Camden Hollow is located in the North central portion of the great state of West Virginia. For this particular part of the state, quantity of whitetail deer is not a problem. Quality, on the other hand,is a huge problem. I bought Camden in 1993 and it was 300 acres of the wooliest deer country in the area.
At that time in my hunting career my philosophy was like most others in the community in that “if it was brown, it was down” as long as the buck had spikes as long as a .30-06 shell. Heaven forbid if someone in our hunting party shot a doe. I was concerned only with “getting that buck,” no matter how scrawny it was. In the late 1990s my nephew Daniel and I were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to hunt in Edgar County, Ill. We did this for seven years. Deer hunting as we knew it started to slowly change. We would return from Illinois on the Sunday before the first day of the West Virginia rifle season.
One week we were glassing monster bucks in corn and alfalfa fields and the next thing we knew, we were seeing nothing but small 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 year-old bucks that had nothing to offer as far as headgear was concerned. It was depressing to say the least. But what could we do? We knew very little about quality deer management. We met with local wildlife biologists and researched everything we possibly could in order to have a healthy resident deer herd. Initially, we were harvesting bucks that averaged one to 2-1/2 years of age and weighed between 95 and 105 pounds after being field dressed.
Does averaged 70 to 80 pounds. In the spring, it was common to see does with only one fawn. The buck-to-doe ratio was ridiculous. We had a terrible time convincing neighbors and fellow deer hunters how important it was to let younger bucks walk and to harvest does in adequate numbers. Our food plots started out pretty rough in the beginning. We had a difficult time bringing the quality of our soil up to a suitable level. Different seed varieties were used from the local feed store. Even though our plots would grow, we were not satisfied with the performance of the common seed that was used. Let’s face it, it is not easy preparing and maintaining a food plot (or in our case, food plots). We wanted to be able to choose from a variety of seed mixtures that would be compatible with the different soil types and different levels of soil moisture found on Camden. We also wanted perennial plots that were winter hardy and would last for several years. Annual plots needed to be easy to establish and maintain.
I read about the Whitetail Institute of North America and was impressed that the company focused entirely on deer nutrition and had years of research to support its products. Soon it was standard practice to only plant seed from the Whitetail Institute. We’ve tried all of their seed blends and deer love them all. The perennial seed blends are very winter hardy and last for years as long as they are taken care of properly. Annual blends are easy to establish and attract deer like crazy. Both provide more protein than deer actually need to be healthy and to grow to their greatest potential.
We also provide our deer with 30-06 mineral at various lick sites on Camden. It is crucial to “fill the gaps” in your herd’s diet in order to meet, or preferably exceed, their nutritional requirements. The 30-06 mineral is like giving the bucks in your herd an antler growth vitamin. We’ve also noticed that does on Camden are dropping healthier fawns in the spring. It is now common to see does with healthy twin fawns. We feel that 30-06 plays an important role in helping us meet our deer management goals. Here at Camden, we also use Cutting Edge products to further give the deer on the property the opportunity to reach their maximum potential. I like Cutting Edge because it can be mixed right in with the supplemental feed we provide for the herd.
Probably the hardest thing in the beginning was to actually let the first few bucks walk. Old habits can be hard to break. But soon we were all in “doe mode” and we realized that it made more sense harvesting a large doe rather than a small buck. In order to harvest enough does during the year to keep the herd in check, we invite friends and neighbors to participate in what we call “Gauntlet Week.”
This occurs during the West Virginia black powder season and, for Camden, is a doe-only hunt. Black powder season comes in toward the end of all other deer seasons in the state, so the deer are very difficult to hunt. The week is made successful by planning wellorchestrated deer drives not only on Camden but on surrounding properties as well. The initial two or three years after hunting my newly obtained property, I was convinced that the genetics of the resident whitetail herd was terrible. However, I realized this was false after providing the best possible nutrition and allowing the bucks to mature to at least 4-1/2 years of age. It wasn’t that our bucks were substandard by any means, but they were not given the chance to develop and mature. It is my opinion that age and nutrition are both equally important for an individual buck to display exactly what he has to offer genetically.
