7 Photos
Gabby Smelser enjoys the outdoors from many angles.....
Whether it’s in the Virginia deer and turkey woods, or on the water like she was the day I called her to do this interview and story. I could hear the wind whistling in her phone as we discussed her 2019 Big Buck hunt, and I asked if she was driving and needed me to call her back. She said “nope I’m fishing on Smith Mountain Lake”.
During our conversation it became obvious that this Bedford County 19-year-old young lady’s upbringing has revolved around getting out into nature, which to me is very encouraging and hopeful for generations to come.
Virginia’s 2019 deer season was in full swing as early muzzleloader was giving way to the rifle season, and although Gabby and her father Ricky had been out a few times, they were yet to fire their guns. Neither had imminent plans to hunt the opening morning of rifle season, but Gabby was wide awake in the early morning hours of November 16th as she was picking up her boyfriend from his night shift job. She decided after dropping him off that she would drive back home and get her father up in order to hit the woods.
Gabby said “I just had a gut feeling that I should be hunting that morning”.
When she arrived back home, she woke her Dad up and he eagerly got prepared and they both sat out on the short drive to her grandmother’s property on Porters Mountain that overlooks the quaint community of Montvale. Little did they know what was awaiting them on this opening day of Virginia’s rifle season.
I asked Gabby if they were hunting from treestands and she said “No, we usually hunt from our lounge chairs”. I paused a moment then asked her for details. She said that that there are certain vantage points on the mountain ridges and in order to hunt comfortably they have placed lounge chairs at the base of a few big trees and it’s been successful through the years.
As faint daylight was seeping onto the mountain both hunters had settled into their lounge chairs with several hundred yards separating them. The early morning was very quiet with only a few gunshots ringing out across the valley.
Gabby up till now had always been an opportunistic type of deer hunter, usually shooting the first legal deer that showed up, but her father had told her to be more patient on this hunt and that if she saw a doe the chances are high that a buck may be following her.
Just before 8am Gabby heard some commotion heading her way, and before long a doe appeared with a curious spike in tow. Remembering what her Dad had said she sat calmly and just watched the two deer as they stopped to feed a bit. Gabby slowly began to scan the surrounding area and as her eyes panned the woods, she had almost made a complete 360 when she peered over her shoulder and to her disbelief a tall and wide racked buck stood in silence starring directly at her. She froze for what seemed like an eternity, until the desire to spread his genes got the best of this mature mountain giant and he stepped toward where the doe and spike were which provided a great shot for Gabby and her .243 rifle. She steadied and fired and the big buck traveled only 15 yards before piling up.
As I was developing this story several gentlemen that hunt adjoining properties on the mountain came forward to praise Gabby as well as share their stories with me of this buck that had truly become a legend on that mountain. Unbeknownst to Gabby and her father this buck began garnering attention in 2015 as a real nice mainframe 8 pointer.
Most of the sightings of this buck came from trail camera photos and the majority of those were nighttime pics. In the summer of 2016, the buck had blossomed into a 10 pointer and was a shooter by anyone’s standards. That same fall a hunter actually fired his 30/30 at the buck, but only faint blood was found and the legend lived on.
In 2017, again the buck was a beautiful 10 pointer, and only night time trail camera pictures revealed his presence. One of the hunters I spoke to found both sides of his sheds together at the edge of a field in the winter of 2018, and later that fall with the help of a couple kickers the buck was now a 12 pointer and a true standout earning such names as “bullwinkle”.
The two hunters that I discussed this buck's history with both told me that they hunted him specifically and passed on all other deer waiting for him to show up, but it never happened. Matter of fact the two hunters never had a “live” sighting of the buck until the day he was killed.
As the story ending year of 2019 moved into summer this mountain buck again had 10 points, but had gained some mass both antler and body wise. Also, uncharacteristically the buck was making more public appearances, as it was seen crossing the roads at night by landowners nearby.
On that opening morning of rifle season one of the contributing hunters saw the buck at a distance for the very first time just at daybreak following a doe closely, but couldn’t get a shot. He told me that his heart was beating out of his chest having finally laid eyes on this mythical mountain monster.
He said “Pictures don’t do the buck justice, he was huge”!
Only a short time had passed before he heard a gunshot from a few hundred yards away on the opposite side of the mountain. He said “My heart sank, I knew that the buck that I had ate, slept and dreamed about over the past 4 years was dead”.
That gunshot indeed came from Gabby Smelser, and soon after calling her Dad to report the event, he joined her on the mountainside and they both shared tears of joy!
As I wrote this story different emotions ran through me. Of course, I feel so very happy for Gabby and her family which I have met, because this buck won the women’s division of Star City Whitetails 8th Annual Big Buck Best Photo Contest. But I also felt a little for those hunters who hunted this buck over the years too. What truly brought it full circle was the happiness these hunters expressed towards Gabby for having been at the right place at the right time, and to me that’s exactly the way it should be!
Congratulations on a tremendous Virginia Buck Gabby, and we look forward to seeing it once it’s mounted.
*Arrington’s Cooler in Bedford green scored the buck at 173 B&C/ 208 VA Score*
Jeff Phillips
2/8/2020
Gabby Smelser enjoys the outdoors from many angles.....
