SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources has announced the winners of the 2009 West Virginia Big Buck Contest.
Twelve bucks killed by gun hunters scored above 140 points typical or 165 points non-typical. In the Typical Gun category, the winner was Kenneth Carpenter from Streetsboro, Ohio, with a 12-point buck killed in Kanawha County that scored 163 7/8.
Winners
The winner of the Typical Bow category was Jason Kerns of Shepherdsville, Ky., with a 14-point buck from Logan County that scored 162 3/8.
The Non-typical Bow category winner was Howard Powell III of Parkersburg, W.Va., with a huge 23-point buck taken in Wood County that scored 193 1/8. Powell’s buck took over the fourth position for Non-typical Bow kills in the list that ranks the top five buck scores for all time in West Virginia.
One buck killed by a physically challenged crossbow hunter scored above 125 points typical or 155 points non-typical.
The Typical Crossbow category winner was Bobby Grose of Rock, W.Va., with a 9-point Mercer County buck that scored 131 3/8.
There was no non-typical buck taken with the crossbow this year that met the minimum score.
The Boone and Crockett Club, or Pope and Young Club, rating systems are used to score bucks, depending upon the method of harvest.
This past year, 260 hunters had their deer antlers scored at one of the six DNR district offices, field offices, or during the West Virginia Hunting and Fishing Show in Charleston.
Qualifications
Eighty hunters qualified for the 2009 Big Buck Contest by entering their legally harvested bucks into one of three categories (gun, bow or crossbow).
Contestants were required to meet certain conditions to participate: deer antlers needed to meet or exceed a minimum score established for the respective category, an Official Game Check Tag had to be presented, and a Fair Chase Statement had to be signed.
Guidelines
The Boone and Crockett Club guidelines are used to score deer harvested with a firearm, muzzleloader, or crossbow (used by physically challenged hunters with a Class Y Permit). Certificates are presented for racks scoring at least 140 points typical or 165 points non-typical for firearms and muzzleloaders, and scoring at least 125 points typical or 155 points non-typical for crossbow.
Deer harvested with a bow are measured according to Pope and Young Club standards, and they are recognized with a certificate for racks scoring at least 125 points typical or 155 points non-typical.
The winner in each category will receive a plaque during the 2010 National Hunting and Fishing Day Celebration, held the last weekend of September at Stonewall Resort State Park.
