5 Photos
Dillon Phipps turns 20 on Wednesday October 14th and he has been coming to Virginia since he was a small child with his father Paul to hunt. The Phipps are from Geneva Florida and are members of the Calico Rock Hunt Club in Callaway Virginia that was established in 1982.
Twice a year in the fall they make the journey from the sunshine state to Virginia to participate in our first week of bow season in early October and also the first week of muzzleloader in November. Over the years their camp has taken some decent deer and several average sized Black Bear, but nothing could prepare them for what was about to take place on this 2015 Virginia hunting trip.
Prior to their trip this year the landowner suggested that all members purchase bear tags because their had been sightings of a big black bear in the area. Local farmers had also complained of extensive crop damage to their corn fields.
During the clubs opening Virginia bow week they took some deer, but there had been no sightings of this mythical creature. On Saturday morning 10/10/15 Dillon Phipps sat out for a tree stand that was positioned over a Nutec mixed grain food plot(https://nutecoutdoors.com/out of Ferrum Va) on the property. As it began getting light enough to see Dillon noticed a few deer already feeding on the plot. A short time later all the deer on the field were on high alert and their heads turned toward the same corner of the field. It wasn't long before all the deer simultaneously bolted into the surrounding woods.
Dillon continued to look at the corner of the field to see what spooked the deer when all of the sudden a big black mass appeared at the edge of the field some distance away. As if on a string the big bruin began walking toward the tree that the hunter was roosted in.
When the big bear got within 15 yards Dillon let fly one of his rage tipped arrows from his Bowtech compound bow and struck the bear perfectly in the boiler room. The big bear let out a loud roar then turned and ran. The news spread quickly amongst the hunting club members and they congregated to get a plan together. The decision was made to give the bear 3 hours before tracking it.
Once the search began the hunters easily followed a well layed blood trail for about 100 yards to a thick briar patch to find a bear of a lifetime. None of the hunt club members realized just how big this bear was, it weighed in at 506lbs and it took 6 people and the use of a four wheeler to remove this corn fed beast from the woods.
This great Virginia Black Bears age is yet to be determined, but you can see in the pictures below this bear had some missing teeth and his top canines were both broke off or either worn down from use over the years.
In speaking to Dillon's father while gathering this hunting information I could tell that this was a Virginia hunting trip that will never be forgotten.
Virginia's black bear population is at an all time high and I believe that we will see a large bear harvest this season regardless of the irritating extra cost for the bear tag.
Star City Whitetails supports all legal hunting and it sure is special when a hunter like Dillon is able to harvest a monarch of an animal with a bow and fair-chase.
Congratulations to The Calico Rock Hunt Club and to Dillon for a great accomplishment and we appreciate your willingness to share your unique success story with our Virginia hunting community!
Jeff Phillips
Dillon Phipps turns 20 on Wednesday October 14th and he has been coming to Virginia since he was a small child with his father Paul to hunt. The Phipps are from Geneva Florida and are members of the Calico Rock Hunt Club in Callaway Virginia that was established in 1982.
Twice a year in the fall they make the journey from the sunshine state to Virginia to participate in our first week of bow season in early October and also the first week of muzzleloader in November. Over the years their camp has taken some decent deer and several average sized Black Bear, but nothing could prepare them for what was about to take place on this 2015 Virginia hunting trip.
Prior to their trip this year the landowner suggested that all members purchase bear tags because their had been sightings of a big black bear in the area. Local farmers had also complained of extensive crop damage to their corn fields.
During the clubs opening Virginia bow week they took some deer, but there had been no sightings of this mythical creature. On Saturday morning 10/10/15 Dillon Phipps sat out for a tree stand that was positioned over a Nutec mixed grain food plot(https://nutecoutdoors.com/out of Ferrum Va) on the property. As it began getting light enough to see Dillon noticed a few deer already feeding on the plot. A short time later all the deer on the field were on high alert and their heads turned toward the same corner of the field. It wasn't long before all the deer simultaneously bolted into the surrounding woods.
Dillon continued to look at the corner of the field to see what spooked the deer when all of the sudden a big black mass appeared at the edge of the field some distance away. As if on a string the big bruin began walking toward the tree that the hunter was roosted in.