Whether it’s in the Virginia deer and turkey woods, or on the water like she was the day I called her to do this interview and story. I could hear the wind whistling in her phone as we discussed her 2019 Big Buck hunt, and I asked if she was driving and needed me to call her back. She said “nope I’m fishing on Smith Mountain Lake”.
During our conversation it became obvious that this Bedford County 19-year-old young lady’s upbringing has revolved around getting out into nature, which to me is very encouraging and hopeful for generations to come.
Virginia’s 2019 deer season was in full swing as early muzzleloader was giving way to the rifle season, and although Gabby and her father Ricky had been out a few times, they were yet to fire their guns. Neither had imminent plans to hunt the opening morning of rifle season, but Gabby was wide awake in the early morning hours of November 16th as she was picking up her boyfriend from his night shift job. She decided after dropping him off that she would drive back home and get her father up in order to hit the woods.
Gabby said “I just had a gut feeling that I should be hunting that morning”.
When she arrived back home, she woke her Dad up and he eagerly got prepared and they both sat out on the short drive to her grandmother’s property on Porters Mountain that overlooks the quaint community of Montvale. Little did they know what was awaiting them on this opening day of Virginia’s rifle season.
I asked Gabby if they were hunting from treestands and she said “No, we usually hunt from our lounge chairs”. I paused a moment then asked her for details. She said that that there are certain vantage points on the mountain ridges and in order to hunt comfortably they have placed lounge chairs at the base of a few big trees and it’s been successful through the years.
As faint daylight was seeping onto the mountain both hunters had settled into their lounge chairs with several hundred yards separating them. The early morning was very quiet with only a few gunshots ringing out across the valley.
Gabby up till now had always been an opportunistic type of deer hunter, usually shooting the first legal deer that showed up, but her father had told her to be more patient on this hunt and that if she saw a doe the chances are high that a buck may be following her.
Just before 8am Gabby heard some commotion heading her way, and before long a doe appeared with a curious spike in tow. Remembering what her Dad had said she sat calmly and just watched the two deer as they stopped to feed a bit. Gabby slowly began to scan the surrounding area and as her eyes panned the woods, she had almost made a complete 360 when she peered over her shoulder and to her disbelief a tall and wide racked buck stood in silence starring directly at her. She froze for what seemed like an eternity, until the desire to spread his genes got the best of this mature mountain giant and he stepped toward where the doe and spike were which provided a great shot for Gabby and her .243 rifle. She steadied and fired and the big buck traveled only 15 yards before piling up.
As I was developing this story several gentlemen that hunt adjoining properties on the mountain came forward to praise Gabby as well as share their stories with me of this buck that had truly become a legend on that mountain. Unbeknownst to Gabby and her father this buck began garnering attention in 2015 as a real nice mainframe 8 pointer.
Most of the sightings of this buck came from trail camera photos and the majority of those were nighttime pics. In the summer of 2016, the buck had blossomed into a 10 pointer and was a shooter by anyone’s standards. That same fall a hunter actually fired his 30/30 at the buck, but only faint blood was found and the legend lived on.
In 2017, again the buck was a beautiful 10 pointer, and only night time trail camera pictures revealed his presence. One of the hunters I spoke to found both sides of his sheds together at the edge of a field in the winter of 2018, and later that fall with the help of a couple kickers the buck was now a 12 pointer and a true standout earning such names as “bullwinkle”.
The two hunters that I discussed this buck's history with both told me that they hunted him specifically and passed on all other deer waiting for him to show up, but it never happened. Matter of fact the two hunters never had a “live” sighting of the buck until the day he was killed.
As the story ending year of 2019 moved into summer this mountain buck again had 10 points, but had gained some mass both antler and body wise. Also, uncharacteristically the buck was making more public appearances, as it was seen crossing the roads at night by landowners nearby.
On that opening morning of rifle season one of the contributing hunters saw the buck at a distance for the very first time just at daybreak following a doe closely, but couldn’t get a shot. He told me that his heart was beating out of his chest having finally laid eyes on this mythical mountain monster.
He said “Pictures don’t do the buck justice, he was huge”!
Only a short time had passed before he heard a gunshot from a few hundred yards away on the opposite side of the mountain. He said “My heart sank, I knew that the buck that I had ate, slept and dreamed about over the past 4 years was dead”.
That gunshot indeed came from Gabby Smelser, and soon after calling her Dad to report the event, he joined her on the mountainside and they both shared tears of joy!
As I wrote this story different emotions ran through me. Of course, I feel so very happy for Gabby and her family which I have met, because this buck won the women’s division of Star City Whitetails 8th Annual Big Buck Best Photo Contest. But I also felt a little for those hunters who hunted this buck over the years too. What truly brought it full circle was the happiness these hunters expressed towards Gabby for having been at the right place at the right time, and to me that’s exactly the way it should be!
Congratulations on a tremendous Virginia Buck Gabby, and we look forward to seeing it once it’s mounted.
*Arrington’s Cooler in Bedford green scored the buck at 173 B&C/ 208 VA Score*
Jeff Phillips
2/8/2020
Gabby Smelser enjoys the outdoors from many angles.....
