Back in 1998, 14-year-old Dave Richmond killed his first buck while hunting with his dad on the opener of Maryland’s gun season. But this wasn’t just any buck. Richmond’s first buck was the buck of any hunter’s lifetime. It was a 14-pointer, tipping the scales at 240 pounds, and taping out at 185 non-typical B&C inches.
With great excitement, Richmond’s dad hauled him and the buck to a taxidermist in eastern Maryland. There the guys made plans for a shoulder mount to preserve the trophy buck for years to come. Sadly, just before Christmas, the taxidermist called to share the news that the buck had been stolen from his shop. The taxidermist went on to tell the Richmond’s that he normally locks all the mounts up each night, but on this particular night, he failed to do so. And it just so happened to be that a burglar came by the shop.
The story sounds a bit sketchy, right? Well, that’s exactly what the Richmond’s thought as well. So, they called the police to report the theft and the missing buck mount. But as you might expect, stolen deer mounts weren’t necessarily high on the priority list for research and investigation. Keep in mind, these were the days before social media. It was easy to hide your misdoings back then. So the weeks, months, and years quickly passed without a trace of the trophy that disappeared from the taxidermist.
“I never let it go,” says Richmond. “Probably every day I thought about my stolen deer.”
It would be 14 years later that a friend encouraged Richmond to post something online about the missing deer in hopes that someone would know of its whereabouts. And that’s what he did. Richmond was shocked to get so many quick replies back on the topic, but unfortunately most were just from other hunters offering kind words of encouragement and well wishes. However, just 48 hours after he made the post, he got the message he was hoping for.
“I know where your deer is. I’ve seen it. It’s inside a gun shop by my house. I go in all the time, and it’s in there.”
The message came from a 14-year-old boy, so Richmond was immediately suspicious, wondering if he wasn’t being trolled. However, when the boy produced a picture of the buck on the wall, he had Richmond’s full attention. He immediately called the police to report the situation, but struggled to get much in the way of interest or support. That is, until he found an officer from the department that was a hunter and could relate to Richmond’s predicament.
Richmond and the officer made plans to visit the gun shop. Once inside, the officer confirmed the buck mount to be Richmond’s and asked the owner where he got it. The shop owner claimed he found it left in a rental house. It was a lousy story, and the officer wasn’t buying it. “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way,” the officer replied. At that point, the shop owner quickly relinquished the buck to Richmond.
For the first time in 14 years, Richmond once again had possession of his trophy buck. But he didn’t go straight home with his prize. He turned his truck towards the taxidermist that had done him wrong many years ago. He walked into the shop with his buck in tow. The receptionist claimed the owner was working downstairs and would be up shortly. After 15 minutes of waiting, Richmond pushed for an answer to the whereabouts of the owner. It was then she informed Richmond that the owner would not be coming out to see him.
The shop owner had seen Richmond coming on the surveillance camera and watched him as he stood in the lobby of the shop. Once he realized who it was, and what he held in his hands, the shop owner fled the premises. He was busted, and he knew it.
Richmond killed this trophy of a lifetime when he was 14 years old. Ironically, it would be 14 years before he’d have the chance to place the buck on the wall. And it’s all thanks to a 14-year-old kid that was just glad to help.
Richmond bought the kid a $300 Cabela’s gift card as a token of his appreciation and for helping him reclaim the buck he’d been dreaming about the last 14 years.
