Scoring Big Bucks: Remi To The Rescue
By: Brian R. Kightlinger
Until recently, Pennsylvania hunters could not use tracking dogs to locate big game animals they had shot. This service could have been the difference between a filled tag and a lost animal for many hunters. Everything changed in 2018, when Gov. Tom Wolf signed legislation created by Sen. Mario M. Scavello. The new law would allow hunters to use leashed tracking dogs to help locate big game. My friend, Ben Miller, is a thankful hunter because of that law. Ben enlisted the services of Stacy Bayus and her 3-year-old bluetick hound Remi to recover his 2021 archery buck.
Ben hunts an overgrown evergreen farm located in northwest Pennsylvania. His great-grandfather planted the evergreens on the farm in the mid-1950s. The growth on the property is exceptionally thick, making it difficult to pinpoint where the deer bed. However, one section of the property has many apple trees that produce annually. Strategically placed trail cameras revealed photos of bucks frequently heading from that general direction throughout the summer.
Over the past few years, Ben, his brother Andy, and their father Tom decided to manage the property to produce older age-class deer. Harvesting plenty of does and hunting mature bucks has paid off. In 2020, Tom harvested a beautiful non-typical eleven-point during the Pennsylvania gun season. Ben hoped that the 2021 season would bring him an opportunity to place his tag on a mature Pennsylvania buck.
Tom Miller with his buck he took from his family’s property in 2020..
On the evening of Saturday, October 9th, Ben climbed into his stand at 4 pm. He thought the evening would produce good deer movement due to a change in the weather. The winds were swirling, and he contemplated getting down, for fear of his scent blowing towards a bedding area.
Ben sat in his stand, hoping and praying that the winds would not give away his location and that he might see a mature buck. Around 5:45, Ben caught movement coming out of a thicket. Two small does appeared and walked by his stand. The does stopped to eat and then passed by without an issue.
The scoresheet for Tom Miller’s 2020 buck.
Ben's spirits lifted after the two does walked by. He was convinced he was in the correct stand and that the wind was blowing in his favor. could In distance Ben thought he heard apples dropping to the ground in the orchard, and he hoped it was buck feeding. He watched in all directions for any movement in the thick overgrowth.
At 6:50, Ben heard steps coming from behind his stand. Suddenly a deer appeared under his stand. He watched as a small 1.5-year-old buck walked out from underneath his treestand. The yearling four-point buck never stopped walking and continued towards the neighbor's field.
The sun was slowly sinking below the horizon. At 7:00, Ben heard the familiar sound of a deer walking. Looking in the direction of the sound, Ben saw a big-bodied deer. Could this be a shooter?
Immediately, Ben knew it was a 3.5-year-old deer. He could see it had tall tines, and the rack was outside the ears. The deer casually walked parallel to his stand and was within his 35-yard shooting zone. Ben waited and watched for the buck to stop in one of his shooting lanes.
The buck seemed to be on a mission and toyed with Ben by not stopping in the first few open lanes. Ben prayed the buck would stop soon before he walked out of sight. The deer stopped at the last shooting lane and stood quartering away at 30 yards. Ben slowly raised his Ravin R10 crossbow, put the crosshairs behind the shoulder, and squeezed the trigger of his Ravin R10
He watched as the lighted nock flew through the air and found its mark. The bolt passed through the deer, and the buck took off through the brush. Ben's heart was racing as he listened for the sounds of the deer crashing.
The animal's initial reaction indicated to Ben that it was a mortal hit. Ben could see his lighted nock glowing in the dirt, and he felt confident the buck was dead. Shaking with excitement, Ben forced himself to wait forty-five minutes before getting down to look at his bolt.
The last light of day vanished, and Ben climbed out of his treestand and walked over to his glowing nock. When he found his bolt, Ben's heart sank. The bright nock gave enough light to show green and brown slime on the bolt. Ben knew he had to sneak out of the woods to avoid spooking the mortally hit buck. Before leaving the woods, Ben left his hat behind in hopes of deterring any coyotes from finding his deer.
After returning home, Ben called his dad, his brother Andy, and his neighbor Harvey for their advice on what to do next. All three men recommended waiting until first light the following day to begin tracking his buck. Ben knew they were right, so he prepared for a long, sleepless night.
At 7:00 am, Harvey came to Ben’s house to assist in recovering the buck. Together they returned to where Ben left his hat and followed the kicked-up mud and the little blood they could find. They scoured the area, and they eventually found a couple of good gushes of dark red blood. Ben thought he might have clipped the deer’s liver. They followed the ever-decreasing signs, until they lost all indication of where the deer went.
Ben and Harvey with Ben’s trophy eight-point.
Being a Sunday morning, Ben thanked God a little more than usual for the beauty of the woods, his health and physical ability to hunt and pursue animals, and all the other blessings in his life. The spirit moved Ben, and he thought, what if there was a blood-tracking dog to help?
Ben pulled out his phone and searched the internet for blood-tracking dogs near Edinboro, Pennsylvania. He found the name of a woman, Stacy Bayus, in Lake City. Ben called, left a voice message, and sent a text message. Ben waited patiently in the woods for a reply, and soon he had an answer to his unspoken prayer.
Stacy Bayus texted Ben that she planned on attending church, but she was willing to bring her dog Remi to the property afterwards. Ben gladly accepted her offer. He didn't know much about tracking dogs, but he was excited that Stacy was willing to help search for his deer.
Stacy arrived promptly, hooked Remi to a lead, and geared up for the search. Ben told Stacy about his shot as they walked to where the deer had been hit. Ben was fascinated, as he watched the dog meticulously work the trail. He prayed that Remi could find enough scent to locate the buck.
Tracking the buck was complicated by Ben and Harvey previously walking over the area. Remi was appeared unphased. Within an hour, Remi found Ben's trophy in an area he and Harvey hadn’t looked.
Ben, Stacy, and the hero of the day, Remi. Remi is a three year old bluetick hound.
Relief washed over Ben when he saw the buck. Beyond being a responsibility of good hunters, Ben felt he honored the buck by exhausting all efforts to find him.
The scoresheet for Ben’s buck.
Ben has Stacy and Remi to thank, as recovering the buck wouldn't have been possible without them, but he is also thankful for the law change that allowed him to use a blood-tracking dog. Ben will forever remember his hunt, and he’ll never forget the people that came together to help recover his trophy buck.
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