Whether it’s in the Virginia deer and turkey woods, or on the water like she was the day I called her to do this interview and story. I could hear the wind whistling in her phone as we discussed her 2019 Big Buck hunt, and I asked if she was driving and needed me to call her back. She said “nope I’m fishing on Smith Mountain Lake”.
During our conversation it became obvious that this Bedford County 19-year-old young lady’s upbringing has revolved around getting out into nature, which to me is very encouraging and hopeful for generations to come.
Virginia’s 2019 deer season was in full swing as early muzzleloader was giving way to the rifle season, and although Gabby and her father Ricky had been out a few times, they were yet to fire their guns. Neither had imminent plans to hunt the opening morning of rifle season, but Gabby was wide awake in the early morning hours of November 16th as she was picking up her boyfriend from his night shift job. She decided after dropping him off that she would drive back home and get her father up in order to hit the woods.
Gabby said “I just had a gut feeling that I should be hunting that morning”.
When she arrived back home, she woke her Dad up and he eagerly got prepared and they both sat out on the short drive to her grandmother’s property on Porters Mountain that overlooks the quaint community of Montvale. Little did they know what was awaiting them on this opening day of Virginia’s rifle season.
I asked Gabby if they were hunting from treestands and she said “No, we usually hunt from our lounge chairs”. I paused a moment then asked her for details. She said that that there are certain vantage points on the mountain ridges and in order to hunt comfortably they have placed lounge chairs at the base of a few big trees and it’s been successful through the years.
As faint daylight was seeping onto the mountain both hunters had settled into their lounge chairs with several hundred yards separating them. The early morning was very quiet with only a few gunshots ringing out across the valley.
Gabby up till now had always been an opportunistic type of deer hunter, usually shooting the first legal deer that showed up, but her father had told her to be more patient on this hunt and that if she saw a doe the chances are high that a buck may be following her.
Just before 8am Gabby heard some commotion heading her way, and before long a doe appeared with a curious spike in tow. Remembering what her Dad had said she sat calmly and just watched the two deer as they stopped to feed a bit. Gabby slowly began to scan the surrounding area and as her eyes panned the woods, she had almost made a complete 360 when she peered over her shoulder and to her disbelief a tall and wide racked buck stood in silence starring directly at her. She froze for what seemed like an eternity, until the desire to spread his genes got the best of this mature mountain giant and he stepped toward where the doe and spike were which provided a great shot for Gabby and her .243 rifle. She steadied and fired and the big buck traveled only 15 yards before piling up.
As I was developing this story several gentlemen that hunt adjoining properties on the mountain came forward to praise Gabby as well as share their stories with me of this buck that had truly become a legend on that mountain. Unbeknownst to Gabby and her father this buck began garnering attention in 2015 as a real nice mainframe 8 pointer.
Most of the sightings of this buck came from trail camera photos and the majority of those were nighttime pics. In the summer of 2016, the buck had blossomed into a 10 pointer and was a shooter by anyone’s standards. That same fall a hunter actually fired his 30/30 at the buck, but only faint blood was found and the legend lived on.
In 2017, again the buck was a beautiful 10 pointer, and only night time trail camera pictures revealed his presence. One of the hunters I spoke to found both sides of his sheds together at the edge of a field in the winter of 2018, and later that fall with the help of a couple kickers the buck was now a 12 pointer and a true standout earning such names as “bullwinkle”.
The two hunters that I discussed this buck's history with both told me that they hunted him specifically and passed on all other deer waiting for him to show up, but it never happened. Matter of fact the two hunters never had a “live” sighting of the buck until the day he was killed.
As the story ending year of 2019 moved into summer this mountain buck again had 10 points, but had gained some mass both antler and body wise. Also, uncharacteristically the buck was making more public appearances, as it was seen crossing the roads at night by landowners nearby.
On that opening morning of rifle season one of the contributing hunters saw the buck at a distance for the very first time just at daybreak following a doe closely, but couldn’t get a shot. He told me that his heart was beating out of his chest having finally laid eyes on this mythical mountain monster.
He said “Pictures don’t do the buck justice, he was huge”!
Only a short time had passed before he heard a gunshot from a few hundred yards away on the opposite side of the mountain. He said “My heart sank, I knew that the buck that I had ate, slept and dreamed about over the past 4 years was dead”.
That gunshot indeed came from Gabby Smelser, and soon after calling her Dad to report the event, he joined her on the mountainside and they both shared tears of joy!
As I wrote this story different emotions ran through me. Of course, I feel so very happy for Gabby and her family which I have met, because this buck won the women’s division of Star City Whitetails 8th Annual Big Buck Best Photo Contest. But I also felt a little for those hunters who hunted this buck over the years too. What truly brought it full circle was the happiness these hunters expressed towards Gabby for having been at the right place at the right time, and to me that’s exactly the way it should be!
Congratulations on a tremendous Virginia Buck Gabby, and we look forward to seeing it once it’s mounted.
*Arrington’s Cooler in Bedford green scored the buck at 173 B&C/ 208 VA Score*
Jeff Phillips
2/8/2020
Gabby Smelser enjoys the outdoors from many angles.....
