BOONE BROCKENBROUGH'S BIG BUCK
Boone Brockenbrough comes from a Buena Vista family that takes deer hunting very seriously. The 24-year-old corrections officer is the youngest male in the family, and his dad, Jackie, and brothers, Jason and Jeremiah, nurtured his outdoor interests throughout his childhood years. The trio began taking the youngster afield when he was 7 years old, and in his 17 years as a hunter, Boone has killed around 20 whitetails.

Interestingly, all four men hunt on the same land, a parcel on the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest in Amherst County. They have a basic rule regarding the public land -- any buck shot has to feature at least 8 points and a spread beyond the ears. Occasionally, the quartet will take a decent buck, says Boone, but most of the time, they will all hold out for a broadbeam.

"We sort of look on this part of the national forest as 'our land'," said Boone. "We really don't have any private land to hunt on. The family has been hunting this same section of the national forest since my dad (now 56 years of age) was a kid. The area always seems to have a lot of mast, and there's a clearcut nearby that the deer bed in."

Last Nov. 26, Brockenbrough was afield in the family's traditional hunting ground where he had viewed some shooter bucks earlier in the autumn. The area was rife with rubs, scrapes and droppings, and the Buena Vista resident had seen a fresh scrape as well. Brockenbrough was not heading to a stand; however, he was practicing the art of still-hunting.

"If I'm in a good area, I may move only 20 yards in 90 minutes or maybe just 50 in a half day," he explained. "I even still-hunt with a bow. My basic game plan is to move along an edge next to really thick areas where I'm not so visible. I wear Seclusion camo and Scent-Lok clothing, which I also think helps to conceal my presence.

"I've learned from my mistakes in the past when I used to be really antsy. Give me a damp day or a day when the wind is blowing toward me, and I can sneak around pretty good. Still, I can't afford any slipups, which is why I also spray myself down with a scent remover and concentrate on feeding instead of bedding areas.

"I often see nice bucks when I'm still-hunting. To be successful, we just have to put in our time and learn the deer patterns. The place where we hunt is about a mile back in the national forest, so we don't see very many other people. Still, hunting the national forest is a challenge because we know that anybody can come into our area. They just don't seem to come very often because I guess most hunters don't like to walk much."

As Boone was inching along, he glimpsed a doe walking by with her tail upward -- and she was constantly looking behind herself. Then a big buck metamorphosed.

"The buck came from the clearcut and stopped behind a tree," Brockenbrough recalled. "He then walked about 10 yards and stopped about 35 to 40 yards away. That's when the doe really took off. I fired my rifle and hit him in the neck."

The buck collapsed and Boone was soon standing over his trophy. He admits that his brothers and even his dad tease him about his deer hunting tactics, but they may not be able to do so anymore. That's because the Amherst County buck sports 12 points and an inside spread of 20 1/2 inches, scoring 161 3/8.

For more information on the 2010 Western Virginia Sport Show, call (540) 337-7018, e-mail hangerent@ yahoo.com, or consult the Web site www.westernvasportshow.com. The show usually takes place in mid to late February.