Buckhannon Hunter Tags 10-Point on Anniversary Date

Kyler Doss of Buckhannon was in his stand on Sept. 30, his wedding anniversary, when a mature whitetail buck appeared at an opening about 80 yards out. Doss told West Virginia Outdoors he identified the animal by its body at 7:40 a.m. The buck closed to within 20 yards before Doss released an arrow. "I got a pretty clean drawback, but didn't know how well the shot was," Doss said. "I knew it was at the center of the deer and he was quartering a little, but I knew it was a fatal shot." The deer left the area, and blood sign was sparse. Doss backed out for several hours, then called Longspur Tracking. The tracking dogs arrived within an hour and located the buck roughly 140 yards from where Doss last saw it.

Doss said he first noticed the buck on his hunting property in Lewis County more than a year ago, when it was a typical main frame 10-point. A trail camera image in May captured the animal crossing a skid road. Doss said he narrowed down the buck's range during June and that the deer used the area consistently afterward. The day before the hunt, images showed the buck near the location around 7:30 a.m.

The recovered antlers carried split brow tines, two points on one side and three on the other. Doss said the rack also shows an unusual wave pattern in its shape.

Doss said he had promised his wife when they married that he would not hunt the early part of bow season, so she would not have to plan around it on their anniversary. He said he broke that promise in 2026 after she agreed to let him hunt. "I must have found a good wife because she knew I needed to hunt this deer," Doss said. He plans to keep hunting through the season. He also said there is a honey-do list at home that needs attention.