Whether it’s in the Virginia deer and turkey woods, or on the water like she was the day I called her to do this interview and story. I could hear the wind whistling in her phone as we discussed her 2019 Big Buck hunt, and I asked if she was driving and needed me to call her back. She said “nope I’m fishing on Smith Mountain Lake”.
During our conversation it became obvious that this Bedford County 19-year-old young lady’s upbringing has revolved around getting out into nature, which to me is very encouraging and hopeful for generations to come.
Virginia’s 2019 deer season was in full swing as early muzzleloader was giving way to the rifle season, and although Gabby and her father Ricky had been out a few times, they were yet to fire their guns. Neither had imminent plans to hunt the opening morning of rifle season, but Gabby was wide awake in the early morning hours of November 16th as she was picking up her boyfriend from his night shift job. She decided after dropping him off that she would drive back home and get her father up in order to hit the woods.
Gabby said “I just had a gut feeling that I should be hunting that morning”.
When she arrived back home, she woke her Dad up and he eagerly got prepared and they both sat out on the short drive to her grandmother’s property on Porters Mountain that overlooks the quaint community of Montvale. Little did they know what was awaiting them on this opening day of Virginia’s rifle season.
I asked Gabby if they were hunting from treestands and she said “No, we usually hunt from our lounge chairs”. I paused a moment then asked her for details. She said that that there are certain vantage points on the mountain ridges and in order to hunt comfortably they have placed lounge chairs at the base of a few big trees and it’s been successful through the years.
As faint daylight was seeping onto the mountain both hunters had settled into their lounge chairs with several hundred yards separating them. The early morning was very quiet with only a few gunshots ringing out across the valley.
Gabby up till now had always been an opportunistic type of deer hunter, usually shooting the first legal deer that showed up, but her father had told her to be more patient on this hunt and that if she saw a doe the chances are high that a buck may be following her.
Just before 8am Gabby heard some commotion heading her way, and before long a doe appeared with a curious spike in tow. Remembering what her Dad had said she sat calmly and just watched the two deer as they stopped to feed a bit. Gabby slowly began to scan the surrounding area and as her eyes panned the woods, she had almost made a complete 360 when she peered over her shoulder and to her disbelief a tall and wide racked buck stood in silence starring directly at her. She froze for what seemed like an eternity, until the desire to spread his genes got the best of this mature mountain giant and he stepped toward where the doe and spike were which provided a great shot for Gabby and her .243 rifle. She steadied and fired and the big buck traveled only 15 yards before piling up.
As I was developing this story several gentlemen that hunt adjoining properties on the mountain came forward to praise Gabby as well as share their stories with me of this buck that had truly become a legend on that mountain. Unbeknownst to Gabby and her father this buck began garnering attention in 2015 as a real nice mainframe 8 pointer.
Most of the sightings of this buck came from trail camera photos and the majority of those were nighttime pics. In the summer of 2016, the buck had blossomed into a 10 pointer and was a shooter by anyone’s standards. That same fall a hunter actually fired his 30/30 at the buck, but only faint blood was found and the legend lived on.
In 2017, again the buck was a beautiful 10 pointer, and only night time trail camera pictures revealed his presence. One of the hunters I spoke to found both sides of his sheds together at the edge of a field in the winter of 2018, and later that fall with the help of a couple kickers the buck was now a 12 pointer and a true standout earning such names as “bullwinkle”.
The two hunters that I discussed this buck's history with both told me that they hunted him specifically and passed on all other deer waiting for him to show up, but it never happened. Matter of fact the two hunters never had a “live” sighting of the buck until the day he was killed.
As the story ending year of 2019 moved into summer this mountain buck again had 10 points, but had gained some mass both antler and body wise. Also, uncharacteristically the buck was making more public appearances, as it was seen crossing the roads at night by landowners nearby.
On that opening morning of rifle season one of the contributing hunters saw the buck at a distance for the very first time just at daybreak following a doe closely, but couldn’t get a shot. He told me that his heart was beating out of his chest having finally laid eyes on this mythical mountain monster.
He said “Pictures don’t do the buck justice, he was huge”!
Only a short time had passed before he heard a gunshot from a few hundred yards away on the opposite side of the mountain. He said “My heart sank, I knew that the buck that I had ate, slept and dreamed about over the past 4 years was dead”.
That gunshot indeed came from Gabby Smelser, and soon after calling her Dad to report the event, he joined her on the mountainside and they both shared tears of joy!
As I wrote this story different emotions ran through me. Of course, I feel so very happy for Gabby and her family which I have met, because this buck won the women’s division of Star City Whitetails 8th Annual Big Buck Best Photo Contest. But I also felt a little for those hunters who hunted this buck over the years too. What truly brought it full circle was the happiness these hunters expressed towards Gabby for having been at the right place at the right time, and to me that’s exactly the way it should be!
Congratulations on a tremendous Virginia Buck Gabby, and we look forward to seeing it once it’s mounted.
*Arrington’s Cooler in Bedford green scored the buck at 173 B&C/ 208 VA Score*
Jeff Phillips
2/8/2020
Gabby Smelser enjoys the outdoors from many angles.....
