Some hunters choose their spots based on ease of access. Others select a spot with the best view of a popular food plot. Reggie White of Greenville, NC, says he wants to hunt the most difficult-to-reach places, deep in the woods.
“Ninety percent of people hunt within 200 yards of where they park,” Reggie says. “Where I hunt is at least 1,000 yards from where I park. Deer tend to be relaxed and move freely in those places. I hunt on 16,000 acres of public land, and I will look at the easiest points of access and cross them off the list.”
Reggie, 58, picks locales that might require crossing a river or creek, or slogging through thick understory that would deter people from going that way, he says. On Nov. 1, 2023, he trekked 35 minutes through thick stuff to reach the spot where he sent a 200-inch buck to meet its maker.
Midway through muzzleloader season, in Caswell County, NC (the Northeastern zone of the state), Reggie and his friend Greg Marquart had all the gear and lunch they’d need to stay through the cold, clear day. They chose the spots, Reggie says, “because mature deer tend to use the same area year after year. An exceptional buck had been showing up on two cameras 400 yards apart, in daylight, for 20 days and the tree stands already had been hung in archery season. Historically, the stands have been placed there for 8-10 years.”
Geographically speaking, the ground between those cameras was ground zero.
“Greg and I hunted the morning, came down 11 a.m. and pulled the camera cards. That big nontypical buck had a buddy, a seven-pointer. They were always together. Deer are like people,” Reggie says. “They have different personalities.”
Friends in Reggie’s hunting group reported that the big buck had moved over a mile overnight. Reggie suspects that it had been pushed by a more aggressive buck toward his vicinity.
“We were sitting in Greg’s truck looking at trail cam images. I said, I got a buck that’s probably 200, and he laughed. I got the same deer.”
By the pictures, they could tell it was a rare or exceptional deer, and they decided to go back on stand. Reggie let Greg pick which stand he wanted to hunt. Greg chose a spot 300 yards to the north.
“I’ve hunted there with a group of five very good still-hunters, either together or alone, for up to 20 years.”
Timing was important. The rare-looking buck appeared on daylight photos between 5:05 and 5:15 p.m. for four days in a row. They discussed the age of the buck. It was not what they considered a mature 5-year-old.
Reggie explains that he doesn’t rely on deer sign, such as rubs or scrapes, to tell him a trophy buck has come this way or that.
“I often hunt places where there is very little, or sparse, deer sign simply because I am hunting for a mature deer, and they are often isolated and not staying in the company of doe groups and young bucks. I might choose to hunt a place where a lot of people wouldn’t, for a lack of deer sign. I have a biology degree, and most of what I do and choose is just based on behavior. Lastly, I don’t hunt any agriculture areas. Deer behavior is a lot more predictable around crops.”
What is wrong with predictable?
A deer that goes to agriculture has found food source,” Reggie says. “I don’t want that. It is more challenging to hunt larger tracts of timber where a buck has to go searching for food. I like the challenge.”
The woods were quiet until 5 o'clock when the smaller “buddy buck” got behind Reggie, who filmed it for several minutes with his iPhone.
“Then the big buck made some noise getting out of the brush directly behind me, at 13 yards,” Reggie says. “I stepped that off after I shot him. He was walking across the ridge, turning toward my 12 o’clock. There was a 10-yard gap between the two bucks.”
Reggie shot when the deer was at 10 yards, connecting behind its right shoulder.
“I saw the impact. The buddy took off as the big nontypical locked up and staggered straight downhill. He went under my seat and made it another few yards. He died at 5:17 p.m.”
Reggie says, “I suggest, with a blackpowder rifle, you make that first shot count. My muzzleloader has a good scope, and I weigh the powder so it’s accurate. Also, I haven’t shot anything past 40 yards in years.”
Reggie describes the antlers as “freaky and weird. It’s a very odd rack. I went on Boone & Crockett website to find a scorer. After I showed some guys the photos, they said No. I don’t think I can measure that rack. Then I looked at the Buckmasters website and Anders Blixt said he’d do it. He taped my buck at 200 6/8 inches.”
High five to Buckmasters scorer Anders Blixt for tackling the gnarly, 24-point rack that others declined to measure.