When the big bear got within 15 yards Dillon let fly one of his rage tipped arrows from his Bowtech compound bow and struck the bear perfectly in the boiler room. The big bear let out a loud roar then turned and ran. The news spread quickly amongst the hunting club members and they congregated to get a plan together. The decision was made to give the bear 3 hours before tracking it.
Once the search began the hunters easily followed a well layed blood trail for about 100 yards to a thick briar patch to find a bear of a lifetime. None of the hunt club members realized just how big this bear was, it weighed in at 506lbs and it took 6 people and the use of a four wheeler to remove this corn fed beast from the woods.
This great Virginia Black Bears age is yet to be determined, but you can see in the pictures below this bear had some missing teeth and his top canines were both broke off or either worn down from use over the years.
In speaking to Dillon's father while gathering this hunting information I could tell that this was a Virginia hunting trip that will never be forgotten.
Virginia's black bear population is at an all time high and I believe that we will see a large bear harvest this season regardless of the irritating extra cost for the bear tag.
Star City Whitetails supports all legal hunting and it sure is special when a hunter like Dillon is able to harvest a monarch of an animal with a bow and fair-chase.
Congratulations to The Calico Rock Hunt Club and to Dillon for a great accomplishment and we appreciate your willingness to share your unique success story with our Virginia hunting community!
Jeff Phillips
Dillon Phipps turns 20 on Wednesday October 14th and he has been coming to Virginia since he was a small child with his father Paul to hunt. The Phipps are from Geneva Florida and are members of the Calico Rock Hunt Club in Callaway Virginia that was established in 1982.
Twice a year in the fall they make the journey from the sunshine state to Virginia to participate in our first week of bow season in early October and also the first week of muzzleloader in November. Over the years their camp has taken some decent deer and several average sized Black Bear, but nothing could prepare them for what was about to take place on this 2015 Virginia hunting trip.
Prior to their trip this year the landowner suggested that all members purchase bear tags because their had been sightings of a big black bear in the area. Local farmers had also complained of extensive crop damage to their corn fields.
During the clubs opening Virginia bow week they took some deer, but there had been no sightings of this mythical creature. On Saturday morning 10/10/15 Dillon Phipps sat out for a tree stand that was positioned over a Nutec mixed grain food plot(https://nutecoutdoors.com/out of Ferrum Va) on the property. As it began getting light enough to see Dillon noticed a few deer already feeding on the plot. A short time later all the deer on the field were on high alert and their heads turned toward the same corner of the field. It wasn't long before all the deer simultaneously bolted into the surrounding woods.
Dillon continued to look at the corner of the field to see what spooked the deer when all of the sudden a big black mass appeared at the edge of the field some distance away. As if on a string the big bruin began walking toward the tree that the hunter was roosted in.
When the big bear got within 15 yards Dillon let fly one of his rage tipped arrows from his Bowtech compound bow and struck the bear perfectly in the boiler room. The big bear let out a loud roar then turned and ran. The news spread quickly amongst the hunting club members and they congregated to get a plan together. The decision was made to give the bear 3 hours before tracking it.
Once the search began the hunters easily followed a well layed blood trail for about 100 yards to a thick briar patch to find a bear of a lifetime. None of the hunt club members realized just how big this bear was, it weighed in at 506lbs and it took 6 people and the use of a four wheeler to remove this corn fed beast from the woods.
This great Virginia Black Bears age is yet to be determined, but you can see in the pictures below this bear had some missing teeth and his top canines were both broke off or either worn down from use over the years.
In speaking to Dillon's father while gathering this hunting information I could tell that this was a Virginia hunting trip that will never be forgotten.
Virginia's black bear population is at an all time high and I believe that we will see a large bear harvest this season regardless of the irritating extra cost for the bear tag.
Star City Whitetails supports all legal hunting and it sure is special when a hunter like Dillon is able to harvest a monarch of an animal with a bow and fair-chase.
Congratulations to The Calico Rock Hunt Club and to Dillon for a great accomplishment and we appreciate your willingness to share your unique success story with our Virginia hunting community!