Patience is something we, as hunters, understand. Let me tell you, you really haven’t learned to be patient until you’ve evolved into not only a skilled hunter but a deer manager as well. Patience is a necessary virtue when it comes to QDM. It doesn’t happen over night. I can’t tell you that Camden was producing trophy whitetails the same year we began our management program, or even the year after. We did, however, begin to see a significant difference in the average weight of the deer harvested. Following four years of managing the property, we began harvesting big, heavy-beamed bucks. The good thing is that the deer hunting has done nothing but get better and better with each passing year.
THE CAMDEN HOLLOW BIG BUCK STORY
After eight years of deer management on Camden, the quality of the bucks harvested was about not just to change for the better, but dramatically change for the better. We had taken a few mature bucks sporting heavier headgear for the past four years. However, they were not what you would call trophy-class deer. We knew it would get better as long as we continued to allow our bucks time to mature and continued to provide quality nutrition all year-round using products from the Whitetail Institute.
Game cameras play a huge role in our management program. After collecting data from the cameras early in the fall two years ago, one buck in particular stood out. It was almost impossible to believe, but there in front of me was a picture of a wide, heavy-beamed buck with what appeared to be 13 points. The camera was mounted on a post along a funnel between a stand of Imperial Extreme and Imperial Winter-Greens. I called my nephew, Daniel, and promised I’d send him the photo. We both were looking forward to the upcoming season and having the chance to bag the “Camden Hollow Buck.”
Early on the first day of the season, Daniel made his way around the point into what we call “Hard Road Cove.” It was his usual route for the first day. After coming up to a big oak, he glassed the cove and spotted antlers about three flats down.
The buck was bedded down and facing towards him. Daniel slowly backed off a few yards and crept over to an old section of woven wire fence where he was hidden from the deer’s view. He glassed the buck for several minutes. He knew this was the buck, but he was concerned about making a good shot since the deer was bedded down and there was plenty of space between the two of them. If he didn’t take the shot the buck would only have to take one step to the right or left and he would be gone.
A doe stepped in from the right, which quickly captured the buck’s attention. She had been there the whole time and Daniel figured he was staying close to her since the rut was in full swing. It wasn’t long — maybe a few seconds — before the buck was up and off to the right, tagging along behind the doe. He was gone, just like that. Before Daniel made a move one way or another, a second buck came from out of nowhere and joined in the chase around the cove. It was “Big Boy,” one of the other bucks that made our hit list for that particular year. “Big Boy” was a high-andwide 8-point that we figured was probably a 4-1/2 year-old deer. He wasn’t as heavy as the 13-point, but was no doubt a shooter. We captured a picture of him early in the fall while he visited one of our 30-06 Mineral licks.
Now what? Daniel wasn’t about to let this buck wander off without another chance at taking him. Knowing the lay of the land as he did and having a good knowledge of how the deer on the property travel, he figured he could back-track and parallel the buck while on the opposite side of the ridge. He planned on beating the deer to a nearby saddle or “low gap” where he figured they were sure to cross.
Out of breath and with just enough time to get into position, Daniel settled in behind an old log where he had plenty of cover. The doe stepped out in clear view no more than 75 yards from his position. Where was the buck? It seemed like forever and the doe was almost out of sight. Suddenly, Daniel caught some movement lower on the hill. The buck was passing below him about 150 yards through dense scrub brush. As the buck stopped and peered up the hill toward the doe, Daniel realized that he now had an even tougher shot than he did in the beginning. There was absolutely no shoulder shot. All he could see was the buck’s enormous rack, head and neck. The deer seemed reluctant to move. Having a good rest and a clear view of the buck’s neck, he decided to take the shot. He didn’t feel rushed and was comfortable with the situation. After clicking the .270 rifle off safety and taking a deep breath, Daniel squeezed the trigger. The buck suddenly disappeared.
Daniel called me on the radio and gave me the news that the “Camden Hollow Buck” was down and that he was not a 13-point, but a 17-point. People came from miles around to see Daniel’s buck. Let’s face it, deer like that don’t come from northcentral West Virginia. Well, now they do. I was excited for him, but I was also excited about the fact that we were producing trophy-class deer at last! Or… was this a fluke?
