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Rod's Taxidermy Photo
Jeffrey Smith, 21, of Lake Ariel, PA is the new leader in the Democrat Big Buck Contest after shooting this 16-pointer last Saturday in Rileyville. The buck – Smith’s first ever – scored 87.75 points, second most in the 40-year history of the Contest.
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Staff Report
RILEYVILLE, PA — December 13, 2013 — A junior at Misericordia University with not much free time, Jeffrey Smith of Lake Ariel, had one chance to hunt all season – last Saturday, December 7. In fact, he didn’t even have his license until the day before.
You could say he made the most of his opportunity. Smith bagged a monstrous 16 pointer with a 25.5 inch right beam, 26.5 inch left beam and a 20-inch spread – good for a whopping 87.75 point total in the 2013 Democrat Big Buck Contest. Not only did he move into first place, it was the second highest measurement ever recorded in the contest. Arthur Dross of Forestburgh still holds the record with a 16-pointer he shot in 1999 that scored 89 points.
“He was shocked,” said his dad Doug, who was hunting nearby. “He couldn’t believe it. He came to me and said ‘I think I just shot a 16-pointer.’ My first reaction was ‘Yeah, right, what did you really shoot.’ Then I went and looked at it and it had 10 points on the one side!”
Smith was hunting in Rileyville on private land when he shot the buck around 8 a.m. He had been in his stand for about an hour, biding some of the time by reviewing notes for his upcoming final exams.
Then the buck “just walked right towards him.” From about 100 yards, he fired his Mossberg 270 and hit the buck in the neck. To make the story even more amazing, it was the first buck Smith has ever shot since he started hunting nine years ago.
Doug said that Jeff has never lost patience waiting such a long time to shoot his first buck.
“I’ve told him to just hang in there. Some guys wait 30-40 years before shooting their first buck.”
Smith became an instant celebrity on campus as a photo of he and the buck went viral.
“Everyone knew about it when he returned to school,” said Doug.
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