Wife thinks husband got a "big buck," he got a million-dollar surprise instead

By Kate Northrop

A Kentucky man nearly fell over while deer hunting after he instantly won a $1.1 million online lottery jackpot while playing on his phone in the woods.

The great outdoors — the perfect setting to immerse oneself in nature and win a million bucks online. One Kentucky lottery player couldn't help himself while deer hunting and won a $1.1 million jackpot as a result.

The McCreary County resident, who requested to remain anonymous while telling his "en-deer-ing" story, was giving some serious thought to significant prize payouts that his family had recently won online. He decided he wanted to be counted among those loved ones that managed to scoop a big payday.

"I'm in the deer stand, and I was sitting there and I thought, you know what, I'm going to try," he told the Kentucky Lottery. "I got on there and I won $1,500, and I added another $200 to my account."

The game he picked out was "Wolf Ridge Jackpots," an Instant Play game that offers a progressive jackpot that grows with every ticket purchased.

He recalled getting frustrated that his family was calling out for him while he was in the middle of playing, but the feeling was gone as quickly as it came.

"It was making me mad because it was freezing up my phone from playing," he recalled. "Then my son tries to call, I decline it. And then it was the next thing I hit. The sound is kind of a rumbling sound, and I cannot play anymore. I'm like there ain't no way and that is echoing through the woods."

The disbelief quickly set in, and so he called his wife right away.

"I thought he was calling to tell me he had gotten a big buck," she laughed with Lottery staff.

He sent her a photo proving the win was real, and what followed was a celebration more rewarding than any hunting outing could ever deliver.

"I couldn't believe it," the winner continued. "We are both crying and stressing out. I probably would have fallen out of the deer stand that drops down 30, 40 feet into a holler."

They called the Kentucky Lottery ahead of their three-hour trip to their offices to let them know they would be coming in to claim their prize. After taxes, they took home $794,500.22.

With the winnings, the couple plans on paying off debt, buying a new home with more land, and saving a portion for their family.

"It's pretty awesome," the winner remarked. "I can tell you that right now. I mean, you go sit out in the woods, and then all of a sudden, you look down, and like I told her, I said, it took me 50 years to become a millionaire all at once."

(Click to display full-size in gallery)An anonymous Kentucky lottery player won more than a million dollars while out deer hunting.