Whether it’s in the Virginia deer and turkey woods, or on the water like she was the day I called her to do this interview and story. I could hear the wind whistling in her phone as we discussed her 2019 Big Buck hunt, and I asked if she was driving and needed me to call her back. She said “nope I’m fishing on Smith Mountain Lake”.
During our conversation it became obvious that this Bedford County 19-year-old young lady’s upbringing has revolved around getting out into nature, which to me is very encouraging and hopeful for generations to come.
Virginia’s 2019 deer season was in full swing as early muzzleloader was giving way to the rifle season, and although Gabby and her father Ricky had been out a few times, they were yet to fire their guns. Neither had imminent plans to hunt the opening morning of rifle season, but Gabby was wide awake in the early morning hours of November 16th as she was picking up her boyfriend from his night shift job. She decided after dropping him off that she would drive back home and get her father up in order to hit the woods.
Gabby said “I just had a gut feeling that I should be hunting that morning”.
When she arrived back home, she woke her Dad up and he eagerly got prepared and they both sat out on the short drive to her grandmother’s property on Porters Mountain that overlooks the quaint community of Montvale. Little did they know what was awaiting them on this opening day of Virginia’s rifle season.
I asked Gabby if they were hunting from treestands and she said “No, we usually hunt from our lounge chairs”. I paused a moment then asked her for details. She said that that there are certain vantage points on the mountain ridges and in order to hunt comfortably they have placed lounge chairs at the base of a few big trees and it’s been successful through the years.
As faint daylight was seeping onto the mountain both hunters had settled into their lounge chairs with several hundred yards separating them. The early morning was very quiet with only a few gunshots ringing out across the valley.
Gabby up till now had always been an opportunistic type of deer hunter, usually shooting the first legal deer that showed up, but her father had told her to be more patient on this hunt and that if she saw a doe the chances are high that a buck may be following her.
Just before 8am Gabby heard some commotion heading her way, and before long a doe appeared with a curious spike in tow. Remembering what her Dad had said she sat calmly and just watched the two deer as they stopped to feed a bit. Gabby slowly began to scan the surrounding area and as her eyes panned the woods, she had almost made a complete 360 when she peered over her shoulder and to her disbelief a tall and wide racked buck stood in silence starring directly at her. She froze for what seemed like an eternity, until the desire to spread his genes got the best of this mature mountain giant and he stepped toward where the doe and spike were which provided a great shot for Gabby and her .243 rifle. She steadied and fired and the big buck traveled only 15 yards before piling up.
As I was developing this story several gentlemen that hunt adjoining properties on the mountain came forward to praise Gabby as well as share their stories with me of this buck that had truly become a legend on that mountain. Unbeknownst to Gabby and her father this buck began garnering attention in 2015 as a real nice mainframe 8 pointer.
Most of the sightings of this buck came from trail camera photos and the majority of those were nighttime pics. In the summer of 2016, the buck had blossomed into a 10 pointer and was a shooter by anyone’s standards. That same fall a hunter actually fired his 30/30 at the buck, but only faint blood was found and the legend lived on.
In 2017, again the buck was a beautiful 10 pointer, and only night time trail camera pictures revealed his presence. One of the hunters I spoke to found both sides of his sheds together at the edge of a field in the winter of 2018, and later that fall with the help of a couple kickers the buck was now a 12 pointer and a true standout earning such names as “bullwinkle”.
The two hunters that I discussed this buck's history with both told me that they hunted him specifically and passed on all other deer waiting for him to show up, but it never happened. Matter of fact the two hunters never had a “live” sighting of the buck until the day he was killed.
As the story ending year of 2019 moved into summer this mountain buck again had 10 points, but had gained some mass both antler and body wise. Also, uncharacteristically the buck was making more public appearances, as it was seen crossing the roads at night by landowners nearby.
On that opening morning of rifle season one of the contributing hunters saw the buck at a distance for the very first time just at daybreak following a doe closely, but couldn’t get a shot. He told me that his heart was beating out of his chest having finally laid eyes on this mythical mountain monster.
He said “Pictures don’t do the buck justice, he was huge”!
Only a short time had passed before he heard a gunshot from a few hundred yards away on the opposite side of the mountain. He said “My heart sank, I knew that the buck that I had ate, slept and dreamed about over the past 4 years was dead”.
That gunshot indeed came from Gabby Smelser, and soon after calling her Dad to report the event, he joined her on the mountainside and they both shared tears of joy!
As I wrote this story different emotions ran through me. Of course, I feel so very happy for Gabby and her family which I have met, because this buck won the women’s division of Star City Whitetails 8th Annual Big Buck Best Photo Contest. But I also felt a little for those hunters who hunted this buck over the years too. What truly brought it full circle was the happiness these hunters expressed towards Gabby for having been at the right place at the right time, and to me that’s exactly the way it should be!
Congratulations on a tremendous Virginia Buck Gabby, and we look forward to seeing it once it’s mounted.
*Arrington’s Cooler in Bedford green scored the buck at 173 B&C/ 208 VA Score*
Jeff Phillips
2/8/2020
Gabby Smelser enjoys the outdoors from many angles.....
