man. What you have succeeded in doing is truly amazing. I with you all the best in your future as a bow hunter. Always be ethical and trite to yourself I’m sure you will have many more magical moments. God Bless you and your family. Tim J
Absolutely outstanding on so many levels!! Congratulations young man. That’s the buck of a lifetime!!
Praise the Lord! He created that buck just for you! Way to go mom! Always honor your mother!!
I remember my first buck very well. Not as big as his but it truely was a monster in my eyes. Got in my tree stand well after daylight. Kinda figured i was real late. Woods was dry, almost dangerous dry. Where that deer come from I’ll never know. It’s like he came out of thin air right under my stand. 10 points 5×5. One shot and he dropped in his tracks and i sceamed like a little girl, lol.
Congrats Ian , that Buck is a one in a million. Pay no attention to the anti hunters and others that like to have negative comments because they don’t know how to enjoy life and the great outdoors with friends and family. I wish you great success on your future endeavors.
Congratulations Ian…..that is definitely a gift from dad…