Last season answered that question. I was hunting just off our central plot — the largest of the 13 different food plots on Camden. It was the first day of rifle season and once again “Big Boy” made the hit list. We captured a picture of him earlier in the fall coming through the same funnel the 17-point traveled the year before that. Now “Big Boy” had 10 points, a heavier rack, and was taller and wider. The difference in his body structure was quite significant. As you can imagine, I had many sleepless nights wondering if this would be my year to tag a trophy buck.
The sun was beginning to set in the west when several does entered the food plot. I had seen several does and smaller-racked deer during the day, but up to this point “Big Boy” was a no-show. The does were not pressured at all, and they were leisurely feeding on our plot made up of a mixture of Imperial Whitetail Clover and Chic Magnet when something from the northwest corner of the food plot got their attention.
It was hard for me to see through the trees as I was set up on the outer edge of the plot, probably 75 yards off. Finally, I could make out three does slowly feeding toward the others… and behind them was “Big Boy.” He was accompanied by a smaller 8-point which was probably a 3-1/2 year-old, but a good buck nevertheless. I can recall several times in my life when my heart felt like it would pop out of my chest from beating so hard and this was definitely one of them.
I didn’t have a shot. He was a good 400 yards away and there was scrub brush between us. I crawled to a better position where I could get a good look at him but there was no way I would risk taking a shot at that distance. There was nothing I could do. I was pinned down by does in front of me and the buck seemed happy to remain on that end of the clover plot and feed until dark. At least the wind was in my favor. I started making plans for the next day. I had no idea… I was at a loss. The only thing I could think of was to return to the Imperial Clover plot and hope for a closer shot. Wait a minute! Was it my imagination, or was he actually edging his way in my direction! Now my heart was really beating. All kinds of things raced through my head… “Will he come in close enough for a shot?”… “Is it going to get dark on me before I have a chance at him?”…I was a nervous wreck.
“Big Boy” stopped 248 yards out when I decided that I could probably make this happen. Now all I needed was a clear shot. I couldn’t really move because of the does that were around me. I could only sit and wait. At one point he turned and was quartering away from me as if he had plans to move further down the field, but he finally returned and gave me what I felt was going to be my only chance at him.
He was 261 yards out according to my range finder. He was broadside and walking slowly to the right. I was prone, holding my breath, with my eye glued to the scope. Two of the does in front of me had spooked, but it didn’t seem to faze “Big Boy.” It was getting dark and I had a small branch between myself and the target. I was running out of time. He wasn’t getting any closer. I was sure I could make the shot as long as I didn’t hit that branch. It was now or never. I lost sight of the buck due to the recoil of my rifle.
Deer ran everywhere. Then I spotted him just as he crossed a small creek that winds down the middle of the hollow. “My gosh! Is he hit?” “Big Boy” stopped and looked into the sky as if to take his final breath and then toppled over into the stream. The “Camden Hollow Buck” was 5-1/2 years old and had a gross score of 155. He had a very massive rack and a 22-inch spread with 17 points. “Big Boy” has not been officially aged or scored yet (I haven’t received the jawbone back from the taxidermist yet). But he was a 10-point with a 19-1/2 inch spread — the biggest deer I’ve ever harvested.
This was not a fluke. We are producing trophy animals. It can be done as long as you have the land to do it and /or cooperation from your neighbors. Practice the ABC’s of QDM and you will most definitely see the change in your deer herd and your hunting. When it comes to the nutrition of your herd, you can trust the experts at the Whitetail Institute of North America. Take it from somebody who knows. We are now into the tenth year of our deer management program on Camden. We’ve learned a lot in those ten years and we are still learning. You will see by the photos that we can truly say the program has been a success. It is common to harvest 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 year old bucks. At one time, this was a rarity. The average weight of does after being field dressed is 115 pounds and the average weight of the bucks has increased more than 25 percent to approximately 145 pounds.
Age, nutrition and genetics… it is not rocket science. That is our motto. Have the discipline to let the smaller, younger bucks walk and give your deer herd the nutrition they need all 365 days a year. You’ll be surprised how good the genetics really are on your hunting property. If you are concerned about not having enough property, seek the help of your neighbors and form coops. It’s a win-win situation. Finally, when it comes to food plots, do not cut corners! Be patient, diligent and seek help from the Whitetail Institute for choosing the right seed for the right soil. Who better to ask? When it comes to whitetail deer nutrition, it is all they do.
