PINEVILLE, W.Va. — Although Dewayne Cantrell is a lifelong resident of Wyoming County and a lifelong deer hunter, he had never killed one of those legendary whitetails for which the steep hollows of southern West Virginia’s bowhunting counties are known.
“The way that I work all the time, it’s hard for me to pursue one specific deer. I just take what God sends my way,” laughed Cantrell during a conversation for West Virginia Outdoors.
The 52-year old Cantrell works on a surface mine and on opening day of the 2025 season got an opportunity to spend a few hours in the stand. He took advantage of it not knowing when he might get to be there again. He was hopeful because he, his wife, and son had been tracking two bucks on the trail camera near the stand. One of them was bigger than the other, but both would be what Cantrell considered a “target buck.”
“He’s been coming in morning and evening for the past two weeks. My son went up there early Saturday morning and had deer coming in and licking the salt off of the tree stand, but the big guy didn’t show up,” Cantrell explained.
“I came home from work and went up there about 6:30 and he decided he was going to show up. I just thank God I was there,” he laughed.
Cantrell was eyeing up a spike and a doe which had come in and were feeding within a few yards of his position. During his entire life, he’d never killed a deer on opening day of bow season. He reasoned first of all it’s still a little hot and second, a buck on opening day means the chase is over as quickly as it started.
“I wouldn’t have shot anything on the first day expect a big buck,” he said.
As he looked on, both deer he was watching whipped their heads in the direction of some thick cover and telegraphed to Cantrell something was about to happen.
“It all happened so quick. They both turned and looked and the area he came through was really brushy. I saw the glisten of a horn and that doe started thrashing around and he turned like he was going to run out. I didn’t see which target buck it was, but it was one of them,” he explained.
Cantrell said the big buck stepped into a shooting lane and he didn’t hesitate.
“I just put the pin where it needed to be and let it fly. I don’t think I could have taken my hat off and it hit the ground I was so excited,” Cantrell laughed.
Tracking the beast was going to be a challenge for Cantrell. He’s color blind and unless there is snow on the ground, he needs help. He called his wife and son who soon showed up along with his granddaughter and made the track a family affair. While he and his granddaughter strolled, his wife and son were hot on the track and within minutes found the buck about 75 yards from the stand. He had stayed on the same bench and never went up or down the mountain.
“I was so happy. I get excited every time I kill a deer, but this was the first time I’ve ever killed a deer that would get everybody excited,” he said.