Jeff Phillips
Dillon Phipps turns 20 on Wednesday October 14th and he has been coming to Virginia since he was a small child with his father Paul to hunt. The Phipps are from Geneva Florida and are members of the Calico Rock Hunt Club in Callaway Virginia that was established in 1982.
Twice a year in the fall they make the journey from the sunshine state to Virginia to participate in our first week of bow season in early October and also the first week of muzzleloader in November. Over the years their camp has taken some decent deer and several average sized Black Bear, but nothing could prepare them for what was about to take place on this 2015 Virginia hunting trip.
Prior to their trip this year the landowner suggested that all members purchase bear tags because their had been sightings of a big black bear in the area. Local farmers had also complained of extensive crop damage to their corn fields.
During the clubs opening Virginia bow week they took some deer, but there had been no sightings of this mythical creature. On Saturday morning 10/10/15 Dillon Phipps sat out for a tree stand that was positioned over a Nutec mixed grain food plot(https://nutecoutdoors.com/out of Ferrum Va) on the property. As it began getting light enough to see Dillon noticed a few deer already feeding on the plot. A short time later all the deer on the field were on high alert and their heads turned toward the same corner of the field. It wasn't long before all the deer simultaneously bolted into the surrounding woods.
Dillon continued to look at the corner of the field to see what spooked the deer when all of the sudden a big black mass appeared at the edge of the field some distance away. As if on a string the big bruin began walking toward the tree that the hunter was roosted in.
When the big bear got within 15 yards Dillon let fly one of his rage tipped arrows from his Bowtech compound bow and struck the bear perfectly in the boiler room. The big bear let out a loud roar then turned and ran. The news spread quickly amongst the hunting club members and they congregated to get a plan together. The decision was made to give the bear 3 hours before tracking it.
Once the search began the hunters easily followed a well layed blood trail for about 100 yards to a thick briar patch to find a bear of a lifetime. None of the hunt club members realized just how big this bear was, it weighed in at 506lbs and it took 6 people and the use of a four wheeler to remove this corn fed beast from the woods.
This great Virginia Black Bears age is yet to be determined, but you can see in the pictures below this bear had some missing teeth and his top canines were both broke off or either worn down from use over the years.
In speaking to Dillon's father while gathering this hunting information I could tell that this was a Virginia hunting trip that will never be forgotten.
Virginia's black bear population is at an all time high and I believe that we will see a large bear harvest this season regardless of the irritating extra cost for the bear tag.
Star City Whitetails supports all legal hunting and it sure is special when a hunter like Dillon is able to harvest a monarch of an animal with a bow and fair-chase.
Congratulations to The Calico Rock Hunt Club and to Dillon for a great accomplishment and we appreciate your willingness to share your unique success story with our Virginia hunting community!
Jeff Phillips
Dillon Phipps turns 20 on Wednesday October 14th and he has been coming to Virginia since he was a small child with his father Paul to hunt. The Phipps are from Geneva Florida and are members of the Calico Rock Hunt Club in Callaway Virginia that was established in 1982.
Twice a year in the fall they make the journey from the sunshine state to Virginia to participate in our first week of bow season in early October and also the first week of muzzleloader in November. Over the years their camp has taken some decent deer and several average sized Black Bear, but nothing could prepare them for what was about to take place on this 2015 Virginia hunting trip.
Prior to their trip this year the landowner suggested that all members purchase bear tags because their had been sightings of a big black bear in the area. Local farmers had also complained of extensive crop damage to their corn fields.
During the clubs opening Virginia bow week they took some deer, but there had been no sightings of this mythical creature. On Saturday morning 10/10/15 Dillon Phipps sat out for a tree stand that was positioned over a Nutec mixed grain food plot(https://nutecoutdoors.com/out of Ferrum Va) on the property. As it began getting light enough to see Dillon noticed a few deer already feeding on the plot. A short time later all the deer on the field were on high alert and their heads turned toward the same corner of the field. It wasn't long before all the deer simultaneously bolted into the surrounding woods.
Dillon continued to look at the corner of the field to see what spooked the deer when all of the sudden a big black mass appeared at the edge of the field some distance away. As if on a string the big bruin began walking toward the tree that the hunter was roosted in.