Whether it’s in the Virginia deer and turkey woods, or on the water like she was the day I called her to do this interview and story. I could hear the wind whistling in her phone as we discussed her 2019 Big Buck hunt, and I asked if she was driving and needed me to call her back. She said “nope I’m fishing on Smith Mountain Lake”.
During our conversation it became obvious that this Bedford County 19-year-old young lady’s upbringing has revolved around getting out into nature, which to me is very encouraging and hopeful for generations to come.
Virginia’s 2019 deer season was in full swing as early muzzleloader was giving way to the rifle season, and although Gabby and her father Ricky had been out a few times, they were yet to fire their guns. Neither had imminent plans to hunt the opening morning of rifle season, but Gabby was wide awake in the early morning hours of November 16th as she was picking up her boyfriend from his night shift job. She decided after dropping him off that she would drive back home and get her father up in order to hit the woods.
Gabby said “I just had a gut feeling that I should be hunting that morning”.
When she arrived back home, she woke her Dad up and he eagerly got prepared and they both sat out on the short drive to her grandmother’s property on Porters Mountain that overlooks the quaint community of Montvale. Little did they know what was awaiting them on this opening day of Virginia’s rifle season.
I asked Gabby if they were hunting from treestands and she said “No, we usually hunt from our lounge chairs”. I paused a moment then asked her for details. She said that that there are certain vantage points on the mountain ridges and in order to hunt comfortably they have placed lounge chairs at the base of a few big trees and it’s been successful through the years.
As faint daylight was seeping onto the mountain both hunters had settled into their lounge chairs with several hundred yards separating them. The early morning was very quiet with only a few gunshots ringing out across the valley.
Gabby up till now had always been an opportunistic type of deer hunter, usually shooting the first legal deer that showed up, but her father had told her to be more patient on this hunt and that if she saw a doe the chances are high that a buck may be following her.
Just before 8am Gabby heard some commotion heading her way, and before long a doe appeared with a curious spike in tow. Remembering what her Dad had said she sat calmly and just watched the two deer as they stopped to feed a bit. Gabby slowly began to scan the surrounding area and as her eyes panned the woods, she had almost made a complete 360 when she peered over her shoulder and to her disbelief a tall and wide racked buck stood in silence starring directly at her. She froze for what seemed like an eternity, until the desire to spread his genes got the best of this mature mountain giant and he stepped toward where the doe and spike were which provided a great shot for Gabby and her .243 rifle. She steadied and fired and the big buck traveled only 15 yards before piling up.
As I was developing this story several gentlemen that hunt adjoining properties on the mountain came forward to praise Gabby as well as share their stories with me of this buck that had truly become a legend on that mountain. Unbeknownst to Gabby and her father this buck began garnering attention in 2015 as a real nice mainframe 8 pointer.
Most of the sightings of this buck came from trail camera photos and the majority of those were nighttime pics. In the summer of 2016, the buck had blossomed into a 10 pointer and was a shooter by anyone’s standards. That same fall a hunter actually fired his 30/30 at the buck, but only faint blood was found and the legend lived on.
In 2017, again the buck was a beautiful 10 pointer, and only night time trail camera pictures revealed his presence. One of the hunters I spoke to found both sides of his sheds together at the edge of a field in the winter of 2018, and later that fall with the help of a couple kickers the buck was now a 12 pointer and a true standout earning such names as “bullwinkle”.
The two hunters that I discussed this buck's history with both told me that they hunted him specifically and passed on all other deer waiting for him to show up, but it never happened. Matter of fact the two hunters never had a “live” sighting of the buck until the day he was killed.
As the story ending year of 2019 moved into summer this mountain buck again had 10 points, but had gained some mass both antler and body wise. Also, uncharacteristically the buck was making more public appearances, as it was seen crossing the roads at night by landowners nearby.
On that opening morning of rifle season one of the contributing hunters saw the buck at a distance for the very first time just at daybreak following a doe closely, but couldn’t get a shot. He told me that his heart was beating out of his chest having finally laid eyes on this mythical mountain monster.
He said “Pictures don’t do the buck justice, he was huge”!
Only a short time had passed before he heard a gunshot from a few hundred yards away on the opposite side of the mountain. He said “My heart sank, I knew that the buck that I had ate, slept and dreamed about over the past 4 years was dead”.
That gunshot indeed came from Gabby Smelser, and soon after calling her Dad to report the event, he joined her on the mountainside and they both shared tears of joy!
As I wrote this story different emotions ran through me. Of course, I feel so very happy for Gabby and her family which I have met, because this buck won the women’s division of Star City Whitetails 8th Annual Big Buck Best Photo Contest. But I also felt a little for those hunters who hunted this buck over the years too. What truly brought it full circle was the happiness these hunters expressed towards Gabby for having been at the right place at the right time, and to me that’s exactly the way it should be!
Congratulations on a tremendous Virginia Buck Gabby, and we look forward to seeing it once it’s mounted.
*Arrington’s Cooler in Bedford green scored the buck at 173 B&C/ 208 VA Score*
Jeff Phillips
2/8/2020
Gabby Smelser enjoys the outdoors from many angles.....
