Boone Brockenbrough of Buena Vista with his Amherst County 12-point buck. The rack had an inside spread of 20 1/2 inches and scored 161 3/8. Photo by Bruce Ingram.

The annual Western Virginia Sport Show in Fishersville at Expoland gives the Old Dominion's big-buck enthusiasts their first look at the premier deer taken from the season before. Additionally, this Augusta County show offers a number of hunting and fishing outfitters, vendors and celebrities.

I attended the show this past February and despite the poor economy found Expoland packed with state sportsmen, many of them drawn to the big bucks display. Bob Rawley, co-owner of the sport show with Mark Hanger, told me that some impressive racks were on view.

"Because of the recent droughts, I thought 2008-09 might not have been a good year for big bucks, but we had some really nice bucks brought in," he said. "I think one of the reasons why is the continued emphasis by individuals and hunt club members on minerals, protein and just general nutrition on the lands they hunt on or manage. In Virginia, we still have a long ways to go in that area, but we are definitely getting there."

Taxidermist Dale Wenger, who is the official scorer for the show, offers his analysis.

"The show was probably the best year we've had for overall quality, although we didn't have the sheer number of really huge bucks that we've had in the past," he said. "One thing I noticed is that we are having more and more people come from a long distance to show their bucks. I would agree with Bob that more and more hunters are taking it upon themselves to manage their own land and the properties they hunt on with the idea of improving habitat.

"I also believe that the mentality of people shooting any buck that moves is disappearing. One hunt club I know of used to have a philosophy that if their members didn't shoot that 1 1/2-year-old buck, someone else would. Now I know that that same club is seeing bucks in the 130 to 140 class on the property. The use of trail cameras also has had a major impact on how people hunt. If someone sees a picture of a big buck on the land they hunt on, that person is going to be a lot more likely to let those smaller bucks walk. Before, they wouldn't have even known that such a buck was out there."

BRIAN PUFFENBARGER: DÉJÀ VU ALL OVER AGAIN
Of all the years I have covered the Fishersville show, I have never interviewed the same individual two straight years -- until this year. Last year, Brian Puffenbarger of Staunton displayed a 4 1/2-year-old buck that scored 147 5/8. What's even more amazing is that both last year's and this year's bucks were taken with a recurve within the Staunton city limits. And, incredibly, the 42-year-old manager for Tangent arrowed his trophy last Dec. 19 -- a time when many bowhunters have put away their compounds for the year.

This story begins during the summer of 2008 when Puffenbarger glimpsed two twin 9-pointers, both missing G-4s. The duo was so similar in appearance that Brian and the individuals he leases the land with speculated that the bucks were brothers. Nevertheless, the Tangent employee never observed either buck throughout October and November, although he witnessed a great deal of big-buck sign -- specifically, rubs. Frustratingly, he also shot at but missed a 120-class 8-pointer in November.

So by mid-December, Puffenbarger still had two buck tags, although his hunt club, which has leased the land for three years, had shot 17 does on the land under the DMAP program.