When the big bear got within 15 yards Dillon let fly one of his rage tipped arrows from his Bowtech compound bow and struck the bear perfectly in the boiler room. The big bear let out a loud roar then turned and ran. The news spread quickly amongst the hunting club members and they congregated to get a plan together. The decision was made to give the bear 3 hours before tracking it.
Once the search began the hunters easily followed a well layed blood trail for about 100 yards to a thick briar patch to find a bear of a lifetime. None of the hunt club members realized just how big this bear was, it weighed in at 506lbs and it took 6 people and the use of a four wheeler to remove this corn fed beast from the woods.
This great Virginia Black Bears age is yet to be determined, but you can see in the pictures below this bear had some missing teeth and his top canines were both broke off or either worn down from use over the years.
In speaking to Dillon's father while gathering this hunting information I could tell that this was a Virginia hunting trip that will never be forgotten.
Virginia's black bear population is at an all time high and I believe that we will see a large bear harvest this season regardless of the irritating extra cost for the bear tag.
Star City Whitetails supports all legal hunting and it sure is special when a hunter like Dillon is able to harvest a monarch of an animal with a bow and fair-chase.
Congratulations to The Calico Rock Hunt Club and to Dillon for a great accomplishment and we appreciate your willingness to share your unique success story with our Virginia hunting community!
Jeff Phillips
Dillon Phipps turns 20 on Wednesday October 14th and he has been coming to Virginia since he was a small child with his father Paul to hunt. The Phipps are from Geneva Florida and are members of the Calico Rock Hunt Club in Callaway Virginia that was established in 1982.
Twice a year in the fall they make the journey from the sunshine state to Virginia to participate in our first week of bow season in early October and also the first week of muzzleloader in November. Over the years their camp has taken some decent deer and several average sized Black Bear, but nothing could prepare them for what was about to take place on this 2015 Virginia hunting trip.
Prior to their trip this year the landowner suggested that all members purchase bear tags because their had been sightings of a big black bear in the area. Local farmers had also complained of extensive crop damage to their corn fields.
During the clubs opening Virginia bow week they took some deer, but there had been no sightings of this mythical creature. On Saturday morning 10/10/15 Dillon Phipps sat out for a tree stand that was positioned over a Nutec mixed grain food plot(https://nutecoutdoors.com/out of Ferrum Va) on the property. As it began getting light enough to see Dillon noticed a few deer already feeding on the plot. A short time later all the deer on the field were on high alert and their heads turned toward the same corner of the field. It wasn't long before all the deer simultaneously bolted into the surrounding woods.
Dillon continued to look at the corner of the field to see what spooked the deer when all of the sudden a big black mass appeared at the edge of the field some distance away. As if on a string the big bruin began walking toward the tree that the hunter was roosted in.
When the big bear got within 15 yards Dillon let fly one of his rage tipped arrows from his Bowtech compound bow and struck the bear perfectly in the boiler room. The big bear let out a loud roar then turned and ran. The news spread quickly amongst the hunting club members and they congregated to get a plan together. The decision was made to give the bear 3 hours before tracking it.
Once the search began the hunters easily followed a well layed blood trail for about 100 yards to a thick briar patch to find a bear of a lifetime. None of the hunt club members realized just how big this bear was, it weighed in at 506lbs and it took 6 people and the use of a four wheeler to remove this corn fed beast from the woods.
This great Virginia Black Bears age is yet to be determined, but you can see in the pictures below this bear had some missing teeth and his top canines were both broke off or either worn down from use over the years.
In speaking to Dillon's father while gathering this hunting information I could tell that this was a Virginia hunting trip that will never be forgotten.
Virginia's black bear population is at an all time high and I believe that we will see a large bear harvest this season regardless of the irritating extra cost for the bear tag.
Star City Whitetails supports all legal hunting and it sure is special when a hunter like Dillon is able to harvest a monarch of an animal with a bow and fair-chase.
Congratulations to The Calico Rock Hunt Club and to Dillon for a great accomplishment and we appreciate your willingness to share your unique success story with our Virginia hunting community!
Jeff Phillips