Whether it’s in the Virginia deer and turkey woods, or on the water like she was the day I called her to do this interview and story. I could hear the wind whistling in her phone as we discussed her 2019 Big Buck hunt, and I asked if she was driving and needed me to call her back. She said “nope I’m fishing on Smith Mountain Lake”.
During our conversation it became obvious that this Bedford County 19-year-old young lady’s upbringing has revolved around getting out into nature, which to me is very encouraging and hopeful for generations to come.
Virginia’s 2019 deer season was in full swing as early muzzleloader was giving way to the rifle season, and although Gabby and her father Ricky had been out a few times, they were yet to fire their guns. Neither had imminent plans to hunt the opening morning of rifle season, but Gabby was wide awake in the early morning hours of November 16th as she was picking up her boyfriend from his night shift job. She decided after dropping him off that she would drive back home and get her father up in order to hit the woods.
Gabby said “I just had a gut feeling that I should be hunting that morning”.
When she arrived back home, she woke her Dad up and he eagerly got prepared and they both sat out on the short drive to her grandmother’s property on Porters Mountain that overlooks the quaint community of Montvale. Little did they know what was awaiting them on this opening day of Virginia’s rifle season.
I asked Gabby if they were hunting from treestands and she said “No, we usually hunt from our lounge chairs”. I paused a moment then asked her for details. She said that that there are certain vantage points on the mountain ridges and in order to hunt comfortably they have placed lounge chairs at the base of a few big trees and it’s been successful through the years.
As faint daylight was seeping onto the mountain both hunters had settled into their lounge chairs with several hundred yards separating them. The early morning was very quiet with only a few gunshots ringing out across the valley.
Gabby up till now had always been an opportunistic type of deer hunter, usually shooting the first legal deer that showed up, but her father had told her to be more patient on this hunt and that if she saw a doe the chances are high that a buck may be following her.
Just before 8am Gabby heard some commotion heading her way, and before long a doe appeared with a curious spike in tow. Remembering what her Dad had said she sat calmly and just watched the two deer as they stopped to feed a bit. Gabby slowly began to scan the surrounding area and as her eyes panned the woods, she had almost made a complete 360 when she peered over her shoulder and to her disbelief a tall and wide racked buck stood in silence starring directly at her. She froze for what seemed like an eternity, until the desire to spread his genes got the best of this mature mountain giant and he stepped toward where the doe and spike were which provided a great shot for Gabby and her .243 rifle. She steadied and fired and the big buck traveled only 15 yards before piling up.
As I was developing this story several gentlemen that hunt adjoining properties on the mountain came forward to praise Gabby as well as share their stories with me of this buck that had truly become a legend on that mountain. Unbeknownst to Gabby and her father this buck began garnering attention in 2015 as a real nice mainframe 8 pointer.
Most of the sightings of this buck came from trail camera photos and the majority of those were nighttime pics. In the summer of 2016, the buck had blossomed into a 10 pointer and was a shooter by anyone’s standards. That same fall a hunter actually fired his 30/30 at the buck, but only faint blood was found and the legend lived on.
In 2017, again the buck was a beautiful 10 pointer, and only night time trail camera pictures revealed his presence. One of the hunters I spoke to found both sides of his sheds together at the edge of a field in the winter of 2018, and later that fall with the help of a couple kickers the buck was now a 12 pointer and a true standout earning such names as “bullwinkle”.
The two hunters that I discussed this buck's history with both told me that they hunted him specifically and passed on all other deer waiting for him to show up, but it never happened. Matter of fact the two hunters never had a “live” sighting of the buck until the day he was killed.
As the story ending year of 2019 moved into summer this mountain buck again had 10 points, but had gained some mass both antler and body wise. Also, uncharacteristically the buck was making more public appearances, as it was seen crossing the roads at night by landowners nearby.
On that opening morning of rifle season one of the contributing hunters saw the buck at a distance for the very first time just at daybreak following a doe closely, but couldn’t get a shot. He told me that his heart was beating out of his chest having finally laid eyes on this mythical mountain monster.
He said “Pictures don’t do the buck justice, he was huge”!
Only a short time had passed before he heard a gunshot from a few hundred yards away on the opposite side of the mountain. He said “My heart sank, I knew that the buck that I had ate, slept and dreamed about over the past 4 years was dead”.
That gunshot indeed came from Gabby Smelser, and soon after calling her Dad to report the event, he joined her on the mountainside and they both shared tears of joy!
As I wrote this story different emotions ran through me. Of course, I feel so very happy for Gabby and her family which I have met, because this buck won the women’s division of Star City Whitetails 8th Annual Big Buck Best Photo Contest. But I also felt a little for those hunters who hunted this buck over the years too. What truly brought it full circle was the happiness these hunters expressed towards Gabby for having been at the right place at the right time, and to me that’s exactly the way it should be!
Congratulations on a tremendous Virginia Buck Gabby, and we look forward to seeing it once it’s mounted.
*Arrington’s Cooler in Bedford green scored the buck at 173 B&C/ 208 VA Score*
Jeff Phillips
2/8/2020
Gabby Smelser enjoys the outdoors from many angles.....
