Virginia Bowhunter Tags Big 190-Inch Urban Buck, Honors Father

• Hunter: Jason Whitlow
• Buck: 190 3/8 inches
• Date of Harvest: October 6, 2024
• Location of Harvest: Virginia
• Weapon of Harvest: Compound bow

Jason Whitlow didn’t know about this big deer before the 2024 season. That said, last July, he saw a trail camera photo of the deer on Facebook. A guy he knew sent him a photo of the buck. Still, he had no clue of where the buck lived.

Whitlow is familiar with the general area he ended up crossing paths with the deer, though. “In 2023, I killed a 148-inch 9-point and a 155-inch 8-pointer 1 ½ miles away,” he said.

“In my opinion, getting access in these areas is part of the hunt,” Whitlow continued. “I spent almost a month gaining as much access as possible.”

By deer season, he had a decent idea of where the massive deer lived. He even got permission on some properties around the buck’s home range.

“I’ve been waiting five years to find a buck I could name in honor of my father Eric Whitlow, who passed away from a work accident in September 2019,” Whitlow said. “That was just a year and a half after my mom passed away from cancer. I gave him the name ‘Pops’ in honor of my dad.”

On October 6, 2024, he headed afield in hopes of a good hunt. His tree saddle was positioned to capitalize on what he knew about the deer.

“I was hunting an urban area,” Whitlow said. “In front of me was an open oak ridge with a ton of acorns. To my left was the house that I had permission to hunt at. Behind me was another open area with big oaks. And to my right was a really thick ridge with great bedding that led to a creek bottom.”

The morning sit was cool, especially for early October. A small weather front was pushing through. Whitlow wasn’t confident the buck would show up that morning. He thought his best chance would be the following three days. Still, it was day No. 2 of deer season that held the fateful encounter. His friend, Alex, filmed the hunt.

“Most deer in this area travel the upper third of the ridges,” he said. “So, I set up on the upper third and they were using that trail a lot.”

Around 7:15 A.M., a deer started blowing upwind from Whitlow’s position. About 10 minutes later, three does walked in from the direction deer were blowing. They walked under the treestand and over toward the house where they fed on white oak acorns. Eventually, they started to leave.

“I noticed one of the does looked up and stared down into the thick brush on the side of the ridge,” Whitlow said. “She looked really hard for a few minutes and kept working. I always try to watch the deer, because they usually will tell you with their body language when something is coming.”

A bit later, he spotted the big buck.

“I heard loud steps in the leaves and immediately thought it had to be a deer,” Whitlow said. “I turned back toward where the does had been earlier, and I saw a deer standing at 20 yards. I recognized him immediately.”

It worked up out of the cover and into view. Once the buck started feeding, he grabbed his bow and waited for a shot opportunity. It took the deer several minutes to go the next 10 yards. Once it turned enough, he took the quartering shot. It connected, and the deer ran 85 yards and tipped over.

“He died on a piece I didn’t have permission on,” Whitlow said. “I could see him from another spot I had permission, so I knew he was dead and where he was. I spent about an hour getting permission to retrieve.”

Pops scored 190 3/8 inches. That’s big for any state. But for Virginia, it’s truly an accomplishment.

“I spent a lot of time in prayer leading up to the opener just praying I could glorify God and share the story of my father,” Whitlow said. “I want people to know that God has a plan for everyone. No matter how dark things get, there is a light, and things will get better.

“I also want people to know that deer hunting is supposed to be fun,” he continued. “Don’t make it something it doesn’t need to be. One day, we will pass, and these deer will mean a lot less to the people who get them from us. Not long after that, they will mean nothing. Enjoy deer hunting. It doesn’t need to be stressful and mentally draining.”

---