JULIAN \u2014 If David Miller ever needs reassurance that he\u2019s managing his land properly for trophy deer, all he has to do is look at his family-room wall.<\/p>\n
There hangs the mounted head of the largest buck ever taken by bow and arrow in Boone County. Miller killed it last fall, on the opening day of West Virginia\u2019s archery season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d been watching that buck for the past three years,\u201d Miller said. \u201cEvery year, his antlers got a little bigger. This year, when he was 51\/2 years old, I finally decided to go after him.\u201d<\/p>\n
It wouldn\u2019t have taken much to prevent Miller from bagging the big 12-pointer. The buck could have wandered off the property to find more food, or to look for potential mates.<\/p>\n
It could have, but it didn\u2019t \u2014 because Miller managed his property in a way that made the buck want to stay put.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s easier for Miller because he\u2019s biologist; he as a better-than-average understanding of why deer do what they do. He says, however, that anyone willing to invest the time, effort and money can grow big whitetails on their own lands.<\/p>\n
\u201cNumber one on the list of things to do is to create sanctuary areas for the deer,\u201d he explained. \u201cSecond is to evaluate the available food and see if there\u2019s enough to support the deer you\u2019d like to attract. Third is make sure you have a good water source. And fourth is to cooperate with surrounding landowners to improve the age structure of the local deer herd.\u201d<\/p>\n