ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, November 25, 1996 TAG: 9611260133
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
Deer hunters give many reasons for not being able to get off a shot, but Ronnie Perdue of Salem may have the best yet.
``I really couldn't shoot the deer when I first wanted to shoot him because his horns were in the way,'' he said. ``I couldn't get a clear shot.''
When you take a look at the antlers on the buck that finally gave him a decent shot, you can see Perdue wasn't stretching the truth. The Floyd County trophy is certain to score well in state competition.
``You definitely are in the ink,'' Game Warden John Hall told Perdue when he examined the buck.
Depending on who is doing the counting, the massive, nontypical rack has 20 to 24 points. The outside spread is about 28 inches. The buck field-dressed at 185 pounds.
``I never thought I'd see anything like that coming through the woods,'' said Perdue, who is a retired captain with the Salem Fire Department.
``That's the best one that's ever been in my shop,'' said Matthew Elmore, who operates a taxidermist business in Shawsville where the deer is being mounted.
Like a number of trophy deer taken this year, Perdue's kill was a product of the muzzleloading season.
``I hadn't seen it before,'' he said. ``I was hunting in an area that big bucks generally hang out in, and I had killed some nice bucks there before. He just happened to be coming along.''
Perdue reached his stand about 7 a.m. and got the shot 15 minutes later, after the buck dropped its head to the ground offering him a clear target.
``I didn't realize how big the deer was until I approached it,'' he said. ``It reminded me of a big bull elk I killed out in Colorado one time. Every time we counted, we counted more points.''
Competition may not be as tough as usual when Perdue enters his buck in the state's big-game contest. The kill count and the quality of bucks appear to be down this season. BILL COCHRAN. When Ronnie Perdue saw his buck it reminded him of an elk. color.
LENGTH: Short : 45 linesby CNB