Jay Cappa’s big, non-typical trophy rack has many interesting features -- including a big drop tine that caused the property owner to call it the “flipper buck.” Photo by Joe Byers.

Opening morning of the Free State firearms season was uneventful for Jay Cappa, who hunted on the farm of his good friend Wally Knox. On the Knox farm, the rule is: If you shoot it, you mount it. This rule has allowed bucks to grow some good antler size over the years. On that first morning, Cappa saw a couple of small bucks and a few does. But each one was shy of the harvest criteria.

The first Saturday after Thanksgiving Day is like Christmas to many Maryland hunters. Sportsman Cappa, though, was no doubt feeling fatigued.

“Actually, I had kind of dozed off,” he remembers. But he was soon awakened by the sound of hooves below him. “I looked down and saw a 4-point buck run past the stand. The animal looked back and seemed to be running from something,” recalls Cappa.

“Suddenly an 11-point buck burst onto the trail, following the 4-pointer. The deer was moving quickly, and I had to swing, aim and shoot in a single motion as it ran past. Luckily, the range was close -- about 20 yards.”

Cappa took a few deep, excited breaths to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. He felt sure he had hit the buck and climbed down to trail the animal. Searching the scene of the shot carefully, he could find no blood or hair.

The buck had followed a well-used trail into thick brush. Cappa followed in the direction the deer fled. Searching carefully, he found no sign of blood spoor, and his doubts began to build,

Cappa shoots a scoped Remington 1187 shotgun, with a Hastings barrel and Remington Copper Solid slugs. He feels confident about his marksmanship out to 100 yards and was determined to find this deer.

He finally did find the deer -- a buck that any hunter would proud of, with 11 points, heavy beams and modest antler spread. Later, Cappa would learn that the shotgun slug entered behind its shoulder, traveled through the heart and lodged in the brisket. Despite this lethal shot, the high entry point and lack of an exit wound eliminated any blood spoor to follow.

The 11-point buck was Cappa’s second-largest deer, and he was proud to take it to the local taxidermist for mounting. Cappa, a building contractor, had several large jobs in the works at the time. So even though his buddy invited him to hunt again, Cappa took care of business first, putting off more days afield.

SECOND-TIME HUNT IS THE CHARM!
Maryland regulations require that a person take two does before the hunter can legally harvest a second buck. Cappa complied with the regulations by stocking his freezer, as well as helping his buddy control the deer population on the farm.

But during the second Wednesday of the firearms season, Cappa was at work when Knox phoned him.

“What are you doing?” came a friendly inquiry.

“I’m at work and I’ve been pretty busy,” Cappa replied.

“I thought you said you’d take some time off to hunt,” said Knox. “I saw 28 deer in the field last night. You’d better get over here.”

“You talked me into it,” replied Cappa. He left work and arrived at the Talbot County farm around 4 p.m.