Hunter had nicknamed the deer “Big Boy”
Harvey Yarbrough of Rockingham County killed a big Rockingham County 9-point buck that green-scored 148 inches on Dec. 19. He nicknamed the deer Big Boy, a very fitting monicker for the animal.
It was a deer Yarbrough was familiar with through trail camera photos dating back to May. He observed the deer all summer long, and watched as it grew its massive set of antlers. The hunter looked forward to the opening day of deer season when he hoped to get a shot at the deer.
“I knew everything about this deer, and I knew where this buck was bedding,” said Yarbrough. “But every time I hunted this area, the wind was always blowing in the wrong direction. It got to the point I really believed this buck knew when I was there, and when I wasn’t.”
But Yarbrough didn’t give up. He kept hunting the deer all season long. And he passed on several good bucks in the area, hoping this buck would make a mistake. Week after week he hunted the deer, and the season began drawing to a close.
But on the afternoon of Dec. 19, the wind direction changed, creating a perfect opportunity to hunt the Big Boy stand. He got in the stand early, and began another long wait in the woods.
A slow day quickly gets exciting
It was a slow afternoon, and not much was moving. But at 4:40 p.m., Yarbrough saw a deer.
“Big Boy appeared and started making his way toward me, but stopped at 50 yards to check the wind. I didn’t have a good shot yet. And all I needed was 10 more yards to make it happen,” he said.
The deer continued on, and Yarbrough’s heart was about to pound through his chest with excitement. And at 40 yards, Yarbrough shot. The buck fell over.
“After I shot, all I could do was sit and look at the buck I had put so many hours into trying to harvest,” he said.
With the biggest buck of his life lying in front of him and ready for him to retrieve, Yarbrough could only think about one thing.
“I give thanks to God for giving this buck to me on this day. It will be a memory I will never forget. And I will always be grateful,” he said.
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