On Nov. 21, 2006, Jered Hoover of Edinburg, Virginia, was hunting from a Virginia mountaintop on a wintry and blustery Tuesday afternoon. Jered has been hunting this spot for almost 20 years. "From the mountaintop I can see the entire Shenandoah Valley and numerous mountains back through West Virginia," Jered says. "Upon approaching my ground blind that I erected 10 years ago, I saw some trees that had fresh rubs, a small scrap, and some other deer sign. With the wind blowing and swirling, I decided to put out some scent devices. Nothing happened until just before dark. With about 30 minutes of shooting light left, I spotted tree limbs shaking about 70 yards away. After catching a visual of the buck, I was able to see him rubbing a tree."
Taking careful aim, Jered squeezed off a round from his father's .270 that he'd been using for years. He could tell it was a good hit. "Down over the side of the mountain he went, stopping some 40 yards below me," Jered said. "With buck fever running high and no cure in sight, I proceeded to tip-toe through the woods. The buck jumped up and straight down the side of the mountain he went."
Since it was now getting dark, Jered decided to get help from his father and a friend and continue the search the next morning. The three hunters picked up the trail early the next day and once again headed down the mountain. "Suddenly we all heard sound that we had never heard before," Jered said. "To our surprise, we eventually encountered a large black bear dragging my nice buck through the woods!"
The bear was chased off and Jered recovered his 9-point buck. "This was the craziest thing we have ever encountered while deer hunting," he said.
"But having my dad and my hunting buddy along made it all worthwhile!"
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