Whether it’s in the Virginia deer and turkey woods, or on the water like she was the day I called her to do this interview and story. I could hear the wind whistling in her phone as we discussed her 2019 Big Buck hunt, and I asked if she was driving and needed me to call her back. She said “nope I’m fishing on Smith Mountain Lake”.
During our conversation it became obvious that this Bedford County 19-year-old young lady’s upbringing has revolved around getting out into nature, which to me is very encouraging and hopeful for generations to come.
Virginia’s 2019 deer season was in full swing as early muzzleloader was giving way to the rifle season, and although Gabby and her father Ricky had been out a few times, they were yet to fire their guns. Neither had imminent plans to hunt the opening morning of rifle season, but Gabby was wide awake in the early morning hours of November 16th as she was picking up her boyfriend from his night shift job. She decided after dropping him off that she would drive back home and get her father up in order to hit the woods.
Gabby said “I just had a gut feeling that I should be hunting that morning”.
When she arrived back home, she woke her Dad up and he eagerly got prepared and they both sat out on the short drive to her grandmother’s property on Porters Mountain that overlooks the quaint community of Montvale. Little did they know what was awaiting them on this opening day of Virginia’s rifle season.
I asked Gabby if they were hunting from treestands and she said “No, we usually hunt from our lounge chairs”. I paused a moment then asked her for details. She said that that there are certain vantage points on the mountain ridges and in order to hunt comfortably they have placed lounge chairs at the base of a few big trees and it’s been successful through the years.
As faint daylight was seeping onto the mountain both hunters had settled into their lounge chairs with several hundred yards separating them. The early morning was very quiet with only a few gunshots ringing out across the valley.
Gabby up till now had always been an opportunistic type of deer hunter, usually shooting the first legal deer that showed up, but her father had told her to be more patient on this hunt and that if she saw a doe the chances are high that a buck may be following her.
Just before 8am Gabby heard some commotion heading her way, and before long a doe appeared with a curious spike in tow. Remembering what her Dad had said she sat calmly and just watched the two deer as they stopped to feed a bit. Gabby slowly began to scan the surrounding area and as her eyes panned the woods, she had almost made a complete 360 when she peered over her shoulder and to her disbelief a tall and wide racked buck stood in silence starring directly at her. She froze for what seemed like an eternity, until the desire to spread his genes got the best of this mature mountain giant and he stepped toward where the doe and spike were which provided a great shot for Gabby and her .243 rifle. She steadied and fired and the big buck traveled only 15 yards before piling up.
As I was developing this story several gentlemen that hunt adjoining properties on the mountain came forward to praise Gabby as well as share their stories with me of this buck that had truly become a legend on that mountain. Unbeknownst to Gabby and her father this buck began garnering attention in 2015 as a real nice mainframe 8 pointer.
Most of the sightings of this buck came from trail camera photos and the majority of those were nighttime pics. In the summer of 2016, the buck had blossomed into a 10 pointer and was a shooter by anyone’s standards. That same fall a hunter actually fired his 30/30 at the buck, but only faint blood was found and the legend lived on.
In 2017, again the buck was a beautiful 10 pointer, and only night time trail camera pictures revealed his presence. One of the hunters I spoke to found both sides of his sheds together at the edge of a field in the winter of 2018, and later that fall with the help of a couple kickers the buck was now a 12 pointer and a true standout earning such names as “bullwinkle”.
The two hunters that I discussed this buck's history with both told me that they hunted him specifically and passed on all other deer waiting for him to show up, but it never happened. Matter of fact the two hunters never had a “live” sighting of the buck until the day he was killed.
As the story ending year of 2019 moved into summer this mountain buck again had 10 points, but had gained some mass both antler and body wise. Also, uncharacteristically the buck was making more public appearances, as it was seen crossing the roads at night by landowners nearby.
On that opening morning of rifle season one of the contributing hunters saw the buck at a distance for the very first time just at daybreak following a doe closely, but couldn’t get a shot. He told me that his heart was beating out of his chest having finally laid eyes on this mythical mountain monster.
He said “Pictures don’t do the buck justice, he was huge”!
Only a short time had passed before he heard a gunshot from a few hundred yards away on the opposite side of the mountain. He said “My heart sank, I knew that the buck that I had ate, slept and dreamed about over the past 4 years was dead”.
That gunshot indeed came from Gabby Smelser, and soon after calling her Dad to report the event, he joined her on the mountainside and they both shared tears of joy!
As I wrote this story different emotions ran through me. Of course, I feel so very happy for Gabby and her family which I have met, because this buck won the women’s division of Star City Whitetails 8th Annual Big Buck Best Photo Contest. But I also felt a little for those hunters who hunted this buck over the years too. What truly brought it full circle was the happiness these hunters expressed towards Gabby for having been at the right place at the right time, and to me that’s exactly the way it should be!
Congratulations on a tremendous Virginia Buck Gabby, and we look forward to seeing it once it’s mounted.
*Arrington’s Cooler in Bedford green scored the buck at 173 B&C/ 208 VA Score*
Jeff Phillips
2/8/2020
